Arizona Republic
August 18, 2010
Opinions: Bringing civility back to discourse (PDF)
Arizona Republic
September 20, 2010
Opinions: Your help is vital to repairing Arizona – Our Turn
by Tamara Woodbury and Tara Jackson – Sept. 19, 2010 07:32 PM
Arizona is at a crossroads. As representatives of the five organizations who have joined together to create the event It’s Up to Me AZ, we believe this moment calls to us to reach beyond the angry sound bites that seem to overwhelm our public conversations and unnecessarily divide our state.
Instead, it is time for us to support respectful, thoughtful actions that bridge the divide. It’s time for us to focus on our shared concerns. It’s time for all of us to do what we can to move our state forward in a constructive direction.
It shouldn’t be difficult. The Gallup Arizona Poll commissioned by the Center for the Future of Arizona indicates that Arizonans agree more than they disagree about what needs to be done to achieve the Arizona we want. Unfortunately, this poll also says that only 12 percent of respondents believe that “people in their community care about each other” and only 10 percent believe their “elected officials represent their interests.” (Since this poll was released, we’ve seen heightened anger and distrust, so the levels may have decreased.)