Fentanyl
Remember Prohibition? Remember how that worked out?
From all the things I have read over the last many years it doesn’t look like we are going to stop the opioid/fentanyl crisis.
Maybe we are going at it the wrong way. Has anybody looked into where these things are going? Do they drop 300 lbs of fentanyl on the corner for distributors to pick up like I did as a paperboy years ago, or do they send it to some address? Maybe information needs to be advised telling our population that fentanyl can kill you if nobody is around to save you. You are most likely going to die.
Maybe instead of the commercials advertising all the meds available to us they should show someone on fentanyl or opioids.
Maybe we need a new way to stop this as what we got going does not seem to be working.
People are also reading…
Jose Salgado
Northeast side
Voters deciding
Re: the Oct. 4 letter “Political advertisement.”
The writer rightfully bemoans the rise in negative election campaign advertising, pointing out that these ads make it difficult for a voter to make a decision.
Negative campaign ads rarely come from the candidates themselves. Instead, ever since the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, anonymous donors can contribute unlimited amounts to 501(c )(4) corporations established specifically to engage in political spending. Since the donors are anonymous, they can and do say anything without any risk to their reputation. These groups, the source of much of the negative and deceitful ads, operate on both sides of the political spectrum.
This fall, Arizona voters have the opportunity to limit unlimited anonymous campaign funding by voting YES on Proposition 211 — The Voters’ Right to Know. Prop. 211 requires the identification of people donating $5,000 or more to a 501(c )(4) corporation that engages in political spending in Arizona elections. This is a non-partisan issue, placed on the ballot by citizen initiative. It applies to all state-level elections. Vote YES on Proposition 211!
Merrill Eisenberg
Midtown
Citizens for Sanity
I’d like to thank Citizens for Sanity for purchasing half-page ads in the Daily Star. Advertising revenue is critical for the support of local journalism. The ads’ sarcasm is amusing, and they won’t change the minds of those who are already for or against Joe Biden. In addition, the person who just quickly glances at those ads (probably most readers) won’t notice the sarcasm and will misinterpret the ads as being in favor of Joe Biden and his policies. Win, win!
Robert Finn
West side
Masters, Biden won, yea or nay?
In the recent debate with Sen. Kelly, Blake Masters admitted that Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election. By contrast, for the Republican senatorial primary, Masters had another “set” of the truth, denying the legitimacy of Biden’s election.
It’s one or the other, “Yes” or “No,” black or white. Masters wants to have it both ways. He has perhaps realized that the zombie candidates who chant “Trump won in 2020” are doomed. Unfortunately, the truth does not change at one’s whim. Neither the Republican base nor the general voter population can trust Masters.
Richard Sipan
Green Valley
AZ’s 15-week abortion law
An AZ state appellate court overruled a Pima County judge’s decision on abortion. That decision had re-instated a total ban on abortion from early statehood. Now the new 15-week abortion law, recently passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Gov. Ducey, will take effect.
But that will not satisfy Democrat progressives, including Katie Hobbs, who want no limits on abortion including into the third trimester. I oppose abortion, but think the 15-week ban is a middle ground for those who oppose and support abortion. At 15 weeks, an ultrasound shows a developed baby. As per parenting.firstcry.com, the ultrasound can show the baby grimacing, frowning, smiling and squinting. Arms and legs can be moving, too.
Pro-abortion rights women want the right to kill this innocent developing human being, saying “my body my choice.” Nobody has the moral right to kill an innocent human being. I hope AZ’s new abortion law takes the steam out of the Democrats’ sordid one-issue campaign.
Janice DeAngelo
Tubac
Sustaining peace
Could this be the moment for outstanding leadership by President Biden? Once upon a time, Nikita Khrushchev backed nuclear missiles out of Cuba and saved the planet. Once upon another time, Richard Nixon went to China and stunned the world. How about Joe Biden remove just half of the NATO missiles aimed at Russia (U.S.-made nuclear missiles, that is!) and preserve some peace for the future? Make a little breathing room in this world for all of us.
It’s that kind of moment, Joe!
Kathy Altman
West side
Welcome to the real world
Re: the Oct. 7 letter “Reason to be pro life.”
Regarding Dr. Stewart’s letter on being pro-life, she insists women control sex with partners. She’s certain they can make a partner wear a condom. Of course all women use birth control “just in case.” Did she miss the lectures in medical school where rape, incest, partner violence and contraception failure were discussed? She is apparently unaware that politics control health care choices. Perhaps she never gave care in a pregnancy where the patient’s life was at risk or carried a nonviable fetus.
I wish for: a health system where unintended pregnancies don’t occur; where everyone has full access to health care; where each person could control all sexual encounters and sexual partners; where there were no illnesses that made pregnancy risky; that all fetuses were formed perfectly. And I wish the world were made of compassionate people who would not impose uninformed beliefs on everyone else, regardless of the situation. Until then, welcome to the real world.
Pamela Parker MD, Obstetrician-Gynecologist
South Tucson
Being a Republican
It never ceases to amaze me if you are a Republican, everyone thinks you support Donald Trump.
Caroline Jennings
East side
What about independents?
Re: the Oct. 7 letter “What about Independent voters?”
If you really want answers to the questions you asked — you need to listen to or read something other then concentrating on the MAGA distractions. There are numerous fact-based answers that will give you another side to most of your questions. If you truly believe in our Constitution and democracy, you will not endanger it by voting for election-deniers. Ask yourself how these election-deniers in Congress have helped our country. Their infiltration into the former Republican Party is more about distracting us, while they take away our freedoms, then any new policies that will help most Americans.
Elain Geary
East side
The trouble with EV
I am mystified by the electric vehicle complainers. If you had adopted EV a decade ago and got off the grid, your home would be powered by your car at night. The rest of us would be powered by water running downhill at night. Your steadfast denial of science, inflamed by the same type of firms that tried to tell us that tobacco is not a causative factor in cancer, has got us here. Here, where the Colorado is bankrupt; here, where Pakistan and Sanibel are under water; and where “extreme” weather is just as we’ve been predicting of your “business as usual” for the last 30 years. You may not have enough power during heatwaves. Your auto mechanic may have to learn to do something else — like carbon farm. And, if a hurricane rips off your roof, you will definitely not have roof-top solar power in your decomposing home.
Cynthia Duncan
Midtown
Real cause of inflation
At what point will the mass market news media begin to listen to the business news media like CNBC and WSJ that current inflation was caused by the Federal Reserve increasing the M2 money supply by 42% over 24 months, and not Russia or supply chain issues? The Fed did this in response to the massive relief handouts passed by Congress in 2020 and 2021. The explanation for this inflation can be found in any general college level economics textbook. It ain’t rocket science.
Randy Park
SaddleBrooke
CFSD Propositions
The Catalina Foothills School District community has a long history of supporting bonds to build and maintain our schools and small but vital budget overrides for instructional materials and programs. Voters’ past support for these types of measures has allowed our District to continue prioritizing a comprehensive curriculum that includes art, music, PE, robotics and computer science through years of reduced or static state funding. YES votes for Propositions 488, 489 and 490, which will appear near the bottom of the November ballot, will not increase tax rates. YES votes will renew the investment in and commitment to the students and public schools that are so important to me as an educator and long-time District resident.
Charlotte Ackerman
Foothills
How do you want AZ to be viewed?
I watched “Face the Nation” this morning (Oct. 9) to see what Kari Lake and Katie Hobbs would have to say about their views on important issues facing the voters of Arizona including the economy, immigration and abortion.
Kari Lake, like the typical Fox News personality exaggerating “babies (full term) being left to die on metal sheets” and “the drug cartels killing Arizona teenagers with fentanyl.” She dodged questions she did not want to answer and used most of her time to slam her opponent with false claims and exaggerations.
Katie Hobbs gave well thought-out responses.
After watching these two I completely understand why Katie Hobbs would decline to engage with the “teenage” like Kari … one needs to know when not to engage in a ridiculous argument.
Residents of Arizona have long had to contend with being the target of disdain from other parts of the country due to the stupid actions of some of our politicians.
Let’s not do it again!
Linda Ford
East side
Vote for Kris Mayes for AG
I urge Arizona voters to support Kris Mayes for attorney general. Kris has engaged in a lifetime of public service. An Arizona native, Kris was an aide to former Gov. Janet Napolitano. She served on the Arizona Corporation Commission as the chair. She is a professor of practice at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law where she received her law degree.
As a strong advocate for the people, Kris will focus against special interests and take consumer and senior fraud seriously. Kris will fight for women’s reproductive health rights and the right to privacy.
Kris will protect our precious water supplies. She has already researched Arizona State Land Trust water leases to the Saudis for pumping as much water as they want to grow alfalfa that is flown back to feed Saudi cows. She knows this cannot continue.
Kris Mayes has the qualifications, experience, integrity and leadership to be our next attorney general. Vote for Kris Mayes!
Carol W. West
Northeast side
Trump’s support for Putin
Our former president called Putin a “genius” after his invasion of Ukraine. He subsequently bragged about his deep and enduring bond with Putin. Had he won the 2020 election, Russia might have prevailed. I believe Mr. Trump would have further weakened NATO and taken no action to support Ukraine. Indeed, it would not surprise me if he would have given military support to Russia. Thank God Biden was elected and took actions to support Ukraine. NATO is stronger, with positive support from the United States. Finland and Sweden both saw Putin’s perfidy in the attack on Ukraine and applied to join NATO. Ukraine has shown the Russian military to be poorly trained and equipped. Like Trump, Putin demands total loyalty from his sycophants, including his generals. Woe to anyone who disagrees with him. This is Putin’s war. Some genius.
Michael Mount
Foothills
Vehicles during power outages
Re: the Oct. 8 letter “EVs during power outages.”
The letter writer from Sierra Vista makes some good points about electric vehicles and power outages. However, if you’ve ever been in a disaster zone before, you’re well aware that gasoline trucked to a gas station is great, but just try to pump it to your car without electricity. The greater lesson is that we must continue to fortify our national electrical grids and diversify and de-centralize power production in order to reduce outages in the first place. This requires forward thinking.
Mark Cochran
Green Valley
