Arpaio as governor equals disaster
Comments
by Angus Martin on April 28, 2010 at 11:31 pm under Opinion
Some ideas are just downright scary, like Sheriff Joe Arpaio running for governor. His poor allocation of resources and money, and his Constitution-shredding clown act as sheriff of Maricopa County is a legitimate nightmare to criminals and lawful citizens alike. Arming a group of 60, including investigators and Arpaio’s “posse,” with semi-automatics to arrest 13 Latino janitors at Mesa City Hall back in 2008 is a fine example of gross misuse of resources and firepower.
Yet there are many people who think this man is not only a good sheriff, but would be excellent as our governor. That should baffle any reasonable person. How is a man who employs “shock and awe” tactics against suspected illegal immigrants, a man who shrugs off cases of rape and murder to satisfy a state’s obsession with illegal immigration, a good prospect for the governorship? How is a man who refuses to send illegal immigrants back to their country in favor of keeping them in his jail for macho bravadoism a decent candidate for governor of a state whose Republicans have already driven it right into the Grand Canyon without a pair of wings on which to glide?
That is the state of politics in Arizona. We as a state reflect a childish desire to continue playing “cowboys and Indians,” but this time with the white Americans playing the cowboys, and all Latinos being the Indians. Our collective mind is in the same state as an 8-year-old’s; that’s not promising in a world where our actions deliver real consequences to those around us. Maricopa County especially resembles such ideas, with Joe Arpaio as the symbolic head of our illusions of imaginary past golden ages.
Politics nationwide have become too juvenile — Obama was elected largely because he could give nice speeches, and Bush was elected because it’d be “nice to have a beer with him.” Most people cast their votes for this past election to those candidates without an ‘R’ in front of their name. We as a country must grow up, and what better place to start than in Arizona?
The sheriff has not yet announced whether he will run for governor; he isn’t planning on making that decision until May 2. That is a piece of mercy. We still have hope the man who has spectacularly wasted Maricopa County’s resources on a ridiculous crusade to fulfill his dream of becoming “America’s toughest sheriff” will not be running for governor. It is an office that requires accountability and responsibility that he does not have now and never will.
4 Comments
Opinions, such as mine and yours don’t mean much in this world, but it would be nice if we had 100 Sheriff Arpaios in each State.
That is the most aweful news I have heard all year. Let’s reveal all of his skeletons in his closet if he runs.
It seems to me that this has been made into an issue of race. Race has nothing to do with the issues Arpaio stands for, he puts illegal immigrants (who are criminals) in jail for committing a crime. It is simply holding people accountable for their actions, maybe if someone gets punished for committing a crime, they might refrain from doing it again in the future. I think with a good cabinet and team of advisors, Sheriff Joe would do well as a governor.
I think the real issue is Mr. Arpaio’s appetite for abuse of authority under the color of law enforcement and his sadistic and nefarious views towards immigrants, particularly undocumented immigrants. It seems clear that Mr. Arpaio makes it his priority to go after illegal immigrants. And as a result of his incessant targeting of illegal immigrants, innocent U.S. citizens of Hispanic ethnicity have unjustly found themselves in the sheriff’s cross-hairs (re: Justice Department’s probe into Mr. Arpaio’s tactics and allegations of racial profiling. And if anyone wholeheartedly believes that no indictment or insufficient evidence amounts to innocence, then I’d say they probably were one of the jurors that acquitted O.J. Simpson).
Now don’t misunderstand my position on illegal immigrants that are predisposed to commit crimes that pose a danger and disturbs the peace and welfare of the community. But incarcerating someone for up to six months for not having permission to legally be in a country is tantamount to throwing the book at someone for stealing an apple from their neighbor’s tree on the front lawn. Both are crimes but neither merit six months at county.
If Arizona’s politicians are serious about controlling the boarder and curving crime instead of playing politics, they will first need to introduce responsible solutions that are just. If Arizona and Mr. Arpaio want to target criminals and illegal immigrants they’ll have to do it across the board. To assure that racial profiling will not be tolerated (as Gov. Brewer insists), why not require law enforcement officials to account for EVERY requests made for legal status documentation? If the requests are proportionate to the populace, then this may well be one way to assure the public that the law is applied equally.
But of course we all know this won’t happen because Mr. Arpaio will denounce filling out such reports as a waste of time, money, and resources when his minions could be rounding up the usual suspects.