A ‘thank you’
to good Samaritans
My husband and I, who are in our late 80s, have been self-quarantining, diligently, for over a year. We have not eaten out, not even curbside or drive-thru, no haircuts, no socializing, etc.
Now that we are a month past our second COVID vaccination, we stopped at a local eatery for dinner on Tuesday. When we went to pay our bill the waitress told us that the gentleman across from us had paid for our dinner!
What a wonderful way to break quarantine! What a wonderful, thoughtful gesture. Thank you, sir, and your wife, over and over, for such a thoughtful gesture. It made our day.
Also, when we got home we found that someone had put our garbage can away for us.
Thank you to that thoughtful person, too. What a red-letter day for us.
Carolyn McSpadden
SaddleBrooke
Northwest Fire Dept. truly essential
I want to express my sincere gratitude for the fine staff of workers at the Northwest Fire Department that services the Ironwood Hills neighborhood.
I and my neighbors have had very good experiences when using their services. They are truly compassionate and competent. I applaud these essential workers.
Deane Ford
Northwest side
Copper mining isn’t green
Andre Lauzon, vice president for Hudbay Minerals, suggests in his opinion column of March 20 that mining for copper in Arizona is the green thing to do. He points out that copper is important for green technologies.
He also notes that some copper-producing countries have “substandard regulatory environments that can result in environmental damage.”
Perhaps so, but that doesn’t make the U.S. rules for mining and reclamation adequate. They are not.
Let’s see Hudbay advocate for better regulations. Let’s see Hudbay work to repeal the Mining Act of 1874. Let’s see Hudbay push for tariffs on irresponsibly mined copper from other countries.
Only then will I believe Lauzon and Hudbay’s green credentials. Until then, Lauzon’s opinion piece is just a thinly disguised promotion for the Rosemont Mine.
Karl Flessa
Midtown
Orr misses mark in analysis
Former state Rep. Ethan Orr has some good ideas about reviving the middle class and hinted at the fact that we have changed economically over the years but did not overtly address this change that is at the root of our problem.
Back in the late ’70s there was a push to establish a new form of capitalism known as neoliberal economics. It can be traced to Ayn Rand and her acolytes, such as Alan Greenspan.
It was used in Chile by the quasi-fascist dictator Augusto Pinochet with terrible results. It favors corporate power over public benefit.
It’s all about reduced regulation and reduced taxes on corporations, while pushing austerity on the public. It attempts to privatize public institutions and social safety nets like Social Security.
It is pro-monopoly and against antitrust laws like the Clayton and Sherman Acts. As a result, monopolies and oligopolies have become rampant, destroying competition.
Our 40-plus year experiment, brought to us by the neoliberal order, is in direct conflict with the capitalism in the 1950s.
Steve Rasmussen
Foothills
Anti-maskers adopt
‘my body, my choice’
I wear a mask to protect myself and others, yet many think this infringes on their rights. I am vaccinated to protect myself and others, yet many are opposed and outraged because it is their body and therefore, their choice.
Statistically, the majority of these people are Republicans. Does that mean the GOP is now pro-choice? Hmm ... just wondering.
Susan Rayner
SaddleBrooke
Zoo expansion
benefits conservation
Reid Park Zoo is a gathering place for many folks who want to learn more about how they can save the planet with conservation measures involving animals and people who inhabit the same space.
I believe in the mission of RPZ and have chosen to use it as an education medium for conveying the message that “no action is too small” in saving our world from insidious destruction.
Expansion is integral to keeping us connected to spaces we co-inhabit. Using less than 4% of existing park space for RPZ expansion is a win-win endeavor for the zoo and the general public.
It ensures that everyone benefits from conservation measures while also providing a solution to improve land use, water and vegetation in surrounding areas.
Marsha Schlanger
Midtown
DC statehood
a no-brainer
I was relieved to learn in the March 23 article, “DC’s long-simmering statehood push begins in Congress,” that our federal elected officials are finally beginning to take seriously the shameful fact that more than 700,000 Americans who live in our nation’s capital are still experiencing taxation without representation.
It’s difficult to see how anyone in Congress could find it acceptable that so many taxpaying Americans have no voice there, let alone a jurisdiction that pays more in taxes than 22 states.
Several Black members of Congress and witnesses at the hearing described in the article put Washington, D.C., statehood in the context of the struggle for racial justice, civil rights and voting rights, noting that most D.C. residents are people of color.
I certainly hope our senators, Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly, will support Washington D.C. statehood to end voter suppression in the heart of our democracy.
Callie Conrad
Green Valley
