Don’t underestimate courts in Prop. 123 issue
Re: the May 10 letter “Two more reasons to back Prop. 123.”
How completely and utterly sad that the writer opines that it’s useless to fight our overbearing Legislature in the courts because, presumably, it will eternally ignore the state’s courts. That’s when you bring in bigger guns.
Where I come from, various governors tried to ignore the courts regarding racial equality. Remember, it didn’t work for George C. Wallace, et al., and in the end it won’t work for big shot Doug Ducey. Ever heard of the National Guard? Supreme Court? U.S. Marine Corps? We have laws in this country. And rights in the courts, and that won’t end until we’re all dead and gone. Let’s not give up too easily on our courts.
Rick Howell
East side
Hard to see incentives for business helping me
Re: the May 8 column “Incentives are fine, but the job deals have to be good.”
I found it interesting reading about all the incentives the city and county offer to entice companies to move here. We, the taxpayers, provide the monies that pay for these incentives. We are told this is good for us.
I want to know when it is going to be good for us. I have not seen any benefits of any of these moves. Our unemployment is not better. Our roads are falling apart. Our water and electric bills are going up because utilities need to expand to provide new service. More police and firefighters are needed. All our services need to be expanded. Our schools are suffering.
Meanwhile, the county wanted $800 million in last year’s bond election to pay for these things. After being voted down, our leaders have not given up. The county wants to raise our property taxes, which are already the highest in the state. So please tell me how all this is good for me.
Jose Salgado
Foothills
Recent gun deaths reiterate need for change
Not many folks are aware of the news story that four toddlers were shot recently in one week. Nor are many aware that a 2-year-old picked up a gun in the back seat of a car and pulled the trigger, shooting through the driver’s seat and killing his mother in Milwaukee. The CDC now estimates over 100,000 people are shot every year in the U.S. and over 30,000 of them die.
If it were Ebola or Zika causing these deaths there would be a huge outcry for something to be done.
However Arizona lawmakers and much of the rest of the country are ferociously against decreasing gun deaths by increasing gun safety measures in any manner. Before long nearly everyone in the U.S. will be negatively impacted by a tragic gun event either directly, as was the case in our family, or in sympathy for someone they know.
Jim Waldo
Green Valley
Pay is not real issue behind teachers leaving
Re: the May 12 article “Teachers in TUSD are in for pay hikes.”
The meager pay raises that were approved by the governing board hardly placate teachers.
Many teachers spend $500 or more out of their own pockets just to meet the needs of students in the classroom.
Furthermore, I would venture to guess that the real issue behind teacher vacancies is lack of respect and unresolved discipline issues.
When these two issues are addressed and school employees can hold students accountable for their actions, no matter what ethnicity, all students will flourish.
Teachers and administrators alike should be enabled to perform their jobs in a safe environment; one that mandates fair consequences and follow-through on flagrant policy violators.
Then teacher attrition rate would drop. So would discipline violations.
Students and school staff deserve a safe, productive school environment.
Standards and ethics need to be of highest priority.
Unfortunately, classroom interruptions derived from unsettled behavior stemming from data-driven discipline models obstructs education.
In return, we lose our most valuable asset to education — great teachers.
Sue Foree
Northwest side
Republicans should support Trump
Donald Trump won the debates over 17 candidates and is winning the primary vote by a wide margin.
Unfortunately, many mainstream Republicans do not want him as their candidate for president of our once-great country and will not support him. They think politicians are the only ones capable of running the country.
Our government is corrupt by unions, lawyers, big business, environmentalists, and foreigners like George Soros and the list goes on.
The Republican Congress has not done anything to stop our president from spending money and our national debt is now over $19 trillion. Former friendly allies are now our enemies.
I say Trump has the experience to bring our country back to what our forefathers meant for it to be and all Republicans should support him.
Henry Sheetz
Oro Valley
