Almost everyone I know who lives in Arizona is not a native of this state.  Some of us were transplanted here many years ago and some are just arriving.  To be an actual native (Arizona Born) is very rare.  We folks who have lived in this state of any period of time joke with each other that if you can survive 2 whole summers in Arizona that you are now an adopted child of this state.  My parents transplanted me to Arizona back in 1982.  I have been living here for the last 26 years now.  After 26 hot and wonderful years, I think I can talk as an expert of understanding the changing culture of Arizona.  Lately, that culture has been very scary for me and I felt it was necessary to address some frightening issues going on in our state.

In the last 2 years, our state has decided to create some of the strictest laws on DUI, Illegal Immigration and now Traffic Enforcement.  Now on the surface, these issues all seem to be great causes, but as you dig deeper into the reasons behind these laws, the system here is moving in a very dangerous direction.  Our state now has cameras on every major intersection on highways, our sheriff makes random neighborhood sweeps and our law enforcement officers have the power to arrest and take blood from individuals if they slightly think that person has been drinking. 

Let me first make it clear that I truly condone wrong doers.  We recently had a bad situation in our east valley happen when an illegal immigrant who was drunk killed an innocent person from drinking and driving.  Please read Jay Thompson's post further:  Reflections: In Memory of Kelly Tracy

However, the balance of wrong doing and personal freedoms of a borderline Police State must be changed.  In the past I felt safe to drive across town and visit friends or relatives. Now, I do not enjoy driving due to hundreds of traffic cameras watching at all times that I am a perfect poster child of society.  These new laws are set up in a way to be guilty until proven innocent, which is completely against our system of innocent until proven guilty.   

What is further upsetting is why we have so many cameras now on our highways.  The State of Arizona passed a law to set up speed cameras for a revenue generating taxation.  In the past these tickets would of added points onto your drivers license and you would have had to attend traffic safety.  Now however, the State of Arizona could care less about your well being of being safe.  Just pay the fine and be on your way.  A police officer I know once told me that one out of 21 people end up with a traffic citation.  Those numbers now must be much higher. 

What this really boils down to me with and why I am miffed is because I feel like zero tolerance laws for DUI, Illegal Immigration Sweeps and Photo Radar Tickets all sound good, but when applied just erodes more of our personal freedoms that we have become accustomed to in the United States.  I worry about the day that I wake up in the United States and our world has become something out of a sci-fi film like Minority Report.    

For full information on camera locations and citizens getting involved to remove the cameras:  Please Visit:  http://azspeedcameraslocations.blogspot.com/