The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
As election season ends and the holiday season begins, it’s time for the Star’s Opinion pages to slow down for a bit.
The writing is on the wall that now is the time to do it.
In the leadup to the election, we received so many letters to the editor we ran three-page Opinion sections for several days in a row. That deluge has slowed to a trickle. The steady stream of guest opinions written by Star readers also has started to dissipate in the wake of the election. National columnists still churn out opinions on various issues, but like most people they will start taking their holiday vacations soon.
Perhaps most importantly, the staff of the Opinion pages has been going a thousand miles an hour for what seems like forever. We need to take some time off, do all the editorial housekeeping we didn’t get to over the past few months, and regroup for 2023.
Here’s our plan: From now until Jan. 7, we are going to run a one-page Opinion section on weekdays and Saturdays. We will run our regular two-page section on Sundays. When Jan. 8 rolls around, we’ll return to our two-page section seven days a week.
During that time, we’ll run as many letters to the editor and local guest opinions as we can. We welcome your thoughts on anything from Tucson traffic to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. You can submit letters and guest opinions at tucson.com/opinion.
Given that other newspapers have cut their Opinion sections recently, I want to emphasize that the plan for the holiday season is temporary. It is not a sign in any way that the Star plans to eliminate the Opinion pages. We are going strong.
We’ll stay flexible during the holiday season. If 2022 has taught us anything, it’s that the next major news event is just around the corner. When it arrives, you can bet Star readers will have something to say about it. If we see another major event between now and Jan. 8, we’ll go back to two pages each day.
Just taking a glance at the past year, we’ve seen a wild Arizona legislative session, an ongoing pandemic, record inflation, the January 6 committee hearings, the U.S. Supreme Court overruling Roe v. Wade, major federal legislation, and the midterm elections.
After a year like this one, I’m really hoping space aliens hold off on making first contact with humans until after the New Year.
Giving thanks
Since I’m talking about the elections and the holidays, I’d like to take a moment to start giving thanks.
Thank you to everyone who voted. More than 2.5 million ballots were cast in the midterm election, according to statistics from the Arizona Secretary of State. That’s 2.5 million Arizonans who recognized their civic duty and took the time to fill out a ballot.
The election results showed Arizonans were thoughtful when they filled out their ballots. As my colleague Tim Steller pointed out in his Nov. 13 column: “Republicans are winning some, Democrats are winning some. The results seem to show the voters taking care about which side they voted for in which race, considering the individual candidates, the wording of the initiatives, reflecting local flavor.”
Thank you to the candidates. Democracy doesn’t work without people willing to run for office. (This does not apply to candidates who ran on bad faith claims that the 2020 election was stolen and now cast doubt on the midterm election results. You wasted everybody’s time.)
In the months leading up to the election, I spoke with several dozen candidates for the Legislature, Congress, and local school boards. I came away with the impression that Southern Arizona has an abundance of intelligent, public-minded people ready to step up and lead.
Finally, thank you to all the Star readers who wrote letters to the editor and guest opinions during the election season. Judging by how many times candidates quickly responded to what they read in the Opinion pages, I’d say Star readers did a great job contributing to the political conversation in Southern Arizona. It was a privilege to watch so many dedicated citizens make their voices heard.
Follow these steps to easily submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion to the Arizona Daily Star.
