Ducey’s tenure full of red flags
Arizona has been through the wringer these past few years. From experiencing some of the worst COVID-19 rates in the nation to Republicans making a mockery of our election process, Arizonans need a break from the chaos. Gov. Doug Ducey is not being helpful in alleviating the chaos. As governor, he seems to give favors to some Arizonans over others — if he runs for the Senate, won’t he do the same?
Ducey has an active FBI investigation against him because he put his top officials and political interests ahead of Arizona. Ducey made sure his friends like G. Brint Ryan of Ryan LLC would make a profit from Arizona’s taxpayers. This should be a red flag to voters and constituents.
Doug Ducey has other interests and they don’t include looking out for the well-being and prosperity of Arizona. Doug Ducey has not been a good governor for all Arizonans and I believe he won’t advocate for all Arizonans in Washington D.C.
Bobbi Zimmer
Midtown
Kindness is our strength
I was having lunch in a Tucson sandwich shop recently when I observed an act of kindness. A lady was seated near me and noticed a group of two woman with three little boys trying to find a table. This lady offered them her table. They were delighted to accept and proceeded to have a great time.
This simple, caring act made me feel happy and caused me to think about the meaning of mask-wearing. Every time we wear our masks in public we do so for the benefit of our fellow Tucsonans. We don’t do it because the government is forcing us. We don’t do it out of fear. We do it because we understand that doing so makes all of us safer, mask wearers and non-mask wearers alike. It is an act of kindness and a consideration of others, no matter who they are.
Let’s pull together as a city and resolve to fight COVID with courage, dignity and kindness to one another.
Douglas Granrath
Foothills
One more soup for Burch’s list
Re: the Jan. 27 article “Soup’s On!”
I love soups. All of the soups mentioned in this wonderful article by Cathalena Burch sound absolutely yummy. Thanks Cathalena, for this article and all the great articles you write. One soup, and venue, that’s not mentioned is the Arizona Sands Club. Now let me confess upfront that I’m a genuine soup snob. I really am. I say that so you believe me when I say that the Bacon and Clam Chowder (saltwater clams, Nueske’s bacon, oyster crackers) created by Chef Hogg at the Sands is the best chowder I’ve ever tasted — and I’ve had “the best of the best” in San Francisco!
Patrick Cunningham
Northwest side
At TMC, I had many guardians
This is a shoutout to the quality of care that I received at Tucson Medical Center after surgery and the three weeks spent in the cardiac unit. From the nurses to personal care technicians to the lab and radiology plus the personalized service from dietary, I was incredibly well cared for. The two hospitalists always had time to answer my questions and keep me updated on my care. I saw my surgeon or one of his partners every day and was followed up with the nurse practitioners who were also always willing to answer questions and discuss my condition. To a person, they always asked “Is there anything else I can do for you?” before they left me. Even the food service delivery personnel were great. I am grateful for the quality care I received over the holidays and into the new year.
Christine Schneider Smith
Green Valley
Even nostalgia can be divisive
Recently, I parked next to a pickup truck in the parking lot of The Golden Goose in Catalina that had a flag-embossed bumper sticker that read, “I miss the America I grew up in.”
Immediately, it became a hot button for me, as the flag itself has become political. Was this a thinly veiled reference to returning to a 1950s America with ethnic, racial, and sexual discrimination, a time when women could not make financial or medical decisions for themselves, and when domestic violence was considered “a family matter?”
Or did I misread the sentiment behind the bumper sticker?
I, too, miss some aspects of that earlier time (although none of the examples above): Walking alone safely, sending children to school without fear of gun violence, joining with all Americans being vaccinated for the common good, and driving without being flipped off because of my own bumper sticker.
It seems even nostalgia can be divisive.
Ashley Sweeney
Oro Valley
Vaccine ruling poorly reasoned
I’m a bit confused about why so many unqualified people are weighing in on the COVID pandemic. When a law judge compares diabetics eating sugar to a contagious disease and says that mandating vaccines would open the door to government control of diet, I have to take exception. It should be clear that an infectious disease can pass directly from one person to another and kill that person, but diabetes isn’t infectious. Suicide may be ill-advised but shouldn’t be illegal, so if someone wants to eat themselves to death then I don’t think it’s our place to make laws stopping them. Forcing contractors to get vaccinated so they don’t infect veterans or other members of the U.S. government should be acceptable and frankly I think the judge that made this ruling should be ashamed of themselves for using such a lame excuse to justify a blatant ideological attack.
Dan Pendergrass
West side
To help nurses, get your shot
A couple of weeks ago I found myself, exactly where nobody wants to be, in the ER, (not COVID). Everything you hear is true. They are tremendously understaffed. The conditions are as stressful as anything you can imagine possibly short of working in a military conflict zone. My hat is off and I truly want to thank everyone I dealt with — food service, technicians, nurses (especially the nurses) and doctors. Everyone (especially nurses) kept their calm and even their sense of humor. No one complained about the hand they had been given. They are doing a great job for us.
The best way to thank them for their service is not a letter to the editor. The right thing to do is get vaccinated. This is not about politics or freedom. I have the freedom not to help my neighbor if their house is burning but it isn’t the right thing to do. Let’s do what we can to help these good folks out. It is the right thing to do.
Jim Koweek
Sonoita
I thought judges were smarter
Re: the Jan. 28 article “Judge: Biden can’t mandate masks for federal contractors.”
I read the article and I was dumbfounded by the logic used by Judge Michael Liburdi to strike down the mask mandate for federal contractors imposed by the current administration that equates obesity and diabetes with COVID precautions. Although obesity and diabetes kill many people, they are not communicable diseases like COVID-19. If Judge Liburdi’s logic is an example of the expertise in our judicial system, we are all in trouble.
Terri Hicks
Northwest side
