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. Due to the volume of submissions, comments will be limited to 150 words or fewer. Comments are edited. The Herald/Review’s also has a policy regarding On Your Mind comments due to the primary election on Sept. 2. On Your Mind comments on the primary were accepted until 5 p.m. on Aug. 20. The final political comments on the primary are printed today. This policy is to allow candidates time to answer any comments that might be made.

The people of Sierra Vista will soon be voting for county judges. I believe all candidates should be tested for drug abuse. Drug testing should be part of all employment, doctors, lawyers and all state and county officials. Why is this not enforced?

A round of appreciation to the League of Women Voters for offering the public the opportunity to meet and hear the candidates for the extremely important job of Superior Court judge. It was insightful to watch the candidates reveal their true selves and motives for running for office in a position that is ultimately and critically non-partisan, meaning it should not be political and party driven, but attain high goals of intellectual, skillful independence as versus the display of rumor mongering the three challenging contestants spewed. Pity Cochise County families if these would be pretentious law and order candidates gain power over our families and delinquents. The truth is juvenile crime is declining and programs instituted by Judge Littrell but unpopular in the dysfunctional court system is reducing repeat offenders, in the majority of cases versus one sensational and pathetic case, sighted by Contreras who thinks he has all the answers.

This is in response to Bill Cloud’s letter to the editor. I’m offended that he would think we as voters are so naive. He justifies his lack of leadership experience and promotion within the DPS by saying he chose to stay in Cochise County and passed up outside promotion. I don’t buy that. I’m a retired police lieutenant and I can tell you in any department of any size you should be able to promote even if you have to remain in that area for 15 years.

As a public safety employee, I am well acquainted with the Arizona Public Service Employees retirement system. With 20 years of service, you collect 50 percent of your high three years. With a normal life expectancy, Mr. (Bill) Cloud would collect more than a million dollars if he retired. In the retirement system you can buy four years for military service. This only requires you to work 16 years until retirement. Mr. Cloud states on his Web site that he has 19 years. Did he just make poor business decisions?

One candidate running for Division IV judge lists his experience, education, goals and awards. Under “goals,” he states “Consolidation of juvenile cases into one court,” “Moving dependency and delinquency cases back into Division IV,” and “Moving cases forward to timely and effective resolutions.” I agree with these goals. The fourth “goal,” however, makes no sense. The way the ad reads, the fourth goal is to have the experience and ability to work effectively for the citizens of Cochise County. The candidate who I vote for will already have this experience and ability. I am absolutely certain that this individual did not mean to convey this, and perhaps did not even write the ad, but please, if you are running for public office — any public office — review your written comments and think twice before making your verbal ones. They play a big part in how the public perceives your ability to represent them.

Aug. 12

You cannot rush through, so slow down and tarry in our beautiful public library. The library’s the place to help you to ace the teacher’s surprise on the morrow. With self or with buddies, you get joy from your studies and homework you do in the library. There are books you can scan if that was your plan. But it isn’t so hard for a library card to make it real easy to borrow the book you had started to look at when the time ran out and you had to run out and sleep on your studies to fix your new learnings in your privately-owned memory bank. To be quite frank, you will find no crank at our wonderful public library. Inside the library you’re in a think tank where your problems soon shrank and with new and old teachers you’ve boosted your rank! with the help of our public library.

Where does George Bush get off condemning Russia for attacking Georgia when we’re in Iraq? We did the exact same thing. And remember Iraq didn’t attack us, al-Qaida did. We have no right being there. It’s just typical stupid Republican “head where the sun don’t shine” rhetoric.

Diana West, whose column appears in the Herald every Tuesday, is one of the very few columnists who speak out factually and fearlessly about the growing threat of radical Islam around the world and its intolerance of any criticism. As she has pointed out, people have not only been threatened but killed for criticizing or mocking Islam. Even our government has been urged to avoid using the words “Islamic terrorists” and “jihad” for fear of offending the Muslim community. The Herald is considering dropping West’s column. Could it be that in our small town political correctness has trumped freedom of speech? Or has the Herald also been intimidated? In any case, let the Herald know you want her column to continue by e-mailing keith.allen@svherald.com or writing to the Sierra Vista Herald, 102 Fab. Ave., Sierra Vista AZ 85635.

EDITOR’S NOTE: After two weeks of receiving comment, it is clear there are many Diana West fans.

I’d like to say thank you to the Good Samaritan who found my pocketbook in a grocery cart at Fry’s on Friday and turned it in at customer service. It’s nice to know we have honest, lovely folks here in our community. A big “thank you” to whomever you are.

Aug. 13

In July, the Herald reported on a Board of Supervisors meeting where it was recommended that all the lawyers employed by the county receive an across the board $5,000 pay raise. Only Paul Newman was opposed to it. Now that it is official and the pay raises begin in October, where did the money come from and what is the Board of Supervisors proposing to do for all the other county employees? Would the Herald please do a follow-up story? Thank you.

It was brought to my attention after I purchases a new HDTV that in the store the TVs are hooked up to HD so that is why the picture is so great. After getting it home, I learned that my Direct TV has to be upgraded to a larger dish and it is an extra $10 or more per month for the service. Why don’t they explain that to you in the store? On a fixed income, an extra $10 per month (when your Direct TV bill is already $51) just might be too much to handle.

Recently the GAO found that about two-thirds of corporations operating in the U.S. did not pay taxes annually from 1998 to 2005. And guess what the core of McCain’s economic plan is? Cut corporate taxes by 50 percent more. How does he want to pay for this? By raising Medicare taxes on seniors and taxing employer-based health care benefits for families. Working people and seniors will help pay the tab for the corporate tax giveaway. Cut military spending? No way. Our military is by far the strongest in the world, while our trains are among the slowest and our sewers are collapsing. So, the conservatives propose raising military spending and cutting domestic investment. And he promises to balance the budget. Whose back is he going to balance the budget on?

For all those conservative complainers that still don’t understand what Barack Obama stands for, I suggest they read his book “The Audacity of Hope.” They will quickly realize Obama is an intelligent, talented thinker of the 21st century. As for John McCain, not only did he lose my vote a long time ago, he also now has lost my respect. The more McCain goes negative, the more I yearn for a new breed of leadership for our country. Some commentators suggest our governor appoint former Congressman Jim Kolbe to replace McCain should he win the presidency. I suggest the governor replace McCain with Kolbe even when McCain loses.

This is regarding the OYM caller lamenting about how the AP did a vetted article on McCain and not being forthcoming by doing the same on the real Obama. I suggest you read the Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels. It will give you insight on Obama’s plan for America and its people.

Thank you to the Herald for what seems to be a new interest in covering news developments in Mexico. Since some of us live closer to Mexico than to Sierra Vista or Bisbee it’s particularly gratifying to know that you are taking an interest in issues that we find important on the border. Thanks a lot.

Sadly, today’s Russian behavior is identical to their behavior so many generations ago when they created the fictitious “Soviet Union” The entire world needs to remember.

In regards to adding more lanes to our most traveled roads to elevate the traffic problems. Nothing is more frustrating than commuting around town in traffic and being stopped by one car anywhere there is a signal light. In my travels to Tucson, a city that has a great deal more traffic in business districts, I am still able to travel across town without many stops. Most of the roads I travel in the Tucson business district are 4 lanes, same as Sierra Vista, with few having a “turn right only lane.” I believe our city engineers need to “time” our lights to allow a flow of traffic on our most traveled roads. This means to study traffic at different times during a day/week and adjust the lights accordingly. Do away with the “trip” light; i.e. one car stopping 10 vehicles traveling at speeds of up to 55 mph.

The defense of oil bully of the world, Exxon-Mobil, was interesting, to say the least. One could only arrive at $61 billion by including the federal and state tax at the pump, which are ”pass though “ taxes, not actually imposed on Exxon-Mobil. The only meaningful tax burden on Exxon-Mobil is income taxes and property taxes, which we can only guess at. In 1994, an Anchorage court awarded punitive damages of $5 billion to the 34,000 fishermen and other Alaskans affected for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Since then, Exxon-Mobil has paid nothing to them. Exxon has spent millions in legal fees to avoid paying. Recent studies show that an estimated 26,600 gallons of oil remains at Prince Williams Sound. No sign of compassion for the little guy in the heart of Exxon-Mobil. Exxon-Mobil is going to raise gasoline prices according to what the market will bear, not whether or not a windfall tax is imposed.

RE: The American Cancer Society’s District executive director’s letter in the Aug. 13 Herald that states the ACS meets or exceeds the fundraising expense standards of top charity watchdog agencies, including the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, which awarded it the National Charity Seal. What the director forgot to mention was that the fundraising expense criteria for the National Charity Seal is “spend at least 65 percent of its total expenses on program activities.” Now based on this information, would you characterize the endorsement as coming from a “top charity watchdog agency?” Personally, I like the comparison information Pat Wick provided in an Aug. 1 SV Herald piece, which stated that in a 2007 Forbes Magazine article 184 of the 200 largest charities were listed as having better fundraising efficiency and 193 had better charitable commitment ratings than the American Cancer Society.

So often I read in newspapers and hear on TV of the 200 scientists who signed a U.N. declaration concerning global warming and it being man-caused — to prove global warming is a fact. It would be so nice if those 200 scientists would explain to me why the ice in the Arctic has been freezing over more this year than it did in 2007, and also, why the ice in the Antarctic has been freezing at record levels. And it would be equally nice of them to explain why many academics in England are refuting the notion of global warming as man-caused. I often wonder if the “mantra” of global warming isn’t anything more than scare politics. Still, it’s a stretch of intellect to ignore the record cold and snow much of the country experienced this past year and the current ice- freezing going on in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Who can a person contact to complain or try to do anything about these electric bills? My bill last month was $45. It is $77 this month. We are in the process of moving pretty soon but right now we’re in a small two-bedroom house. There are only two of us in this home and it is crazy to have a $77 bill. It is insane. Is there anything a person can do about it? They’re talking about the fuel adjustment cost that just went up. What are the utility companies doing, just throwing the costs onto the people? We have to pay it or we don’t get the service. It’s crazy. It’s all about greed at the top.

This is regarding the people who keep blaming George Bush for everything that’s happened while he’s been in office. Here are some facts: He’s been in office 7 1/2 years. The first six years the economy was fine. A little over a year ago consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2-year high; gas was $2.19 per gallon and the unemployment rate was 4.5 percent. Americans were buying cars, homes, and living large. But once the Democratic Congress came in 2006, yes, we did get a change all right. Gas is $4 per gallon, consumer confidence has plummeted, Americans have seen their home equity drop by $12 trillion, and $2-1/2 trillion has evaporated from their stocks, bonds, and investment portfolios. Yes, Obama is yelling about change. I think Americans have had all the change they can afford. He is not the man to lead this country.

Has anyone in Bisbee ever seen the dog catcher driving around when he’s not on his cell phone? He’s always driving and talking on his cell phone. What an example to set. Every time I see him he’s talking on it. I’ve called and complained about it to no avail.

Aug. 14

I just recently moved to SV and I am appalled that our local schools are displaying the Mexico flag. As a veteran I and my fellow soldiers fought for our flag — a symbol of our nation. Our troops today are doing the same. We did not put our lives on the line for Mexico. These schools belong to America and as such they should only display the American flag and the state flag. What is next — Pledge of Allegiance to Mexico? Give our schools back to the United States of America.

The article in the Aug. 14 Herald, “A generation away, minorities may be majority,” was sobering reading. The message from new Census Bureau projections is that those of us who are not Hispanic, black, Asian, American Indians, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander will become a minority by 2042. This phenomenon highlights the fact that the babies we could have had but chose not to have via birth control and abortion will come back to haunt us. Will our children learn a lesson from our blindness?

This letter is a month overdue. Regarding the display, or lack of display, of the U.S. flag on Fry Boulevard for the Fourth of July. I had out-of-town guests and they all commented that my backyard had more flags flying than Fry Boulevard. I am appalled and disgusted how this being a military town chooses not to display the flag on government holidays. Rest assured the cowboy poetry banners are displayed weeks before the event as well as after. Shame on Sierra Vista.

I had the pleasure of accompanying my sister to her son’s elementary school the other day for an open house function. The people there seemed very nice and the structure seemed fine. But all the fire doors were jacked open with all sorts of devices like books, bookends, and rocks. The air conditioning was spewing out of the classrooms and the exterior doors to the building were jacked open with all sorts of devices. Being a fire fighter I saw that there was not a fire suppression system in this educational facility. It seems to me that the school district is far behind and in violation of fire codes. An excellent facility was in violation of some of the most fundamental fire codes there are. Please, I hope this is not a regular occurrence and that it was only this way for the open house event. I’m very concerned for my nephew’s safety.

Aug. 15

What are you going to do about it, tough guy Bush? Are you going to invade Russia? Come on tough guy. What’s the matter? Do they have weapons of mass destruction?

We really need to do something about our congressmen in Washington. If they were truly our employees like they would make us to believe, we could fire the whole bunch for gross incompetence and hire a whole new batch. Most of them are second rate lawyers who couldn’t make it in a private law firm. Maybe a start would be to change the way they are paid. They have the power to vote themselves pay raises, retirement programs, travel allowances and dozens of other perks that no private firm would allow. Let’s go back and take all of that away from them and start with their basic salary and a required number of days that they have to spend on the job in Washington or they get docked for every day of absence over their allotment. Maybe we could form a non political cabinet that would act as a manager in city government.

When the residents of High Knoll bought their property out there they knew they were buying land in an area that had non-maintained roads. Just live with your decision and quit crying over spilled milk. You made the decision to live there. It’s not up to us to save you now. We all have to make our own way in life. You knew what you were getting into when you bought it.

I agree with the OYM callers complaining about our illustrious school district trying to hoist on us once again a budget override. You screwed us on the last override, shame on you. If we allow this to happen again, shame on us. I’m sick and tired of supporting a school district that hasn’t learned fiscal restraint and lives in a country club atmosphere that most of us were never privy to. We didn’t have a failed academic system that couldn’t compete with Europe or Japan as it exists today. Get back to basics.

Sore loser, Hillary. Now she’s trying to whine and cry her way into some sort of a nomination. She says her supporters’ voices need to be heard. Well, their voices were heard, there just weren’t enough of them. That’s why she didn’t get the nomination. If the Democratic Party is stupid enough to even consider nominating her I will vote Republican.

I see some people are crying doom over Obama’s economic proposals the same way that they did over Bill Clinton’s. Clinton gave us the greatest economic boom in my 60-plus years memory. We should be so blessed as to have eight more years of Clintonian prosperity and peace from Obama. Please God, save us from four years of McBush.

The orange jumpsuit free labor force may not be free to you or me, but it certainly is free to the industry called government. Therefore it’s in the government’s best interest to generate and promote as much crime as possible.

 

Dear “no matter what road we live on,” if Americans are so equal, then why do you have the money? Let me see if I’ve got this right. You take the money and run everyday and we are supposed to clear a path for you so you can enjoy perfect serenity and protect your kids from having to live with ours and you want the police and Pentagon to sanction your goodness. The Constitution protects you by protecting itself in honoring “contracts.” How else would you have gotten away with so much so that you can live way out there without being arrested. I recommend that you continue to participate in the networking before anyone catches on to “your” honesty.

I thought the letter in the July 28 Herald, “World issues that we shouldn’t be blind to,” was a lot of erudite nonsense. The author seems to be living in a vacuum, totally unaware that terrorists don’t honor “good manners.” And I strongly doubt “good manners” will convince Russia to pull its troops out of Georgia.

If you recall, it wasn’t the Electoral College that put Bush in office, it was the Supreme Court, who had no business in deciding the results. Had the votes been counted correctly, the Electoral College would have worked as our Founding Fathers intended. The Electoral College is based on the popular vote; whichever candidate wins the popular vote in each state gets that state’s Electoral College vote. How hard is that to understand?