Biden would’ve sorted out pandemic by now
If Joe Biden would have been president in February 2020, he would have had a mask requirement and the necessary PPE inventories within one week of the first 100 cases of COVID-19 in the United States. Within two weeks, he would have had testing available for all and effective, quick tests in plentiful supply. Within a month, he would have had a successful three-day treatment for anyone with the virus. And within two months, he would have had a viable vaccine. Deaths would have been minimized and the economy unaffected.
Compare this to President Trump, who has done nothing for COVID-19. No effort to provide suitable PPE, no requirement for testing or the development of test kit production, no effort to develop treatments or vaccines. No effort to assist businesses or individuals who have been severely by the economic shutdown. Biden would have solved it all because he cares.
People are also reading…
Pudge Johnson
Oro Valley
Voters of all ages can’t sit this election out
We all, at one point, had the idea that voting was useless and our votes did not matter. Let me tell everyone why we cannot have that mentality this year! In U.S. presidential elections, about 70% of voters 60 and up turn out — which is nearly three times the rate of Americans between 18 and 29. Youth voters have the potential to change the future of our country if we all turn out to vote this presidential year.
Unfortunately, youth voters also have the lowest voter turnout rate. In order for all our voices to be taken into account in policies, we need to show up at the polls! Personally, I saw first-hand how I could be negatively affected by the government’s policies, so I promised myself I would make a difference this year.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, this is the time to make a difference. Your vote is your voice, so register to vote today to make history!
Bita Mosallai
Oro Valley
Trump’s lies guarantee he won’t get my vote
Making the case against President Trump is easy for me. He’s a liar. That’s it. That’s all that matters. Everybody knows it, no one denies it. It seems a lot of people are OK with it. I’m not OK with it.
I wonder how Trump supporters handle lying in their personal lives? If your doctor lies to you, are you fine with it? What about your plumber, your mechanic, financial or spiritual adviser, or family members? If you won’t tolerate those people’s lies, why would you tolerate your president lying?
A buddy told me that Trump’s lies don’t matter. It’s what he does that matters, not what he says. Bullpucky. We literally don’t know what he’s doing because he lies about everything. Trump doesn’t just lie, he deceives. He does it to change our thinking. It works on a lot of people.
For me there’s a very good reason Trump shouldn’t be president. He lies.
Steve Gray
Oro Valley
Voting gives a voice to nation’s voiceless
Eligible voters compromising Generation Z — ages 18-23 — represent roughly 10% of all eligible voters in the 2020 elections; however, not all of those eligible in this demographic are registered. In the 2016 election, older generations — such as Baby Boomers — comprised 43% of eligible voters but represented 49% of the overall vote.
To be truly represented, young people in Tucson, at the University of Arizona, and across the United States must make time for voting. Registering to vote takes less than two minutes, is free across many platforms, and is a right that you have as an American. You should do this not because I am saying you should, but because of how your 10% of the vote inherently proves our voices matter. So, my passionate peers: register to vote, and see that those in power must hear our voices.
Ross Freeman
Marana
Why not sedate instead of kill?
Wild animals are sedated when they are a concern. Why aren’t humans sedated? Why aren’t humans shot with medicine rather than bullets? Granted there are times when that’s not an option, but when it is, putting someone to sleep so you can talk with them later in a secure environment seems far more humane than filling them full of lead.
Jim Dreis
East side
High-quality education needed more than ever
The U.S. is in decline because the GOP has severely undermined American public education. Americans grow more ignorant by the day. Unless and until government decides the U.S. must have a state of the art public education system, things will continue to grow worse. We need to end vouchers, home schooling, private and religious schools getting taxpayer dollars, and the evisceration of teachers’ unions.
All Americans should be attending high quality public schools. Teachers should be civil servants who enjoy public respect and civil service benefits. America’s best and brightest should be becoming teachers. That is the norm in every other industrialized country in the world.
I was delighted that the GOP and Arizona Chamber of Commerce failed to stop the referendum to finally fully fund public education in Arizona. Proposition 208 will pass in November with an overwhelming majority. Teachers will get an automatic 20% pay increase. Arizona schools will no longer be among the worst in the country.
Jon Dorschner
Midtown
Motives for early vaccine highly questionable
As a public health professional, I am disturbed by our president’s applying pressure on both the CDC and FDA to authorize mass distribution of a coronavirus vaccine by Nov. 1. Dr. Peter Hotez at Baylor University’s School of Tropical Medicine states that this premature push for emergency use authorization smacks of a political stunt.
Brown University’s Public Health Dean Ashish Jha explains that as a vaccine is given to healthy people, there is a much higher burden of proof than with emergency authorization of a therapeutic for sick people. Dr. Anthony Fauci unequivocally states he would be uncomfortable with a vaccine rushed through emergency use channels prior to complete conclusion of clinical trials. If our president is truly concerned with protecting our health, he should emphasize that as the holidays approach we must double down on vigilantly practicing mask use and physical distancing to avoid unhealthy exposure. He could add that an effective vaccine should be available in early 2021.
John Newport, PhD
Northwest side
McSally a true expert in irony
Sen. Martha McSally is a wonderful collection of ironies. She accuses Mark Kelly of financial improprieties (none substantiated) but not a peep out of her about President Trump’s use of government facilities for personal gain, using his hotels for government business, putting foxes in charge of the hen houses, nepotism and cronyism. What a blind spot for a pilot!
Even more ironic, she claims Kelly is a Trojan horse for the far-left. No one, but no one, knows what crazy or ridiculous thing Trump will say or do on any given day, but one thing is certain. Whatever he says/does, you will have to peel McSally off of Trump. Kelly will never be as progressive as I would like, but at least he’s no one’s toady!
Roberto Veranes
Northeast side
Trump will continue to make America great
If what you want is a better America, vote for President Trump in 2020, for the best is yet to come! More jobs, better recovery of our economy, a vaccine for COVID-19, and law and order instead of lawlessness caused by the Democratic mayors and governors who don’t give a hoot about their cities being disseminated by rioters. Trump was willing to help them, all they had to do was to ask for assistance, but they were too proud to ask for help. So people are moving out of these cities in the thousands, which will cause loss of tax payers and businesses.
We will lose our energy independence and so much more. Save your cities. You need to vote for the man who has and will Keep America Great.
Joan Brown
Marana
Wearing a mask is safe, patriotic
We are two retired registered nurses who have, whenever necessary, worn masks and additional protective gear for the safety of others. It’s our belief that it is not too much of an imposition or an impingement on your personal freedom to wear a mask in public to help prevent a viral spread. The benefits of seat belts and smoking restrictions speak for themselves, and yet, these too were once considered limits on individual freedom.
When an individual with COVID-19 wears a mask, risk of transmission to another individual wearing a mask is reduced to 1.5%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Masks are essential if we are to manage this pandemic and keep grandma and the rest of the family safe.
Please wear a mask, it’s the patriotic thing to do.
Patty Hamburger and Marilyn Lindell, RNs (Ret)
Foothills
Scott would make great county supervisor
I have known Rex Scott since he was a teacher of my middle school daughter in the ’90s. As a parent, I can say that he was calm, knowledgeable and in tune with his students. With his direction, we were able to get the assistance our daughter needed to succeed in his class and future classes.
Later, as a co-worker under his leadership at two TUSD high schools, I saw that same knowledge and calmness presented. Rex listens, asks questions to clarify, gathers information and problem solves as a professional should. He looks for the good in others and seeks to develop that.
He is able to connect with diverse populations of students, staff and parents and is always respectful and tuned into the person sitting in front of him. As a supervisor, I have no doubt these same attributes will carry forth as he works with the supervisory team to competently care for the residents of Pima County.
Cynthia Wood
East side
Scott is a boon to our community
Rex Scott is a good man. During his tenure at Tortolita Middle School, I had the pleasure of substituting in special education. As you may or may not know, these students have a variety of issues. They had good days and bad days. Acting out was normal. Occasionally we had a student that was not controlled. Mr. Scott would come in and talk to the student with kindness and patience.
On many occasions during passing periods, Mr. Scott took the time to ask how my day was going and to say hello. Without fail he thanked me for being there.
The 7th and 8th grade students were happy to see Mr. Scott. Not afraid of him like my contemporaries were of our principals. The students were grateful for Mr. Scott’s compassion. He treated his students fairly and like adults. The teachers and aids I worked with always had good things to say about Mr. Scott.
Samuel Adler
Northwest side
Trump’s Nobel Prize nomination a joke
Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament, has nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East. Nowhere in the Trump-Kushner plan is the seminal injustice to the Palestinians, a root cause of the turmoil in the Middle East, addressed except to offer the oppressed, stateless Palestinians a bifurcated state connected by tunnels.
The UAE will receive a large military transfer from the United States and Saudi Arabia, who has allowed Israel to now fly in its air space, most likely will have the members of Congress who have blocked a large scale of U.S. armaments to the Saudis dropping their opposition. This is a case of peace at any price and justice be damned.
Marietta Luce
SaddleBrooke
