Arizona Borderlands Democrats

April 1, 2010

In this time of political gridlock and divisiveness in our political discourse, conservative extremists (including some local Sonoita citizens) are making their views known in no uncertain terms. In response, the leadership team of the Arizona Borderlands Democrats would like to state our position on some key points of contention. In doing so, we affirm the fact that the Sonoita/Elgin/Patagonia region is made up of individuals with diverse opinions, including many who hold moderate and progressive views and believe government has an important role to play in addressing the issues that face our nation.

National Debt and Federal Budget Deficits – Need for a Balanced Solution

We believe that the size of the national debt is a serious issue and that annual federal budget deficits can only be addressed through a combination of spending constraints and rational tax policy. To control spending, we must reform entitlement programs (Social Security and Medicare), restructure health care spending, and restrain spending in all parts of the federal budget, including the military. It is unrealistic to think we can solve the debt and deficit problems on the spending side alone. We support the expiration of the Bush tax cuts and other prudent measures that increase tax revenues.

Bank Bailouts and the Stimulus Package – Distasteful but Necessary

We believe that the financial crisis was caused largely by greed and excessive risk taking on the part of Wall Street, troublesome and sometimes predatory lending practices, and the lack of effective regulatory systems for the financial and mortgage industries. A broad consensus among economists exists that the bailout of the banks and passage of the Recovery Act were necessary measures to prevent our economy from plunging into even deeper recession. The financial crisis was in full swing when the Obama Administration took office and we support the aggressive measures taken to avert further disaster. We also support the passage of the financial system regulatory legislation being considered by Congress, and we support aggressive enforcement of regulatory law.

Government Is Part of the Solution – Rejection of Anti-Government Rhetoric

We believe that government (federal, state, and local) plays an important and sometimes vital role in our society. Talk of “dismantling” the federal government, abolishing the Federal Reserve, abolishing the IRS, and the like is unrealistic. We do not believe there is a conspiracy afoot to take away our liberties and impose tyranny or socialism. Extremist views further polarize our politics and make it more difficult to solve problems. Compromise and moderation at this time would be far more constructive.

Health Care Reform

We support the recent passage of health care legislation that “bends the curve” on health care spending, eliminates harmful insurance industry practices, provides greater access to health care to the uninsured, and eventually will make health care more affordable. The new law is moderate in scope and does not represent a “massive takeover” of the health care sector by the government.

Political Process Reform

We support meaningful reform of our political processes that would facilitate effective governance and decrease the influence of money and special interests. This includes modification of the Senate filibuster rule and increased public financing of political campaigns.

There are no simplistic solutions to these and other pressing issues. Our elected officials should be held accountable to exhibit compromise, moderation, and good faith in doing the people’s business.

Sincerely,

Arizona Borderlands Democrats Leadership Team

Charles Doolittle Lois Kolesar Beverly Parker

Morris Farr John Michael Yvette Rehurek

Juanita Havill