While an online petition might be among the least effective methods of protest, it's still nice to see city councilman Steve Kozachik trying something to hold off the series of bills that went through the Legislature this year seeming to exist only to tell Pima County what to do. As of right now, there are 546 signers, but maybe you'll find something to connect to in Kozachik's open letter:

Ronald Reagan is quoted as having said this: “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

During this 50th Legislature of the State of Arizona, numerous bills have been drafted that are both preemptive of local decision making authority, and injurious to the right of self government upon which our Nation was founded.

Embedded in the Declaration of Independence is the foundational principle "Governments are instituted among (people), deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." That consent is best insured when decisions are made at the level of government closest to those being impacted.

This Legislative session has seen preemptive bills related to fiscal issues, firearms, hiring practices, procurement policies, and more. We have also seen this Legislature object to Federal intrusion into perceived States Rights in areas of Immigration Reform, and suggest the creation of a State level panel that would sit in judgment over each piece of Federal Legislation for its impact on 10th Amendment Rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

The philosophical inconsistency is striking.

We join together in signing this petition which is being presented to the Arizona State Legislature, not based on party affiliation, but based on the long established principles embedded in our founding documents; that governmental overreach is inconsistent with the consent of the governed, local decisions must be governed locally.

1. We call on this Legislature to remove from its agenda all remaining bills that preempt local decision making authority.

2. Reverse any decisions that impede the ability of local governments to independently govern their communities.

I invite you as taxpayers, and voters in Arizona, to join me in standing up for the independent and unquestionable rights of our local governments to decide what is right for our communities.