Everyone seems to agree that the crux of our ills in Arizona lies with the housing industry and real estate markets. Howard Fischer's June 10 article in the Tribune mentions "a boom and bust in both real estate and construction... we're overbuilt in all sectors... we have an awful lot of people who aren't working."
The problems, and causes, are our own. They belong with Arizona, and choices and decisions made by Arizonans. Why does everyone want to look to someone else for the problems and causes, and the solutions and remedies? Why does everyone want to look east to Washington? The solutions and remedies need to come from Arizona and Arizonans, and they need to start with the legislators and the governor providing leadership. So far, all we've gotten is cut-and-slash rhetoric. If they can't provide solutions and remedies, then we probably need new remedies and solutions, and new legislators and new governor.
John and Patti Latson, Mesa
hartwigryan posted at 9:40 pm on Wed, Jun 15, 2011.
I don’t agree that the real estate crash was entirely our fault. There are many factors that affect real estate. A good book about these factors is All Real Estate is Local by David Lereah.
I wrote a summary of a book by David Faber regarding the financial collapse. You can read it at http://ryanhartwig.org/book-review-and-then-the-roof-caved-in
As for looking to Washington, I would say that the federal government affects us in many ways. When you say “looking east”, maybe you’re referring to our required interaction due to their increased control of programs previously left to the states’ jurisdiction.
One issue is federal funding. If we don’t continue with pre-recession funding levels, or meet their specific guidelines, then our federal funding gets cut. This puts us in a pickle, because we need to cut our own funds, but do we really want to lose out on federal funding? If our solutions come from Arizona and Arizonans, then perhaps we should be financially independent.
samkat posted at 8:15 pm on Wed, Jun 15, 2011.
"Does anyone know what Arizona does for a living these days?" Heck Dale you have all of the answers so we depend on you for an answer. :-)
By the way, nobody is going to find an answer in Washington. The Obama administration is too busy trying to pony up to the Hispanics and the unions to be doing anything productive like creating jobs. Congress is looking for all of the special interest money they can cozy up to and less inclined to do anything productive like consensus building to actually pass legislation that might benefit the average citizen so that leaves the states to fend for themselves.
Dale Whiting posted at 2:06 pm on Wed, Jun 15, 2011.
Arizona's three C's, cotton, cattle and copper, pretty much are long forgotten. It has become cheapter to produce all three elsewhere. Sure, the price of copper has rebounded and mining is up. But all it will take is another drop and it's gone over night. Today's highly automated mining methods mean that this C does not employ nearly as many folks as it did before. So Copper's come back has relatively minor impact.
We are a leading manufacturer in the semi-conductor industry. But so are many other places. By placing a head tax on feeder cattle more than 30 years ago, we sent cattle to New Mexico. The plume is also off the cotton fields. Where once I could not drive to I-10 without passing miles of cotton fields, none have been planted for perhaps 10 years now.
Does anyone know what Arizona does for a living these days?
Poorman posted at 1:20 pm on Wed, Jun 15, 2011.
Most likley right about the realestate problem,we had all these greedy people from other states comming in here to buy cheap and try to sell at way to high of prices so they could stuff their grubby litle pockets and then leave.
Accuracy posted at 10:52 am on Wed, Jun 15, 2011.
John and Patti Latson,
You wrote: "If they can't provide solutions and remedies, then we probably need new remedies and solutions, and new legislators and new governor."
Those were the same words we heard back in 2005 when Janet Napolitano was Arizona governor and Terry Goddard was Arizona Attorney General.
Dale Whiting posted at 8:44 am on Wed, Jun 15, 2011.
You ask "Why does everyone want to look east to Washington?" Looking into the mirror to find fault is too painful.