Could Pima County AZ be the 51st State .. Namely Baja Arizona?

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An article (dated 2/24/11) found in the AZ Daily Star written by Rhonda Bodfield and Andrea Kelly gives an account of a political committee made up of attorneys, including the former chairman of the Pima County Democtratic Party and a Libertarian and public defender David Euchner has formed to try to get Southern AZ to secede from the rest of the state. "Start our State" is asking other like-minded counties to join the effort. Pima County, AZ has more than 1 million residents which is comparable to the size of Rhode Island and the country has a bigger population than seven other states, including Montana, Vermont, the Dakotas and Wyoming, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2009 estimates. The country is bigger than seven states, including Rhode Island, Connecticut and Delaware according to the World Almanac. Paul Eckerstrom, co-chair of "Save Our State" said it's not a ploy and not merely a political statement ... that the State Legislature has gone too far to the right. In particular, a round of legislative measures challenging federal supremacy "really does border on them saying they don't want to be part of the Union any longer." "Well, I want to be part of the United States," Eckerstrom said ... "It's no longer a laughing matter." The groups treasurer, Libertarian and public defender David Euchner, coming from a different political mind-set says "Republicans were swept into office nationwide on a promise of helping to fix the economic and spending problems. Meanwhile, every bill we've heard about here in either anti-abortion laws or anti-Mexican laws. These are not laws that are geared toward the real problems that we have." Organizers concede that there are daunting hurdles. They must first get on the ballot, then get approval from the Legislature OR from state voters to allow the exodus. A new constitution would have to be approved, plus they'd have to get the OK from Congress and the president. Eckerstrom said that doesn't matter, that his group is prepared to circulate petitions statewide if need be. "Our attitude is whatever it takes, we are going to follow that process." Maine, once a province of Massachusetts, petitioned for statehood, it took a long time, and the Missouri Compromise to get it done in 1820 ... and West VA broke away from VA after VA seceded from the Union and was granted statehood in 1863. Peter Hormel, a Democrat and the other co-chair of the effort, said the group has gotten a positive response since it put the concept up on Facebook, but he knows there are skeptics. "It isn't a new idea, but it's gotten so bad in Phoenix that at some point, you're obligated to do something about it, all we can do is put it on the ballot and see what happens." ......... Does it appear that republicans have gone too far, that they have actually over-reached so far that the American people (such as more than 60% polled in WI) are rejecting their extreme policies .. most of which have nothing to do with balancing budgets?