Voting for Arizona¹s Economic Future
By Ed Gogek, MD
The issues in the news are immigration and Iraq . But an unspoken issue this year is whether the United States continues as the world¹s economic power? And if Washington fails, will Arizona take control of its own economy and continue providing good jobs?
Three issues will determine our economic future – issues that Washington and our own State Legislature have ignored. They¹re the building blocks of our economy: Energy, education and industry.
Dependence on foreign oil: Experts predict world oil production will peak within 30 years. When it peaks, supply will fall, and if demand continues to rise, prices will skyrocket. As the world¹s most oil-dependent country, the United States will suffer most. Cheap oil created the American lifestyle -- long commutes, easy travel, goods delivered by truck, and products requiring lots of energy to produce. As the price of oil rises, we¹ll need new energy sources. So now, while oil is still relatively cheap, is the time to build for the next economy based on renewable forms of energy. This is what Germany and Japan are doing, creating wind and solar infrastructures. And that¹s what Arizona¹s legislature should be doing, too. Instead, two of District 4¹s legislators, Sen. Jack Harper and Rep. Judy Burges, voted against legislation to promote solar energy and against energy efficient appliances. And despite lip service given to renewable energy, the Bush energy plan is totally devoted to oil.
Education: Universal public education is another building block that made America wealthy, and we need good education for everyone and experts in science and engineering to maintain our competitive edge. But our State Legislature let our system fall into shambles. After decades of Republican dominance, Arizona 's schools rank 49th in the nation. A simple solution, one most Arizonans support, is paying teachers a decent wage so they stop leaving for other jobs or for other states. But it's been an uphill struggle for Gov. Napolitano to improve the state's public schools. District 4¹s three Republican legislators consistently vote against public education. They voted against all-day kindergarten, against decent pay for teachers and against financial aid to make our state universities affordable for in-state students. These are all votes against Arizona 's future.
New Technology: A nation¹s wealth is based on industry, on making something everyone else wants. Instead, the United States has developed a service economy. Arizona¹s economy is based on construction. If we invest in research—in bioscience, and in solar and other renewable energy sources—we could develop a stable economy with good jobs for the future. Once again, my Republican opponent not only voted against legislation to encourage solar energy and energy-efficient appliances, he also opposes investing in bioscience research.
The biggest unspoken issue this year is that Republican leaders, who run Washington and our State Legislature, have not prepared us to compete in the 21st century. They've made us more dependent on foreign oil, and given Arizona one of the worst public education systems in the nation. And when the issue on the table is new technologies to bring high-paying jobs to Arizona , two of our District 4 legislators have opposed these measures. These legislators, part of the extreme right wing that has taken over the Republican Party, don't seem concerned about our future.
Iraq and immigration might be the biggest issues in the news. But, in the coming election, we will decide whether the United States and Arizona simply coast on the economic might our parents built in the last century, or whether we work to remain economic leaders well into the 21st century. Arizona¹s economic future is at stake in this election, and it¹s one more reason we need change.
Ed Gogek MD, is the Democratic candidate for state senate in District 4. His website is votegogek.com. |