"Phoenix Rising - Part II; The Taxpayer Fights Back!"

Well the Arizona legislature has re-convened and it looks like they're ready to do battle!  A slew of new bills are being introduced to deal with the states problems; Mandatory drug testing for anyone on welfare, proof of citizenship to drive or register a car, proof of citizenship to buy a car, proof of citizenship to attend K-12 and university schools in Arizona, combing the welfare rolls to see who's gaming the system, mandatory checks for citizenship before treatment at state hospitals and reform of the state employee pension system to eliminate "double dippers" and overly generous retirement benefits.  Whew!

Many of these initiatives will surely be challenged by the courts.  Some of them will end up in the lap of the Supreme court.  But it is heartening to know we have a conservative legislature that is battling corruption, crime, fraud, graft, illegal immigration and the sovereignty of the state versus the strangling control of federal mandates.

The state deficit remains the biggest problem.  When Janet Napolitano was Governor she introduced a number of expensive social programs that was fundable while the Arizona economy was hot.  With the fall off in construction and the horrible housing crash, funds are no longer available to finance many "nice to have" programs.  Arizona is facing a $2 billion dollar deficit and all the big cuts were made last year; state buildings were sold off and leased back and every pocket of funding was combed for extra funds.  Now, the state is forced to look at the state health care program.  Over 20 percent of Arizona's populace is on state funded health care.  The situation is so dire that even the Obama administration has granted Arizona leeway to waive from the medical rolls up to 250,000 people.  The Feds haven't fought this cut since the alternative may be to end the program all together which would free up over a $1 billion dollars in outlay costs.

As Arizona continues to fight Washington over their failure to protect the border, a group of Hispanic activists and open borders supporters in Tucson are proposing that they be allowed to secede from Arizona, split the state in half,  and become America's 51st state.  I can't think of more clear evidence of the results of the illegal invasion than this; not content to infiltrate our nation's sovereign territory, it looks as if they are now trying to bite off a huge chunk of the southwest, thus effectively expanding Mexican control over a portion of the U.S.

Just hope many other states follow Arizona's lead and continue to resist the invasion and any effort to grant amnesty for foreign invaders.  If so, there may very well be hope for an American resurgence.