Senator Judy Burges is Hell Bent on Killing Sustainability in Arizona with SB1507

Anti-Sustainability Senator Burges

Did you know that sustainability isn't about the environment or trying to make sure we have a livable planet for future generations???  According to Arizona Senator Burges, sustainability- and AGENDA 21- is just a covert operative to "hurt the middle class and working poor by controlling what we eat and where we live."  It's a game of world domination where the Europeans are surely poised to pounce on us at any time to start demanding we live more sustainable lifestyles.  Sustainability is BAD BAD BAD.  Maybe this anti-environmental bill from Senator Burges shouldn't come as such a big shock though, given her past employment with Cyprus Bagdad Copper Company, a significant violator of the Clean Air Act.

I wish I was joking.  I wish our extremist and crazy state legislators would stop giving daily fodder to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.  But they don't...  And I live here.  And not only do I live here, I've worked as an environmental consultant for 10+ years and have been a sustainability activist for much longer than that.

Watch testimony (and votes) HERE for yourself (and cringe).


This is a bill that has slipped through the cracks unnoticed.  Like a cockroach.  In this instance, the building is infested with them.  They are scurrying on the inside of the walls, multiplying, crapping their allergenic crap everywhere.  SB1507.

How did this bill slip through the cracks for so long unnoticed and without any input from the environmental community?  Well, it's a little thing called a "Strike All Amendment."  The original title of SB1507 was "unemployment insurance; technical correction."  Sounds fairly harmless, right?

This was then changed with the Strike All Amendment to now be: "United Nations Rio declaration; prohibition."  Not so harmless anymore. 

The following excerpt from the Arizona Republic sheds light on this phenomenon:
Sometimes called the “Hail Mary Pass” of the political process, here’s how Strike-All amendments work:
1.)  A bill fails in a House or Senate Committee or Floor Vote or is arbitrarily held by a committee chairman.
2.)  The stalled bill’s sponsor takes another unrelated bill assigned elsewhere that is still moving and, with permission of its sponsor, guts it and replaces the wording with the contents of the stalled bill.
3.)  “Stikers” can be a useful method to introduce new ideas, or to put stalled bills that might otherwise enjoy majority support to a vote.  But, they can also be used to by-pass the committee hearings where the public might testify.
Without doubt, “Strike All” amendments lead to public confusion about pending legislation.

I simply like to call this total bullshit.  This is a sneaky, awful way to pass bills without public input or concerned party testimony and should not be allowed, in my opinion.

I could list at least 1000 reasons why sustainability is good.  Good for our economy, good for our households, good for our cities, good for our State, good for our PLANET.  We are just finally starting to make some good progress, which this bill serves to instantaneously try to destroy.  Sustainability is not a party line topic.  It just makes sense.  This bill is simply about conspiracy theories and extremism and does nothing to create jobs (which the green/sustainability movement does) or serve to protect and improve our environment (which is a necessity).

Anyway, we don't have time to hear all of the reasons about why sustainability is good - because this bill will be heard in the House Committee on Rules TODAY (March 26th) at 1 p.m. and we need a small ARMY of people who care about sustainability to SIGN THIS ONLINE PETITION, CONTACT the Rules Committee Members, write to your Representatives and Senators telling them you OPPOSE SB1507, come to TESTIFY at committee, and help us stop this insulting bill.

We must stand together for change.