Confused on school vouchers
The controversy over school vouchers has me really confused. The main argument against vouchers is that there would be no accountability for the private schools to properly educate our children. Arizona is ranked third-worst in the nation in public education system. The existing system seems to need some help. Maybe it’s vouchers. Then, with vouchers, kids can get into decent schools.
James Galvin
Sahuarita
Socialism and Communism
Re: the July 12 letter “Democrats and socialism.”
Socialism and communism are not the same thing. They are diametrically opposed. North Korea, China and Cuba are communist countries. Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and Portugal practice socialism. Socialism is more democratic than what we have here in USA, which is a republic. In Norway and Sweden and Switzerland, they do not use voter suppression to win an election. They do not have courts that take away a person’s rights or try to overturn a fair election.
It was Republicans that tried to overturn an election by rioting at our nation’s Capitol and by trying to use electors. My response to this letter writer is to take a basic course in Gov’t 101.
John Cleary
Northwest side
Say no to medical negotiation
It’s been over 27 months since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed. For so many, it’s been two years of worry, sickness, stress and isolation. Unfortunately, for me, that’s not an option.
During the pandemic, my brother caught the virus. He fought hard, but he eventually passed away from complications of the disease. His absence is a daily reminder of this horrible pandemic and the toll it took on this nation.
I was incredibly relieved when vaccines and antiviral and antibody treatments finally became available. While I wish that they had arrived in time to save my brother, I know that they have kept millions safe and healthy and paved the path to our return to normalcy.
I think measures like Medicare negotiation could make future research more difficult and could ultimately prevent scientists from finding the treatments we need to fend off future variants and viruses. I hope that our leaders in Congress recognize the importance of preserving innovation and say “no” to Medicare negotiation.
Diego Herrera
South Tucson
Decide with reason
As an election looms, we have some serious decisions to make. We are too often presented with points of view that invite us to believe that things are either black or white and we are asked to decide which one we will adopt. Unfortunately, life is not that simple. If we are honest with ourselves, we can admit that we are living in a real gray area, where we must struggle with the unforeseen consequences that are revealed. Welcome to the gray world of ethics! Ethics reveals that even if we move toward a decision after some serious evaluation, we still cannot be certain that it is the right choice. We must live with the choices we make and accept the subsequent consequences that result.
Epistemology may be a daunting word, but it simply involves the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion. In short, as we navigate through the “minefield” of life, it behooves us to do our research before we act upon what we chose to support.
Thomas Lindell
Foothills
Some positive news
I’m a docent at the Tucson Museum of Art, and last week I had the privilege of touring a group of 11-13-year-olds. The museum has a very wonderful summer art camp and these kids are campers. And, so, we came to an image of a polar bear and Santa floating on a melting sheet of ice. My question to this group was something like, what does this image represent? To a kid they said climate change, and, most added man-made. Let’s not give up on the future; I’m not.
Binky Luckhurst Woodward
Foothills
Representation matters
Why do I choose to help Mayor Winfield win?
Integrity: He has it. He’s not a politician. He is a natural leader.
Representation: As a campaign leader, I’ve helped a diverse group of people in the past get elected by holding Meet and Greet events together — women and men from different political persuasions, religious, racial and ethnic backgrounds, who despite their differences, collaborated to effect change and elevate public discourse.
Uniter: Leaders who are uniters care about all community members and don’t use differences described above to create chasms in communities they serve; they listen and lift everyone as Mayor Winfield does.
Qualified: Mayor Winfield and his slate are overqualified to serve in intellectual attainments, tackling town issues, and in their ability to collaborate with constituents and subject experts in a thoughtful smart way. Collectively, they represent Oro Valley’s diverse community. They’ve helped make Oro Valley one of Arizona’s safest towns — a stellar place to live, work and play!
Susan Udall, campaign manager
Northwest side
Political shenanigans
One must be careful when handed a political flyer and do your research to make sure what’s written is actually true. A flyer was put on cars in the parking lot of the Oro Valley Community Center this week claiming Mayor Winfield and his majority council had taken the money designated for the Community Center and spent it on their “pet projects.” It goes on to exhort the reader to vote for Danny Sharp, Joe Erect, Charlie Hurt and Bill Rodman. One problem. It’s all a lie. I alerted Mayor Winfield of this deceitful flyer, and his campaign will respond. In the meantime, remember: Just because it’s written down doesn’t make it true. (It also makes me much less likely to vote for the candidates the flyers lists.)
Karen Micallef
Oro Valley
The image of a bully
By now everybody should know our PINO Trump is the perfect image of a bully.
The man is two paddles short in a two-paddle boat.
Pulling tablecloths off of tables, throwing food and dishes on walls and yelling, this is how a grown man acts?
We all know that if you do not say he is the greatest person alive and kiss his backside, you get on his bad list, and lord help you. He belittles you, calls you names and claims he does not know you.
This is the person the Republicans are hoping to run for office.
Lord help us.
Patrick Allen
West side
Dem socialist overload
Why is it that Democrat socialists choose to ignore the absolute horror that Joe Biden is inflicting on we, the American people. They, too, are living in Joe’s Hell Hole. But, I’m sure Democrats enjoy this needless pain and economic suffering. You go, Joe! Screw Up America More!
Jay Elliott
Northwest side
Pro-lifers renamed
Citizens professing support for pro-life and anti-abortionists should relabel themselves Forced Birthers, which I think is a much more accurate label.
Toni Kane
Oro Valley
Glass houses and rocks
Re: the July 18 “Ciscomani needs remedial civics lessons.”
This letter recommended that candidate Juan Ciscomani take a remedial course in high school civics to learn how the Speaker of the House is elected. This, after the author revealed his own ignorance of the selection process. Commensurate with the power of that office and its high standing in the order of presidential succession, the Speaker of the House is chosen by a vote of the entire House membership, regardless of party affiliation. In the 2020 vote, Nancy Pelosi received 216 votes to Kevin McCarthy’s 209, with one vote each going to Tammy Duckworth and Hakeem Jeffries. Now, no majority party is going to schedule a vote without having complete assurance that the number of dissident members of its caucus is insufficient to allow a unified minority party to garner more votes, but the theoretical possibility exists.
Stanley Kissinger
East side
Upcoming elections, lies
As we all know we have elections coming up, and I wanted to make some comments. For me personally, I am not swayed to vote for some candidate because they claim to be allied with Trump. The “Gentleman” has disgraced himself in so many ways and even tried to overthrow the government of this country. Further, I refuse to vote for somebody who has to show their love and support for guns in their political ads after all the frequent and mass shootings taking place recently. No vote for somebody who tells me that she will personally complete the border wall when it is a federal project, not a state-funded project. “I will personally fire Nancy Pelosi” — my answer, read the Constitution. “I will personally sue Joe Biden every time gasoline prices are raised” — my response is why not tell me that you will personally increase teachers’ salaries and do something about our water (or lack of) problem. Stop the hyperbole and speak the truth!
Thomas Schell
North side
Universal vouchers
I support funding public schools so that all students have opportunities to be productive citizens. An educated workforce benefits the entire community. As the late Sen. Paul Wellstone said, “We all do better when we all do better.”
Nearly 1.7 million Arizonans (across parties) voted for Prop 208 to support public education. Yet HB2853, a universal school voucher expansion, was recently enacted. This school voucher allows families in Arizona to take taxpayer funds and enroll in private schools with no public accountability. They can reject any student for any reason placing additional burdens on our public schools with inadequate funding.
Years ago, former President Bush touted his vision of a highly educated workforce to meet the needs of a more complex economy. If we don’t educate Arizona’s children, who is going to fill these jobs? What do you think will happen to Arizona’s economy?
Fight back against this misuse of funds and vote for candidates who support public education.
Sandy Caster
Oro Valley
Sanctimonious Supreme Court
As proven in the latest flurry of ill-advised, country-wrenching decisions, the Supreme Court has solidified their status as a bunch of sanctimonious, self-righteous political hacks. They imperiously declare that they can’t be swayed by public sentiment because they can only be guided by their interpretation of the Constitution.
As they ought to know, most of our body of law is not stated per se in the Constitution. Rather, it was developed over many years by courts considering a question in light of the Constitution, and then rendering a practical, useful decision. And that is where the abortion question was until they went back to the Constitution, found no reference, and decided there were no such rights. But a body of law had been developed over many years. Their decision not only ignored that but proceeded to withdraw a right that had been extant for 50 years. A true, significant step backward and an ominous pattern for the future.
Jack Evert
Oro Valley
Immigration
Watching election ads, some politicians have used immigration to focus on walls and heavily armed border agents with assault weapons. The subtext is that we need to keep immigrants out, and if they should make it in, use force to remove them.
Ads are not good at nuance. We do need a solution at the border. We need to recognize that our economy and our country benefits greatly from immigrants. They work in the building trades, agriculture, landscaping, food service and hospitality to name just a few industries. American business needs and wants these immigrants, and they have generally been good neighbors and added greatly to our neighborhoods and culture.
We need comprehensive immigration reform at our southern border that allows people to enter our country to work and live — it’s great they want to live here — and allows us to screen out the less desirable people. That probably doesn’t make a great ad. It doesn’t demonize anyone.
Stephen Caster
Oro Valley
Guns and laws
Dear Politician,
Your child was just murdered. Mutilated by a high-powered automatic weapon.
But you can’t do anything to stop these murders.
Is power, politics and money from the gun lobby (manufacturers and the NRA) more important than your child?
Does the Second Amendment allow any weapon, being produced now, or in the future, to be used?
Your child or grandchild dead? Think about it!
Peter Strauss
Marana
