Boycott Versus Buycott

If a homogenous group opposes something in today’s political arena one of the first things they cry is “boycott”. Those who are called out and suffer from the boycott return with their battle cry, “buycott”. This has been seen by the opposition and supporters of Arizona Senate Bill 1070. Arizona legislator, Raul Grijalva, called for the entire United States to boycott the state of Arizona in the form of conventions, business, parties, vacations, sports, etc. The citizens of Arizona countered the boycott with a buycott which has received national support.


Those in opposition of Arizona SB 1070 have not only been protesting in the streets of Arizona’s capitol, but they are also boycotting Arizona on a national level. On April 20, 2010, Arizona congressman Grijalva called for a boycott against his own state, “There has to be an economic sanction for this. Our economic sanction is: do not do business with a state that is propagating the idea that separate but equal under any law…can be codified” (Kain). Grijalva called for the boycott based on his belief that SB 1070 was written in a specific way to target Mexican people based on their race. Many Americans are scared that the law will target them because of the color of their skin. Though this law does not discriminate against race or target those that commit the illegal activity of being in the United States illegally, it does give law enforcement a tool to further investigate “undocumented” people in a crime or traffic incident- regarless of their skin color.

Cities nationwide have answered Grijalva’s call including, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Milwaukee, Sacramento, and many others. These cities have been canceling business meetings, sporting events, and contracts with Arizona cities, as well as the state. That is, unless of course, the contract benefits them. Chicago jumped on the bandwagon to boycott Arizona businesses but their morals were much outweighed by money when they exempted an Arizona red light camera company that they currently hold a contract with. Some of these boycotts are downright hypocritical, but they are holding strong and still in effect today.


Many Americans that were appalled with the boycott have fired back with a buycott in an attempt to counter the economic devastation that is possible from the boycott. A buycott is simple. It supports the businesses targeted by the boycott, which in this case are Cold Stone, Best Western, US Airways, Petsmart, and Uhaul, just to name a few. From anywhere in the nation Americans can support Arizona by spending their money at these businesses instead of competitors. Dr. Gina Loudon, the founder of Buycott Arizona, says businesses in the state have been punished unfairly because of the boycott (Kollipara). Though punishing businesses seems unfair, taking away business is precisely what a boycott aims to do. Boycotters hope that by taking away business from Arizona, they will cripple Arizona’s economy enough that the state will cry “uncle” and repeal the law.

Boycotting has become an extremely effective tool in politics. Those who call for economic boycotts reap the havoc on the target with extreme precision. This has been seen in Arizona with the economic boycott in response to the passing of Arizona SB 1070. However, a new counter strategy, proving to also be effective, is the buycott. Arizona is reaping the benefits of the buying power of those sympathetic to the state’s economic woes as a result of the Arizona SB 1070 boycott. So far there seems to be an economic balance of the two, but the true outcome will be seen July 29, 2010 when the law is enacted.

References:

Kain, E.D. Arizona rep. Raul Grijalva calls for a boycott of Arizona. True/Slant. Retrieved on July 16, 2010 from http://trueslant.com/erikkain/2010/04/20/arizona-rep-raul-grijalva-calls-for-a-boycott-of-arizona/.

Kollipara, Puneet. Ariz. immigration law backers plan to ‘buycott’ to offset boycotts. The Hill. Retrieved on July 16, 2010 from http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/100449-ariz-immigration-law-backers-plan-buycott-to-offset-boycotts.

Photograph. Flickr from Yahoo. Retrieved on July 17, 2010 from http://images.search.yahoo.com/images.

Photograph. From Teri Codner.

Why do we need SB 1070?

On the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty there is a poem by Emma Lazarus. One of the most recognized lines reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” The United States of America gives the warmest, most sincere welcome to anyone who wishes to enter. The color of your skin, the place of your birth and the religion you practice does not matter. Not only do we embrace [legal] immigration in this land of the free, but we also trust immigrants with the responsibility of pursuing their immigration status to become a legal citizen. Unfortunately, America is now being taken advantage of and trampled on by people who resort to being illegal aliens instead of becoming legal immigrated citizens of this nation. It is time for America to toughen up. The passage of Arizona Senate Bill 1070 is the first bold step that has been taken to restore this great nation and its immigration policies. The previous two blogs explain the who, what, when, where, and how of SB 1070. Following are several reasons why SB 1070 is necessary in Arizona.

Currently there are eleven million illegal aliens in the United States (Obama) and 460,000 of those reside in Arizona (Broomhead). Both of these numbers are far too large to be ignored, which the federal government has been doing for decades. Due to the fact that no recent president has confronted America’s immigration problem beyond rhetoric, some state governors are now taking steps to be able to enforce the federal laws on a state level. Paving the way is Arizona Governor Jan Brewer who signed SB 1070 into law. In Arizona, 50% of homicides are carried out by illegal aliens and the city of Phoenix has now become the kidnapping capital of the United States (Broomhead). Arizona geographically shares 370 miles of border with Mexico (NDIC), whose citizens are streaming across Arizona’s porous border, undocumented, on a daily basis. In addition, 35 Islamic countries, known to harbor terrorists, contribute to those crossing the border illegally each year(Longley).

Those who come to America undocumented, hence illegally, are breaking the law. Not only do illegal aliens break our laws as soon as they step foot across our borders, but being in America undocumented causes them to break many other laws and puts burdens on the citizens of America. “Billions are lost in taxes each year because [illegal aliens] are paid under the table,” claims President Barak Obama. America relies on taxes in order to support our country’s infrastructure, social security, and welfare programs. Those that do not pay taxes are breaking the law and taxpayers are forced to shell out billions a year to Title 1 school programs, education daycare, health care, food stamps, Section 8 housing and subsidized rent, bilingual services, SSI and Medicare. In addition, many do not maintain car insurance, which is illegal and puts all Americans at risk. As citizens of this nation, we continue to uphold the laws of the land and are continually burdened with the costs to support the needs of illegal aliens as they continue to break our laws and eat off of our backs.


Not only will SB 1070 enforce federal illegal immigration laws and reduce costs for taxpayers, it will aide in reducing the dangerous drug problem that has entered the United States via Mexico. Drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) smuggle methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana from Mexico into Arizona daily. Because Arizona is a national- level distribution center with highways extending to both our East and West coasts (NDIC), this is not a problem Arizona faces on its own; this is a problem the entire nation faces. Along with trafficking the drugs, comes protection of the goods. DTOs carry an extensive range of weaponry and often engage in shoot-outs with rival gangs, law enforcement, and citizens. This illegal activity in the United States is becoming more and more dangerous and moving further north into Arizona. In many instances the DTOs are better equipped than our law enforcement and have already claimed the lives of many innocent citizens and law enforcement officers.

Although the majority of Arizonians and Americans support SB 1070, there are many who believe that the previously mentioned reasons for why the bill needs to be enforced are not strong enough. They believe comprehensive immigration reform, including amnesty, is the answer. Though there is no specific plan of action for comprehensive immigration reform, it includes admittance to breaking the law, registering, paying taxes, paying a fine, and learning English (Obama). Why amnesty? This is a way to let illegal aliens remain in America without deportation back to their country of origin and without disrupting their lives and families. This is a political maneuver that sympathizers use to fight on behalf of illegal aliens and in turn receive the majority of their eleven million votes in elections. Thus, increasing the support from minority groups and cementing election bids.

Illegal immigration is not only an Arizona issue. Illegal immigration is an issue that America faces as an entire nation. Whatever steps we take to address the problem, the problem needs to be fixed, not merely bandaged. Immigrants- both legal and illegal- need to respect the laws of the United States and abide by them. As Arizona trailblazes forward on the illegal immigration issue, the United States needs to take a tough stance on illegal immigration by enforcing the nation’s existing immigration laws.


References:

Barak Obama. Immigration Speech on July 1, 2010.

Mike Broomhead. KFYI. Referenced Associated Press article on/around June 28, 2010.

National Drug Intelligence Center. Arizona’s Drug Threat Assessment. Retrieved on July 2, 2010 from http://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs6/6384/overview.htm.

Pictures. Retrieved on July 4, 2010 from http://images.travelpod.com/users/eightydaze/1.1217037360.lady-liberty.jpg and http://www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Border+Patrol+Seizes+Drugs+Illegal+Immigrants+gAUDGiw5eAXl.jpg.

Robert Longley. Terrorists: The 'Other' Illegal Immigrants. Retrieved on July 5, 2010 from http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/defenseandsecurity/a/otmaliens.htm.