Letters to the editor - Thursday Oct. 26

I was sorry to hear that Sen. Jeff Flake will not stand for re-election in 2018. To me, this means another moderating force will be lost to the din of hyper-politics we now know is the staple diet in the Senate. I wish he had made a different decision because Sen. Flake has always been willing to listen intently to other voices and voted his conscience. He is a man above scandal who has represented his state and his faith extremely well. The Republican Party in Arizona will have choices to make. Let’s hope they pick a statesman or woman over more shrillness. Time will tell.

Jim Ward

Sierra Vista

Sen. Jeff Flake announced that he will not seek re-election. Flake made his announcement on the Senate floor and levied mean-spirited and nasty parting shots at President Trump. Flake and his cohort, Sen. John McCain, have been constant critics of Trump since the election. Flake is part of the inside the beltway establishment Republican Party, something that Trump is not, thus despised by them.

After 10 months in session, the Senate has yet to pass any of its big agenda items. It is the Republican Senate that is dysfunctional and incompetent, and Flake is part of that. He realized that he would likely lose to Kelli Ward in the upcoming primary election and that is why he is not seeking re-election! The same reason Sen. Corker is not seeking re-election in Tennessee, as “he could not get elected dog catcher” there right now.

David Burford

Northwest side

I worked diligently on Sen. Jeff Flake’s 2012 Senate campaign and spent many mornings waving signs for him on street corners. He is clearly a decent man, but one must be careful in taking a holier than thou attitude toward President Trump or anyone who supports him. Where was Flake with equally vociferous condemnation of the ongoing corruption of the Clintons? Where were his screeds against Barrack Obama’s executive overreach and gross politicization of the Justice Department? Just asking.

Robert Matte Jr.

Northeast side

I have never voted Republican in my 80-plus years. I have just read Sen. Jeff Flake’s speech to the Senate, published in the Star, and its seems unusually, for these times, statesmanlike. I imagine I would vote for him if he should run for president. Very refreshing to have an honest and intelligent public figure.

Harvey Wolfe

Foothills

Re: the Oct. 21 article “Tucson resort cancels plans to host anti-immigration group’s event.”

The white nationalist hate group VDare “decries the demise of white America.” Read some history — America has always been the home of people of color. Remember the Native Americans who were here long before you? You probably wouldn’t be here either if your ancestors hadn’t immigrated some time since 1492. Don’t hide behind the “president’s immigration agenda” just because it is the same as yours. It is still wrong.

How would you accomplish making America white? Would you round up all non-whites, put them on ships to somewhere or just bring back concentration camps and annihilate them? What exactly do you want?

Jacque Ramsey

Oro Valley

Re: the Oct. 23 letter to the editor “Lawmaker was wrong to politicize phone call.”

To the letter writer I say this as a fellow vet. During the Vietnam War I had the privilege of being chosen as part of an honor guard whose duty it was to attend the funeral of veterans, carry the coffins, fold the flag and present it to the family. I know firsthand the pain of the families and how important it is to treat them with care.

I am not disturbed by a congresswoman who was in a car with the widow on the way to pick up her husband’s body and who heard the president’s call. Nor am I concerned about that congresswoman speaking out about the callous remarks made to the widow by our president. I am much more concerned by a man who tries to wrap himself in patriotism and disparages how prior presidents handled these important tasks, especially when that man avoided the draft and military service by claiming he had a bone spur in his heel.

Howard Strause

Foothills

Re: the Oct. 24 letter to the editor “What’s ‘convenient’ about extra fees?”

Convenience fees are the way of the future for online government services. This is not because the government agencies want to increase the cost to the public, but the cost of doing business using services provided by private, third-party contractors. For some, the fees are not optional, but the cost of doing business.

The Arizona Supreme Court now requires attorneys filing most civil lawsuits in this county to use electronic filing. The company that provides the service, by contract, receives a user fee for many of the documents filed online — anywhere from $1 to $6 for subsequent filings and up to 10 percent of the filing fee for new cases. If a party needs to request the court to defer their filing fee due to economic necessity, that person is (by law) assessed a $28 fee for filing their Motion for Waiver of Court Costs. You’re reading it right, the poor man pays an additional $28 for his voice to be heard.

Alan Walker

Oro Valley