Medical providers
show flexibility
We had the most wonderful experience today. My husband has health issues and had to be seen, however, I could not go in with him to the doctor’s office due to COVID-19. I stayed in my car in the parking lot outside. The doctor allowed my husband to call me on my cellphone from his cellphone and let me hear what was being said during the consultation.
I was also able to ask questions myself. With the current situation, we certainly appreciated this opportunity. Hopefully this will be available during future medical appointments with other providers.
Diane Squires
Southeast side
Keep the schools closed for now
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging out of control in our state, it is incumbent upon us to do everything in our power to protect some of our most vulnerable: our children. Our schools are not equipped to maintain the requisite 6 feet of social distancing. Kids are unable to comply with the requirements.
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It’s developmentally inappropriate to expect that they stay away from their friends. Teachers and other school staffers are heroes but should not be expected to sacrifice their health and lives, either. Because of how deadly and easily spread this virus is, schools should be required to provide online instruction until at least Oct. 1, 2020.
Public schools should also receive additional funding to provide online instruction during these uncertain and unprecedented times. This is not the time to play politics. It’s the time to save lives.
Jennifer White
Vail
Police unions endorse Trump
The National Association of Police Unions has endorsed President Trump. It endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. The organization represents over 1,000 police unions nationwide and 240,000 sworn officers.
Unions historically have endorsed Democrats. So why the endorsement of Trump? Because he stands for law and order and has praised police officers. The unions have watched Democratically controlled cities either defund or redirect funding of police departments.
They have observed hundreds of officers being attacked by protesters and injured. Joe Biden has been relatively silent on the rampant crime waves occurring across the country. He supports “redirecting” funds away from police departments.
New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio just signed several police reform bills, while at the same time several of his officers were clobbered in the head by a protester causing serious injuries. Police know that Biden will cave to the demands of the left in their extreme police reform and defunding agenda. They know Trump supports police officers who risk their lives every day.
Shane Foster
East side
Wipe slate clean, listen to scientists
Mr. President, there is only one way to economic recovery and a path forward for our and your country. That way forward is masks, social distancing, small gatherings, closing down of businesses as we did in April, test, trace, quarantine and document. And for gosh sake, hold off on in-person school this fall.
The last thing that we need are thousands of sick teachers and children, the backbone of the future of our comeback, this nation and economic growth. We will come back with keen national leadership and appropriate policy. Please, please forget and forgive what happened and how we dealt with this crisis in the past and let’s now, today, look forward to how we beat this virus.
Science is key and the “coin of the realm.” Please employ our best and our brightest. I implore you.
John Van Echo
West side
Polls don’t reflect reality on the ground
Right now, polls look encouraging for Joe Biden. But that should be cold comfort for those who want Donald Trump defeated.
Polls don’t reflect adverse court decisions, the pandemic’s effect on turnout or the continuing, effective efforts of voter suppression, purges, intimidation and disinformation. There’s no guarantee that all who want to vote will actually be able to do so.
But we need to overcome these obstacles and vote as if our lives and those of our families depend on it. Because, as Trump’s appalling failure with COVID-19 has shown, they do. From the start, he has lied, downplayed its seriousness, disparaged science and recently said that “99% (of the cases) are totally harmless.”
If reelected, this will continue, and it’s likely that more people will suffer and die needlessly. Voters are the only force that can eliminate the scourge of Trump. Not voting or voting for a third party is essentially a vote for Trump.
Dan Gipple
Southeast side
Magical thinking hasn’t worked to contain virus
The pandemic is raging and the economy is tanking. But it seems to me that the main thing keeping the pandemic out of control and the main thing tanking the economy is the same thing. People who don’t take the pandemic seriously.
If people would just take the coronavirus seriously our country could flatten the curve of infections, and start opening the economy again. Every other major country in the world has done so. Instead, we have the president and his enablers trying to make everything return to the old normal just by magical thinking. It’s not going to happen.
If everyone cooperates and works to control this virus, we can save thousands of lives and restore our economy. As long as the president and the Republicans keep discouraging mask-wearing and seemingly every other virus precaution, people will die and the economy will continue to tank. What a strange choice.
Graeme Williams
Southeast side
‘Moderate’ America in need of a lesson
I do not believe that most Americans are far-leftists, but too many are remaining silent and tolerant of far-leftist Democrats who are wreaking havoc on America. Whether it is defunding police departments, increased violent crimes in cities across America, destruction of our history, economy-ruining climate change proposals, “Medicare for All,” trillions proposed for reparations for Blacks, firearms confiscation, an atmosphere of anger and hate, destruction of established social mores, and silencing of opposing viewpoints through intimidation and shaming.
I say turn it all over to these leftist extremist Democrats and teach “moderate” Americans a deserved lesson for their passivity and tolerance of it all. Elect Joe Biden who will be a puppet of the left. Whether America could recover from it all is doubtful, but so what!
America is lost to the left anyway because of universities churning out indoctrinated progressive activists, the national and local news media being dominated by progressives, and many federal court judges being liberal activists disregarding the Constitution.
Charles Tach
SaddleBrooke
School opening
must be postponed
I am a Tucson-area educator who teaches 15- to 18-year-olds. My class sizes range anywhere from 25 to 40 students. It is impossible to socially distance.
As more and more data become available, it is becoming clearer that teenagers can contract the virus as well as pass it on. With around a 20% positivity rate, Arizona is nowhere near where the CDC wants us to be. On July 28, we had over 2,000 positive cases with a backlog of over 45,000.
I fear that our numbers will only get worse if we reopen the schools to in-person learning. As an educator, I agree that in-person education is the best for learning and children’s mental health, but what will their mental health be like, and how will they learn if they lose a parent, guardian, friend or teacher to COVID-19? Arizona does not have this virus under control, and until we do, we should continue to delay the start of in-person instruction.
Jessamyn Wehmeier
Marana
Mask use guides
shopping decisions
It is encouraging to see so many retail establishments requiring that customers wear masks. I wear a mask the few times that I am out. I see that as my personal responsibility to protect myself and others.
I am not going to confront people who don’t wear masks. There will be some consequences for them. Recently I ran an errand at a strip mall and noticed that very few shoppers were wearing masks. I won’t be going back to that shopping center, no matter how urgent my need is.
Carol W. West
Northeast side
Self-indulgent
opinion piece
Re: the July 19 opinion “Why I support Trump, his vision of American dream.”
Before two Sundays ago, I would not have been able to tell you who was the Arizona state treasurer. I know her now because of her unbelievable op-ed. Ignoring 140,000 dead Americans, a nonexistent plan to combat the coronavirus, an economy in the toilet, diminished standing of the United States in the world, she is so proud of the Trumpian fiscal responsibility that has enabled her family to be successful.
Her grandparents started their business under a Democratic president, but Trump, not American democracy, gets her praise. I don’t see in her article any word about the restaurants, gyms, spas, salons, bars, and others — possibly small businesses like her grandparents’ — that have failed because of Trump’s lack of action on the coronavirus. Like Trump, she doesn’t care about them; she only cares about the family business.
Marilyn Pollow
East side
Can’t feel safe
in Trump’s America
I risk catching COVID-19 whenever I go to the grocery store. I can’t visit my grandchild for fear of infecting her and her family. Donald Trump’s solution is to blame China and play golf with Brett Favre.
Trump’s political ads warn me to be very afraid because I won’t be safe in Biden’s America. Who does this fool think he is kidding?
Leonard Heubeger
Midtown
The virus doesn’t move; we do
Talking to my microbiologist friend the other day, I think he had the best way of describing the virus. He said, “The virus does not move! We move. We spray it. We carry it.”
If we have the virus and we keep moving, we spread it. If we stay put, the virus will run its natural course and eventually die.
Linda Rothchild
Midtown
