Members of Congress are childish
I’m watching the economy, financial security for millions of people, small businesses that employed thousands of workers completely fail. Prices are going up on almost everything we need, and people are starting to worry about their future and how they are going to survive and pay bills and provide food and housing for their families.
Congress should see the writing on the wall of where all this will lead to. Yet they are not taking direct action to help the people through this crisis. In my 72 years, I have never seen such childish behavior by members of Congress who seem unwilling to help the people get through this mess. People are scared. People who have worked hard all their lives are now unsure if they will have the future they planned for or a home to live in if things don’t get better. Faith goes just so far.
Thomas Fletcher
Southwest side
We must fund our schools
Re: the July 7 article “Recalls sometimes best option when there’s 1-party rule.”
Jonah Goldberg’s article bemoans the sorry state of affairs under one party Democratic rule in California. Next door in Arizona we have the same problem but with the other party in charge.
For decades Republican-dominated legislatures have steadfastly refused to adequately fund our public schools. Despite a $2 billion state surplus we remain near the bottom in school funding. When voters attempted to inject additional funds into the system through a modest surcharge on high income Arizonans (Prop 208), legislators countered with another massive tax cut tilted heavily toward the rich.
Teaching positions go unfilled, teachers dig into their own pockets to purchase needed classroom supplies, and the legislative leadership does not even pretend to care.
Want better funded schools for your kids? Move to Mississippi.
William Thornton
Midtown
Consider Kevin Dahl
Earlier this year, I had run out of options to remove a mattress that was illegally dumped at the end of my street. I had called Ward 3 and Environmental Services but because there was no address visible that identified the apartment complex, I was unable to get help. A friend of mine suggested I call Kevin. Kevin got in touch with me and in a few days, the mattress had disappeared. If this is the length he will go to help clean up a street in Ward 3, what might he be able to accomplish on the City Council? That is why I am voting for Kevin Dahl.
Marcy Tigerman
Midtown
You’re just not that important
When I speak to somebody who seems obsessed with the federal government watching them, implanting chips in them, or flying black helicopters over their houses, in the back of my mind I am thinking one thing: You just are not that important. The idea that some diabolical person in a government agency is watching your every move is the height of arrogance.
Unless you are a terrorist or have committed a real federal crime like robbing a bank, the government has no inclination nor the resources to monitor you or any of the hundreds of millions of Americans like you. And frankly they really don’t care in a general sense about you. I know, I just don’t know about the secret black ops stuff. That is also pretty arrogant. Why would you know something this important and I wouldn’t? Wake up!
Kalvin Smith
Midtown
Benson and ecotourism
Re: the July 21 article “Help put Benson on the ecotourism map.”
I strongly support Debbie Collazo’s opinion piece in which she observed that Benson could derive many long-term benefits by embracing ecotourism and becoming a unique destination location. A healthy and sustainable Benson economy will not occur as the result of large development projects that produce wealth and jobs for a few in the short term and destroy the watershed.
Water and protection of the San Pedro becomes even more critical during our extended draught. I am an avid birdwatcher and active defender of the San Pedro River watershed. Benson is surrounded with rich natural habitats that migrating and locals birds inhabit.
In addition, I am a railroad fan. I regularly visit the Benson area often with friends, to watch birds and trains. We always have at least breakfast and lunch at restaurants in Benson. Sometimes we add ice cream and snacks. Want to promote Benson? How about a Benson Railroad Festival added to promoting birdwatching?
Craig Anderson
Oracle
Juan Padres for Ward 3
A lot of people in City Hall are alienated by Juan Padres. It is a great thing. It is what happens when you don’t kowtow or pledge allegiance to the vested. And it is reason, alone, for Ward 3 residents to reward him with their primary election vote.
Voters in the ward are fortunate to be able to choose from two pensive, cerebral and courteous men. It’s almost too much to fathom given the vitriol of national politics. Yet, few in government today combine his matrix of entrepreneurship, civil service, volunteerism and vigor.
A bonus: Padres, a first-generation American and graduate of UA Eller School, knows Mexico and the border better than anyone in city or county government. He understands the dependence of the city on Mexican tourism and would be a creative force in bringing investment. He will not be seduced by office, conned by individuals or swayed by political expediency.
Keith Rosenblum
Midtown
