Don't boycott AZ!
I disagree with SB1070. Not all of it, but there are parts of that law that are incredibly problematic. I disagree with SB1102 that lets anyone and everyone carry a concealed weapon without a permit. I also disagree with SB1305 that restricts a female state employee's right to choose a health insurance policy that covers abortion. Nor do I agree with SB1304 in which a woman who chooses to terminate her pregnancy is interrogated and the data collected is made publicly available on the State's website.
I disagree strongly with the direction that this state has taken.
But for Pete's sake, to think that boycotting the entire state is a solution to anything is absolutely ridiculous! I'm all for taking action to protest these laws and to boot the Republicans crazies out of office. Boycotting Arizona as a whole is not the right action to take!
Boycotts, especially big ones, are bad press. They call attention to the cause and make people take sides. I get that. Boycotting such organizations like the Diamondbacks may be the only way someone from across the country can express displeasure with Arizona right now. I get that.
But who gets hurt from boycotts? Is it the government that passed the law? Is it the senators who sponsored the bill? Is it the right-wing organizations that drafted the law? No.
A boycott hurts the rest of us. It hurts the hotel business, which means that the hotel maids and janitors get canned. That then hurts the restaurant business, which means that the waitresses and busboys get canned. It hurts the economy of this state, which already has a huge deficit.
Arizona is so poor right now that all of the rest stops on our highways were shut down to save money. The rest stops. Seriously?! And people are calling for a boycott?!
I get that you want to make a statement, but don't fuck over the people who live and work here in the process.
I disagree strongly with the direction that this state has taken.
But for Pete's sake, to think that boycotting the entire state is a solution to anything is absolutely ridiculous! I'm all for taking action to protest these laws and to boot the Republicans crazies out of office. Boycotting Arizona as a whole is not the right action to take!
Boycotts, especially big ones, are bad press. They call attention to the cause and make people take sides. I get that. Boycotting such organizations like the Diamondbacks may be the only way someone from across the country can express displeasure with Arizona right now. I get that.
But who gets hurt from boycotts? Is it the government that passed the law? Is it the senators who sponsored the bill? Is it the right-wing organizations that drafted the law? No.
A boycott hurts the rest of us. It hurts the hotel business, which means that the hotel maids and janitors get canned. That then hurts the restaurant business, which means that the waitresses and busboys get canned. It hurts the economy of this state, which already has a huge deficit.
Arizona is so poor right now that all of the rest stops on our highways were shut down to save money. The rest stops. Seriously?! And people are calling for a boycott?!
I get that you want to make a statement, but don't fuck over the people who live and work here in the process.