Guns for all
Nashville: More deaths of innocents by guns. As far as I know, the only political group that is in favor of guns of all kinds for all is the Republican Party. They claim it’s the cost of freedom. So Republicans are OK with young children killed so their constituents have rights to all manner of guns. Please think about this fact next time you vote.
Jean Barkley
East side
Focus on the ‘why’
This recent shooting is a tragedy, as were all past incidents. More legislation is not the resolution. I have not read anything about the shooter’s mental health. What made the individual decide to kill others? More attention must be given to the “why” aspect so society can make efforts to help correct the issue. Unfortunately, we may face this situation again in the future, and the passing of new gun laws does not take away the millions of firearms in the U.S. Detecting the reasons individuals make this tragic decision is where we should focus.
Bill Dowdall
Oro Valley
Pima Wash zoning
Re: the March 24 article “Too many risks on Pima Wash zoning.”
Please run an opinion piece on the merits of the Pima Wash zoning. Contrary to Mr. Kiley’s opinion column, the Quail Canyon proposal is an ideal infill project for the area and will undo much of the damage the former golf course has left in its wake. More people are moving to Tucson and our options are to do smart, well-vetted (by the excellent work of Pima County Flood Control and Zoning Departments) infill projects like this one or to continue to knock down the virgin desert around us. While I appreciate Mr. Kiley’s ardor, it is misplaced. The Riparian area he speaks of is full of invasive species harmful to the desert flora and fauna we love and will be remediated with native species. The traffic increase has been thoroughly vetted and passed national standards. Sometimes leaving things the way they are is antithetical to restoring the desert. Support the zoning change request.
John Mijac, Branch Broker, Long Realty Foothills Office
Midtown
Nothing is free
Re: the March 26 article “Let’s find a way to keep Sun Tran bus fares free.”
Tim Steller’s recent column advising Tucson to continue to offer no-fare bus rides is ridiculous. As anyone knows, nothing is “free.” The bus system has to be supported by more than just federal funds. So Steller wants us to pay for it by raising our taxes. That’s a typical liberal, government-control solution. Why should those who never ride the bus pay for those who want a free ride? If you ride the bus, pay your share! The mayor and city council are clueless about how Sun Tran needs riders to support the mobile assistance they get with the buses. At some point, Sun Tran will have to cut back on service. Sun Tran has always had reduced fares for those who qualify. An easy way to charge fares again is to start small, perhaps at $1 per ride. Then slowly get the fares back to where they were before the geniuses decided “free” is best. Or is it only “free” if I have to pay your way?
Nate Baker
North side
Rushing AI
Re: the March 26 article “Those profiting from AI shouldn’t decide its future.”
Really enjoyed Brent Harold’s insightful discussion of AI. “AI itself is not yet at the point of making decisions about whether ... it should be allowed to take over our lives,” but it soon will be, he guesses, part and parcel of the capitalist enterprise.
I am not a religious person, but the temptation of AI looks like a serpent in a tree to me. Its siren call is to give up one’s human agency, one’s responsibility for one’s own mind.
But tell me, how can we communicate with others if we are too weak or lazy to form our own thoughts? How will we even know whose (or “what’s”) ideas we’re reading? How can competition or achievement be proved?
Faust, anyone? To what or whom are we ceding our souls? AI, and even worse, the rush for it, is terrifying, threatening to become a self-inflicted mortal wound, just like eating the apple.
Regula Case
Midtown
SEL important for kids
I was a teacher, a principal, and a mother, and now I’m an expert in suicide prevention. After my 21-year-old son died by suicide, I wanted to help prevent others from suffering the way I have.
Tom Horne, superintendent of schools, has vowed to remove SEL from every school in Arizona. Social-emotional learning is as critical to student success as academics and sports. It’s a way for children to know that mental health is as important as physical health and to learn coping skills, problem-solving skills, and resilience.
We cannot live in the past. Our country is experiencing a youth mental health crisis. Look up this report and share it with other teachers and parents: Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Data Summary & Trends Report (2011-2021).
Contact Horne to explain why he risks harming Arizona’s children by eliminating school social and emotional learning programs.
Theodora Schiro, author of “A Culture of Caring: A Suicide Prevention Guide for Schools”
Oracle
School shootings
So we now live in a country where books in schools are banned, we’re fearful of men in costume (drag queens) and reading to children, but we continue to stand by and watch as those children are slaughtered while attending school.
Maureen O’Brien Salz
Oro Valley
Trump ‘news’
The Wall Street Journal reported on March 27 that former President Donald Trump is employing his usual tactics to counter potential legal charges: attacking prosecutors, delaying proceedings, and playing the victim. It’s worth noting that none of these addresses the substance of the charges and the role that trials (not public opinion) play in determining guilt or innocence.
Since these are his “usual tactics,” I don’t consider his actions are news; they are not worth spending many column inches to report or much time to read. Remember the old joke about the guys in the bar that have assigned numbers to all their jokes because they know them so well? Maybe we need to assign numbers to his “usual tactics” and just report, “Trump yells 42 today.”
Barbara Hall
Midtown
Haunting
Today’s (March 28) front page photo of the little child sitting alone in his school bus is a haunting image I will never forget. The face and open hand, pressed against the glass looking out at us, is filled with sadness, fear, grief, visibly aging him way beyond his years. He is traumatized, possibly for years and maybe the rest of his life. We are tired of Congress voting not for the will of the people but for what’s best for their political careers. I hope this photo is sitting on their desks just before they vote on banning assault weapons.
Jon Pond,
retired school psychologist
Foothills
Wadsack recall?
I see that a group has started a petition to recall state Sen. Justine Wadsack. I’d like to encourage residents of her district not to sign that petition. Yes, she’s an ignorant person, but don’t the ignoramuses of Arizona deserve some political representation, too?
I’m reminded of what Sen. Hruska said when informed that a Nixon nominee to the Supreme Court was “mediocre”: “Even if he were mediocre, there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren’t they, and a little chance? We can’t have all Brandeises, Frankfurters and Cardozos.”
Jim McWilliams
Midtown
Public education
Re: the March 29 letter “Priorities for education.”
Firstly, the writer evidently does not understand charter schools are public schools. They are, but with less regulation over how they expend funds and without publicly elected governing boards to hold them accountable. Secondly, he cannot know that private schools offer an “overall better education than public schools” as private schools are not accountable to the state or taxpayers. Unlike private schools, public schools must administer Arizona’s Academic Standards Assessment (AASA) annually to their students and report those results to the state. Thirdly, the charter waitlist is questionable. The American Federation for Children is hardly an unbiased source, and there is no way to verify waitlist numbers.
Truth is, public district schools offer the greatest amount of accountability and transparency of any K-12 educational option. Their governing boards must abide by open meeting law, they receive annual audits and their efficiency is monitored by the AZ Auditor General, and they are mandated by law to offer parents the most say over what is taught.
Linda Lyon
SaddleBrooke
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