Undocumented immigrants
As of August, the Border Patrol reported over 1.4 million encounters with migrants illegally crossing the border. About 130,000 have been unaccompanied children sent dangerously by their parents or other relatives. These children have been allowed entry into the country as well as family units. Monthly Border Patrol encounters are running over 200,000.
A study done by Pew Research revealed that a majority of people from the Northern Triangle of Central America consisting of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, do not have a high school education and do not speak English. They have flooded across our border since Biden took office. Our public schools are already burdened with overcrowding of classes, shortages of teachers, dealing with COVID, etc. Now tens of thousands of non-English speaking children will be injected into school room classes across the country likely requiring special tutoring. All thanks to Joe Biden!
Tom Galloway
Northwest side
Changing times
We lined up in the school parking lot to get vaccinated. Parents showed up to help — not with signs, demonstrations or criticism. They just wanted their kids and neighbor kids in the school not to get whatever it was! We never had thoughts whether it worked or not, or had any doubts whether our local doctors and nurses were telling us the truth. Don’t recall ever hearing of the Center for Disease Control, the FDA, or the multitude of other federal agencies giving advice? Just moved up the line and got our shot.
We also used to look up to the president and our federal government officials. Now we experience a perceived lack of integrity and honesty. It’s difficult to accomplish things not working together.
Dave Locey
Foothills
Biden is not uniting
The Democrats have a slim majority in Congress but continue to claim a mandate to totally convert our country into a European-style socialist society. To the Democrats, compromise means accept, without question, what is proposed. It appears that the left-wing radicals of the Democratic party have gained the uncontested reins of the party, although it is difficult to understand why more moderate members are complying.
Joe Biden, who ran as the great uniter, has failed to unite the country. It is time for the administration to pull its head out of the sand, discard the vision of a crystal palace in the sky and focus on the real problems facing our country, such as unimpeded border immigration, outlandish crime, rapidly rising inflation of products and services, and a disastrous energy policy. To make matter worse, a significant number of people are not in any hurry to work because the free-money policies and the COVID response have been disjointed, confusing, and have significantly deterred the economic recovery.
Pudge Johnson
Oro Valley
Changes proposed for ADU ordinance
On Oct. 19, Tucson’s mayor and council will hold a public hearing on a proposed Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) ordinance. This ordinance needs two changes:
1. Limit the ADU’s height to that of the primary residence. Nothing would be more jarring in a one-story neighborhood than a two-story ADU. The immediate neighbors would lose whatever privacy they had because the second story of the ADU would have views directly into their yards (and possibly through the windows, too!).
2. In addition to the maximum ADU sizes of 750 sq. ft. on lots 7,000 sq. ft. or smaller, and 1,000 sq. ft. on lots larger than 7,000 sq. ft., an ADU should be no larger than the primary residence.
We have expressed our concerns in an email to the Tucson City Clerk’s office. We urge you to do the same.
David Peterson
Midtown
Dentist will not reveal vax status
Today I visited my dentist, first time since the pandemic. I inquired, “Has everybody here been vaccinated?” The response was “We can’t answer that question. It’s a privacy issue.” I was shocked. Here are people leaning over my maskless face, breathing on me, with their hands in my mouth, and they refuse to tell me if they have been vaccinated? I assumed if they had been vaccinated that they would gladly tell me. I took exception to their answer and left.
Later that day I was in a tire store (local chain). At the counter it was posted “We’ve been vaccinated.” So, let me get this straight. My tire guy can say he’s been vaccinated, but my dentist doesn’t have to? What crazed culture have we become? I would expect it to be mandatory that all health care workers be vaccinated. Just like I would expect doctors to have medical degrees. Our health outweighs their “privacy.”
Ray Lindstrom
Oro Valley
Biden is to blame
Re: the Oct. 13 letter “Fortunate to have Biden.”
The mess at the border is completely and totally Joe Biden. He rescinded some of the Trump policies that stopped the border crossing. Biden created the mess at the border. Where is this act? The President can’t create legislation, that is left to Congress. Biden isn’t a senator. How many were left behind after the Afghanistan withdrawal? What about the increasing inflation? What about the 10 million jobs going unfilled? Fortunate to have Joe? No!
Larry Cory
West side
