Photo Credit: azcentral.com
In today’s political climate, where social media algorithms seem to turn everything into an us vs them, with us or against us dynamic. It is increasingly difficult to work across the aisle without your own eating you alive and primarying you. So when denizens of each political wing come together in support of a common cause, it is worth noting.
One of those such instances is happening right now with Proposition 308. For those who are unaware, Prop 308 will be on your ballot this fall, and it will give “Dreamers” the ability to have the same rights when it comes to education as many of their documented colleagues. It is a common sense proposition based on decency and fairness, keeping aside the supposed “sins” of parents and allowing children not to be permanently painted by them.
Therefore we were elated to read this recent story, where progressive Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and conservative Mesa Mayor John Giles have come together in support of Prop 308. And leaving aside the more extreme elements of today’s Republican Party, where illegal immigration is the grievest of all ills, it makes all the sense in the world.
Why is this? First, let’s talk about Arizona’s brand. When it comes to recruiting large employers to our state to set up shop and bringing hundreds or thousands of jobs with them, hardline nativist policies don’t work. Quite the opposite, they turn off much of a highly educated and well trained workforce that doesn’t want to come to a state with extreme policies (see also: total abortion bans). While seniors are reliable voters and are most in favor of those sorts of policies, a young workforce (i.e. the type that make our country run) are not.
Two, it’s about the workforce. Employers want educated labor pools, and to leave off a large segment of the population and denying them that education to help them rise up and advance simply limits the headcount of our educated workforce.
Lastly, it’s simply the decent thing to do. Your average person does not feel it right to punish children for what their parents have done, and polls reflect this. In North Korea, they will jail entire families when one member escapes and defects to a different country. It should be an extremely uncontroversial statement to say that we should not follow North Korean policies.
Often it takes a certain degree of common sense, certain policies and ideas that are so very correct for their time, to bring together the polar opposites. Prop 308 is one of those, and we hope that Arizona voters will also see what the cooler heads of the ends of the political spectrum can clearly see: that Proposition 308 deserves your Yes vote.