Loan relief good — but beware
Editor,
Student loan debt relief is long overdue and it means millions will finally be able to move forward in their lives. That said, student loan relief is fraught with unintended consequences, and it is not the solution to excessive college tuitions.
I remember administrators stating that raising tuition was inconsequential as Pell Grants and student loans would rise to meet increased tuitions. As tuition grew, so did administrator salaries and the number of classes taught by part-time faculty.
At the same time, the State of Arizona’s share of PCC’s revenue decreased and even disappeared. The three-legged stool of revenue (property taxes, the State of Arizona and tuition) was crippled.
Many Arizona Daily Star readers will remember PCC’s $60 tuition and UA’s $146 tuition. State officials funded education in those days. I urge voters to vote only for candidates committed to funding public education.
Dave Gallagher, retired PCC faculty, counselor
Foothills
Biden to blame
Re: the Aug. 31 letter “Misplaced border anger.”
The writer attempts to excuse President Biden for the border crisis by saying Congress is at fault for not passing new laws. Few people would deny that immigration laws can be improved, but the current crisis is primarily due to the fact that the current administration has been lax when it comes to enforcement of the existing laws. And because of its lack of enforcement, more migrants have been encouraged to head for our southern border, making the crisis even worse. The Biden administration (not Congress) is most definitely to blame.
Matthew Scully
Sahuarita
Right to vote
Re: the Aug. 25 letter “80% solution for conservative voters.”
A recent letter writer said Republicans should vote for MAGA candidates because you are in agreement with 80% of what they stand for. Ah, but the 20% with which you disagree is what he dared not mention. If you believe the right to vote is fundamental to our American system of government, you can never vote for candidates who have said they would overturn elections if they did not like the results. This, alone, should set off alarm bells in your head and prevent you from ever considering filling in that box by their name.
In order to preserve our rights as American citizens, we are going to have to reject extremists who seek to tear down our government and impose their will on the people. It is not enough to withhold your vote for them; the only way to ensure that un-American candidates do not win, is to vote for their opponents. You may have to hold your nose while you do it, but do it you must.
Kathleen Dubbs
West side
IRS audits honest people
Coming from Maryland in January 1995, I had no job in education until July 1 for the 1995-96 school year. We always did our tax returns early. Several years later I got a notice from the IRS asking where my income was from the first half of 1995 and why hadn’t it been reported. I again sent copies of the 1099 and explained that I only worked a half year. Not good enough for the examiner. They wanted to know where the 1099 from Maryland was for the first half of 1995 since that was where I previously worked. Of course, I was living in Arizona and not working at all in either state. A call to the examiner was fruitless. They could not grasp the concept. With two written responses with documentation and a phone call nothing was resolved. Trust me when I say I felt threatened by the tone of the caseworker both written and oral. Fortunately my brother-in-law worked in enforcement for the Treasury Department. Done!
Georgianna Murphy
Foothills
Semi-fascists
President Biden described the philosophy of former President Trump and his allies as “Semi-fascist.”
Semi-fascism is like being a little bit pregnant. Either you is or you ain’t.
Esther Blumenfeld
Foothills
Voting for legislature
I am hoping that voters in the coming elections take into consideration some facts about our state. Consistently, Arizona is listed near the bottom or at the bottom of several measures by which states are compared for living standards, business, health, education, etc. Since we have had a majority Republican state rule for many years, why would some of us continue to vote for the same governance that has left our state at the bottom of virtually every measure? Do voters enjoy our state being at, or near the bottom, in such things as children’s education, children’s and adults’ health, deaths from COVID, longevity, reputation of some of our elected officials, etc.? Wouldn’t it be reasonable to think that voters would want to change Arizona’s governance in order to see if we could do better?
Karen Paulsen Balch
Foothills
Message to MAGA Republicans
Right after the 2016 election was called, the rallying cry of the Republican Party directed at Democrats was “Get Over It.” They were ecstatic that their man won and enjoyed rubbing it in. Why can’t the Republicans “get over it” when their man lost in 2020? The Electoral College votes were exactly the same in both elections, however what was a Republican “landslide” victory in 2016 somehow became a fraudulent, “stolen” election in 2020. Despite court decisions in almost every case, many of which were handed down by Trump-appointed judges, that found no evidence of fraud, the denial continues almost two years later. What will it take to get the MAGA Republican deniers to face up to reality, accept the election results and simply “Get Over It”?
Martin Greene
East side
Dog-whistle
Sen. Lindsey Graham’s recent comment “there will be riots in the streets if Trump is indicted.” Free speech or dog-whistle call to arms?
James Merry
SaddleBrooke
Climate change is real
A recent letter questioned the validity of studies confirming the effects of climate change, “Tens of thousands of scientists disagree — their own models predict that draconian reductions would have a negligible effect on climate.” Who are these scientists? An honest search of the topic will find very few scientists, outside of those employed by the fossil fuels industry, question the impact climate change is having on the environment. In fact, there are extensive scientific studies supporting the reality of climate change, including, the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a report prepared by 620 scientists from 40 countries and peer-reviewed by more than 400 scientists from 113 countries.
Climate change is real, and it is an existential threat. Ignoring the reality would be irresponsible. Meeting the challenge will require sacrifices in our present way of life to ensure the viability of life in the future.
James McIntosh
East side
A chilling development
The recent Arizona Supreme Court ruling entitling state lawmakers to withhold records from public disclosure is a chilling development. It’s a blow to transparency and ensures more secrecy under the guise of “legislative investigations.”
Future “legislative investigations” might easily manifest themselves in the form of a “forensic audit” or hand recount to ensure voter confidence, while the true purpose is to overturn the will of the electorate.
Easy to image in a state where the majority party embraces conspiracy-minded election deniers.
Sheldon Clark
Vail
