No reason to debate
I think Katie Hobbs is smart to not “debate” Kari Lake. As the old saying goes: “Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.”
Katharine Donahue
Foothills
Hobbs’ border ad
Democrat candidate for governor Katie Hobbs is running a TV ad featuring Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway, both Democrats, talking about how Hobbs would secure the border. Both oppose the border wall. In the ad, Hobbs is featured confidently striding along a stretch of the border wall, that she too opposes, saying how she will work to secure Arizona. A totally disingenuous ad by her. Hobbs’ “Plan for securing Arizona” does not mention support for finishing the border wall at Yuma. Just the Democrat narrative of Congress passing comprehensive immigration reform, providing legalization and citizenship for millions who entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas. Hobbs wants more resources for border counties and sheriffs to “handle migrant crossings humanely and efficiently.” Nothing about stopping them. She advocates boosting federal resources at ports of entry, but not boosting more Border Patrol agents. Missing is any mention of enforcing our immigration laws. Hobbs’ plan accommodates people entering illegally and would do nothing to secure Arizona.
Alan Ruiz
West side
Comics in the Star
Subscribers to the Star have expectations. We have come to expect some level of excellence in the choice of what you present to us on the comic page. We are all terribly disappointed! Where is Mutts? It is currently the most sensitive and well-drawn cartoon about animals and their care. It has been replaced by two cartoons from the sentimental past. There are other significant omissions, like Zits. The cartoons are now excruciatingly tiny. You are saving money at the expense of your readers.
Elouise Rusk
Downtown
Bad decision
I am so disappointed in the new layout for the cartoon and puzzle page. I love Mutts and Grand Avenue, as well as Marmaduke and Family Circus. The cryptoquip and other puzzles are something I look forward to to keep my brain active. Please return to the previous format.
Anne Britt
Northwest side
School district interview
Re: Sept. 15 video “Amy Bhola, Amy Krauss and Gina Mehmert, running for CFSD Governing Board chat with the Arizona Daily Star.”
As a former public school teacher and resident of Catalina Foothills School District whose son was educated in CFSD schools from kindergarten through graduation, I appreciated the opportunity to watch the Star’s extensive interview of CFSD Governing Board candidates Amy Bhola, Amy Krauss and Gina Mehmert. I was disappointed the other candidates declined to participate, which signals a lack of willingness to engage with the community they wish to serve.
The candidates interviewed demonstrated they are already invested in CFSD schools through their volunteer service (Bhola and Krauss are incumbents, Mehmert in leadership positions at two schools over many years), and they have the experience and knowledge to meet the many challenges facing public education today. Most importantly, I heard a commitment to upholding teaching as a profession, which is too often under assault. Having high-quality educators in the classroom is the most influential factor in student achievement. I will be voting for the candidates who support the dedicated teachers of CFSD.
Gayle Siegel
Foothills
What If?
There were four congressional investigations into Hillary Clinton’s role into the Benghazi tragedy, and 10 hours of FBI interviews about her emails, and no actionable results. I do not condone or condemn her actions as I do not have enough evidence to make a conclusion. But what if she had had 300 classified documents, up to and including Top Secret, in her private home? Can you imagine the firestorm the Republicans would have rightly generated? If any citizen had such information in their home, they would be in jail. I know. I handled, stored and was responsible for classified information in the Air Force. No, the former president cannot just say they are declassified. There is a process. Even if he could, they are still property of the government, of every citizen, they are not his. The consequences for Donald Trump should be obvious.
Donald Ries
Southeast side
Voucher petitions
Re: the Aug. 24 article “Voucher petition drive meets foe.”
Tim Steller reports about protests to stop the signing of Repeal HB2853 Stop Voucher Expansion. Why are some protesting the referendum petition that will put HB2853 on the ballot so the general public, and parents, can discuss it and then vote their preference? That is how our democracy works!
It seems the major benefactors of HB2853 are the owners of private schools. There is little/no accountability of how money originally earmarked for public schools will be spent. No/ little transparency about student learning gains, and private schools do not have to accept all our children, no matter their race, culture, gender identity or learning differences. Disability rights do not follow into private schools. Sign the Repeal HB2853: Save our schools, stop voucher expansion. Allow public discussion and reflection to occur, then vote your conscience.
Elizabeth Van Hon
Northwest side
It’s time
We have to separate the real Republicans from the RINOs (Kari Lake, Mark Finchem, Blake Masters).
Those three are not real Republicans, they are Donald Trump’s RINOs. They believe all lies and trash talk that he spills out as truth. They are not interested in fair, honest elections. Putting their names in the same sentence with honest, fair elections is an oxymoron. All they are interested in is saying more falsehoods about how the election was stolen from Trump. It is true the election was almost stolen by Trump, but enough real Republicans stood up and did not let it happen. I can only hope enough real Republicans will stand up again to prevent the RINOs from trying again to steal the election.
Please vote for real Republicans or Democrats to move our state away from these three RINOs.
Patrick Allen
West side
Service in a bottle
America organized a lot of service projects this year around Sept. 11. We certainly have sufficient natural disasters to warrant these efforts. But is this level and type of citizenship going to get it done for the year? Are bottles of water and homeless hygiene kits going to get America back on track again?
What about social disasters going unanswered? We have flooding in family solidarity; drought in education and knowledge; inflation in crime and licentiousness; famine in financial stability and civility; fire in addiction and debt spending; hurricanes in physical and mental health.
What kind of plastic containers can we put solutions to these problems in? Our special memorial day efforts increase our band-aid output, but leave the soul of our country still wounded.
Kimball Shinkoskey
Downtown
Vote for integrity
Breaking news! Republicans can stash their smelling salts. President Biden did not call all Republicans “fascists.” The only Republicans he called out are MAGAs who continue pushing misinformation regarding the 2020 election. If you still support a man who bullied his way through debates, lied a documented 30,000-plus times while in office, incited a riot on our Capitol, disrupted the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in our nation’s 246-year history and stole classified documents that may well have gotten people killed; no further discussion required. There’s no point. But the majority of Republicans are strong, compassionate citizens, with solid values that Trump in no way represents. Please. When you vote this November, let integrity, honesty, inclusiveness and fair play guide you.
Susan Miller-Pinhey
Foothills
Biden doesn’t care
The New York Times recently reported that internal DHS documents revealed that thus far under Joe Biden, over 1 million people, who entered the country illegally from over 150 countries, have been allowed entry. A main reason is claiming asylum. The Times indicated that it takes up to seven years to adjudicate an asylum claim and that after 150 days, the applicant can file for work authorization. The Times also related that hundreds of thousands have entered the country “undetected.” This is totally outrageous! I think the word has gotten out around the world through social media, relatives, friends, and the news, that you can illegally enter America, make an asylum claim, then stay for years and work. What a scheme. Think of the burden over 1 million people are placing on our school districts, social services, health care and criminal justice systems. I think Biden knows it and could care less. He and Democrat pols cynically see all of these people as future citizens and Democrat voters.
Letti Patel
Midtown
Wanted: A better planet
Re: the Sept. 8 letter “Climate change; anti-capitalism.”
Ronald Reagan once said, “Well, there you go again.” The letter stating climate change activists are anti-capitalists is such a statement. Here are some facts. The cost for gas and diesel excludes a direct oil company subsidy, insurance payouts for climate change weather events, health care direct cost for pollution, fighting wildfires, and DOD is requesting $3 billion this year for climate change mitigation. The consequences of burning fossil fuels are costly. Should capitalists pay for everything or only part of a product’s cost? Alternative fuels (solar and wind) are cheaper than fossil fuels, according to a 2020 article in Forbes. Climate activists support lower costs and a better planet.
William Jones
East side
When a poll is not a poll
On Sept. 8, I received a call from caller ID “CMS Polling.” As a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Evaluation Association, I was shocked by what ensued. A number of very leading questions were asked of the form “What if my opponent...” followed by language that was clearly character assassination, “would you vote for him.” No facts, context, quotes. Hypotheticals. Only at the end was it revealed that the “poll” was sponsored by Mark Finchem supporters.
The APA has an intervention called “prebunking,” to help recognize misinformation. In that spirit, I advise if the pollster does not clearly at the outset state who sponsors them, hang up or walk away. Identification and sponsorship at the outset is in the code of ethics of legitimate enterprises. If leading questions about an opponent are negative, the interviewer is relying on a time-honored cognitive bias called “risk aversion,” to distract from their own platform and undercut anything positive you might later learn about their opponent.
Beatrice Krauss
Foothills
Once in a lifetime
On May 5, 2007, my partner Carol and I were driving from Lexington, Kentucky, to Louisville to see the Kentucky Derby. A barrage of flashing lights appeared behind us. As I pulled to the right, four police motorcycles and five black Range Rovers sped by. Later, as we sat at the finish line at Churchill Downs a roar came over the crowd. We looked up to a balcony and there stood the Queen in bright chartreuse dress and hat, waving to the crowd with Prince Phillip next to her. The next day we saw the same entourage at Lexington Airport pulling up to a British Airways plane. We saw her again, this time in bright yellow. I’m sure she will be glad to since the Prince, Diane and the Corgis who went ahead of her. I feel sad for the pups who wonder where she went. Too bad God couldn’t save the Queen.
Robert Murray
Midtown
Fascist wannabe
Re: the Sept. 12 letter “I am a fascist.”
I got a little chuckle from the self-proclaimed fascist wannabe. Not so fast! While he proudly proclaims his “beliefs” in the founding documents of our nation, legal immigration, voter ID, neutrality of the FBI and other acceptable views, he conveniently ignores the primary tenets of fascism. No, he needs to up his game. If he were truly a fascist he would emulate our former president’s beliefs by adding to his list: centralized autocracy (“I alone can fix it”), ultra-nationalistic political ideology (Charlottesville and Jan. 6 insurrection), lawlessness by a dictator without limits on power (stolen classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago), oppression of any opposition (“fake news”), then he could call himself a real fascist.
Pamela Aronson
Northeast side
