Liberals in southern Arizona seek to form new state

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Liberals in southern Arizona seek to form new state
By Brad Poole

TUCSON, Arizona | Tue May 10, 2011 10:00am EDT

TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - A long-simmering movement by liberal stalwarts in southern Arizona to break away from the rest of the largely conservative state is at a boiling point as secession backers press to bring their longshot ambition to the forefront of Arizona politics.

A group of lawyers from the Democratic stronghold of Tucson and surrounding Pima County have launched a petition drive seeking support for a November 2012 ballot question on whether the 48th state should be divided in two.

The ultimate goal of the newly formed political action committee Start our State is to split Pima County off into what would become the nation's 51st state, tentatively dubbed Baja Arizona.

~snip~
"We at least need to get it on the ballot, as a nonbinding resolution, to ask the people of Pima County if they want to be a part of Arizona," Tucson attorney Paul Eckerstrom, a former Pima County Democratic chairman who launched the campaign, told Reuters. "All the stars would have to align for this to happen, but it could conceivably happen by the fall of 2013."



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/10/us-arizona-secession-idUSTRE74931P20110510

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[CTyankee]

2. Interesting.

There's a section of New Haven that has tried to "secede" from New Haven because the people there think it is too liberal and doesn't represent their interests. But they've never succeeded.

[FarLeftFist]

3. If that gets on the ballot

I GUARANTEE they will vote to break away.

[AmericaIsGreat]

4. lol, awesome n/m

[madmom]

5. I would move there in a minute. I always wanted to retire in Arizona but

decided against it because of it's politics. BTW, Tucson is my favorite place in the whole state, even more so now.

[AmandaRuth]

6. too funny! Eastern Washington (red and conservative)

is always threatening to break away for tree hugging liberal Western WA.

The funny thing is the eastern part of the state takes way way more than their share of the tax pool from the more densely populated Western Wa. It's like, we built your roads and your schools, can you at least say thanks instead of throwing a separatist temper tantrum.

So great that it is the liberals this time, saying "we are not satisfied with being lumped in with you".

[Jester Messiah]

7. Approved.

By me, at least. From what I read, for this to happen the new state has to have the approval of the AZ legislature as well as the US Congress. I suspect if the Repubs can stop it from happening, they will. Last thing they want is two more (D) voices in the Senate.

[iandhr]

8. Not constitutional

Article 4 Section. 3.

New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

[primavera]

10. Well, constitutional but highly unlikely

Since the legislature isn't apt to want to give up the cosmetic credibility of speaking in the name of those residents whose interests they misrepresent for their own ends.

[pampango]

11. West Virginians don't want to hear this.

;)

[lfairban]

17. Actually, I think WV was OK with this.

Since WV was the only legitimate portion of Va, the rest having succeeded, they could give their own consent, and congress was delighted.

[Plucketeer]

12. What's this say............?

From your post: "without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress." So THERE'S their "in". Tall order, for sure - but that's what they're hoping to get.

[ileus]

9. If AZ can do it IL and VA can also.

[The Nexus]

13. Step one toward civil war

though not succession, politics plays the role of reason for this form of state seperatism. Doesn't bother me though. More electorates for the progressive ideas. But I would be vigilant on this though.

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. Be sure that Libertarians don't co-opt your effort.

[peoli]

15. Zero chance of this happening. I live here.

[LynneSin]

16. Republicans would not want to add 2 more democrats to the senate

and that's probably what would happen with the split.