Out of Arizona

Back in Tucson for the flight home tomorrow morning.

I can't say enough about the scenery in and around Sedona. I will probably say too much about the sociology of Sodona, but that will have to wait for a later posting.

The drive from Sedona to Tucson was pleasant enough, especially the stop for lunch at T. Cook's in the Royal Palms resort near Scottsdale. I don't mean to turn this into a travelogue, but I heartily recommend you try T. Cook's if you're in the vicinity. You'll thank me for it.

We're at a Holiday Inn near the airport, and while there was no need to drive through central Tucson to get here, I wanted to see some of the old neighborhoods I remembered.

The changes since I lived in Tucson are disagreeable. When I first visited in the early '90s, and even when I called it home later, Tucson seemed to be an exception to the standard development process of American cities, namely, flight to the suburbs. Many parts of the older, central area remained solidly middle class, even affluent in the north toward the foothills. Today I saw evidence typical of urban "hollowing out" -- the inner residential neighborhoods have become shabbier and poorer-looking, not to mention more hispanic.

The trend is evident: people who can afford it are settling in or moving out to the new "edge city" developments and the ritzy foothills. I don't blame them and would do the same. Who wants to live amid growing signs of an underclass and probably crime?

Do I blame Mexicanization? Yes, I blame Mexicanization.

No other significant causal factor exists. Central Tucson isn't -- well, wasn't -- a slum. Lots of the houses have character, and the desert and tropical landscaping leaves nothing to be desired. The cacti, date palms, oleander, bougainvillea, banana plants, palo verde trees and the rest always used to lift my spirits, as did the mountains and the big sky. Other than open borders, there was no reason for whites and long-established Mexican families to head for the hills.

How much longer can we Americans retreat from social devolution?

Arizona has already ceded so much, thwarted by a central government and ruling class that wants a servile, alien population dependent on government handouts.

As you may have heard, Arizona is trying for a game changer. Unlike what is only a slogan for Barack Kenyatta and his goon squad, this change is utterly real and necessary for Arizona and ultimately for what is left of the true spirit of the United States of America.