Gender, skin color irrelevant for candidates
Re: the Aug. 8 letter “Biden’s VP will be politically correct.”
The writer states that the pressure to select a “Black woman” leads to the question “Do we want another inexperienced person heading the country?” The implication is that any Black woman selected will be inexperienced.
Joe Biden considered a number of very qualified and experienced candidates for his VP choice, several of whom were Black women.
Whether intended or not, this letter demonstrates a clear and unfounded prejudice against gender and/or skin color, still tragically so widespread in our country. I hope and pray that continued education and advocacy, such as through the Black Lives Matter movement, will help to enlighten and change this type of thinking.
People are also reading…
Robin Gwozdz
Northeast side
Trump’s ‘nasty’ remarks
Donald Trump called Kamala Harris a “nasty” woman upon her selection as a vice presidential candidate. It is deeply disappointing that our president behaves like a bully on the playground in associating a women who is assertive, articulate and strong with nastiness.
Robin Carter
Marana
Socialism vs. capitalism, revisited
Re: the Aug. 4 letter “Socialism vs. capitalism will be on Nov. ballots.”
Just in case someone was seriously considering this argument, the record should be set straight. Socialism and capitalism are economic systems, they are not governing systems. Governments determine economic policies and ours is currently a mixed system, using aspects of both ideals in order to increase the chances (allegedly) of prosperity for the citizens of the governed.
Unfortunately, since being rekindled under the Reagan administration, economic policies have been tailored to ensure prosperity for the upper 3% or so of the population, while leaving the remaining 97% to scrounge around for what might “trickle” from their coffers. Or, as Robert Reich has pointed out: socialism for those at the top and cold, hard capitalism for the rest of us.
Rick Scifres
Green Valley
A model for the nation? Really?
Re: the Aug. 6 article “Trump hails Arizona as model in COVID-19 ‘embers’ strategy.”
Arizona a model for handling “embers” of the coronavirus? What planet is Donald Trump living on? The coronavirus fire is raging and Gov. Doug Ducey’s actions fanned the flames.
Ducey followed the Trump playbook, step by step, and coronavirus cases and deaths rose dramatically in Arizona. If you believe Arizona is handling embers, just wait until he requires all schools to reopen. Saying Arizona is seeing the embers of coronavirus is like calling the Bighorn Fire a little campfire.
By the way, great photo of Ducey and Trump. Ducey looks like a lost puppy ready to jump onto Trump’s lap, hoping to be petted.
David Gray
East side
Pseudoscience only deepens division
Re: the Aug. 8 letter “Why middle America leans right”
The author of this letter believes that the prevalence of conservative political opinions in middle America is caused by “diminished mental aptitude” from widespread iodine deficiency in the region.
According to the National Institutes of Health, iodine deficiency (which is linked to hindered brain development) was prevalent in the Great Lakes, Appalachia and the northwestern U.S. prior to the 1920s with the advent of iodized salt. Currently the general U.S. population is considered iodine sufficient.
Even if iodine deficiency was a major problem, the author fails to support the idea that iodine deficiency and conservative politics are somehow linked, and continues to claim that conservative people are inherently less intelligent. As a teenage liberal, I know this elitism alienates rural conservatives and drives political division.
As an LGBTQ person, I also understand that pathologization of normal human diversity is extremely harmful. Instead of pushing false narratives, the writer should understand that people’s politics are a product of their lived experiences.
Claire Kross
Foothills
Post office, like military, deserves our full support
I have read that the new postmaster general, Mr. Louis DeJoy, has decreed any mail that is not delivered during regular time will be held to be delivered the next day. This is the same misguided thinking as stopping the bailing of a sinking ship until the next day.
The volume of mail and water get compounded every day when no action is taken. The USPS is a service and we should support it as we do the military service. Both are vital to our life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Donald Plummer
Northwest side
We are not
in this together
Every time I hear, “We’re all in this together,” it makes me want to scream, “No, we aren’t!”
From the wealthy who escaped to their remote second homes while the inner city folks remained living and working in crowded conditions, to the people who can work safely from home while others must risk their very lives just to keep their minimum-wage jobs, to politicians who cannot get a damn thing done while doctors, nurses, teachers and all their support staff are expected to pick up their slack.
It would be nice if we were in this together, but we aren’t.
If we were working together worldwide to come up with a cure and a preventive vaccine instead of cyberstealing ideas from each other, if we learned from others’ successes instead of dealing with our own failures, if all of humanity shared a common goal instead of utilizing a diversified approach to solving humanity’s problems.
If only!
Dale Whitmore
Midtown
Germany did right by its unemployed
So, the U.S. unemployment number is abysmal, people are being evicted (or threatened with eviction), food banks are being used to stave off starvation by people who were not food insecure in January 2020.
Yet Germany’s citizens have not had the same experience. It would be worth it to explore how Germany handled their economic distress. Instead of throwing trillions of euros up in the air to land in the pockets of whoever happens to catch them (including dead people), Germany took payroll records and distributed money to employers to continue paying their employees.
What a novel idea! Just continue the system that is already in place, even if the business is shuttered. Those employed before the virus continue receiving a paycheck. The previously unemployed continue getting unemployment benefits.
And that, my friends, is the “big mistake” the U.S. made, which has decimated our economy.
Cindy Soffrin
Northeast side
Dr. Cara Christ deserves praise
Recently there have been some unjustified and critical comments regarding Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. These unfounded remarks ignore the fact that Christ for years has led Arizona’s successful efforts to keep our citizens safe from the 2016 measles outbreak, the opioid crisis, H1N1 flu and the ebola crisis. A recent Arizona Republic op-ed piece also revealed the human side of Christ and the enormous personal sacrifices she is making to keep us safe during the pandemic.
Significant recent declines in coronavirus cases, which drew compliments from the White House, show that Christ is uniquely qualified to advise Arizona’s leaders on this worldwide pandemic. She has the support of the vast majority of medical practitioners in this state and our complete confidence as well.
Paul Ryan, president
of PACE Foundation
East side
They’re not stupid, they just disagree
Re: the Aug. 8 letter “Why middle America leans right.”
When I first read the letter in which the writer explains that he believes middle America is conservative is due to an iodine deficiency causing a deficiency in childhood brain development, I thought it was in jest. But after reading it a second and third time, I realized that he is probably serious. As one who lived in California for 68 years before moving to Southern Arizona, I guess I’m fortunate to not suffer from this malady. The writer comes across as a typical elitist liberal who believes he is superior to anyone who doesn’t share his views of the world.
Dan Watson
Oracle
There’s now plenty
of COVID-19 testing
On Aug. 10, I went to the Pima County website and registered for a COVID test. There are three free test sites, Ellie Towne Center, Kino Event Center and Morris K. Udall Center. They are doing the less intrusive saliva tests and say results are received within 72 hours. I easily registered online and chose Ellie Towne.
They had Sunday, Wednesday and Friday’s available. I believe one or both of the other sites test daily. Anyway, I chose Wednesday and was astonished to see so many open times available, with tests being administered every 10 minutes from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
I have been reading some local reports and letters to the Star complaining of a lack of available COVID testing or long waiting times for the results, invariably with some political motive.
Well, you can stop complaining now and go get a free, timely COVID test!
Steve Denver
West side
I’m loving the Star and its staff
I am sticking close to home because of my age and the virus, so getting the morning paper is one of the highlights of the day! I appreciate the sportswriters who have had to turn into historians. I appreciate the businesses who have taken out ads to keep everything going.
I appreciate whoever is getting up in the middle of the night to deliver my paper, and especially those of you who are working all night to write it. Several of the cartoonists start my day with a great chuckle. And, my COVID-19 scrapbook of interesting tidbits benefits greatly from the Arizona Daily Star.
Thanks to all of you.
Judith Billings
Midtown
Candidate selection is about policy
I will vote for any candidate regardless of their race or gender if, and only if, their political views are the same as mine. Anyone that votes for a candidate because of their race or gender is racist or sexist, possibly both.
Jack Frost
Northwest side
Shut it down, start over, do it right
In March, when I was told to pack up my college dorm and return home to Arizona, I felt comforted knowing that I was heading to a state with relatively few COVID-19 cases.
Unfortunately, my optimism waned as Arizona prematurely reopened its nonessential businesses, resulting in an exceedingly high COVID-19 case rate.
According to the CDC, Arizona has a rate of 2,606 coronavirus cases per 100,000 population, a rate markedly higher than nearly all other states. Even with city-wide mask mandates, this case rate is unacceptable and preventable.
Gov. Doug Ducey should take this as an opportunity to shut it down, start over and do it right. By reclosing nonessential businesses, increasing testing and hiring more contact tracers, he can reduce COVID-19 cases to a manageable level. At a time when our country lacks cohesive leadership, Ducey has the opportunity to set an example and help us return to a sense of normalcy, without costing American lives in the process.
Alex DeBellis
Northwest side
Red for Ed movement must seize the moment
My father was proud of his Union roots and activities. During tough times for labor, my father would exclaim, “Viva La Huelga!” (Long live the strike!) I was warned that, one day, we would all face a major historical event and that we would need to determine what side of history we would be on.
The Red for Ed movement is facing it’s moment in history! Today, Arizona leads the nation for kids with virus. Science, logic and COVID-19 metrics all indicate that schools should remain closed.
For educators, this is a life or death moment. The powers in Washington, D.C., (Donald Trump) and Phoenix (Doug Ducey) could give a damn about your well-being.
Recently, Superior Court Judge Christopher Coury knocked the Invest in Ed funding measure off the 2020 ballot. How will the Red for Ed movement react? This is their time to seize the moment! What side of history will the Red for Ed movement be on?
Robert Miranda
East side
