Kelli Ward is no replacement for McCain
Re: the July 22 article “Former McCain rival suggests he resign because of his cancer”
Although I am not a Sen. John McCain voter, reading Kelli Ward telling him to resign “for the good of Arizona” sickens me. Her self-interest is obvious and her desire to replace him is disgusting. I’ve never written to the Star before, but this really got me. McCain deserves the respect due him for his years of service to this country. Someone like Ward doesn’t deserve to shine his shoes!
Carol Karp
SaddleBrooke
Using McCain to make point distasteful
David Fitzsimmons is certainly entitled to his political opinions and positions. However, I personally found his use of the critical condition of Sen. McCain to express his opinion and position, as he did in this July 21 cartoon, extremely distasteful.
Ron Harper
Green Valley
Medicare for All is not the answer
Re: the July 20 letter to the editor “Medicare for All will cost most Americans less”
It’s hard to imagine what parallel universe the letter writer is in if he thinks the government insuring everyone will actually be a cost savings. In my universe as a small-business owner, elected official and tax accountant, I say, nice try.
In the accounting trade we call that creative accounting; as a business owner the old saying “I’m from the government and here to help” applies; and as an elected official, it’s just plain scary. California, in whatever universe they’re in, is looking at a single-payer system that is projected to cost $400 billion. The Medicare I am now on is projected to run out of money in 12 years. So let’s expect different results by throwing it open to everyone. I would be really interested in the CBO’s take on Medicare for All. That would be scary.
Gary Stoeger
Northwest side
Trump doesn’t need help not doing his job
Re: the July 23 letter to the editor “Let the president do his job”
President Trump has been in office six months. In that time he has tweeted about 980 times, has spent 40 days on the golf course. He has managed to sign no major legislation, even though the Republicans are in complete control. If he ever manages to get anything done, I fear it will cost Americans greatly. He is dangerous, and to want him to have a blank check is also dangerous.
You cannot blame the press for his failures —they are reporting on what he does and says. You cannot blame the Democrats in Congress — they are not in control. Trump supporters are looking everywhere to assign blame when they only need to look to the man they voted for.
Kym Jones
Midtown
Where’s Arizona in letter to DeVos?
Last week, 20 state attorneys general sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos requesting that she uphold the Title IX protections for students. Unfortunately, Arizona’s attorney general was not one of the signers. Why not? Do Arizona’s students deserve less protection than students in the 20 states? Or is it possible that Arizona has decided to completely support DeVos’ agenda?
Jerry Maddock
Northwest side
Friedli was more than a great coach
Re: the July 22 column “Amphi’s Friedli taught players to ‘answer the challenge’”
I had the privilege to work with Vern Friedli during my tenure as principal at Amphitheater High School. Early on I learned about his program and passion, and thereon became a supporter. Vern did likewise in his support and dedication to the overall vision to make Amphi an academically proficient and safe school. He was an active participant of our curriculum planning and engaged in every aspect of our school community. He monitored diligently his athletes’ academic performance. He was a parent surrogate for many students in need and direction.
Vern’s legacy as a coach is well-documented, but I remember him as a mentor and a teacher who cared greatly for the school he represented. He was a Panther forever. I have Sharon, his wife, who was always by his side and No. 1 fan, in my mind. My prayers are with the family.
Ramon Paz
West side
Cancer picked on a fighter
Back in June, after the James Comey hearing, I wrote a letter to the editor about the bizarre questions coming from Sen. John McCain. They were just not making sense. Well, his diagnosis of brain cancer makes sense of why this was happening. I wish him the best as he faces one of the biggest challenges in his life. Like Obama said, cancer does not know what it’s up against.
Dennis Ottley
Oro Valley
High minimum wage is no job killer
The minimum wage increase has been described as a “job killer,” but logic and most studies find this not to be the case. As a small-businessman who at one time employed roughly 10 individuals, the minimum wage was never a factor in determining my work force. I tried to hire enough employees to complete the tasks paid for by my customers in a timely manner. If you have a restaurant and your customers have to wait on service because you cut the number of employees, you will soon no longer need any employees. A little research beyond op-eds — look for articles with citations — indicates that, if anything, increasing wages for those lower-income earners increases employment, as they tend to spend all of their money, putting it right back into the economy.
Kalvin Smith
Midtown
