Water War 2007

Marana wants to take over the Marana Water Treatment Facility from the county, but Pima County bond money paid for it, thus the people of Pima County paid for this facility but the city fathers of Marana feel entitled to it! Nice deal for them!

The people of Marana should pay for their own plant. They should tax developers and tax the people already there rather than concentrating on bringing in more people when the water supply is inadequate.

Ramos and Campeon

Rio Nuevo's Progress

Pima County Water Woes

BOOM TIMES

Arizona Budget Department of Education

An examination of the Arizona State Budget portion of the Department of Education revealed many good points and a few items that perhaps need illumination.

Increasing the base level funding by 3% seems a bit excessive when perhaps others must economize. $46,000,000 more payments to the schools must be accompanied by proven cost saving measures. Why raise the percentage rather than just award a one time bailout with mandated cost cutting?

An increase of 2% in the transportation funding amounts per route mile encourages the profligate use of expensive fuel resources. The transporting of children miles from their homes to attend a large school may be no longer cost effective when insurance and vehicle expenses plus an increase in fuel prices affect the bottom line. Granting the schools a 2% raise in transportation funding does nothing to encourage conservation of our monetary or fuel resources.

Research on small schools shows less discipline problems and other social benefits, while internet studies allow bright students to pursue their interests from world class instructors. Times have changed and our technology allows us to use different solutions than were previously available. Local small schools would relieve the state of huge transportation bills.

I would hope that the budget encourages conservation. Excess utilities also does nothing to encourage conservation, while the average citizen is being hit with increasing utility costs, the public schools get a raise.

I do not know the details of the funded e-learning program, but research in that area seems appropriate.


Dorothy Prater Niemi Ed.D. NAU 1995

War Mongering

I see that war rhetoric is popular with the journalists, rather than the reasoned review of the possibilities of peace talks among adversaries in the region east of Europe yet west of China. Emphasis on war talk and downplaying the coming meeting of the minds is irresponsible.

Mr. Lieberman is openly calling for opening another front. What stupidity when the troop levels are now called insufficient for the present ambitions. Is this man representing the needs of the United States of America?

The cost of this two pronged war is astronomical in both human and economic terms. This course cannot be continued. When US casualty numbers are reported, perhaps the Iraqi casualties should also be shown, be they generated by civil war or our raids.

Let me create a scenario.

Mexico and Canada have been invaded by a great power hostile to us. Do we sit by or try and help those opposing the occupation? We might ready ourselves for war, in the face of warlike rhetoric and threats made by another near neighbor. Of course we act to protect ourselves. Anybody would. Mr. Ron Paul is correct. Walk a mile in my shoes.

So Iran is interested in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of course we need to talk to Iran. And we do not need warmongers to succeed in setting off yet another Mideast war before the talks occur. Why do they not want the talks to succeed? Who is profiting by this war? Can we afford to waste these petroleum resources? How much in debt are we as a result of this war?

I do not understand why the fools did that 911 death dealing. More war mongering. We have the world we have. We must deal with the coming problems and take a long term view of the survival needs of our world community without decimating our living environment.

Our leaders are wasting time and resources to secure petroleum supplies that may run out before we can pay for the war. If the appointment of Navy to control what has been a ground war presages attacks from the sea, then perhaps the war mongers are at work. Protecting the international shipping lanes is legitimate: opening another war is not.

I think that all societies should reevaluate war mongering. Perhaps other leaders with new ideas for solving the problems will come to the forefront.