Letters to the editor: Jan. 7

We encourage readers to submit letters to the editor on issues of interest to East Valley residents. Submissions should be no longer than 300 words, factually accurate and original thoughts of the writer. Please be brief and include name, address, city and phone number for verification. Letters and call-in comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Submit your letter to the editor

SCHOOL FUNDING

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Invest money instead of cutting property taxes

Sen. Jim Waring, R-Phoenix, must be stopped. He cannot repeal the state equalization property tax that helps school-age children. Why do some politicians seem to think it is okay to hurt children when times get tough?

Yes, it is true that children cannot vote. But their parents can and already have, and I am a voting parent, teacher and Realtor. Rather than repeal a tax that collects only $4 to $7 per month in property taxes from the average Arizona homeowner, invest this revenue in our schools to keep teachers in the classroom, prevent increases in class size, and prevent harmful cuts to public schools. I know as a Realtor that homeowners would see it as an investment amount if they knew the Legislature was ensuring it was going to our public schools. Houses are worth nothing if the schools within the neighborhoods are poor.

The $250 million that this tax will produce beginning in June 2009 could prevent the layoff of 5,000 school employees. Such a layoff would just add to our state’s economic problems.

Please prevent such irresponsible behavior in a state that is so far behind in its commitment to public school funding and unable to balance its own state budget.

LISA LOSCHETTER-GEUSIC

GILBERT

TERRY GODDARD

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Stance on drugs makes no sense

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard’s recent letter (“AG says he supports current laws,” Dec. 29) has no logic behind it.

He says that marijuana sales are “the major source of funds for Mexican drug cartels,” and that drug traffickers are a growing threat. However, he is against legalizing marijuana.

That’s illogical. If marijuana were legal, drug traffickers and drug cartels wouldn’t make a profit, because people could more easily get it from legal suppliers. However, if it remains illegal, then the cartels will continue to profit on the black-market demand. The choice, as it was during prohibition, is to shut down the cartels by legalizing, or to continue the chaos-inducing war on drugs.

MATTHEW JAMES MAHONEY

CHANDLER

JEFF FLAKE

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What’s wrong with 'amnesty’ for the highly educated?

The letter writer who thinks U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., is “Still a champion for amnesty,” (Letters, Dec. 24), might want to look at the legislation.

In his bill, H.R. 7814, Flake asks that amnesty, relating to immigration, be given to persons who have earned a doctorate from U.S. institutions of higher education in math, engineering, technology and science.

Only an idiot would disagree with that, however there are no sponsors.

Then H.R. 1645, to provide for comprehensive immigration reform, and for other purposes, is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez and 79 co-sponsors, one of whom is Flake. Nothing is said in that bill about amnesty.

Surely we need immigration reform. Let us hope that the 111th Congress will take up the issue.

IVA OSHAUNESY

APACHE JUNCTION

HILLARY CLINTON

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Can’t ignore bar to appointment

Letter writer Ron Holt is absolutely correct (“Constitution doesn’t seem to apply,” Letters, Jan. 4). Hillary Clinton cannot be appointed as secretary of state until January 2013, when her current Senate term expires.

No member of either house of Congress is allowed to accept any office which has received an increase in pay during the period for which the Congress member was elected until that term expires. The secretary of state position received a raise while Clinton was a member of the Senate, so she cannot be appointed during the term for which she was elected — 2007 to 2013. This is a clear and unambiguous constitutional requirement.

I don’t care a whit whether or not Clinton becomes secretary of state. It is unlikely that a better choice will be made if the law is followed. What I do care about is that we have a proposal on the board that is blatantly unconstitutional. What will it take to force compliance with the Constitution?

If the president can flaunt constitutional requirements at this juncture, where will he stop? This is a serious issue that needs to be resolved.

DON CARSTEN

GILBERT

WHY?

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U.S. original source of 'new’ industrial techniques

That there are stupid articles printed in newspapers is not surprising, nor is the utter lack of fact checking. Why, I dunno.

“Why? Why? Why?” etc. in the Tribune on Dec. 29 deserves a comment.

Frederick Taylor, co-founder and first president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, began the scientific management of American industries in the late 19th century.

He was the first to attempt to organize industrial engineering in a meaningful way, and published Principles of Scientific Management in 1930.

W. Edwards Deming, a statistician, led America’s “arsenal of democracy” during World War II. America out-produced Germany, Japan, and Russia combined. After the war, Gen. Douglas McArthur brought Demming to Japan and put him in charge of the entire Japanese economy.

Kaizen is a Japanese word; industrial principles such as continuous improvement are not. The Japanese paid attention to Taylor and Demming; America did not. Since the 1930s, Americans have followed the socialist “people management” philosophies like those of Elton Mayo, who contributed such management principles as the company picnics and bowling leagues.

The Japanese got it from us, not the other way around. No one, not even a newspaper, wants to look this uninformed or un-intentionally funny. I’ve asked my self five times, according to proper Kaizen procedures, “Why am I reading this drivel?”

LEONARD MICHAEL PALACE

MESA