Posted 20 September 2006:
Below are two links that go into details about Arizona's Proposition 106 on the upcoming November ballot. To make it short, Arizona has a law
that allows for the gradual sale of all State Lands to developers (who else?). A topographic map of Arizona such as Delorme's Arizona Atlas shows
about 20%
of Arizona is State Land. The sale money is then used to provide additional support for education in Arizona. What I don't like
about the current State Law is that eventually in maybe 100 years, all the State land can be sold off and developed and then there is
no more money for
schools or for any other purpose. The current law is a "short-term" solution for education that robs us of the beautiful
and natural lands of the West for the subsidized education
of a few generations out of hopefully the thousands that will follow us. I would rather pay more taxes to support the education of the
children of the present generation than to sacrifice the nature for humans. So any way that preserves the natural areas of Arizona
is appealing to me. We are growing into something like Los Angeles and the urban sprawl is becoming scary. Is humankind destined to cover
every square inch of the earth? How many species more will we exterminate? When we do inexorably morph into Los Angeles with ever
increasing urban populations, then natural State and Federal Lands in Arizona will become more valuable as recreation and habitat
refuges for species that have been here millions of years before man colonized.
Many citizens of Phoenix probably have rarely, if ever, ventured into public lands and wilderness areas in their lives.
However, I guess most people still like to know that nature is out there and will be forever, not gone forever if developed.
So I'm in favor of paying for education as required through taxes and not selling off State Lands as an easy "fix" that when once sold
will never be pristine nature again but rather covered
with wall-to-wall suburbia.
Arizona Proposition 106 (yes) - posted 20 September 2006
Supported by:
Arizona Education Association