Will Boston Boycott Massachusetts?
By Ashton Ellis
Wednesday, June 02 2010

From Los Angeles to Boston, local elected officials are declaring disapproval of the Grand Canyon State by promising to boycott it. But as the facts show, the liberal voices making these pronouncements are loath to pay the full price of their principles.

A hallmark of today’s liberals is their commitment to protest without sacrifice. The most recent series of examples come from city councils reacting to Arizona’s new illegal immigration law. From Los Angeles to Boston, local elected officials are declaring disapproval of the Grand Canyon State by promising to boycott it. But as the facts show, the liberal voices making these pronouncements are loath to pay the full price of their principles.

The first city government to make a hollow pledge was Los Angeles. Amid historic budget deficits, the fifteen-member council voted to sever all economic ties to Arizona and its state-based businesses. Within days, Gary Pierce, a member of Arizona’s power commission, sent a smooth, dripping-with-sarcasm letter to L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa offering to make the separation complete. Just say the word and Commissioner Pierce would be happy to ask Arizona utility companies to stop supplying 25% of L.A.’s power needs.

Faced with an opportunity to stand firm and accept the consequences of their convictions, the council side-stepped. “They (Arizona’s power commissioners) are the ones who have to make the move, not us,â€