Letters to the editor: March 24

I find it disturbingly ironic that Arizona state politicians who don’t want anyone else to decide what books their children get access to in schools and school libraries and what lessons children learn in classrooms are so focused on telling others what we should to want. children to read and learn.

As a retired educator, I know that classroom teachers and school librarians encourage our youth to be curious, to question, and to come to their own opinions. As a parent, I know that I always had the right to talk to our children about what they were reading and learning in school. We trusted our children and their educators.

As a gerrymandered LD17 voter, I encourage State Sen. Justine Wadsack to focus on what really matters to our grandchildren’s future: water, infrastructure, health care, housing, and yes, a well-funded public school system and classrooms and libraries with all the resources. .

A safe solution to America’s gun violence problem.

According to the NRA, the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.

Assuming there are more good people than bad, I propose a law requiring every person in the United States to carry a firearm at all times. Because most of our high-profile shootings occur in schools, it’s important that teachers and students are armed. I think there are already enough guns in the country to arm every man, woman and child. With a movement underway in Washington to declare the AR-15 the national weapon, you could defend yourself with one of these babies while proving you’re a true patriot.

This should put an end to our gun violence problem.

My family received a full-color email from Arizona Game & Fish imploring “wildlife enthusiasts like you” to donate their state tax refunds to “help conserve and protect” the wildlife of Arizona. I was disgusted!

Trophy hunters from all over the United States and the world come to Arizona to kill mountain lions. Why Arizona? Arizona Game & Fish allows the use of the most cruel methods.

In Arizona, the hunt usually consists of trained hounds chasing a mountain lion for miles. The exhausted lion instinctively seeks safety in a tree. The hunters shoot the lion until it can take no more. Dogs may attack the dead or dying lion when it hits the ground.

More than 300 Arizona mountain lions are killed each year for “recreational purposes.” Arizona Game & Fish profits from this carnage through the sale of hunting tags and guide licenses. Do not give Arizona Game & Fish your tax refund. Do not mark “Arizona Wildlife” on the AZ 140 form.

Travis Cooper, 10th grader and prospective Arizona voter/taxpayer

Re: March 16 article “$2.5 Million in Federal EV Charger Grants for Underserved Areas.”

Why is the federal government using our tax dollars to build electric vehicle charging stations? In the early 1900s, when gas and diesel vehicles began to replace traditional horse-drawn carriages and wagons, did the federal government build gas stations across the country? No! Oil and gas companies saw an opportunity to make money and create businesses based on the use of oil and gas vehicles.

Why don’t electric companies or electric car manufacturers lead the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure? Do local utilities and the federal government currently subsidize these companies? Should “we” gas and diesel car owners subsidize electric vehicle charging for a small “preferred” group of electric vehicle owners? If we continue on this trend, how will the “government” replace the gas taxes that are used to fund our roads? Will the electric vehicle charging network ever be self-sufficient?

It seems to me that there are better places to spend our public service benefits and our tax dollars.

At a time when more and more Americans are rejecting religious affiliation, the ultra-religious extreme right (“Christian Nationalism”) and affiliated Republicans, etc., are trying to curtail our freedoms. Look what’s happening in Florida. How did Governor DeSantis, Florida’s would-be dictator, fool enough people to get re-elected? The ultra-religious right’s idea of ​​”freedom of religion” is that they should have the “right” to force their beliefs on the rest of us and control how we live. No religion is “superior” to any other.

My guess is that most Christians don’t approve of the far right’s sense of being threatened by differences. These far-right Christians “demonize” anyone who is different from them or disagrees with them. This is called an “us vs. them” siege mentality. Anyone who is different from them is seen as a threat.

Re: March 19 article “The words we use matter more than ever.”

1959 was a time of relative innocence. No internet and three leading vanilla TV channels with “Leave It to Beaver” programming. It was the time when a pedophile took care of me. Writing these words still brings anxiety. Today’s civil political environment features thoughtless individuals who use the words “pedophile” and “danger” as cheap insults. It hurts. Please join me in condemning this behavior everywhere, all the time. And thanks to Supervisor Heinz for his Daily Star op-ed for doing just that.

With immigrants flooding our borders, queer lawmakers debating which pornographic books are essential reading for our youth, and the losers of the last election still clinging to attention, thank goodness Governor Hobbs has the their priorities very clear.

Her courageous steps to end the scourge and oppression of hair discrimination will go a long way towards solving a vexing problem of our time.

What’s next for his ambitious social agenda, a cure for baldness?

When Tucson transit became free, I started using it more. I took my kids to school by bus and they loved it. The bus was filled with young people going to middle and high schools; no fees, it was amazing how quick our stops were. Another day, with extra time on our hands, my kids and I hopped on the bus to Bookman’s. I don’t need trips very often because it’s easier to get on the bus. I found that I like taking the bus – they are clean and comfortable, the bus drivers are nice, the buses are more efficient than I imagined, I like the walks to and from the bus stops bus, I can keep up with emails and texts, I love not having to deal with traffic or finding parking, and it’s nice to be dropped off and picked up. Tucson’s transit system needs many improvements, but not having fares is an improvement we should keep as we work to prioritize and invest in transit.