Support public education via Prop. 208
Vote yes for Proposition 208! Here is the bottom line, the most important challenge facing the world, besides climate change, is the growing inequality of income and wealth. Your support of and “yes” vote for Prop. 208 is the beginning of lessening income and wealth inequality in Arizona.
The Arizona wealthy are scared and have marshaled the institutions that support their control of wealth to create spurious arguments and unsubstantiated economic attacks on Prop. 208. The wealthy are more concerned about the continued growth of their income than in income equity for the other 99% of the population. The wealthy do not care if the education of most Arizona students continues to suffer.
They can afford to send their children to private schools. The time has come to begin the fight for economic justice!
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Michael A. Zaccaria
Foothills
Hansen does it again
Re: the Oct. 2 column “Memories of Wichita State crash still resonate half a century later.”
I was moved by Greg Hansen’s recounting of the tragic events involving the Wichita State Football team 50 years ago. What a great testimony to humanity and what is truly important in life. I occasionally disagree with him, but Southern Arizona is fortunate to have such an articulate and unbiased sportswriter.
Harold Holzman
East side
Let the moderator mute the microphones
Did you also wonder, while watching the vice presidential debate, just as in the presidential debate, why the moderator doesn’t have the ability to silence the microphone of a participant for interrupting and speaking past his or her allotted time? And this, despite numerous “thank you” remarks from the moderator?
Walter Schoenheim
Oro Valley
Thank you, you are a hero
Thank you to the gentleman who walked me to my car as I was being followed, harassed and having obscenities yelled at me in the Applebee’s parking lot last Monday evening. I don’t know your name, but you are a hero to me.
Winifred Nichols
East side
TUSD delays doing their job ... again
Once again, TUSD is failing to do their job, all the while asking for more money. Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo’s excuses for this continued delay are supposedly to allow more time to create a good instructional model, to assuage some of the concerns over a spike of cases at the UA and to study other schools in the county. So teachers haven’t taught in the classroom in over six months, and you still can’t come up with an instructional model?
What have they been doing all this time? Study other schools in the county. Really, how about getting to work? In the great majority of the world, schools have been back in session for months. Enough of this sitting around studying, get back to work, it can easily be done safely.
Helge Carson
Oro Valley
We are in this together, remember?
Hard working citizens and owners of small businesses did not cause the current economic distress. It was the pandemic. They still need help, right now, or we will all lose more than we have already lost.
Last week, Donald Trump announced he was halting negotiations underway for a new relief package. He stated that after he won the election, he would pass a major stimulus bill. Is the decision to postpone a relief package an attempt at bribery, or simply cruel neglect?
Either way, it places politics before people, and power struggles above the well-being of the community. Let’s remember that we can get through this only by making sure that no one is left behind.
Catherine Nichols
North side
No mansplaining needed
In the Vice Presidential Debate, Mike Pence demonstrated little more restraint than Donald Trump did in the Presidential Debate. He gave no respect to Kamala Harris as an opponent or, more telling, as a woman. He also disrespected the other woman, moderator Susan Page.
When I learned of Pence’s proscription regarding being unchaperoned when in the presence of a woman who is not his wife, I thought, “How archaic!” Now I am thinking, “How necessary!”
Rick Cohn
West side
Mark Kelly part of extremist agenda
Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Mark Kelly have refused to answer if they support “stacking” the Supreme Court with more leftists. It would be in response to Republicans filling the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s vacancy with Amy Coney Barrett.
The number of Justices on the Supreme Court has remained at nine since 1869, and Ginsburg believed it was the correct number. If Democrats win the Senate, Chuck Schumer intends to eliminate the filibuster that currently requires 60 votes for legislation to be passed. It would then only require 51 votes to pass their desired extremist agenda of Medicare For All, the New Green Deal, increasing taxes by billions, decriminalizing undocumented immigration, imposing punitive firearms/magazines bans and legalizing marijuana.
Democrats plan to provide statehood to Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., giving them four more perpetual Democratic, leftist votes in the Senate. They intend to end the Electoral College. This is the Democratic agenda, and it is NOT “hypothetical,” and Mark Kelly will vote for it!
Jonathan Towers
Marana
It’s 25th Amendment time
The day that a plot was announced to overthrow the government of Michigan, kidnap the governor and, possibly, execute her, Donald Trump did not express concern. Instead, he attacked her. He also attacked Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi, even calling Harris a monster and a communist.
Given the growing threat of hyped-up, right-wing terrorism as a threat to our country, I can only conclude this is a call for further violence against Trump’s political enemies. We need to use the 25th Amendment and remove him. He is clearly unhinged and unsuitable to be in office.
If he succeeds, we will have an authoritarian regime with the opposition becoming political prisoners. It’s all clear to anyone paying attention.
Roberta Jensen
Green Valley
Use a blue/black pen on your ballot
I received my mail-in ballot yesterday in the mail. I have an observation for everyone that plans to vote by mail. The picture-graphic displayed on the official ballot clearly shows the ballot being filled out with a pencil.
This will invalidate your vote! Be aware that only a blue or black pen will be accepted.
Richard Govern
Foothills
Prop. 208 penalizes the minority
Recent polls show a majority of Arizonans supporting Prop. 208, Invest in Ed, that raises state income taxes on those earning over $250,000. But it will be people not earning that amount who will pass the prop. How is that fair?
A majority taking punitive actions against a minority. Many of these higher earners operate small to medium sized businesses or are professionals like physicians. If Biden is elected, he, too, would increase federal taxes on higher earners. Invest In Ed is a Democratic initiative.
Democrats love to engage in class warfare, raise taxes and punish those who have gained success through innovation, initiative, personal sacrifice, and endless hours of hard work at their endeavor. Let’s penalize them! I just received my Pima County Property tax statement, containing over $1,200 in various taxes for funding public schools.
I have no children. How much is enough? Prop. 207 is another Democratic initiative seeking to legalize marijuana. We need more stoned people driving on our roadways and on the job.
Tony Domino
Northwest side
A chance for real change in LD11
Legislative District 11, which stretches from Oro Valley to Maricopa, has more registered Republicans than Democrats. Probably because it has been a “safe” Republican District, its current representatives are right-wing ideologues. Sen. Vince Leach regularly posts debunked QAnon conspiracy theories. Rep. Mark Finchem is a member of the Oath Keepers, an anti-government “militia” movement.
Rep. Bret Roberts rails against efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19. This year, independent voters, Democrats and Republicans who do not embrace extremism, have an opportunity to elect JoAnna Mendoza — a military veteran who grew up in Eloy — to the Arizona Senate. Felipe Perez — a native Arizonan who put himself through medical school and works at El Rio Clinic — is the only Democrat running for the Arizona House in LD11.
Both will focus on the needs of LD 11’s citizens, not right-wing conspiracy theories. Vote blue and remember to only cast one vote for Dr. Perez for the House!
Eileen Hollowell
Oro Valley
An argument for Prop. 208
Why we should support education with Proposition 208.
You need to spend money to make money, and Arizona needs to spend more for education. Many states that are doing well economically do it by spending much more than Arizona. The legislature has had years to improve the funding and by extension better educated workers.
By one metric, Arizona is 48th out of 50 in spending, at around $8,000 per pupil. The state should try to produce more high tech workers rather than importing them.
Donald Plummer
Northwest side
A vote, and defense, for Martha McSally
I am a member of the United Republicans of Green Valley/Sahuarita, an active group whose membership increases daily. I want to share a visit that Martha McSally made to our group. Before, she had visited by Zoom and explained her positions and goals, but recently she came and spoke to a very large group in person. She was very passionate about her exciting life as an Air Force fighter pilot; but more importantly, she described her activity in the Senate and convinced everyone that she needs to finish the term.
Unlike her opponent, she has no business ties with China, is truly a patriot in deeds as well as words and understands the need for border protection. Also, she fully supports the Second Amendment, which is second in our Constitution for good reason.
I truly believe that this election will determine the fate of our democratic Republic!
Barbara Stockwell
Green Valley
