Bad bills for taxpayers
Re: the March 18 article “’Fair access’ bills bad for taxpayers.”
Push-back legislation by conservatives on ‘wokism’ (vis-a-vis capitalism, health care, education, systemic- and structural racist/sexist policies, etc.) is more than a culture war response.
Try this: read (aloud even) Vince Leach’s op-ed piece on SB 1611 and SB 1694, but replace “corporation,” “business,” or “business owners” with “women” (since Citizens United equates corporations as people, this is a fair swap) and think about the various bills by states to deny a woman’s rights and personal autonomy to decide health care. Go on, try it.
While SB 1611 and 1694 and Mr. Leach specifically target the “woke capitalism” of ESG investing, this thought exercise clearly shows that the Arizona Legislature, Leach and those who support “anti-woke” legislation across the U.S. consider women as less than corporations, and their hypocrisy and cynicism for policies, programs, and rights that “woke” America/Arizonans support for choice in health care, education curricula, library content, etc. is truly, as Mr. Trump would so eloquently say, “Sad!!”
Tina Lee
Southwest side
Quail Canyon
The Quail Canyon section of Pima Wash is an important riparian habitat and vital corridor for wildlife moving between the Catalina Mountains and Rillito River, with big, old-growth mesquites and palo verdes. Now a developer might ruin it. Instead of 50 houses as the current zoning allows, local wildlife would be confronted with people dwelling in 116 houses and seven apartment buildings totaling 210 units.
“Infill” is often a good conservation strategy. But “infill” that negatively impacts sensitive, flood-prone wildlife habitat is not good conservation.
Calling Quail Canyon “developed” because of the nine-hole golf course that closed four years ago is a stretch. Check out how “developed” it is for yourself. It’s just east of Oracle Road and south of Rudasill. It’s a beautiful place to bird, walk, or sit and enjoy some of the best views in town. If you agree, email: DSDPlanning@pima.gov. Include the title: “Quail Canyon Specific Plan Rezoning, # P22SP00003.” Hurry! March 27 is the deadline.
Frank Staub
Picture Rocks
DeSantis’ AP Black History course
A synopsis:
Over the course of two centuries, large numbers of Africans emigrated to North America. They tended to settle in the South of what became the United States because the climate was more like that of Africa, unlike the cold North.
They easily found employment and developed a rich culture through Christian spirituals, quilting, and other folk arts. Gradually they became proficient in sports, and many are enshrined in the Halls of Fame of three major sports, baseball, basketball, and football.
During the middle of the 20th century, some became dissatisfied with their place in society, and after they expressed their grievances, their rights and privileges were enshrined in federal and state governments.
Their social progress reached its culmination when an African-American, Barack Obama, was twice elected president of the United States.
Christopher McIlroy
Northwest side
Republicans, return to who you are
Don’t we all yearn for the time when Republicans (both here in Arizona and nationally) walk away from the crazies and return to their core values of selfishness, greed, and bigotry?
Sandy Salz
Oro Valley
Sight and logic
Could someone please explain to Tucker Carlson that seeing some folks walk through a part of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, tells you nothing about what is going on in other parts of the Capitol? Mr. Carlson must think that if he gets on I-10 west bound at entrance 275 and the road is clear, it must be clear all the way to Marana. Anyone else and I can tell him from experience that is not true. He has lied about the 2020 election results, and we know that because we have seen his emails and texts. So how can anyone believe anything he now says?
Don Ries
Southeast side
Self-made success
Re: the March 16 article “Nobody is a self-made success.”
Alison Jones says that “no one is a self-made success.” Which I’m sure comes as a surprise to such people as billionaires Michael Dell, who founded his company PC’s Limited with $1,000 and sold computers out of his dorm room, or Jeff Bezos, who worked out of his garage to start Amazon.
She further states that “It is...impossible to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.” Yet we find that though the overall poverty rate in the U.S. is 11.6%, for families with two parents it’s 4.4%, for the college educated it’s 4.7%, and for workers working full-time, it’s 2.2%. So all you have to do to “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” and to stay out of poverty is to get married before you have children, get an education, and work full-time. Not that difficult.
David Pearse
Foothills
Depriving schools
Re: the March 14 letter “How to pay $0 in AZ income tax.”
The recent letter writer seems proud by thinking giving Arizona income tax money to a charity will save him money. Giving money for a Public-School Tax Credit results in no money being saved. But what it does is deprive public schools of needed tax money to operate. Giving money to private voucher schools and not to public schools will only result in paying higher taxes by way of his property tax bill to help pay for underfunded public schools. The writer must have forgotten the conservative mantra that government should not pick winners and that policy creates losers by redistributing value and economic capabilities to those favored politically. The writer also overlooks the fact that he saves no money he still has to give the money either to the state or a charity. With the highest 2023 State Income Tax for a married head of household set at 2.98% how does saving $29.80 on $1,000 equate to a big saving?
Clyde R. Steele
Oro Valley
Regulations are protections
In many recent letters, readers have cited the deregulation of the railroad and banking industries during the Trump years (in reality since the Reagan years) and the dire consequences that have recently transpired.
I think it would be wise to rephrase the term from government regulations to government protections. Everyone wants the government to come to their rescue when a weather disaster strikes, to protect the public from unsafe chemicals or drugs, and to insure their hard-earned savings are protected from banking misdeeds. The Republicans have turned a government regulation as an unnecessary impediment to business and have vilified the word. Time for Democrats to change the messaging to what is the benefit to effective government protections. It might be much harder to eliminate government protections than those “inconvenient” regulations that some like to hate until their usefulness becomes evident in retrospect.
Michael Hamant, MD
East side
Psychedelic therapy
Nearly one in every five adults (or ~1.6 billion people globally) has, will, or is suffering from PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), or other such mental health conditions. While current treatment modalities continue to fail millions of people each year, hope may still exist for these individuals in the form of psychedelic therapy. Research has shown that between 67-71% of people who receive psychedelic treatments for mental health conditions either no longer meet the criteria for their initial diagnosis, or achieve a clinically significant improvement in symptoms and overall well-being. While the psychiatric community has recently renewed its interest in exploring drugs such as psilocybin and MDMA as therapeutic treatments, the concept as a whole still remains shrouded in stigma. Increasing awareness, advocacy, and education towards this topic may help bring these treatments much closer to becoming nationally accepted, available, and affordable to those who desperately need them.
Emily Albert,
Sailor Hutton,
Melissa Lugo,
Shawna Nelson,
Rebecca Sustayta
and Jamie Young,
University of Arizona
Mel & Enid Zuckerman
College of Public Health,
Masters of
Public Health students
Midtown
Horne’s inquisition
Tom Horne campaigned for superintendent of public instruction saying he’d eliminate bilingual education, any hint of historically correct American racism and doing anything to help emotionally distressed students. Now elected, he’s following through.
In a move reminiscent of WWII Germans asked to report Jews, Horne is instituting a vigilante approach meant to intimidate and destroy teaching careers. Anyone can contact the Horne “gestapo” to report what he considers to be inappropriate lessons. Upon receipt of an allegation, an inquisitor will be dispatched and the accused teacher grilled.
Can you see the billboard signs advertising open teaching positions in Arizona? “Come to Arizona where you get low pay, teach in dangerous outdated buildings and you’re under suspicion every day”! Gee, that’ll draw top talent.
Ralph and Patricia Atchue
Oro Valley
Ready to protestIf Trump gets indicted and his cult members stage a protest I will be there. I will be the one with the sign saying “Please Lock Him Up!”
Of course I will be across the street from the crowd in case the stupidity is contagious.
Robert McNeil
Midtown
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