Prescription costs for Medicare rising
I expect to pay my monthly bills to keep the lights on and take care of other necessities. What is getting hard to anticipate though is paying for the rising cost of my prescription drugs that allow me to continue living a healthy lifestyle. Just when I get used to paying more for one medication, another one has gone up in price. I am shocked by how much money it takes for me to survive due to these high-priced medications. Why are our prescription drugs three time that of other developed countries? For years Congress has promised to address this issue and year after year I have been disappointed by their failure to do so. Sen. Mark Kelly is working hard to change that. He was instrumental in making sure that the Build Back Better plan empowers Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs. Pharmaceutical companies have been making huge profits off my medical needs. Thank you, Sen. Mark Kelly, for fighting for me and all Arizonans. Beth Smith, Oro Valley
Mt. Lemmon highway safety
Many thanks to the Rincon District Sheriff Commander, Lt. Stengel, for updating the electronic board (base of Mt. Lemmon) message to read “Slower traffic use pullouts to avoid congestion.” I utilize the Mt. Lemmon highway weekly and have witnessed many near disasters involving frustrated and impatient drivers (automobiles and motorcycles) disregarding double yellow lines and blind curves to pass slower traffic. It only takes a few seconds for a slower vehicle to use one of the many pullouts. I hope everyone will heed the message! Michael Shannon,
Northeast side
What about school funds ranking
Re: the Dec. 4. article “Jonathan Hoffman: Controversies in education“ In his recent op-ed “Enough race, teach our kids to read” Jonathan Hoffman notes that Arizona ranks 45th in reading scores but fails to mention that we rank 48th in per pupil school funding, even behind Mississippi. Seems to me that our children are getting the education we’re paying for. William Thornton,
Midtown
The teaching of critical thinking
Re: the Dec. 8. article “Letters to the Editor: Dec. 8: Medicare costs, Critical Race Theory, immigration, Border Patrol agents“ I am forever astounded that a good slice of the electorate believes the 2020 election was stolen and that Democrats eat babies. Then I remember this plank in the 2012 Texas GOP platform (eventually deleted from embarrassment): Knowledge-Based Education — We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority. When Alice said one couldn’t believe impossible things, the Queen replied, “I daresay you haven’t had much practice. When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” By opposing the teaching of critical thinking, Republicans will make sure we don’t have to practice. Joan Tindell, Downtown
Oasis in the desert
For those people who live in the Tucson area, they may think that Tucson has the biggest drought but currently according to the numbers, in 2020 Phoenix is heading for a bigger drought than Tucson. Experts say that Phoenix may soon become almost completely depleted with water therefore making Tucson the Oasis in the desert. As Kathleen Ferris a researcher at the Kyl Center told KVOA in July, “Tucson is in a little better shape than the other active management areas now, but the Department of Water Resources is saying the ability to maintain that goal is in jeopardy.” We must practice very practical things in order to save water. We must learn not to waste water on things like long showers or leaving the water running very long to do dishes. By focusing on this situation, it brings more attention to what is happening worldwide to the climate Christina Lamberton Northwest side
The cost of contempt
Do you get angry at people who disagree with you on major political issues such as COVID vaccine mandates, abortion, gun control, the environment? I do and sometimes I look down on them and can’t understand how they could possibly disagree with me. I feel so righteous. How do you feel when you are done being angry? I don’t feel very good. I don’t like feeling angry and divided from my fellow U.S. citizens. Author Erica Etelson calls contempt junk food for the soul. In her book, “Beyond Contempt: How Liberals Can Communicate Across the Great Divide,” she describes how contempt feels really good in the moment and activates regions of the brain that produce adrenaline and dopamine. After getting high on contempt a person starts to experience chemical withdrawal. In her book she gives suggestions on how to reduce feelings of contempt and division. I recommend the book. Jonpaul Barrabee,
Oro Valley
GOP actions speak louder than words
The media have covered the “sausage-making” involved in the recent Democratic bills, often in impatient and negative tones. But there is another view. Politics is a means of peacefully arriving at compromises among competing interests. The coalition that is the Democratic Party uses a normal political process to develop proposed legislation. On the other hand, the GOP, more monolithic ideologically, is losing this ability in its continuing move to the right. Its use of purity tests (currently uncritical loyalty to Trump), primarying of critics, and increasing demonization of Democrats reduce its capability for bipartisanship. Their representatives who supported the infrastructure bill — historically bipartisan legislation — are threatened with retribution, although the bill will provide many benefits for their constituents. (Arizona Republicans are touting its benefits for the state even though none supported the bill.) The actions of GOP politicians speak louder than their many words proclaiming support for bipartisanship. Barbara Hall, Midtown
Help local organization
As Tucson gets hotter and hotter, the number of homeless people increased by 60%. There are now 363, up from 218. In addition to the increase in people seeking political asylum and other people from other states (as is the case in California) for that reason, the increase of people and the constant sale of houses will end up bringing more people to a point in which it will not be so simple to find houses. Let’s talk about a Tucson that will be more and more expensive and more people will find themselves in the situation of homeless people. Amir Alokbi Delgado, Downtown
Don’t politicize local school boards
Enough already!!! Keep politics out of school board races. Children in Arizona deserve to have non-politicized school boards where the first priority of each board member is what is best for the kids, not a political party’s selfish interest. Kids should learn the basic facts of our nation’s history-the good, the bad, and the ugly. Leave Critical Race Theory where it is currently taught—in a FEW law schools. NOT a single K-12 school in the U.S. teaches it or has ever taught it. It would be like trying to teach calculus to first-graders. School counselors are too few and spread way too thin. The Arizona teacher shortage is dire and getting worse every year. Politicizing school boards will result in boards insisting on hiring members of their political party. Teachers need to be ethical, patient, even-handed and fair-minded—something today’s politicians lack. Dr Pamela Farris, Oro Valley
Prescription costs for Medicare rising
I expect to pay my monthly bills to keep the lights on and take care of other necessities. What is getting hard to anticipate though is paying for the rising cost of my prescription drugs that allow me to continue living a healthy lifestyle. Just when I get used to paying more for one medication, another one has gone up in price.
I am shocked by how much money it takes for me to survive due to these high-priced medications. Why are our prescription drugs three time that of other developed countries? For years Congress has promised to address this issue and year after year I have been disappointed by their failure to do so.
Sen. Mark Kelly is working hard to change that. He was instrumental in making sure that the Build Back Better plan empowers Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs.
Pharmaceutical companies have been making huge profits off my medical needs. Thank you, Sen. Mark Kelly, for fighting for me and all Arizonans.
Beth Smith Oro Valley
Mt. Lemmon highway safety
Many thanks to the Rincon District Sheriff Commander, Lt. Stengel, for updating the electronic board (base of Mt. Lemmon) message to read “Slower traffic use pullouts to avoid congestion.” I utilize the Mt. Lemmon highway weekly and have witnessed many near disasters involving frustrated and impatient drivers (automobiles and motorcycles) disregarding double yellow lines and blind curves to pass slower traffic. It only takes a few seconds for a slower vehicle to use one of the many pullouts. I hope everyone will heed the message!
Michael Shannon Northeast side
What about school funds ranking
Re: the Dec. 4. article “Jonathan Hoffman: Controversies in education“
In his recent op-ed “Enough race, teach our kids to read” Jonathan Hoffman notes that Arizona ranks 45th in reading scores but fails to mention that we rank 48th in per pupil school funding, even behind Mississippi. Seems to me that our children are getting the education we’re paying for.
William Thornton Midtown
The teaching of critical thinking
Re: the Dec. 8. article “Letters to the Editor: Dec. 8: Medicare costs, Critical Race Theory, immigration, Border Patrol agents“
I am forever astounded that a good slice of the electorate believes the 2020 election was stolen and that Democrats eat babies. Then I remember this plank in the 2012 Texas GOP platform (eventually deleted from embarrassment):
Knowledge-Based Education — We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.
When Alice said one couldn’t believe impossible things, the Queen replied, “I daresay you haven’t had much practice. When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
By opposing the teaching of critical thinking, Republicans will make sure we don’t have to practice.
Joan Tindell Downtown
Oasis in the desert
For those people who live in the Tucson area, they may think that Tucson has the biggest drought but currently according to the numbers, in 2020 Phoenix is heading for a bigger drought than Tucson. Experts say that Phoenix may soon become almost completely depleted with water therefore making Tucson the Oasis in the desert. As Kathleen Ferris a researcher at the Kyl Center told KVOA in July, “Tucson is in a little better shape than the other active management areas now, but the Department of Water Resources is saying the ability to maintain that goal is in jeopardy.” We must practice very practical things in order to save water. We must learn not to waste water on things like long showers or leaving the water running very long to do dishes. By focusing on this situation, it brings more attention to what is happening worldwide to the climate
Christina Lamberton Northwest side
The cost of contempt
Do you get angry at people who disagree with you on major political issues such as COVID vaccine mandates, abortion, gun control, the environment? I do and sometimes I look down on them and can’t understand how they could possibly disagree with me. I feel so righteous.
How do you feel when you are done being angry? I don’t feel very good. I don’t like feeling angry and divided from my fellow U.S. citizens.
Author Erica Etelson calls contempt junk food for the soul. In her book, “Beyond Contempt: How Liberals Can Communicate Across the Great Divide,” she describes how contempt feels really good in the moment and activates regions of the brain that produce adrenaline and dopamine. After getting high on contempt a person starts to experience chemical withdrawal.
In her book she gives suggestions on how to reduce feelings of contempt and division. I recommend the book.
Jonpaul Barrabee Oro Valley
GOP actions speak louder than words
The media have covered the “sausage-making” involved in the recent Democratic bills, often in impatient and negative tones. But there is another view. Politics is a means of peacefully arriving at compromises among competing interests. The coalition that is the Democratic Party uses a normal political process to develop proposed legislation.
On the other hand, the GOP, more monolithic ideologically, is losing this ability in its continuing move to the right. Its use of purity tests (currently uncritical loyalty to Trump), primarying of critics, and increasing demonization of Democrats reduce its capability for bipartisanship. Their representatives who supported the infrastructure bill — historically bipartisan legislation — are threatened with retribution, although the bill will provide many benefits for their constituents. (Arizona Republicans are touting its benefits for the state even though none supported the bill.)
The actions of GOP politicians speak louder than their many words proclaiming support for bipartisanship.
Barbara Hall Midtown
Help local organization
As Tucson gets hotter and hotter, the number of homeless people increased by 60%. There are now 363, up from 218. In addition to the increase in people seeking political asylum and other people from other states (as is the case in California) for that reason, the increase of people and the constant sale of houses will end up bringing more people to a point in which it will not be so simple to find houses. Let’s talk about a Tucson that will be more and more expensive and more people will find themselves in the situation of homeless people.
Amir Alokbi Delgado Downtown
Don’t politicize local school boards
Enough already!!! Keep politics out of school board races. Children in Arizona deserve to have non-politicized school boards where the first priority of each board member is what is best for the kids, not a political party’s selfish interest.
Kids should learn the basic facts of our nation’s history-the good, the bad, and the ugly. Leave Critical Race Theory where it is currently taught—in a FEW law schools. NOT a single K-12 school in the U.S. teaches it or has ever taught it. It would be like trying to teach calculus to first-graders.
School counselors are too few and spread way too thin. The Arizona teacher shortage is dire and getting worse every year. Politicizing school boards will result in boards insisting on hiring members of their political party.
Teachers need to be ethical, patient, even-handed and fair-minded—something today’s politicians lack.
Dr Pamela Farris Oro Valley
