Pandemic’s death toll is being downplayed
The attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, killed 3,000-plus people. We will never forget!
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 in the United States has killed 85,000-plus. Will we ever fully acknowledge?
Alan Barreuther
Foothills
Ducey caved to pleas from right-wingers
Gov. Doug Ducey gave in to the demands of Great 48, an organization that wants life back to normal in spite of COVID-19, by letting his stay-home order expire. The stay-home order did reduce the rate of growth of cases in Arizona, but not for Native Americans.
At the state level there are currently 167 cases per 100,000 people. For Apache county, which is 72% Native American, it is 1,142. And Blacks and Hispanics are also being hit harder than whites.
Canceling the stay-home order has added another freedom to the minority citizens of Arizona. In addition to freedom from health care, living wages and education, Ducey has now added freedom from voting, because dead people can’t vote.
The governor has two more years in office to earn his sinecure job at the American Legislative Exchange Council or a similar right-wing organization. The question is, how many unnecessary victims of COVID-19 are required for his down payment?
Peter Dean
Sahuarita
Trump threatened by the truth
After more than three years in office, one thing has become incontrovertibly clear: Donald Trump is not an honest man. Truth, to Donald Trump, is whatever serves his interests; falsehood is whatever threatens those interests. Hence any news that does not reflect kindly upon him is “fake news.”
How a man like this ever managed to be elected to the highest office in the land is something historians will have to sort out. What we have to do is work very hard to insure that this conniving and despicable demagogue is not elected to a second term. Our nation, and our planet, may well depend upon it.
Randy Waltrip
Foothills
An obituary for the #MeToo movement
After a brief and sad life, “#MeToo” has died. The cause of death was listed as multiple stab wounds in her back by members of the radical “I believe her” group. In her dying breath, “#MeToo” said that “she was betrayed by the people that she thought were her best friends.” Pallbearers included Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, Stacy Abrams, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar.
“#MeToo” is survived by her father, Joe Biden, a sister, Christine Blasey-Ford, and close friends William Jefferson Clinton and Harvey Weinstein.
Jack Hingstrum
Marana
Medical uncertainty is the only certainty
Re: the April 30 opinion piece “Take every new COVID-19 theory with a grain of salt.”
In addition to following the thrust of his piece about new, fanciful COVID-19 theories, what caught my eye was his admission that “the practice of medicine has always had an element of uncertainty.” Many years ago, I took my son to a non-Tucson hospital for ear drainage tubes. In signing a consent form for the medical procedure, I read “Medicine being an art and inexact science, we are not liable if our medical procedures go wrong.”
I thought “what, some high and almighty doctors are now becoming humble and meek?” I added to the form, “except for malpractice and harmful omissions and commissions” before signing. I know doctors and medical personnel are rightfully considered heroes in today’s environment.
Raymond Silverstein
Midtown
Inflation, too? Enough with all the ‘winning’
Reading the letters section, it seems nothing is happening in this country but coronavirus. Reading the Arizona Daily Star and doing internet searches, I learned this: Larry Kudlow (director economic council) fessed up that the duties for imported goods are paid by American companies and not China.
The economy is to contract 30% to 40%. Unemployment is 20% and 30 million Americans are out of work. People who were against the Affordable Care Act are now rushing to apply for coverage and Medicaid.
Social Security is projected to go bust after eight years, along with Medicare. Fed rates at 0.25% are expected to go to zero. American’s are finding out the fallacy of low interest rates.
Pension funds are suffering because of low rates. Insurance rates are on the rise because of low returns on treasury securities. The Fed is increasing the money supply while states face looming deficits.
An increase in money supply will cause future inflation, causing too much money to chase too few goods while hyperinflation looms. America, are you tired of all this winning yet?
Clyde R. Steele
Oro Valley
Closure protesters are armed and contagious
Politicians from both parties have stated that we are in a war and that COVID-19 is the enemy. In fact, Trump has styled himself as a wartime leader in this fight. If that is the case, those who violate the stay-at-home order and those who advocate others to do so are aiding and abetting the enemy because of their advocacy and actions promoting the spread of the virus.
Aiding and abetting an enemy in wartime is treason. This is particularly true of the protestors who barged into the Michigan Capitol carrying guns to try to intimidate those who are leading the fight against the virus. It is sadly ironic that so many of these treasonous protestors proclaim themselves to be patriots and wrap themselves in the flag and sport MAGA hats.
Thomas Chester
East side
I can play political mad libs, too
Re: The April 30 letter “Democrats in need of self-reflection.”
A clear reflection of our country’s divided condition, Mr. Stedronsky’s letter could just as easily have said:
“Mr. Deeming’s letter is right on the mark. Most (Republicans) don’t analyze, they just criticize. And their criticism usually lacks body or facts. They just blindly follow the party line put out by (President Trump, Mitch McConnell) and the other party hacks. The (Republicans) are no longer a party, they are a cult. Too bad, not good for our country.”
Yes, indeed, too bad, not good for our country.
Barb Schueppert
Foothills
Cost of Trump’s AZ trip could be put to better use
How utterly selfish it is for our president to plan a nonessential trip to Arizona? The cost for security could serve the food banks, not to mention the safety our front-line police must ensure on top of all they are already doing. Our nation has failed us in leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It feels like a rudderless ship. I am leaning toward the view that Republicans should vote Democratic in this next presidential election and work on finding candidates over the next four years that will bring the Republican values back before the party is lost forever.
Susan Bennett
Vail
Mail-in voting
is easy and it works
I read a letter in the Arizona Daily Star stating that an undocumented immigrant could send in a ballot for an election. I felt compelled to share our experience in Oregon.
A few weeks before an election, we receive our ballots in the mail. We would not receive ballots if were we not registered citizens. We sit down together and study the voter’s pamphlet and fill out our ballots.
About a mile from home, there is a secure collection box, similar to a USPS collection box, where we drop off our ballots. Done deal. We can also opt to deliver them directly to the county courthouse.
A bipartisan group counts and records the ballots. There has never, to my knowledge, been any complaints about voter fraud. If you ask an Oregonian if he or she would like to go back to standing in long lines in cold weather in order to cast a vote, they would most assuredly say no!
Jesse McManus
Oro Valley
I don’t wear a mask, but I keep my distance
Re: the May 1 letter “Masking should not be optional.”
I am one of the offensive “betrayers of the public good” who chooses to go out in public without wearing a mask.
I’m also someone who respects the need for others to feel safe by maintaining a 6-foot distance whenever possible, holding my breath to pass when I can’t, or simply turning and taking the long way around when others are oblivious to their own spacial hoarding. Lastly, I don’t pick things up and then put them back — if I want it, I take it.
Through observation and experience, I’ve noticed that wearing a mask doesn’t necessarily make one a more conscientious member of society, although in many cases there is clearly an aesthetic benefit.
Richard Peddy
East side
Carbon fee would make our world sustainable
Re: the May 12 letter “Carbon fee would help us go green.”
Many thanks to the Arizona Daily Star for printing the excellent letter by Jan Freed. An additional point might be useful. We do not currently pay for the fossil carbon pollution we cause when we use fossil carbon or products that use it. By adding a fee that increases gradually, we can find the price (current cost + pollution cost) that allows our world to be sustainable. Also, H.R. 763 provides for export controls that will push other nations to do the same.
Jim Martin
Downtown
Online teachers make
a difference for our kids
As parents of a kindergartner and a second-grader, we’re thankful for great teachers, and wanted to extend our gratitude. Our daughter, Tara-Sue, is a kindergartner who loves learning and exploring the world around her. We wanted her to be challenged and enrolled her at Arizona Virtual Academy.
There, her teacher has encouraged her to pursue her curiosities through the Advanced Learner Program. Her favorite classes include coding and sand sculpting. David, now a second-grader, quickly fell in love with coding, too, and keeps the family entertained with his game creations.
AZVA gave both our kids a chance to explore their talents. Their youngest sister, Angelina, will be a kindergartner at AZVA next fall.
As parents, it’s thrilling to watch our kids grow. We know that without their amazing teachers, our children wouldn’t be where they are today. In times of pandemic, especially, teachers make a huge difference in students’ everyday lives. Our family thanks AZVA teachers, and educators everywhere!
Kristina Dawkins
Southwest side
Kozachik’s voice
is needed in Congress
Re: the May 13 article “Ending stay-at-home orders would endanger Arizonans.”
Thank you, Steve Kozachik, for your editorial outlining the logic of remaining closed until scientifically verified markers are met. Yours is a calming and sane voice in the midst of deliberate misinformation.
I am grateful for your presence on the City Council. Please consider running for a seat in Congress.
Dorothea Nobile
North side
‘Thank you’ to unsung National Guard heroes
We all know the terrible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We all appreciate the essential workers in health care, grocery stores, and transportation. The Sahuarita Food Bank and Community Resource Center knows 11 unsung heroes, Master Sgt. Fernandez and his National Guard members who have been helping us serve those who seek food from us over the last tough weeks.
We could not have continued to operate without them! And this week they have gone beyond the call of duty, raising money amongst themselves to help us with a crane rental to install a new freezer.
On behalf of hungry residents south of Tucson, our volunteers, and our board, thanks to these wonderful individuals and to Gen. Michael T. McGuire and the governor for assigning them to us. We only hope they will stay with us while the demand for food is so acute.
Penny Pestle
Sahuarita
Journalism must not
be allowed to disappear
Re: the May 14 article “Journalism is not dead, and it’s crucial during times like these.”
I wholeheartedly agree with the opinion expressed. Journalists, especially investigative journalists and those who express reasoned, passionate opinions are among my front-line heroes.
After the 2016 election, my husband and I purchased digital subscriptions to nationally recognized newspapers and magazines, such as The New York Times and Washington Post. We continued to support the Arizona Daily Star and Arizona Public Media.
It is sad that it sometimes takes a crisis to realize the value of institutions in our lives. We are being challenged on so many fronts. I cannot imagine we will succeed without the work of dedicated journalists and their organizations.
I sincerely hope we know what we’ve got before it’s gone. Thank you for your dedicated service.
Amy Gaiennie
East side
