A ballot proposition that seeks improved conditions for livestock has drawn hundreds of thousands of dollars from animal rights groups and agricultural organizations across the country.

Editor's Note: These letters to the editor have been sorted by topic by the Tribune editorial staff in an effort to allow readers to read varied opinions on the issues, candidates, and other circumstances surrounding the 2012 general election. These submissions are the opinions of the author, not the Tribune, and have not been edited for grammar or content.

Arizona voters will see Proposition 204 described on their ballots as a “tax increase’’ despite protests from proponents that it really is not.

Gov. Jan Brewer is meeting with financial aides Monday to see how much more the state can put into public education.

PHOENIX – An obscure nonprofit that gave another $175,000 this week to the campaign against Proposition 204 is using anonymous contributors to manipulate voters, the head of a group supporting the measure said.

In some respects, it’s easier to make a case against Proposition 204 than it is to support it. This measure on the Nov. 6 ballot would keep the state sales tax at 6.6 percent with most of the funds from a permanent 1-cent surcharge going to Arizona’s public schools. If it fails, the sales tax drops back to 5.6 percent. And who wouldn’t like to pay lower taxes? Plus, many credible organizations and individuals — from the Arizona Chamber of Commerce to the Goldwater Institute to Craig Barrett, former CEO of Intel — oppose it for a variety of legitimate reasons.

The East Valley Chambers of Commerce (EVCCA) released its 2012 Voters Guide with a message from the business community: permanently raising taxes on Arizona’s families is bad for our local economy.

The initiative for a permanent one-cent sales tax increase, known as Proposition 204, will be presented before voters this November on the ballot, causing a mixed bag of reactions among organizations and residents.

PHOENIX -- Two leading anti-abortion groups are urging voters to reject Proposition 204 under a theory that some of the money raised by the tax could wind up in the coffers of Planned Parenthood.

PHOENIX -- Two leading anti-abortion groups are urging voters to reject Proposition 204 under a theory that some of the money raised by the tax could wind up in the coffers of Planned Parenthood.

A complaint about an illegal campaign contribution to the Proposition 204 campaign appears to have little legal merit, according to the Secretary of State's Office.

A complaint about an illegal campaign contribution to the Proposition 204 campaign appears to have little legal merit, according to the Secretary of State's Office.

The arguments of Arizona’s farmers and ranchers against Proposition 204 on the Nov. 7 ballot appeal strongly to the libertarian nature of the Tribune Editorial Board.

Mayors from throughout Arizona are declaring their support for Proposition 204, the Quality Education and Jobs Act. The coalition of mayors supporting investment in education, childhood health care and infrastructure includes Greg Stanton of Phoenix, Jonathan Rothschild of Tucson, Mark Mitchell of Tempe, Bob Barrett of Peoria and Arturo Garino of Nogales.

So here in the East Valley, most of our large school districts had overrides -- Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe High School District, and Higley -- on the Nov. 6 ballot.

The Governor’s plan to add more than 300,000 Arizonans to the Medicaid rolls will do nothing more than facilitate and expand ObamaCare. Voters clearly expressed their will to reject implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) via Proposition 106 in 2010. If this expansion goes through, nearly one fourth of all Arizonans will receive free taxpayer-paid medical care. This isn’t a ”safety net” for the poorest citizens. It is an incentive program for socialized medicine.

Gov. Jan Brewer said she's willing to work with supporters of Proposition 204 for more money for the classroom -- but only after voters kill the initiative.

Backers of a statewide initiative to ban smoking in bars and restaurants fear Big Tobacco’s huge contributions to a competing measure will blow away their efforts like the wisp from a lit cigarette.

Backers of a statewide initiative to ban smoking in bars and restaurants fear Big Tobacco’s huge contributions to a competing measure will blow away their efforts like the wisp from a lit cigarette.

Voters will get a Nov. 7 ballot filled with 19 proposed laws and state constitutional amendments, tying a state record for the most propositions in a general election. The Tribune Editorial Board presents this guide to help voters decipher the issues, and to spark some debate with your friends and family by sharing our opinion about these ballot measures.

Folks, to be honest, I didn’t give a rat’s patootie about the presidential election. In my book, it was a choice between “tweedle-dumb and tweedle-dumber.” On one hand we have a Socialist Wanna-Be, Barack Hussein Obama, and on the other hand a super-wealthy, out-of- touch, silver-spoon guy who took every draft deferment in the book to get out of serving his country. I could care less if it was legally legal or not. In my book, having someone carry “your” gun in time of war is morally wrong.

Age: 57

The other divisions are into postseason play, so these boys basketball rankings are only for 5A: