Solving Arizona’s water problem
There are over 370 golf courses in Arizona. There are 505,000 residential swimming pools in Arizona. Phoenix is the city considered to be the “king” of swimming pools, with 32.7% of all homes featuring a pool (as of July 2022).
When was the last time you actually saw an individual using their private swimming pool?
And yet, those folks given the task of solving the water shortage problems in Arizona don’t seem able to come up with a solution. I would suggest no new golf courses and no new private swimming pools might help solve the problem.
Here’s an idea. How about a large water surcharge for those who play on those golf courses, and for those who think they need a private swimming pool?
I doubt any idea regarding how to solve the Arizona water issue will be popular with everyone. Nevertheless, some ideas definitely do need to be implemented. We really can’t wait until Doomsday, when it will be too late.
Sue Thompson
SaddleBrooke
School accountability
Does it concern you that our tax dollars are going toward school vouchers that can be used with no accountability?
Our legislators are proposing mandates that public schools should post instructional materials and teacher lessons online. One legislator is trying to pass a bill to have the Constitution in every classroom, along with the American flag. I wonder if she realizes that the 13th Amendment, ratified on Dec. 6, 1865, abolished slavery. The 19th Amendment, ratified on Aug. 18, 1920, granted women the right to vote. Think of the history lessons that could be taught just by reading the Constitution.
What I want to know is what will these private schools be teaching to deserve my tax dollars. Will they be teaching documented history or will they be teaching their religious beliefs?
The same accountability being imposed on public schools need to be imposed on private schools getting tax dollars!
Donna Pierce
Northeast side
AZ Republicans line up with Russia
Two Arizona U.S. representatives, Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs, decided to line up with Russia against Ukraine. That’s a line in the sand that I haven’t seen since Jane Fonda threw her support behind the NVA, North Vietnamese Army. Russia will use this propaganda to the hilt. Their faces will be all over Russian TV, along with the other Republican U.S. representatives that want to give Moscow a pass.
David McCarty
Northwest side
Saboteurs
I am very shocked to hear our fellow Americans affiliated with Fox News knew the topics they were putting forth to fellow Americans were incorrect, false, and outright lies. They are a member of a clandestine subversive organization that tries to help a potential invader/saboteur. A saboteur is someone who commits sabotage or deliberately and causes wrecks, which they certainly have by planting seeds against our sovereign democracy. I certainly hope they pay professionally and financially.
Mary Beth Schneider
East side
Walton and Miller
First, it seems to me that Bill Walton has heard the critiques because recently his comments have been more focused on the game. Second, how ironic is it that since I don’t have the Pac-12 network, I see more of Sean Miller at Xavier than I ever did while he was at U of A?
John Morgan
Midtown
Are corporations people?
State Sen. Anthony Kern introduced SB1611, that would ban government from contracting with any company that has “environmental, social or governance standards policies.”
He is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council so we can guess this is part of the ALEC suite of bills to prevent governments and corporations from choosing against supporting mega-Republican corporate donors, climate-harming companies or gun manufacturers.
Didn’t Citizens United give companies equal rights with human citizens? Are corporations people too? If so, then their freedom of speech, association and donations cannot be abridged or censored by state legislators. If, however, companies are not covered by the same rights, they cannot discriminate. If the bill passes, will they now have to equally support all political parties and opposing organizations like those for and against climate mitigations and gun controls? That wouldn’t be so bad. This bill might need more careful consideration.
Dee Maitland
Marana
Let’s think for ourselves
Re: the March 4 article “Blame liberal policies, not talk radio.”
Human beings are a tribe animal. Tribes provide succor. They also provide a blueprint for dealing with other tribes, the world at large. Tribal leaders concoct dogma/tenets to which members adhere, often blindly. That is often without due consideration of those tenets.
The op-ed piece by Bob Lee regarding “liberal policies” is an example of a particular individual trumpeting “right-wing” tribal dogma that is intellectually dishonest and blatantly false. Lee writes, “(Liberals) are defunding police, freeing criminals, supporting illegal immigration,...; enabling the violence and lawlessness...increasing daily.” Repeating such tribalism is rending apart the American quilt. Perhaps it’s time for all of us to start thinking for ourselves. Create a narrative based on facts not hearsay, not on lies foisted upon us by spokespersons of whatever tribe to which we subscribe. Mr. Lee is a retired broadcaster. We can be thankful for that.
Gavin Kayner
Northwest side
The party of law and order?
Hypothetically, a student’s parent or guardian with a valid concealed carry permit can bring a firearm onto school property (SB1331). This parent also recently purchased a silencer for a handgun (SB1109). The parent avoids paying 10% Federal Excise Tax on the purchase of the handgun and 11% FET on the purchase of the silencer, extra magazines and ammo for the weapon (HB2394).
The parent, already disgruntled that his child is attending an on-campus rally about, say, abortion or voting rights, lawfully enters the venue (SB1013) and exercises his notion of free speech by firing on the rally.
The parent/shooter is able to make an undetected escape. Speeding away, the shooter runs a red light, hits a pedestrian and keeps going. Unfortunately, in this scenario the shooter’s vehicle is not identifiable as it is unlawful to have photo-radar cameras in the traffic intersection (SB1234).
Sound far-fetched? Some current Arizona GOP legislation could make it plausible, if not possible. And this is the party of law and order?
Bryan Lane
Green Valley
Wear ‘n of the green
St. Patrick’s Day, is a great day to celebrate the coming of spring,
and to forget all our troubles and woes.
St Paddy’s Day: “Tis a great day for the Irish”
It’s a day of parades, green beer and corn beef and cabbage
When young men think of their “Wild Irish Rose”
And fish lovers of “Molly Malone”
They tell me there are four kinds of Irishmen:
FBI, Foreign born Irish.
CIA, Conceived in America.
IBM, Irish by marriage, and
TTWB, Those that want to be.
It’s a day we think of “Danny Boy” and the pipes.
A day for “Mother Macree” and “Over in Killarney”
A day for dancing and “MacNamara’s Band”
We need to celebrate all that is good in America.
So put on a smile and remember that
“When Irish eyes are smiling, sure they’ll steal your heart away”.
Tom McGorray
Northwest side
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