Voting on mask mandates
Re: the Oct. 9 article “Why I have voted against K-12 school mask mandate.”
Supervisor Rex Scott’s long-winded explanation of why he has voted against mask mandates in Pima County Schools really does not hold water. Everyone knows the difficulty of enforcing such a mandate.
Trump and the Republicans have made the response to this deadly pandemic a political beachball (defunding the WHO, muzzling the CDC, denigrating Dr. Fauci’s efforts and expertise) that they continue to try and keep bouncing in the stands.
Every Republican knows vaccines, masks and social distancing are just ploys to keep the Democrats in power! Seriously, Mr. Scott? Mask mandates and bans against mask mandates are simply party platforms now. Why do you think you were “voting” on them?
Michael Perdue
Vail
Duplicitous Ducey
Re: the Oct. 6 article “Feds scold Ducey over funds.”
Oh, what a hero Gov. Doug Ducey portrays himself to be. He tries distracting us from the damage he has done to voting in Arizona and public school funding by rabble rousing with extremist governors at the border, which already has immigration policy in place. How heroic he is grandstanding for a wasteful wall that destroys our environment, disrupts waterways, destroys migration paths for wildlife and fragments indigenous communities.
The biggest deceit is Ducey and dark money-elected Republican legislators’ insistence upon ignoring voter mandates to fund public schools appropriately (Prop. 208-2020), to stop routing funds to private schools (Prop. 305-2018) from the state’s general fund for public education and to stop giving more tax cuts to the wealthy (SB1783, SB1827-2021). Now duplicitous Ducey wants to use federal COVID grant dollars to penalize school districts that keep students safe with mask mandates and give money to private schools without mask mandates. This is blatant misuse of funds when we need to stop this pandemic. Unconscionable!
Sue Thorne
Foothills
Prop. 206 is bad for Tucson
While paying all employees a living wage of $15 per hour is a laudable goal, Prop. 206 (the Tucson Minimum Wage Act) is not the answer. It would place all Tucson businesses at a competitive disadvantage with surrounding municipalities by imposing burdensome regulatory reporting and audit requirements on small local businesses (and individuals) and will hasten the demise of the few local restaurants that have managed to survive the pandemic.
Creating a new bureaucracy to enforce the initiative could cost the city $500,000 per year, which could be used instead to support low income housing. The answer to low wages is better jobs, not more regulation.
The problem with Prop. 206, as the Star pointed out, is that it creates an incentive for “businesses to leave the city if not to pay lower wages then to avoid the Prop. 206 provisions — and take their sales tax revenue with them.” Prop 206 does not make good economic sense and will harm businesses, workers and the city of Tucson. Vote No.
Ted Hinderaker
Midtown
Sinema is a rare politician
I want to congratulate Senator Kyrsten Sinema for being the rare politician these days that is seeking common ground for the common good. I’ve seen plenty of letters complaining that she isn’t following the party line to push through the Democrat agenda. Sinema seems to recognize that the Democrats’ majority is razor thin and reflects a 50/50 nation. She also represents a 50/50 state.
She is looking for things that both sides can agree on. Her work on the infrastructure bill was commendable. Too bad leadership continues to break promises and hold up her bill. We need more leaders like Sen. Sinema. I didn’t vote for her, but if she keeps pushing to find common ground and work for all Arizonans, I certainly will be voting for her in the future.
Bert Fredericksen
Marana
Honor family, country, party
There was a time, not too long ago in America that we honored our family, our country and our political party — in that order. There has been a major change on the part of many people who now put party first and by doing so have dishonored their families and totally disregarded what is good for this country.
By choosing to fight for individual rights and privileges and ignoring the responsibilities that go with them, they are jeopardizing all of society. Will they next declare that they will no longer let their children be vaccinated to keep polio, diphtheria, measles and/or smallpox eradicated?
Driving is a privilege, stopping for a red light is a responsibility. Will they now choose not to waste their time waiting for a light to change colors? Where and when does it end?
Dave Glicksman
Northwest side
Use your own intelligence
You are unvaccinated probably because you don’t believe the CDC or anyone in government. Fine. Don’t believe all the anti-vaxxers either, just use your own intelligence.
Where are the highest rates of COVID infection, COVID hospitalizations and COVID deaths? In areas with the lowest vaccination rates. Where are hospitals having to ration health care and people are dying because they can’t get into the hospital because the hospital is full of COVID patients? In areas with the lowest vaccination rates.
Ninety percent of people hospitalized with COVID are unvaccinated, and 95% to 100% of COVID deaths are unvaccinated people.
Use your own intelligence; what does that mean? If you still don’t believe in the medical facts of this pandemic, then don’t go to your doctor or hospital if you think you have COVID — because you believe they obviously don’t know what they are doing.
Don Ries
Southeast side
Get your shots
The COVID virus and its variants are killers! The death toll in our nation has exceeded 700,000 and is climbing steadily. This virus cares not whether you are rich or poor, Republican or Democrat, Christian or Muslim, white or Black, young or old, male or female. It seeks any warm body.
Scientists have developed vaccines that are proven to be safe and highly effective in fighting this virus. The possible side effects associated with the shot are greatly eclipsed by the pain and suffering of the unvaccinated who may just end up on a ventilator in some intensive care unit.
Hospitalized COVID patients, almost always unvaccinated, seriously stress our doctors and nurses. They also waste precious hospital space sometimes causing death to those desperately needing a bed. Such a selfish, cavalier attitude regarding the virus is a risk to their own lives and the lives of all their contacts as well. The current mantra, “Get vaccinated!” continues.
Ron Stirling
East side
