School vouchers
I hate city parks. So I join a country club so my kids don’t have to play with “those” kids. And I will get the city parks to pay for it. School voucher system in a nutshell.
Terry Louck
East side
Mifepristone ban
Forty years ago, I miscarried a pregnancy my husband and I hoped would result in our first child. Three days in the hospital included a dilation and curettage, the same surgical procedure used to terminate a pregnancy. Medicated, prodded and internally examined before undergoing the procedure (fully anesthetized) my experience was both physically and emotionally painful.
Fast forward: two young women in our family and three friends recently suffered early pregnancy losses. While the emotional toll was still part of their shared experience, the medical aspect was far less painful. Why? Because each was prescribed a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol to ensure their miscarriage would finish out smoothly, and at home. These two drugs, with a two-decade successful track record, are what put this in such stark contrast to what I went through.
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Am I pro-choice? Yes. But I also believe that having appropriate medication choices in consultation with one’s doctor should be the right of every individual, regardless of their gender or medical condition.
Jennifer Prileson
Foothills
Water use and needs in the US
Prior-use claims, i.e. “first come-first served,” to establish water rights in this country were shaped by old English and Spanish laws/customs when speaking of the Western U.S. Without looking at Second Amendment creation when muskets were in fashion or the exhortation to go forth and reproduce our species into a world enormously rich in resources (unlike our current 8 billion bulge) one can argue that our laws logically should match our current conditions/reality. Interesting that an “intelligent species” can breed itself into over-use of earth’s finite resources.
Locally, our lifestyle and numbers have nearly tapped out the Colorado River’s water and electric generation. Our needs for pistachios and pecans as well as growing commodities such as cotton in arid lands are scant compared to vegetables grown in Yuma County. Our over-use of beef in lieu of pork/chicken/fish requires vast amounts of scarce water.
Michael Judd
East side
Gun regulations
There have been 30 mass shootings in the first 15 days of April. I really don’t think thoughts and prayers are working. When will our congressional representatives get some backbone and pass some real gun regulations? Why are they afraid to stand up to the NRA? Those that won’t have blood on their hands and they know who they are. Even my local state representatives, “The Freedom Caucus,” want to block real gun legislation. They act like guns are a vaccine that could save lives instead of instruments of death. Oh wait, they are also against vaccines that can save lives. They should change their titles to “The Unfreedom Caucus.”
Neil Norton
Oro Valley
More open streets for people
Congratulations to Living Streets Alliance and all the community partners on the successful Cyclovia Tucson event last Sunday. Tens of thousands of people enjoyed car-free streets, all while cleaning our air and connecting with people and destinations along the 3.5-mile-long route.
In Los Angeles, the regional transit authority known as Metro funds these kinds of open streets events to the tune of over $7 million through a grant process to ensure that millions of people throughout the Los Angeles metro area can enjoy the benefits of open streets events. Could you imagine Cyclovia Sahuarita, Cyclovia Marana and Cyclovia Oro Valley, in addition to more frequent events and routes throughout Tucson? Sadly, given the current administration at the RTA and Pima Association of Governments, who are sitting on over $2 million of Carbon Reduction Program funds with no vision for how it should be spent, this will never happen. Our region deserves better.
Kylie Walzak
West side
Boxing with Mickey Mouse
In politics, like boxing, a lot of sparring occurs. Often you might say “Good shot” to an opponent who tags you, albeit lightly. Gov. DeSantis stepped into the ring with Mickey Mouse, apparently over a pose Mr. Mouse struck in the media (vaccinating his employees).
DeSantis threw a soft right jab, which Mickey batted away. Learning little, Desantis threw a harder one (wokeness), again swatted away. Oblivious, the Gov. threw a straight right (new governing board), which Mick countered with a stunning jab of his own (unbreakable deal). The Gov. decides to try his famous haymaker, going for the kill with an overhand-right lead (“Nice place you got here; too bad if somebody built a prison next door”)! Now Mickey’s eyes light up (and he’s got some really big eyes) because his opponent has made a major error, awkwardly missing and exposing his entire rib cage. Maybe the referee will step in and say, “Mr. DeSantis, are you sure you want to go on with this fight?”
Wes Ward
Oro Valley
Gay and transgender issues
First, being gay or transgender is not a choice. Being heterosexual is not a choice, but most people accept this sexual orientation. These issues get complicated. I am a retired psychologist and I learned something about this early in my career. I went to an ICU to evaluate a young woman who had attempted suicide. I asked her “Why?” She said that her girlfriend had left her. I said, “Oh, you are gay.” She replied, “No. I was just in love with this particular person.” So, some people in same-sex relationships do not identify as gay and guess what? Some people in heterosexual relationships may be gay. We need to understand that relationships are not easily defined. Under the best of circumstances, relationships can be challenging. It would be nice if we gave people as much support as possible for whatever they are dealing with.
Chris Pinhey
Foothills
Gun control
The Second Amendment protects our right to bear arms. Only a miniscule number of people are driven to become a mass shooter. When you add in the absence of morals and respect, it’s clear, the real problem has a human face. Restricting guns because you think criminals have too many, is like having yourself castrated because you think your neighbors have too many kids.
Linda Schaub
Southeast side
