Freedom of choice
In the midst of a pandemic we have Gov. Doug Ducey and the anti-vax and anti-mask group making a stand for what they perceive as freedom of choice. In their minds it’s all about “my body, my choice.” I find it strange that they don’t feel the same way when it comes to women making a very personal choice about abortion.
Mary Zimmerman
SaddleBrooke
Don’t give terrorists what they want
I recently watched every national network airing video of a man in front of the Capitol threatening to detonate a bomb and streaming his threats live on social media. They then showed the extensive government reactions to his threat, including evacuating government buildings and shutting down traffic on local streets. Since the man had no bomb, he was obviously looking for attention, recognition and fame.
Sadly, we rewarded him for his efforts by giving him all those things. The power he felt must have been intoxicating. When will we learn that we are rewarding terrorists and encouraging future terrorist threats by giving them this kind of national publicity?
Perhaps citizens have a right to know when these incidents occur but we don’t have to reward perpetrators by showing their faces and the dramatic results of their actions on national television. Behaviors that are rewarded tend to be repeated.
Ron Andrea
SaddleBrooke
Ducey accountable for lives lost
Gov. Doug Ducey has not intentionally infected a single Arizona citizen who died from COVID-19. However, he has advocated policies that have contributed to their deaths.
Instead of preventing the implementation of masking mandates, he should be pleading with his constituents to mask indoors and get vaccinated immediately. He should be urging public schools to take every precaution to avoid infections instead of punishing them for mandating student and staff masking.
I judge Ducey guilty of crimes against humanity. It is tragic that Ducey most likely will never be held accountable for his destructive behavior.
Stuart Sellinger
Northwest side
Reasons to care about the spread
I don’t care if you don’t protect your health from COVID-19, if the risk of vaccine seems greater than your own health risk. Calculate away. I do care about spread. When the virus spreads, even among healthy folk, three bad things happen other than sickness. The health-care system is stressed, the economy is dampened and we provide many more petri dishes for new viruses and variants to develop.
I care if heart attack victims wait in ambulances because hospitals are full of COVID patients and if nurses quit due to stress. I care if travel and entertainment workers can’t support their families. And I care if new variants develop and are even more deadly. Very few care if you get sick, become a long hauler or die. Almost all care if the health-care system crashes, variants develop and joblessness grows.
William Krauss
Downtown
Thank you to my civics teacher
This is my reaction to recent columns about civics taught (or not taught) in high school. When I was a senior in a small Ohio town, our teacher gave us each a Time magazine every Tuesday. On the following Monday we had a 10 question quiz on the news from the magazine. Then we discussed the issues presented in the magazine. Occasionally we debated social issues, like the right-to-work laws being considered in Ohio. In the years since, my husband and I have always read one of the news magazines: Newsweek, Time, Economist, etc. For the past 10 years we’ve been reading The Week magazine, which we think is balanced and top-notch. I look back and thank my civics teacher for starting my constant interest in the written news.
Sandi Bunker
Foothills
Afghanistan withdrawal
Few Americans are against our withdrawal from Afghanistan. But millions of us are amazed by how badly it was botched. President Joe Biden of course blamed Donald Trump for limiting Biden’s options by having set a May 1 withdrawal deadline. Biden said he needed to honor that agreement but he did not. He changed the deadline to Aug. 31.
I dare say the Taliban did not appreciate that. Then, in a backward move, Biden withdrew more forces before safely removing Americans and friendly Afghans. Thus, Biden needed to send in 5,000 troops to attempt to fix what he had broken. In true political fashion, he now praises how well the evacuation is going, ignoring that the current situation could have been avoided. In the meantime, Vice President Kamala Harris gives kind words to Biden “who has shown great emotion in expressing sadness about some of the images we have seen.” I’m sure the effected people feel much better knowing Biden’s emotions. Terrible job, Mr. President.
Matt Scully
Sahuarita
Tucson will keep on growing
Re: the Aug. 23 article “Limiting endless growth is crucial to our future.”
I read Charles Cole’s response to the idea of pumping sea water from Mexico. I agree with all of his objections to the plan. I agree that Tucson is too big to sustain itself forever. I think that Tucson should have remained the size it was when my parents moved here in 1971 and Tucson was half its current size. Of course, everyone thinks Tucson should have stopped growing just after they moved here.
Tucson will grow until it becomes so undesirable to move here that people stop coming. That is a long ways off. Look at Phoenix. And how would we stop people from moving here? Are there any cities that successfully stopped their metro areas from growing?
I agree that this many people living in the desert is crazy and unsustainable. Because we can’t grow water, Tucson will someday collapse. Until then, we will keep growing.
Jonpaul Barrabee
Oro Valley
“My body, my choice”
Re: the Aug. 25 letter “Attacks on those who are not vaccinated.”
To the person who wrote that people who choose to remain unvaccinated should not be castigated, arguing that the obese or smokers are not similarly assailed, I have issues with his argument.
His final argument, “my body, my choice,” shows that he misunderstands the critical difference between these groups of people. If someone is obese, it has no effect on my life. If someone is a smoker, I can avoid that person (no-smoking rules are in effect in virtually all public indoor spaces, another infringement on a person’s freedom to kill other people).
Neither an obese person nor a smoker can kill me. An unvaccinated person, however, can kill many other people, even those who have been vaccinated.
And unvaccinated people are everywhere, with no noticeable features to warn others to avoid them. Your right to “my body, my choice” does not apply to communicable disease, which can infect everyone you come into contact with!
Karen Carson
Downtown
Vaccinations for UA students
To contrast what’s being done here and what’s being done elsewhere, look at University of Virginia (UVA). A vaccine mandate was announced and now 96.6% of all students are vaccinated and most of those who haven’t been vaccinated yet are getting vaccinated.
A small number applied for and received exemptions. Similar numbers apply to staff and faculty. At UVA, those receiving exemptions must wear masks and get tested regularly.
Here, at U of A, all students and staff must wear masks because the state will not allow the universities to have a campus mask mandate. It is also frightening that the leaders of the public universities in Arizona have to be afraid that the governor will take away funding when they should have been standing up and talking loudly about what the universities need to do to help in the fight against this virus.
I have lived in Arizona for over 40 years and am shocked by the Republicans in power. It is increasingly hard to understand why anyone votes for them.
Vikki Spritz
Midtown
Not your right to make others sick
Re: the Aug. 25 letter “Attacks on those who are not vaccinated.”
There have been several letters comparing the unvaccinated to those who might be harming themselves by being obese, by smoking or engaging in other self-destructive behaviors. The key concept here is self-destructive.
Being obese harms only the overweight person. Serious health issues from smoking mainly harm the smoker. This cannot in any way be legitimately compared to spreading a highly infectious virus that could leave others gravely ill, or dead.
Can those who think their unvaccinated status poses no threat to others really be that dense? I find that hard to believe. They simply think they can do as they please without regard for others, including children and those with underlying health issues who are at high risk.
This mindset is the height of self-centered and callous disregard for others. Yes, it’s your body but when your decisions can cause illness and death to others and you just don’t care, that says a lot about you.
Deborah Klumpp
Oro Valley
The climate crisis is here
Re: the Aug. 19 article “Tell lawmakers you support carbon pricing.”
The guest opinion article by Mike Carran and Rex Scott is on point, informative and fact driven. It’s time for Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly and Reps. Tom O’Halleran, Ann Kirkpatrick and Raúl Grijalva to provide support for carbon pricing.
It’s not hyperbolic to acknowledge that without action, the western United States will be unlivable in our children’s lifetime. All that Sinema, Kelly, O’Halleran, Kirkpatrick and Grijalva need to do is provide their support in Washington. That’s why they were voted to be there.
This is real and and action is needed.
Roberto Juan Nassiff
Foothills
Time to stop bad laws
The Arizona Legislature passed three voter suppression laws and three tax laws gutting revenues for education. Voters can stop these laws from taking effect. Petitions to put the laws on the ballot for a vote are being circulated now. We need voters to sign these petitions so they can be filed before Sept 28. Otherwise, the laws will automatically become effective Sept. 29.
One of the new laws will weaken our right to vote by mail. Arizona’s Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL) has been used successfully for many years. It is a model for other states. There is no reason to change it.
Voters have told the Legislature we want more funding for public education. But, instead, they passed giving huge tax refunds to the very wealthy, depleting money intended for education.
Lisa Wolfe
North side
