Letters to the editor: Nov. 18

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 comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Submit your letter to the editor

NATURAL GAS

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Bill promotes new use

Arizona Pickens Plan members thank Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., for co-sponsoring a bipartisan bill, HR 1835, which is called the Natural Gas Act of 2009. This bill encourages the U.S. to use natural gas to replace foreign oil. Natural gas is cleaner and cheaper than petroleum, and the U.S. reserves of natural gas are greater than the oil reserves in Saudi Arabia. We appreciate Shadegg’s support of a pragmatic bill that uses U.S. resources to reduce security threats, create green jobs and improve the environment.

More than 21,210 Arizonans joined with oilman T. Boone Pickens to demand the development of a cohesive, robust and long-term energy policy. This plan, the first in more than 30 years, relies on wind, solar and natural gas as tools to break dependency on foreign oil, perhaps within the next five years as targeted by Pickens Plan members.

Shadegg recognizes the need to use resources at hand to reduce security threats from U.S. dependence on foreign oil. America’s truck fleets cannot run on batteries. Did you know that the U.S. spent $25 billion in September for petroleum imports? Shadegg understands what those billions could do for the economy if left in the U.S. For example, that amount could create many jobs.

We send Shadegg a heartfelt thank-you for his support of HR 1835. He puts the needs of his constituents above partisan politics. We urge all our congressional representatives to sign on to the Natural Gas Act in the House and the Senate for a better America and a secure and energy independent future.

DAVID CLEMENT

PICKENS PLAN VOLUNTEER

MESA

HEALTH CARE REFORM

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Mitchell chose right path with 'yes’ vote

Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz., finally moved forward and said that he will vote for the president’s health care bill. Yeah, Harry! He had me worried for months. I know that it is hard to vote against this state’s Republicans, but there are also consequences to voting against the president. This is a great moment where we show concern for our fellow Americans.

ELIZABETH KIWAK

SCOTTSDALE

ORGAN TRANSPLANTS

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Make donors top priority to receive

Adriana Martinez of Gilbert was very lucky to get a liver, small bowel and pancreas transplant (Tribune, Nov. 13). More than half of the 100,000 Americans on the national waiting list will die before they get a transplant. Most of these deaths are needless. Americans bury or cremate 20,000 transplantable organs every year.

There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage — give donated organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die. Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren’t prepared to share the gift of life should go to the back of the transplant waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.

Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a nonprofit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at www.lifesharers.org or by calling (888) 674-1688. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition. LifeSharers has more than 13,000 members, including 334 members in Arizona.

DAVE UNDIS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LIFESAVERS

NASHVILLE, TENN.

ABORTION

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Only poor people denied coverage

This is the height of hypocrisy by Congress on abortion. All Republicans and some Democrats will not vote for a national health care program if it includes abortions. But the Republican National Committee’s health care insurance covers elective abortions.

U.S. taxpayers pay more than $15 billion dollars a year for 8.5 million federal employees to have health care coverage that also covers abortions. The very same senators and House of Representatives with their platinum health care also covers abortions. They are only denying poor people the same coverage everyone else is receiving.

JOHN ANDERSON

MESA

Soft Drinks

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Tax could fund health care

A tax on carbonated soft drinks would raise, in a relatively painless manner, much needed revenue to fund health care. The most efficient way to administer this would be to tax the syrup used for soda at the manufacturers’ level. This cost would be passed on to consumers through the marketing chain. The demand for soda is elastic. Manufacturers don’t have to worry about sales suffering because Americans will continue to buy the taxed soft drinks whenever and wherever with little respect to cost.

Note how we now can buy soda in packs at grocery stores for less than 25 cents a can. However, we readily pay $1 or more for a soda from a vending machine. A self-serve soda at fast food outlets will cost even more as does a soft drink served at your favorite restaurant. We even pay several dollars at sporting events for our must-have soda.

Taxing soda will allow all Americans to help finance much needed health care. Pennies could raise billions of dollars.

Carol Poe

Sun Lakes

TRASH COLLECTION

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Town should sign contract

I fully support the proposal to contract Right Away Disposal for Queen Creek trash services. I currently pay $15.66 a month for regular trash pickup from Right Away Disposal. I also pay $10 a month for recycle pickup from Mountain View Recycling. I am more than pleased to pay $15.41 for both.

Also, reducing the amount of heavy vehicle traffic in our neighborhoods will reduce wear and tear on our local streets. Reducing the number of large vehicles in neighborhoods, especially in the morning, will increase the safety of schoolchildren and morning commuters. A final point: Noise levels in the morning will be reduced. I really like this aspect of the proposal.

Right Away Disposal has provided reliable service for me and my family. I see no negative aspects of this proposal. I strongly encourage the Town Council to approve this proposal.

KYLE ROBINSON

QUEEN CREEK

Q.C. shouldn’t impose

We live in Circle G at Queen Creek at Hawes and Chandler Heights roads. We have Right Away Disposal for our garbage service and we are happy with them. But we are wildly disappointed to hear that Queen Creek could take over garbage service. We receive and need twice-a-week garbage pickup, which is our contracted service amount. We pay $15.50 per month. If the town takes over, we will get half of our garbage service (once a week) for the same amount of money. But because we need twice-a-week pickup, we will have to get two cans, which will probably double our cost to $30 per month.

We see no advantage for any of us with this municipal service; we do not wish to participate in it. Ask the Town Council to include an opt-out clause (at least for those of us who live on an acre or more), so we are not forced into a bad program. Also, we are not interested in any of their recycling programs as we have almost no recyclables. We don’t drink soda or use plastic or glass bottles. It would take us two months to fill up a recyclable container.

NORBERT AND SHARON GRISMER

QUEEN CREEK

PRESIDENT OBAMA

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Must boldly act

This state like the rest of the states in this great country are in dire need of help. We are sitting on the brink of a greater depression than we had with the one in the ’30s.

We have politicians who completely refuse to do their jobs; they want the people to vote for the very thing that they were elected to take care of. Their pride is so huge and out of whack, they would rather see this state and this country go down the tubes than to take care of their elected responsibilities.

You are so afraid that a black man will fix the problems that a white man and his administration created, that you completely refuse to take any responsibility for your own actions and do your jobs. A little secret here, if the Democrats choose to go down the same path as Republicans and not take care of their responsibilities that they were elected for, they will find themselves in the same position as Republicans, in the minority.

People are sick and tired of incompetent and lazy politicians who don’t do the things that they say they will do. All of this posturing that goes on is for idiots; there is a big majority of the populace who know how to think.

STEVE ROBERTSON

SAN TAN VALLEY