Nov. 3
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Some politicians are talking about an abrupt ending of the war in Iraq. They had better be very careful and try to remember that Iraq fought an eight year war with Iran just a few years ago and during that war Saddam used weapons of mass destruction. There are some who say he never had WMDs. The Iranians know he had them. Saddam was also capable of having more than two dozen jet fighter planes sealed up to protect their future use and buried them under 10 feet of desert sand. I suppose they also think he could not have buried 55-gallon cans of WMDs. We need to be certain the government of Iraq is prepared to govern all Iraqis equally and has the military well equipped and trained to protect its borders before we leave.
For the person who is getting tired of getting tailgated on Highway 92, move over and get out of the left lane.
What I’ve started doing about gas prices here is I don’t fill up in Sierra Vista. I’ll buy a couple of gallons in Sierra Vista to get me through a few days, but when I get a chance to go to Tucson I fill up. I don’t know who is ripping us off, but I’ll be glad when Sam’s Club gets here. Maybe these guys in town will get the message.
To the caller who wanted to know why the government pays for education and not healthcare, students make up a small percentage of the American population. You want to insure 200 million plus? It costs between $3,000 and $5,000 per year to educate a child. A month’s stay in ICU can cost millions. Is that reason enough? If not, how about the fact that most health problems in this country are self-induced by over-eating, under exercising, smoking, drinking, drug use and the practice of indiscriminate sex. If we couldn’t afford to bail out a family for a $200,000 house which is usually a once in a life time purchase how in the world are we going to afford millions for healthcare? You invite complete and total financial disaster for this country and it’s already on the brink. I suppose that doesn’t matter as long as you don’t have to be responsible for yourself.
Recently I heard of an illegal immigrant who fell off the wall over near Naco and the border. He wasn’t supposed to be on this side of the wall in our country illegally. He fell off the wall and busted his kneecap. It took six hours for our side to get him out of the trench near the wall, and the officers who were helping him out had rocks thrown at them by other Mexican immigrants. He was taken by helicopter to Phoenix and got his kneecap replaced for $50,000. I worked for 48 years of my life and became disabled. I have had to fight state AHCCCS for three years to get reimbursed for medical prescriptions and doctor visits that I paid into three years ago. They keep denying me with nothing more than red tape and paperwork. I paid $2,000 for prescriptions they refused to reimburse even though I was medically eligible for AHCCCS.
Nov. 4
The end of a golden age? I don’t think so. The Republicans, in power for at least 26 years, have not addressed the major issues of our time: healthcare, education, energy, debt. They have put us in a giant hole. Instead of offering solutions they have resorted to blame, name calling and mud-slinging. Instead of bringing the nation together they have engaged in wedge politics. North against south, east against west, black vs. white, etc. A lot of smoke but no substantive heat. Fear, anger, hate, violence are not solutions. They make great tools for dividing us however. There is no doubt that the Republicans have used them to divide and conquer. We need to be smarter than that. Maybe it will change. Soon. Adios, George.
After visiting New Mexico, we arrived back in Sierra Vista to find gasoline prices were 50 to 75 cents more per gallon than in Albuquerque. After paying around $2.30, it is noticeable when a tank of gas costs $15 to $20 more. Having relatives in Texas, we were told gas there was $2.10 and a relative in Ohio said gas there was $1.99. We in south Arizona are paying up to a dollar more for a gallon of gas than folks back east. It might cost a few cents more to get the gas here, but a dollar a gallon? In Texas just after the hurricane hit near Houston, there was speculation gas prices would be higher because some stations would be shut down without power. The authorities announced there would be a crackdown and prosecution of any price gougers. So, maybe if some price gougers in Arizona were prosecuted we could enjoy fair gasoline prices.
I wonder who’s cryin’ now?
I don’t know what made me think about this. Our city spent a lot of money to put some of our police force on motorcycles. I don’t see them anywhere. What happened to them?
There’s not a darn thing we can do about the price of gas here in Sierra Vista. For those of you who haven’t lived here a long time, about 10 years ago the attorney general’s office came down and told us unless we can find proof that there is collusion among all the gas station owners in this town there’s not a thing the attorney general’s anti-trust division can or will do. All we can do is go anywhere but Sierra Vista to buy our gas. Go to Palominas, Tombstone, Benson, go anywhere but Sierra Vista. Maybe when they start hurting in the pocketbook they will think about it. But when it’s still 30 or 40 cents difference you’ve got to stop buying in Sierra Vista.
