Welcome To Baja Arizona, 51st State of the USA

[WillParkinson]

NPR reports on the secessionist movement to split Arizona into two states, with the relatively liberal bastion of Tuscon and its surrounding area to become Baja Arizona, the 51st state.

Baja Arizona supporters say there's a serious side to their quest to create a new state. They say Arizona is headed in the wrong direction — cutting education and health care funding and hurting the state's reputation and business climate with laws like SB 1070. And they say Republicans in the Legislature are punishing Pima County for its opposition. The Legislature tried to deny money to Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik because he doesn't support SB 1070. It passed a law trying to change the way Tucson holds city elections, and another bill dictating how the city can bid public works projects. Republican state Rep. John Kavanagh helped pass many of those laws. He says the Legislature is doing what it thinks is right. "We pass laws based upon what we believe the people of Arizona want," he says. Kavanagh says the effort to split the state is just Democratic sour grapes.

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2011/05/baja-arizona.html

[izquierdista]

1. Let's hear it for Gov. Grijalva!

He's one of my favorites.

[blondeatlast]

3. This Arizonan REALLY likes the sound of that. nt

[pinboy3niner]

5. Great idea!

[Jim Lane]

10. No way. SENATOR Grijalva!

Selfish of you to want to confine him to Baja Arizona. The rest of us need him to stay in Washington. Just give him a promotion.

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[brooklynite]

4. Before or after northern California splits from the south?

and NYC splits from the rest of the State?

Not going to happen.

[nichomachus]

6. The normal/wacky split in California

Isn't as neatly defined as you seem to suggest. There are some very liberal parts of northern CA and some extremely right-wing parts of southern CA. It's more of a patchwork.

[brooklynite]

7. I'm just referring to the actual secession movement already in place...

http://www.jeffersonstate.com/

[nichomachus]

9. Didn't know about that

Wackier than the Tea Baggers, but if that had been in place in 2008, Obama still would have been elected and Prop H8 would have failed. Those counties voted for it at rates higher than the overall vote.

[KamaAina]

11. I think you have that backwards

northern CA is mostly liberal with a few wacky hotspots, especially inland.

In SoCal, L.A. County is true Blue, most other coastal areas are purplish to slightly repuke-leaning -- but the Inland Empire is horrible. :scared:

edit: a case could actually be made to make the split east-west, rather than north-south. Of course, the coastal state would look a lot like Chile.

[Ptah]

8. Free Baja Arizona!!

http://www.bandersnatch.com/bajaz.htm

If Baja Arizona Became a State:

The State Motto would be "mas cerveza".

The State Song would be "Jo Jo" by the Beatles.

The State Animal would be Wiley Coyote.

The State Minstrel is Linda Ronstadt.