Final Word: Is Arizona out to make a fool of itself?
Feb 21, 2014, 11:26 PM | Updated: Feb 22, 2014, 1:22 am
In the Legislature Thursday, Arizona may as well have passed a bill changing our state’s name to something like “Crazytown.”
Somehow in Arizona, it’s become the thing to state how independent and different we are. And unfortunately, how stupid.
Thursday, the Legislature advanced a bill to allow schools to opt out of teaching to the Common Core Standards.
You know who likes Common Core standards? Educators, the chambers of commerce, Valley leaders, Expect More Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer, the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, me…
You know who doesn’t? Our Legislature.
Apparently we elect people in Arizona because we want them to separate us from the federal government. We don’t care if the idea or proposal is the best idea anyone’s ever had, if it came from or is endorsed by Washington, it’s automatically out.
The Legislature is acting like a bunch of toddlers. We even went so far last year in Arizona as to RENAME the standards because we hate them so much.
Educators showed up at Thursday’s hearing in support of the Common Core standards in a 17-to-1 ratio versus those who want to scrap the standards, yet the Education Committee passed the bills anyway. Four of them.
Why? Because they’re OUR kids, and we won’t educate them because YOU, the federal government, wants us to.
Also Thursday, the Legislature passed the Right to Refuse Service bill. That’s the one that allows a business to discriminate against someone for just about any reason due to the business owners sincerely held religious beliefs.
The bill’s supporters say it is designed to protect religious rights. Problem is, it does so at the expense of other’s human rights.
It’s unnecessary and speaks only to those who want to hate and need a civil defense to back them up. It should reach Brewer’s desk by Monday.
I hope she has her veto pen ready. Same for the Common Core opt out, if it makes it to her desk.
In her last year as governor, Brewer could single-handedly keep Arizona out of the crazy column.
Would you, please?
