Our kids, our neighborhoods
Some friends of mine — an interracial couple — went for a neighborhood walk while visiting their relatives in the Foothills near Sabino Canyon the other day. A group of high school students yelled at them, using racial slurs that cannot be printed here, even taking selfies of themselves while doing so!
We shouldn’t be surprised, I guess, that they’re feeling so brazen. Know this: “The kids are NOT ok.”
This is not an issue just for certain neighborhoods or certain parts of the country. “Good neighborhoods” are not immune. Parents and teachers — and I include myself, as I’ve taught high school for about two decades — would do well to know that “our kids” are being de-sensitized and emboldened in alarming ways; this is no time to be complacent or to pat ourselves on the back about how tolerant and enlightened we think we are.
People are also reading…
Hate is still being learned, taught and passed on. We all need to ask ourselves: What are we modeling, teaching and passing on?
Joseph Cyr
Northeast side
Secretary Yellen’s ideas
Recently, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expressed the opinion that we need higher taxes, stronger unions and more global competition. I think she needs to be reminded of a few things. The lowest unemployment rate in 50 years along with the lowest Black unemployment rate on record was achieved about 18 months ago, before COVID hit.
Those milestones were achieved after a tax REDUCTION and at a time when union strength (membership) was very low … it had been dropping for over 40 years. The tax REDUCTION also inspired numerous major corporations to give onetime bonuses and/or permanent wage increases to millions of workers.
And as far as global competition goes, the secretary should be reminded that it is almost universally agreed that a major contributor to the loss of major manufacturing jobs and the creation of the “rust belt” was the previous strength of labor unions, which made us unable to compete with lower cost countries
Matthew Scully
Sahuarita
Killing democracy
As we see dictators and would-be dictators (namely, Donald Trump) become more and more blatant in their efforts to subvert democracy around the world, democracy lovers will need to become very vigilant and determined.
We see in Belarus, Samoa and Myanmar democracies being killed.
Now we have attempts by Republicans in many of our states taking power to kill our democracy and our Constitution. The efforts by the Republican legislators in Maricopa County to subvert the county’s certified election are so obvious and blatant as to be laughable.
A question now worth considering is: When can democracy lovers begin to have democracy killers declared treasonous and seditious? It should not be done hastily. But, if the question is not even considered, soon our democracy will be gone.
What a stark irony it is that “Democrats” seem to be the major defenders of “democracy” in America.
Peter Jackson
Green Valley
Save Oak Flat
Arizonans should be concerned with pristine Native American sacred land (Oak Flat) located in the Tonto National Forest near Superior, Arizona. I moved to Arizona from Colorado and became concerned that mining was allowed in sacred tribal lands. It’s a disgrace to people who preserved and conserved the lands. Colorado learned its lessons too late. Mined hills and mountains never recovered from poisoned landscape and water left behind. Habitats for animals and birds suffered irreparable damage.
Rio Tinto, mining company for the Resolution Copper Project, has a horrible track record. Research from the Sierra Club reveals this company destroyed Aboriginal lands in Australia. Do we really want them to drill 7,000 feet below surface to extract 1 cubic mile of copper ore? They will leave a chasm, not replenishing the soil. Please write Congress to support H.R 1884 and S. 915 to repeal Section 3003 of the National Defense Authorization Act. This will protect Oak Flat permanently from mining. Otherwise, it will be OUTA Site, OUTA mine.
Paula Palotay
Marana
The cry of the needle
One reason for vaccine reluctance is the fear many people have of needles. I am one of those people. I cringe at the idea of a needle being stabbed into my arm. I overcame that fear to get my shots early on. Phew! And I can assure you that they did not hurt at all.
But had I waited and been subjected to the constant local and national nightly news programs showing, at the mere mention of COVID, needle after needle being jabbed into arm after arm, I’m not sure I would have had the courage to go through with it. Why are they doing this? It is important that we all get our vaccinations.
So why do they keep scaring people out of getting them? Why not show people suffering from the disease instead? That fear might overcome the fear of the needle. Come on, news people, THIS IS IMPORTANT. Support shots, don’t undermine them.
Barbara Schneidau
Foothills
