Education crucial to national identity
Re: the April 14 article “Common national identity has disappeared.”
Leonard Pitts’ opinion piece was spot on. He highlighted the need for better education of our children in civics, history, critical thinking and media literacy.
STEM-focused myopia is killing our constitutional democracy.
Of course, we need well-educated scientists, technology specialists, engineers, and mathematicians. But, we need all of them — and everyone else in this country — to be fully educated in civics, history, critical thinking, and media literacy. And we need these aspects of education to be lauded, not disparaged as unimportant, by parents, teachers, education leaders.
Finally, we need to teach all youths in this country how to engage in civil dialogue with regards to public policy, and get them voting beginning at age 18.
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Amelia Cramer
Downtown
Inflation
Inflation is now at 8.5% per year. Rising prices are caused by two factors. Either aggregate supply contracts relative to aggregate demand or demand increases relative to supply. Presently we have both. The pandemic caused interruptions in the supply chain. Simultaneously, the administration has restricted domestic energy production causing unprecedented increases in energy prices, especially gasoline. Huge increases in demand are fueled by consumer spending the pandemic temporarily restrained. Meanwhile, the administration has imposed massive federal spending deficits on the economy. With record inflation, significantly more federal spending is proposed. Until recently the Federal Reserve has followed an expansionary monetary policy, providing more stimulus to the economy. Originally, Biden assured us the inflation was transitory and his policies would provide price stability. When time rendered that argument inoperative he laid the blame for inflation on Putin, never admitting the failure of his policies.
John Buehler
Northwest side
Missing perspective on a challenging issue
Re: the April 17 article “Historic Tucson barrio continues to transform.”
I’m disappointed to read this article.
Gentrification of Tucson’s barrios is undoubtedly a serious issue, but this is misplaced blame and misrepresentation.
Glaringly absent is mention of the massive chain hotel/bar, casting an actual shadow on Barrio Viejo. What has that done for the barrio? The lovely El Minuto has for years served alcohol, a stone’s throw from the school. Having been to Exo’s Crisol Bar, their service of mezcal is almost a “non-bar” experience. Quiet, respectful, there are no televisions blaring rowdy games, just friends visiting or attending a mezcal tasting about the culture of agave.
For those of us who’ve taken the time to see Exo as a walkable, affordable cafe with ethical sourcing, owners who care about staff and respecting barrio history, this bit will not change how we spend our local bucks.
There are plenty of “disrespectful” businesses to target — this isn’t one of them. It’s like shooting the foot that could actually help promote and preserve the authenticity of Tucson.
Emily Rockey
West side
Biden caused chaos at the border
One measure that the Trump administration did to stop the massive flow of unauthorized migrants crossing the southwest border in 2019 was to negotiate Safe Third Country Asylum Cooperation Agreements with the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. It required people to first seek asylum in the next country they entered before coming to the United States. We have a long-standing Safe Third Country Asylum Agreement with Canada and the European Union has their own such agreement. In part because of Trump’s asylum deals with Central America and Mexico, Border Patrol apprehensions of unauthorized migrants at the southwest border plummeted to 405,000 in fiscal year 2020. Then Biden, almost immediately after taking office, suspended the Asylum Cooperation Agreements with Central America. For FY 2021, there were 1.66 million BP apprehensions of unauthorized migrants at the border, many claiming asylum. The BP has already apprehended over 1 million this FY 2022 and on track for possibly more than 2 million. Biden caused this ongoing massive border chaos.
Tom Galloway
Northwest side
Tough time for teachers
Imagine for a moment that you are a teacher in Arizona. You must be very dedicated to work in a state that is proud to keep teachers pay at or near the very bottom of all 50 states. Ignore the fact that Arizona currently has a large and growing teacher shortage. You must ignore the fact that the governor and Legislature continue to ignore or evade the public will to increase teacher pay. Now comes the Senate to allow wingnuts to sue over any excuse to make the job even more unsatisfying. Imagine lawsuits that take issue with teaching that Biden won, that slavery was the cause of the Civil War, that Putin is a war criminal not a “genius,” that the 2020 election cannot be rescinded. I am confident that this same Senate that made it easier to bring such frivolous lawsuits will also prohibit the school systems from footing the legal fees to defend the teacher that may become a target of this insanity.
Robert Cozad
Oro Valley
Cost of living in Arizona
I am a recent transplant to Arizona. I have lived in a couple of other states. I am appalled at the recent actions in our state regarding undermining masking and vaccination rules during the peak of COVID-19, recent laws with the express purpose of suppressing voting turnout, overriding voter propositions, anti-LGBTQ laws and the myriad actions restricting teachers and what and how they can teach, just to name a few.
While the weather and scenery here are beautiful, this transplant is strongly reconsidering the cost of living here. I suspect I am not alone. There is a high cost to living in a state where common decency is violated daily by our elected officials.
Steve Caster
Oro Valley
County administrator
Re: the April 20 article “Supervisors approve deal for new top administrator.”
The Pima County Board of Supervisors apparently doesn’t like the smell of Chuck Huckelberry’s sweetheart deal of a contract. So what did they just do? A majority voted to slip in a successor, without a decent search or public input, who was in on the deal and knew about it from almost the start. What is the board thinking? I know what we need to do now — vote them out.
Robert Hansen
West side
Controlled encampments
Yes, I understand that homelessness is a problem (especially for the homeless, by the way) and especially for frightened neighboring property owners. I get it.
Recently I learned that city councilmember Steve Kozachik proposes “controlled encampments” as a remedy. Seriously! I wonder where he wants to place these camps. City of Tucson property, I assume.
Let’s try this to please Kozachik: I suggest Randolph Golf Course. The city owns it, there’s already a chain link fence, just add razor wire up top. It used to be that the community had an issue a few years ago with Randolph Golf Course: Maybe convert it to a huge urban park. It was a big thing for a few weeks. He didn’t like that. That means it didn’t happen. That’s all gone now.
Perhaps Stalin Steve Kozachik will be pleased by this bold proposal for controlled encampments at Randolph?
Once we do this, will Stalin Steve next be so hyped as to require the “show me your papers” kabuki?
Dan Wilson
Midtown
Sabotage of public education
Can anyone doubt anymore that the Republicans in the state Legislature are trying to sabotage public education in Arizona? Passing legislation to allow parents to sue teachers puts the nail in the coffin. Who would want to work for the low pay Republicans seem happy with, with the mandates the Legislature gives them and, oh by the way, telling them they can be sued if they are perceived to say something a parent doesn’t like? I thought we had a good public education system when my kids were growing up 40 years ago, but as many of our legislators went to public school in Arizona maybe we didn’t, as they seem to be lacking in their knowledge base and critical thinking skills.
Bruce Dockter
West side
Mines get what they want
Re: the April 20 article “Clearing begins for big mine in Santa Rita Mtns.”
Hmmm … so, the Hudbay mining company is going to build five open pit mines on the Western slope of of the Santa Rita Mountains. The profits from this operation are going to a foreign country, the copper will be sold to a foreign company and Tucson gets an eyesore, increasing amounts of air and water pollution, groundwater depletion, biodiversity destruction and an increase in the occurrence of respiratory illnesses, just to name a few. Oh wait, we also get to keep the 64 million tons of waste. Welcome to Arizona, where the mines get what the mines want.
Richard Govern
Foothills
