Steve's View of Government

I’m a constitutionalist. And with good reason: The minds that gave us the Constitution of the United States of America were brilliant. But the Constitution of the State of Arizona is worth a look as well.

Let’s be perfectly clear: Laws exist to rein in government first. That’s absolutely crucial to being a society of free and equal people. (Contrast the current Board of Supervisors that has happily misconstrued the open meetings laws to silence dissent.)

For today, let’s focus on article two, sections one and two. They are remarkably brief, but critically important.

Article Two, Section One¹

Fundamental principles; recurrence to A frequent recurrence to fundamental principles is essential to the security of individual rights and the perpetuity of free government.

The founders of our fine state wrote a brief preamble thanking God for our liberties, outlined the state geographically, and then told everyone who would succeed them in government throughout the state that their first and most important job is to review and understand the limited role of government and that it exists to secure individual rights.

Article Two, Section Two²

Political power; purpose of government All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.

Only after reminding those who take office to focus on their true role did the founders then outline the role of government: Protect individual rights.

Without question, the current majority on the Board of Supervisors pays no heed to the Constitution. They continue to increase property taxes on all of Pima County—rents, mortgage escrow payments, and bare tax payments—to fund pet projects. That confiscatory taxation does not serve to protect individual rights; in fact, it deprives the million-plus neighbors in Pima County of the right to keep their own earnings.

This board has spent $3.3 billion in excess of previous budgets, and not in defense of the individual rights of county citizens. I’ve said it myself, and I’ve heard it from others here in District 1: Rex Scott (and Matt Heinz, and Adelita Grijalva) have disqualified themselves from continuing to hold office by the damage they’ve done.

Of course, being that I believe in the wisdom of our Constitution, the local media will brand me a kook. Just watch them.

Footnotes

1. Constitution of the State of Arizona, Article Two, Section One: https://www.azleg.gov/viewDocument/?docName=https://www.azleg.gov/const/2/1.htm. ↩

2. Constitution of the State of Arizona, Article Two, Section Two: https://www.azleg.gov/viewDocument/?docName=https://www.azleg.gov/const/2/2.htm. ↩