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On Your Mind is the Herald/Review’s telephone opinion line and is intended as a public forum for our readers. Comments represent the opinions of callers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper or any specific knowledge that we have. Readers may share their opinions by calling 458-0332, or by e-mail to svhoym@transedge.com or regular mail at 102 Fab Ave., Sierra Vista AZ 85635. Please keep comments less than 90 seconds. Comments are edited.
April 30
The cost of living is on my mind. I have had it paying more for the new buildings. I will no longer service vehicles or buy on the feel good corner or near it. I have stopped buying groceries unless on sale at the new buildings. The cost increase since your new buildings are up and remodeled is just too much and your customer service has gone down. It’s like they think we have no other places to go.
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Millionaire Percy Ross gave away millions while telling us “Give while you live and you know where it goes.” Otherwise, you leave something for relatives to argue over, and for lawyers to take 99 percent of, leaving nothing to your benefactors and favorite charities.
You are under no obligation print anything just to please me. It bugs me though when you print recipes without including nutrition data. It is particularly irritating when you print recipes billed as “healthy” without helping us determine where they fit in a diet plan. This must be a real irritant to those with chronic metabolic disorders who must closely watch their nutrient intake. You have an opportunity to do a service to your readers. Please think about including nutrition data.
It’s strange not to have seen an article or letter on the closure of the Early Learning Center at UA (University of Arizona) South. How can the campus dean, Gerald “Skip” Jubb, make the decision to close the center without trying to look at options to keep it open? What’s the reason he’s closing the center? What does he plan to do with the money that was used to support the center? How come he didn’t ask for advice from the campus or community before he made his decision?
So the Feds cut the rates again today. Why aren’t more people buying homes right now? Prices are good and interest rates are also good. Are people waiting for it to bottom out? If they are, they won’t realize it has bottomed out until prices are on their way back up. Home buying is just that — buying a home. A place where you and your family can call home and make memories not an ATM. Everyone needs a place to live so why rent and pay your landlord’s mortgage? Oh, maybe it’s because everyone’s too lazy to fix a leaking faucet or bother trying to keep your carpets clean. What are your thoughts?
Regarding the Highway 90 Bypass intersection traffic signal lights near Fort Huachuca: It would be helpful to have green turn-arrows for right-turns when the signal is green for the opposing left-turn-only, just like it is at the Fry and Highway 90 big intersection, by Gas City. Also, if you are heading south into Sierra Vista via Highway 90 you will notice the left-turn amber (yellow) signal at Highway 90 Bypass only lasts about three seconds until the opposing signal turns green. But if you will monitor other signals in town, even those at smaller intersections, you will see that it takes about four seconds for the whole process, from the time a signal turns amber to the time the opposing signal turns green. The Highway 90 Bypass intersection is a huge intersection and it takes longer for a vehicle to make a left-hand turn than for a vehicle to go straight, so it seems that left-hand turn amber signal should at least be equal in duration to others in town. That one second could make all the difference.
The April 30 OYM that cited the Yankee soldier who asked a Confederate dirt farmer why he was fighting and the reply was, “Because you are down here,” is an oversimplification when applied to Iraq, because it overlooks that al-Qaida and Iran are also in the mix. To bring our troops home now would be an act of insanity. It would make Iraq a sitting duck for an Iranian take-over and control of Iraqi oil. Iran would become the dominant power in the Middle East. Total chaos would erupt. Iran would control the flow of Middle East oil. Oil prices would soar through the roof. Global economies would suffer heavily. And the U.S. military would be forced to return and clean up the mess because the U.N. would be hopelessly involved in debate.
I think it’s really nice the Sierra Vista police continue to support the Special Olympics with the Torch Run. However, running along a major artery during rush hour with drivers going 65 mph really causes me to question things.
I’m calling about the OYM call on April 22 about how girls are pressured into sex, the poor little things. I have to laugh. I have a 17-year-old son; the girls just chase after him. They send him pictures on his phone of themselves naked. I agree with giving the kids condoms, but I have to laugh at this naïve parent who think it’s the girls who are always the ones being pressured. It’s not like that nowadays.
I’d like to know how we’re supposed to know when our federal checks are coming into our bank accounts this month. Are we supposed to call our bank every day to see if it’s there or do they have a system?
This is in regards to the cab companies in town. One lady said Transportation Express vans are too high to get into. That is true, but when you call them you can ask them to send somebody with a stool and the driver will help you get in. Also, I understand that Rick of A1 Cab Co. has had some dire medical emergency and I would like to wish him well and tell him to get back on the road again because we need him.
We’re new residents in Huachuca City and somebody told us it was a nice small town to live in and so far it has been. My husband has always wanted to be a police officer. We’re just in shock because we just found out that Huachuca City does not pay into the state retirement for their police officers. We never heard of that. It seems to be the only police department in the U.S. that doesn’t. And they say the police chief has worked there for 30 years with no retirement. I can’t imagine. What are these people thinking? What a horrible council they must have. My husband and I are both flabbergasted. Maybe people don’t know this. They should give the Huachuca City police officers a little more respect.
Do not prevent our athletes from going to the Olympics. They have trained hard for this honor. They are not driven by politics or religion, only by the honor and joy of participating in Olympic Games. If politicians and religious leaders want to boycott, go ahead, boycott. But let the athletes have their place in Olympic history. If you want to “punish” the Chinese government for all its perceived wrongs, let Americans stop buying all products that carry the label “Made in China.” It would be an economic statement, one that would make more of an impact on the Chinese government than depriving our own athletes of that for which they’ve worked so hard.
I read in OYM about taking the bus for $1. Well, on the weekend there is no bus provided for the people of Sierra Vista. It’s only provided for Fort Huachuca for a private taxi service that takes soldiers back and forth to where they want to go. There is no actual bus service for the handicapped or the elderly on weekends at all. I guess people can’t take the bus for $1, for what we provide our tax money for.
MAY 1
The fact that Obama disingenuously distanced himself from Wright only when it became politically necessary does not alter the fact he sat in the pew all those years and absorbed Wright’s racist and anti-American vitriol, even going so far as to describe him as his mentor. This evil man has been spewing anti-American and anti-white filth for years, and to hear this devil in minister’s robe mock President John F. Kennedy angered me since JFK, his administration, and his generation did more to bring about racial justice and civil rights than anyone in our history. I have to wonder, since Obama enjoys enough white support to make a credible run for the nation’s highest office, yet American blacks consistently vote along racial lines, who are the real racists in America?
Ronnie was fully aware of W’s limitations. This is from the Reagan diaries describing Reagan’s perception of our current president. It’s frightening in its accuracy and why it’s hard to deny he was in many ways pretty smart. “A moment I’ve been dreading. George (H.W. Bush) brought his n’er-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one (Jeb) who lives in Florida; the one (George W. Bush) who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I’ll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they’ll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work.”
The Herald’s May 1 editorial, “What was not said by Bush,” demonstrated some serious naiveté, highlighted by the editorial’s last sentence, “America doesn’t have time for a solution.” The only solution is to build more nuclear plants, drill more off shore and Alaskan oil which we have in abundant supply, and utilize our unlimited deposits of coal. The combination of all these three energy sources would eliminate the oil crunch and our dependence on foreign oil. What prevented all this from happening over these many years is the Democratic majority in Congress or their filibuster in the Senate. That’s where you should be pointing the finger of blame, Herald, and not at President Bush who has pleaded with Congress to initiate legislation on all of the above — on numerous occasions — only to be rebuffed by Democrats. You ought to be more intellectually honest with your readers, Herald. You obviously are in bed with the Democrats and environmentalists who are the actual culprits for our energy problems. Your immediate call for the conservation of fuel sources is good — but conservation is only a band-aid in the long run. Also, historically, conservation is not a subject the vast majority of Americans like to hear or follow.
Could someone from the newspaper staff find out why the Mexicans can celebrate Cinco de Mayo at Veterans’ Memorial Park when this is called the League of Latin Citizens? Why should Americans celebrate a Mexican holiday? Do any Mexicans here celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Or President’s Day? Or our Fourth of July? Do they pay a fee to have their celebration at the Veterans’ Memorial Park? I bet that if the veterans wanted to have a celebration or a festival in the park they’d be turned down at the drop of a hat. They would be charged a fee if it ever got approved. So why would anyone want to celebrate a Mexican holiday in an American park? Maybe someone from the City Council or the park commission can answer this. I hope someone can.
For Nurses Week May 4-12: Please forget cookies, candies, flowers, flowery speeches and cutesy notes to nurses. All nurses want is about a solid week of undisturbed sleep.
I just wanted to say it is true there is a decrease in the numbers of people frequenting the tribal casinos, but not because of gas prices. The decrease in the number of visitors to the casinos is due to the infrequent payoffs on the variety of slot machines. It used to be that one could play for several hours with $150. Now, $150 lasts about 30 to 45 minutes. I don’t know how others feel, but that is way too much money for me for less than an hour’s worth of gaming. The machines have been set so tight that if there is a payoff, it’s about 20 percent of your input. Also, the payoffs are only at the lower level — no more jackpots! It used to be there were jackpots, flashing lights, etc. Now, the casinos are sparsely filled and no excited gaming players. Yes, I will not go to any tribal casinos in the Tucson area for a long time. We just arrived back from a week-long trip to Las Vegas visiting with the kids. We gambled every night on the slot machines for about 2 hours. We came home about $750 ahead. My understanding is Las Vegas is regulated by the gaming commission to ensure a percentage of payoffs. It appears to me the tribal casinos have no governing board to protect the gaming person. I will not go to another tribal casino unless there is some proven documentation that what I believe is not true.
Gabrielle Giffords said in the May 1 Herald, “Afghanistan represents the front lines of the war on terror.” Agreed. We are fighting al-Qaida in Iraq and al-Qaida is a dominant enemy in the war on terror. Why doesn’t she regard Iraq also as the front lines of the war on terror? Why is she calling for a pull-out of U.S. troops in Iraq? Giffords appears very inconsistent.
Do people spend any time at all thinking about what they are going to say when they call OYM? For instance, the person who called in to agree that the country is deeply racist, that the fact that 90 percent of blacks voted black and 90 percent of whites voted white. Does this person realize how stupid that sounds? Considering there are at least 100 million more whites than blacks how would it be possible for a black candidate to be ahead in the race?
OYM could really help America. Here’s my plan. Get rid of the super delegates. Who are these unknowns? We don’t vote for them; we vote for some other unknown delegates, also. We never vote for the president just a bunch of unknowns. Delegates can also change when they go to the convention. We need a single national candidate election. The winner is then the candidate for his or her party. We would at the very least know that no one else was changing our vote. Six months on campaigns, also; two years is ridiculous. If this current system is the American way, then we have all really lost it. Change the system. Make your vote really count. We can also cut out some of the sickening analysis and polls by the news media. With freedom we need a better sense of responsibility.
MAY 2
To the young people of Bisbee High School: We have no faith in you and your ability to make right decisions. Young people, yes, you are the future leaders of this nation and we have no confidence in you. Therefore, we will hand condoms to you because we know you have the inability to control your own body. See, you’re going to have sex anyway. All you young people do is make stupid decisions anyway, but don’t worry. Here’s a condom. Why, you ask, do we think you’ll make stupid decisions? Because we did. We came from a generation where we had sex with anything that moves and so we are going to assume and project this thinking upon you. Good thing you have the Bisbee High School to encourage you to make the same mistakes. After all, what else are you going to do? Listen to your parents? Yeah right. Don’t listen to them. We know better. Love, The Bisbee school board.
Whoever called in praising the county attorney was either his mother or the many happy defense counsels who get acquittal after acquittal.
This for the folks who are so outraged at China’s overthrow of the Tibetan Theocracy — you don’t have to look so far afield to find such injustices, or to fight against them. In 1893, unscrupulous American businessmen, farmers and merchants fomented an artificial situation whereby they called in military units and overthrew the native Hawaiian Monarchy. Bear in mind that at the time Hawaii was a constitutional monarchy, with (by then) an elected legislature and a continuous cultural identity that stretched back over a thousand years. The Hawaiian Kingdom enjoyed international recognition, had concluded treaties and forged economic ties with many nations, including the U.S. Then President Millard Fillmore, to his credit, recognized the takeover as illegal and campaigned for a return of power to the rightful government. Unfortunately for the Hawaiian people, the U.S. annexed the islands outright using the Spanish-American War as justification. Richard Gere, Steven Segal and everyone who cries “Tibet,” you can better address the injustices committed by your own country, and make “liberty and justice for all” something more than empty words. Mr. President, free Hawaii.
I’ve been reading the OYM comments about the West End of Sierra Vista. I would like to ask our Planning and Zoning Commission and the powers that are in control of Sierra Vista to just take a drive south on Carmichael and take a look at the mess that is down there on the east side of Carmichael. It is an absolute and utter disgrace. On both sides of the street some old man has a junkyard and that’s a nice way of putting it. It’s anything but nice. I understand he has been cited repeatedly and he pays a fine and he gets away with it. I live in an apartment complex and I am embarrassed to have my friends come down here and see the mess. It’s not just on those two corners. It’s all through this area and the city of Sierra Vista has done absolutely nothing about it. Why? I’d like an answer if someone can give it to me.
I used to live in Sierra Vista and I got so fed up with the local lawmakers I moved to the country. They love to spend our taxpayer money. The West End; ha, ha, that was a joke. Another thing, there are more city buses than there are passengers. Whoever has seen a regular bus go off the public streets? You City Councils are a big joke. Thank God I moved. How long are the citizens going to put up with these high spending taxpayers and their lawmakers? There are some people who praise these lawmakers for spending our taxpayers’ money. Ha, ha.
I don’t care how much old Lute makes or how much money he brings into the U of A (University of Arizona). No one is worth $2,000 per day. That’s twice what our clown president makes. Neither of them is worth a token of that kind of money. Our minimum wage earners are making $40 per day. Poverty level is about $50 per day. I guess I’m lucky. My retirement fixed income averages $80 per day. In this crazy world of today nobody knows the value of a dollar anymore. Just read this morning two people turned down a little over $100 grand for Bisbee schools superintendent job. When is it all going to end? Soon, I hope.
To Elaine Kelly wrote on May 27, 2008 8:14 PM: