Filibuster, support for Sinema
All true Americans should thank our great Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema for her continued support of the filibuster to protect our democracy and constitutional republic. She continues to resist the pressure from people that don’t understand the principles that our Founders created to make America the greatest nation on Earth. I say this even though I am a MAGA conservative. Unfortunately, our other senator who promised in his campaign to represent all Arizonans, has become simply a Schumer yes man, and beholden to the radical left. Hopefully, Sen. Sinema will expand her support for America and reject the Build Back Better disastrous legislation.
Ken Wolfe
Marana
Let’s stop ignoring poor
Build Back Better legislation is opposed by the GOP. Not a single GOP senator has spoken in favor of its passage. What is the content that has caused such unified opposition?
The bill passed by the House of Representatives included hundreds of billions of dollars to fight climate change, provide universal pre-K, child credits, paid leave, health-care spending, affordable home care and affordable housing. These components, without exception, would improve the quality of daily life for tens of millions Americans, particularly low income families and families living below the poverty level.
Presently, the United States has one of the highest poverty rates among the developed nations of the world. For five decades, we have ignored the poor. It is time for the GOP to exhibit concern and care for its constituents.
Stuart Sellinger
Northwest side
Time to accept COVID-19 reality
The Supreme Court’s decision on workplace vaccination rules means we will have COVID-19 around indefinitely. We need to accept this reality and adapt to it. I expect just about everybody is going to get COVID. In the new normal, the fully vaccinated and healthy should be given the freedom to get on with their lives. Others will have to take responsibility for their own safety or suffer the consequences.
Meanwhile, the medical community bombards us with an inflated number of COVID cases. The fact is that many COVID cases have minor or no symptoms. If no one is sick, why call it a case? Our current tests are a major cause of this distortion. A test that indicates when it’s time to seek medical assistance is needed. Also, the federal government needs to get away from its goal of universal vaccination — instead, provide states with the resources needed to handle their COVID issues.
Walter Mann
Marana
Sales tax on guns
Thank you to Rep. Steve Kaiser for proposing SB 2166 which will eliminate sales taxes on guns and gun paraphernalia. This will give financial comfort to the families of gun suicides and toddler gun accidents. Further, Mr. Kaiser’s proposal prevents tax dollars from being wasted on first responders and courts handling shooting incidents.
Should thanks also go to the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) for the design of this bill or to the tax-cuts-fix-all-problems Republican Party?
Dee Maitland
Marana
Our democracy is fragile
Our government isn’t perfect, and is only as good as those we’re putting into office. However, it is so much better than most alternatives.
In our country we have the right to disagree, and have many freedoms whether they are good for us or not. In autocratic countries you are jailed, killed etc. for protesting and speaking against the government — yet many Republicans here are trying to push us into that by making laws that will prevent many of us from being able to vote.
The Constitution gives everyone the right to vote, so the filibuster should not even be used for that. Laws should be put in place to protect those rights immediately. The filibuster should only be used to negotiate with laws and issues. In a thriving democracy, issues are negotiated, and no one gets everything their way. Our democracy is very fragile and could be taken from us by those who are pushing their own agendas and not being honest with their followers.
Elain Geary
East side
Sen. Sinema has helped Arizona
The president is failing. The pullout of Afghanistan, the border fiasco, mismanaging the message driving petroleum pricing upward, misreading the economy driving higher inflation, etc. The list goes on.
Then attempting to make political hay by grandstanding on voting rights legislation that is problematic at best. Sometimes it’s difficult to make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear! Everyone supports voting rights or should, but most people also support proof that you are who you are and qualified to vote. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is responsible more than anyone for giving the president the most important legislative victory of his term with passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. He ought to be thanking her profusely for leading the battle for passage, which will greatly contribute to Arizona’s economy and infrastructure. High-speed internet, safer and better roads, along with rebuilding our public facilities will actually build things back better!
Dave Locey
Foothills
Ducey’s new math
Well, I realize that I am too old to understand the new math. But it seems to me that when you raise the budget by 8.6%, to $14.25 billion, and you reduce taxes by some $1.9 billion that something has to give. We use to call that robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Does Gov. Doug Ducey actually think we are that stupid? I find it insulting that he thinks we cannot put the two things together and realize that something has to give. And what that might be. Well, although I am not a nuclear scientist, I have come to the realization that it is we (the population of Arizona) who will pay the piper, so to speak. The idea that you have to reduce taxes to corporations and then raise the overall budget only plays out if someone else picks up the tab. Guess what, that’s us.
Frank Flasch
Northeast side
Sales tax on guns
Re: the Jan. 14 article “Bill would cut tax on gun sales to zero.”
In a recent edition of the Arizona Daily Star, Republican Rep. Steve Kaiser of Phoenix wrote there should be no sales taxes on guns. His reasoning — because guns are as essential as food and there is no sales tax on food. I think he is underselling his idea, he should aim higher. If guns are considered as essential as food, health insurance companies should be brought in. For instance, walkers, wheel chairs, bed pans and other medical equipment, are now covered by most insurance plans because they are essential, then guns should also be covered. The keen foresight by Kaiser to consider guns as essential might be a boon to health insurance companies. Come on, if you shell out $440 for a pistol, is an additional $25 a deal breaker? But wouldn’t better policing in areas of high crime rate be more effective than more guns on the streets?
B Jerry Lujan
SaddleBrooke
Supreme court nomination
President Joe Biden should look to his administration for a Supreme Court nominee. Kamala Harris certainly has the qualifications. Her background as a California prosecutor, public figure and a Black multiracial woman might put her in the top contention for the seat. Consider that she is well underutilized as a vice president and Biden would not get a top jurist, but have the opportunity to select a more interesting political asset for the VP job. Rep. Liz Cheney certainly has the chops to act as a foil to Biden, garner Republican votes from the Trump disenfranchised thereby building a bi-party coalition to get Congress to move on America’s needed agenda.
Everett Rockwood
West side
Proposed mines in Santa Ritas
As reported in the Arizona Republic, the proposed new Santa Rita mines, including Copper World and Rosemont, represent great environmental risk to our region. The foreign mining company, Hudbay Minerals Inc., plans to pump 1.7 billion gallons of groundwater each year. According to Tucson’s water department, Hudbay would only put about a quarter of the water it pumps back into the aquifer. Other concerns include extensive air and noise pollution, and significant negative impact on scenic highway SR 83. Job creation from these mines will be insignificant, and the copper produced from the mines will be sold on the international market.
Hudbay has invested extensively to make these mines a reality, and is currently at work building roads, drill pads and doing exploratory drilling in the area. Action is needed from local residents to keep these mines from becoming a reality. Please visit www.scenicsantaritas.org to receive informative updates on this issue.
Dave Gamrath
Green Valley
