Arizona is beautiful. From the cacti to the mountains to the forests, rivers and deserts, it is a picturesque landscape. For some it is a winter escape or a place to train in the spring, and for others Arizona is home. For everyone, Arizona is distinctively unique.
You can feel it in the air, water, natural surroundings and wildlife. And if voters approve House Concurrent Resolution 2004, which the Arizona House of Representatives is calling a “declaration of sovereignty,” in November, the federal government would have little to no say in what we do to all of it. Or so the House would hope. Section 1C of Article 2 (1) of HCR 2004 reads, “The state of Arizona declares its sovereign and exclusive authority and jurisdiction over the air, water, public lands, minerals, wildlife and other natural resources within its boundaries.” The resolution makes exceptions for Indian Reservations and federal lands.
The resolution clings to the 10th Amendment. Section 1A of Article 2 (1) of HCR 2004 reads, “Each state of the union possesses full attributes of sovereignty on an equal footing with all other states, the retention of which is recognized and guaranteed by the constitution of the United States.”
But what does it all mean for you?
Unfortunately, the resolution is worded in the typical Arizona fashion: us vs. the feds.
Essentially, it is a battle over lands that were delegated to the federal government in 1912 as part of the process of gaining statehood. The land was supposed to be sold off to help pay down the national debt and it never was.
The East Valley Tribune reported Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake, as saying,“We are not equal to other states because we do not have control of the lands.”
She feels that we are not a true state and that we are victims of a federal betrayal.
This is not the real issue. Arizona is not seceding from the union and the likelihood of this passing is probably not too far off.
So the real question is: What do we do with the land once it is acquired?
Let’s go back to how beautiful Arizona is. Our state provides and endless array of outdoor activities from hiking to camping, fishing or cruising down the Salt River in an inflatable tube. We are home to 22 national parks and hundreds of acres of land that are unoccupied by businesses or real estate space. If we’re going to pass this resolution and take full control of the diverse environment that is Arizona, let’s also take full advantage of it. And not in the carbon-footprint or search-for-unobtanium sense.
If Arizona gains control of all the land within its boundaries, legislators should focus on maintaining what makes this state beautiful in the first place and never approach the land as a home for a future shopping center.
Let’s preserve the Wild West, starting with the wildlife.
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