Regent DuVal’s letter
an affront to students
Re: the July 7 opinion “Why I support UA President Robbins’ campus plan.”
As an academic advisor/staff member at the University of Arizona, as well as a Ph.D. student in the higher education program, I am appalled by Fred DuVal’s defense of the current UA financial plan put forth by Dr. Robert Robbins’ administration. I have been following the situation on the local and national level, and suffice to say, I find our plan an embarrassment. I accepted the job at UA to help students, and I know UA faculty and staff care as much as I do.
The pushback against the plan revolves around this concern — students will be impacted by these cuts. Layoffs, nonrenewals and furloughs are inequitably impacting those at the bottom of the payroll scales. The Coalition for Academic Justice at the University of Arizona and others’ argument to delay stems from the desire to care for the community and shed light onto an unjust, poorly misconstrued vision of “shared sacrifice.”
Those at the bottom — the ones working directly with students — are sacrificing the most. We must find another solution.
Laura Novotny
West side
Thin Blue Line would send wrong message
The Thin Blue Line gained national notoriety during the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017, when it was identified with white supremacists.
Even those who do not believe it sends an overt racist, anti-Semitic message do believe that the “thin blue line” symbolism communicates an oppositional mind-set that heightens tensions between the police and citizens of color, and aggravates police-community distrust.
The painting of a Thin Blue Line on a Tucson city street would undermine the commitment of the mayor and City Council to demonstrate Tucson’s values — diversity, justice and the responsibility of police to support these values. In these fraught times, any other message is unacceptable.
Penelope Jacks
Midtown
American people are being duped — again
No one should be surprised at America’s spiraling coronavirus cases and the continuing self-hypnosis that permits this growing tragedy. Once again experts and science are thrown aside in service to the political needs of the empty vessel, our current advertising executive of America.
Despite the passing of many decades, Americans have not learned the basic lessons of demanding and creating a fair and sustainable society. Instead, once again, as in the old lies of “trickle down economics,” “we see light at the end of the tunnel” and “weapons of mass destruction,” we are prey to the current empty vessel’s lies, threats, blackmailing and failures.
Any hope for change is lost when our past shows such eager willingness to capitulate to the soft mumble and twaddle of fools with a purpose.
Eric Phelps
Green Valley
Arizona pays too little in jobless benefits
Arizona’s unemployment system must be fixed. Despite my continuous search to re-enter my field after being laid off in February, I am still relying on unemployment.
Thousands of Arizonans receive between $117 and $240 a week in unemployment benefits. Arizona has the second-lowest unemployment benefit. How is that possible when Phoenix is the fifth-largest city in the country?
The additional $600 a week through the CARES Act has been a godsend for many families, including mine. But not for long. It is set to expire on July 25th.
COVID unemployment assistance needs to be extended through the end of the year. Please contact your district’s federal lawmakers and urge them to extend it.
Urge state lawmakers to increase the state weekly rate so it is in line with our cost of living as well as increase the number of weeks unemployment is available while we are in this pandemic and job openings are limited.
Susan Stein Kregar
West side
Trump, not Biden, is losing it
Re: the July 8 letter “Immigrants wouldn’t come if US was racist.”
It amazes me, the excuses people use to justify Donald Trump. The letter writer doesn’t think we are a racist country because people want to come here. Or another writer who thinks America is a great country because Trump said so in South Dakota.
What those writers missed was the fact that Trump was belittling former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump’s issues are fake, and you guy’s fall for them every time.
Biden is a just and moral man. Trump is a white surpremacist, as friends in Florida can attest to, shouting “white power” from their golf carts.
Everyone knew Trump was a liar and cheat before he was elected. Yet people like you put him in office anyway.
This is a horrible dishonest man. He has no right being in the “people’s house.”
None of you are part of any solution. You continue to be part of the problem.
Mary Bradley
Midtown
US, China should
work together on virus
Re: the July 9 letter “What’s happening in China?”
I have the same concerns as Mr. Josephson. What is the truth regarding COVID-19 statistics in China? If their infections are as low as they claim, what are the Chinese doing right that we are not doing in our country?
Perhaps we could learn much by involving Chinese experts in a purely scientific international forum held on neutral ground to avoid politicalization of the issues.
Sharing ideas to find solutions to this vexing pandemic can truly break down the walls of hostility between China and the United States. After all, we are all in this mess together.
It would be well worth our time, effort and money to support such an international forum involving China, and also any other country with appropriate expertise in pandemics. Let’s get on with it!
Ron Stirling
East side
Without police,
we would have anarchy
Two opinion writers have recently hit the nail right on the head regarding recent events in this country. A mature Latino gentleman said that in his experience, as a whole, blacks, Latinos and others are just as racist as whites. And like him, I have known wonderful individuals of all races that I have come in contact with. Humans are imperfect and there will always some bad apples among us.
The second opinion was from a gentleman saying that civil people do not have to sit back and watch looters and rioters, under the guise of being protesters, loot and burn our great country.
I hope that most people understand that without our police we will have anarchy, and without freedom and freedom of speech, which the radical left is trying right now to eliminate, we will be no better than communist countries.
I consider myself an independent voter, but I will be voting straight Republican this fall .
Edward Leininger
Northwest side
For Ducey, it’s
too little, too late
As a physician, I am appalled by the decisions of Gov. Doug Ducey and Dr. Cara Christ during the onslaught of COVID-19 in our state. Ignoring the science and pandering to the current administration has resulted in untold pain and suffering.
You can issue a statewide curfew for an unproven threat from protests but you can’t issue a statewide mandate for mask use in the face of a real deadly threat?
Opened too early. Won’t close down again. And allowed large political gatherings without mask use. Shame on you!
John Brookhart MD
Northwest side
Maskless population is confused
I have witnessed several disconcerting incidents with respect to mask wearing. First, a woman was standing in line too close to another shopper waiting to enter a store. When the shopper asked her to move back, the maskless person said, “Why? You can’t get the virus outdoors.”
Then, when dining in a local restaurant, two things happened. First, customers who entered without masks were not challenged, even though there was a sign on the door. Second, on our way out, we told two maskless women who were entering — just inches from us — that masks were required. They responded, “No, you don’t need to wear a mask indoors.”
Others are acting childlike and removing their masks when they think no one is watching. And lastly, wearing a mask around your neck or off your nose is not adequate. The mask message is being ignored or not understood.
Andrea Edmundson
West side
ICE policy on foreign students is ill-conceived
International Friends of Tucson (ifriendstucson.org) provides opportunities for international students attending the University of Arizona and for local individuals and families to develop close friendships, share interests, life experiences and cultures. Relationships are often formed that last a lifetime.
The recent ICE policy requiring international university students to attend in-person classes when none may exist on many campuses is capricious and ill-conceived.
International Friends is strongly opposed to this policy! Please join us in support of our international students by letting your senators and representatives know your opposition to this heinous requirement.
Randy Spalding and Pat Gilman, co-chairs, International Friends of Tucson
Downtown
Supreme Court ruling is an attack on women
Medical decisions should be made between patients and their doctors. Employers should have nothing to do with it. Yet, last Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling has allowed employers to push their religious agenda in the workplace by denying employees coverage for birth control. Now, more than 75,000 people are at risk of losing access to birth control.
This abhorrent ruling gives employers far too much control over the health decisions of their employees. It is a blatant attack on American women and their bodies. It is a blow to our hard-earned progress to advance reproductive rights and access to birth control.
This decision can’t be allowed to stand. The courts hang in the balance of the November election, so it’s crucial to get rid of right-wing demagogues, from Donald Trump to Martha McSally.
We need Arizonans to head to the polls to elect officials who will stand up for the health, empowerment and rights of everyone, everywhere.
Leigh Moyer, organizer with the #Fight4HER.
Downtown
Susan Rice would be
an excellent VP for Biden
Susan Rice is my pick for vice president for a President Joe Biden. She has all the expertise needed to be one heartbeat from being president.
James McLin
East side
