Republicans vote to limit free speech
Blocking the use of public funds for what he calls “critical race theory’’ Gov. Doug Ducey is quoted as saying, “I am not going to waste public dollars on lessons that imply the superiority of any race and hinder free speech.’’ Recipients of state funds will be prohibited from saying anything suggesting there is a history of racism in this country or that institutional racism exists and results in discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities to the benefit of nonminorities.
Does anyone else see the irony in prohibiting free speech to avoid hindering free speech? What Ducey and the Republican-controlled Legislature are saying is that they are against the law to say things they don’t agree with and withholding state funds as a punishment. When it comes time to vote during the next election, remember which party is willing to take away your First Amendment rights.
James Burchell
East side
Teacher pay and tax cuts
Re: the July 12 article “Popular teacher dies after hard year.”
I am appalled, sickened and disgusted at teacher salaries in Arizona. A recent Star article featured Mr. Bustamante, who died July 4, taught math and science for 24 years at Sunnyside before complications from COVID-19 made him homeless. How is this possible? I pray his children won’t have to stand on street corners with cardboard signs asking for funeral money.
Parents who had to help homeschool their kids during the pandemic surely have a new appreciation for what the classroom teacher has to do day after day, year after year, not with one kid, but closer to 25. My years teaching 3-year-olds, sixth graders, junior and senior high home economics and retiring as a university professor give me some expertise.
Let’s show some common sense and triple teacher salaries the next time they come up for a vote. Our future depends on what today’s students learn and it can’t be as good as possible coming from woefully underpaid teachers.
Judith Billings
Midtown
What is Ducey’s endgame?
Re: the July 18 article “Ducey plays politics with school quarantine.”
Back in January, Gov. Doug Ducey said he wouldn’t be running for the U.S. Senate in 2022, even though it was widely acknowledged that he would be the most formidable opponent against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly. Ducey is termed out and can’t run again for governor, so it seems he doesn’t have a political future. Or does he?
Ducey had been a favorite of former President Trump, but he earned Trump’s wrath for certifying the election results for incoming President Joe Biden. And shortly after Biden was inaugurated, Ducey made his announcement about not running for the Senate.
Now, as Tim Steller pointed out in his Sunday column, Ducey seems to be playing politics by making a hard right turn in support of “anti-vax, COVID-questioning conservatism.” Is that his endgame strategy, to curry favor with Trump and his supporters so he can run for the Senate after all?
Karen Schickedanz
SaddleBrooke
Not sacrosanct
Re: the July 16 letter “Vaccine choice can be personal.”
The writer concluded that “This is America. Personal freedom is sacrosanct.”
Sadly many others share that utterly and totally false opinion.
This is America and we have a Constitution, the first three words of which are “We the people,” referring to many people not just one. The signers state unequivocally that they seek “to form a more perfect union,” “provide for the common defense,” “promote the general welfare” and “secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves” (plural). Every single one of those phrases denotes a group of people, not just one.
When the rights of one rule, you get “might makes right” or anarchy. When one’s actions affect the whole, the ancient principle of “my right to swing my fist stops where your nose begins” has always existed. So many people fail to grasp this.
Timothy Canny
Oracle
Star supports democracy
Re: the July 18 article “Star’s endorsements in Wards 3 and 6.”
Freedom of the press is a defining characteristic of democracy. We entered WWI proclaiming we were making the world safe for democracy. Today, it seems that the world is safer for authoritarianism. Journalists are being murdered and local newspapers are being killed off at alarming rates.
Whether we like the Arizona Daily Star or not, we should be grateful for its contributions toward preserving and enhancing democracy. For example, recently, in an editorial, the Star supported two candidates for the Tucson City Council. Soon after, many letters to the editor took issue with the Star’s endorsements explaining why another candidate would be a wiser choice. Surely this inclusive discussion would not have appeared in a nationwide newspaper.
Too many cities no longer have a single local newspaper. We should all be grateful that the Arizona Daily Star continues to find ways to survive in this increasingly cut-throat world of ours.
Dave Gallagher
Foothills
