While Gov. Fife Symington was speaking to a delegation of Girls' State participants on the UA campus Friday, he claimed that the evening before, he was sitting in a Chinese restaurant and received a fortune from a fortune cookie that said, "Your troubles will cease, and fortune will smile upon you."
Symington may believe this is aimed at himself and his troubles, but maybe it was a message to the citizens of Arizona.
Though we cannot say that Symington is guilty, there has to be some truth behind the 23-count indictment. Surely, the federal government would not have wasted so much time and money to bring these charges forward if there was no substance behind them - and that's why Symington should resign. An Arizona Republic/Phoenix Gazette poll taken last week showed that 58 percent of Arizonans would agree with us.
This state is not new to politicians (mainly governors) who have had problems while in office. Consider the past three governors.
First there is Evan Mecham, who was kicked out of the capitol in 1987.
Next was Rose Mofford, who smoothly ran the state after Mecham's resignation, though her hair made more of an uproar than anything she did in office.
It seems like just part of a long line of problems with Arizona elected officials, and governors haven't been the only ones in the hot seat. Less than a decade ago, a group of state legislators were prosecuted after they were caught taking bribes for votes in front of a hidden camera.
And now we have Symington.
Symington was elected to a second term in 1994, when he defeated Democratic hopeful Eddie Basha. Basha seemed to have a promising chance, but Arizona voters denied him.
Instead, they chose Symington, who now ends up looking like a man he used to work with, Charles Keating. (Remember the Southwest Savings and Loan scandals?)
Just another embarrasment for the state of Arizona.
In a story appearing in yesterday's Arizona Daily Star, Symington said, "You can't run a country on polls." Well, you can't run a country, or a state for that matter, without the trust of your constituents. Step down, Symington.
- Staff Editorial