If this doesn't light a fire under Democrats in Arizona, nothing will

[derby378]

First, there's the anti-illegal-alien law that Gov. Brewer approved last year, driven by racism and increasingly problematic for the state. Then Rep. Gabrielle Giffords gets wounded and a bunch of other people (including a judge) are killed in Tucson. But now Arizona is facing a different problem entirely, and if this isn't the straw that broke the donkey's back and motivated Democrats to turn Arizona blue, nothing is:

3. Arizona

Vacancy Rate: 17.3% (5th Worst)
2010 Foreclosures: 5.73% (2nd Worst)
Decrease in Building Permits 2006-2010: -81.36% (4th Worst)

Arizona is among a handful of states most deeply wounded by the real estate collapse. Some 5.73% of properties in the state have been foreclosed upon, the second highest rate in the country, and 17.3% of homes are vacant, the fifth greatest rate in the country. Also, Mesa, Phoenix and Tucson, the state's three largest cities, are all among the top five American cities with the greatest percentage of price reductions for homes in 2010, along with Minneapolis and Baltimore. As of December 2010, these cities had 43%, 42% and 38% of their listings with price reductions, respectively.

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/111848/the-eight-states-running-out-of-homebuyers?mod=realestate-buy

[JonLP24]

1. There has been a foreclosure problem here

long before that bill was introduced. I agree it should light a fire, but if it did, it would of been at least 2-3 years ago.

[delightfulstar]

2. I live near PHX....

The house next door to mine is a foreclosure, there are several short sales on the market, and the subdivision across from mine has been hit particularly hard with foreclosures. The rental market, on the other hand, is booming. One of the few bright spots is the large number of Canadians buying here lately - they know housing is dirt-cheap, the climate is great, and the cost of living is good, compared to a lot of other large cities.

[rfranklin]

3. June, July and August seem a tad warm to claim a great climate...

And AZ is number 2 in the world for skin cancer.

[delightfulstar]

4. It's not as bad as you'd think...

The humidity is almost non-existent, so that helps. Doing things in the morning or evening is the way to go in the summer months. And sunscreen is a must here. We do have a large number of "snowbirds" here, too.