Don’t Whitewash the Matter: Americans Are Ignorant!
I want to address the Bob Benzinger interview; he is doing a
horrible disservice (TQ&A, Nov. 5).
When asked, “Do you think Americans lack a good, basic knowledge of
foreign policy?” he answered, “Yeah, but a lot of it is cultural, and
cultural isolation. But other countries are culturally isolated, too;
we’re not even the worst. In a lot of ways, we’re actually
less-isolated and less-racist than a lot of other cultures. We don’t
dwell on the past nearly as much as other cultures.”
I would never expect such a poor, inarticulate answer from a teacher
with his background. The answer to that question should be, “Yes.” I
question his credentials based on his poor answer.
Blaming isolation and racism and then applauding the degree to which
we are not is nonsense. If, in fact, we are not as bad as other
countries, then we should be more knowledgeable. Alas, his answer is
convoluted and ill-informed, and whitewashes the fact that the sorry
American public has been lulled to sleep by Fox News.
We are guilty, more than any other country, of supporting a
government which imposes its policies on the rest of the world. America
is the leader of imperialistic foreign policy, and the result is the
highest number of murders in the world!
Karl Henning
Uhlich Let Me Down on the Trash-Fee Issue
It is no surprise to me that Karin Uhlich narrowly won re-election
(“The Power of No,” Currents, Nov. 12).
I purchased a new home nine years ago and kept my old house three
miles away, mainly for storage. I voted for Karin when she first ran.
Following her election, I went to her ward office and explained that I
no longer used the trash and recycling containers at my old residence,
and asked if the city could remove them. I am a senior citizen who has
no pets, friends or relatives living with me, and I generate very
little garbage. Whatever trash I accumulate at my old house, I carry to
my primary residence and dispose of it in the containers there.
I don’t recall whether I spoke with Karin herself or a member of her
staff (I believe I spoke to both), but I was arrogantly told, “How do
we know you won’t be putting your trash in a neighbor’s container or in
a business’ trash bin?” Apparently, I should have known that some
politicians and/or their staff don’t share my ethics. There may be some
truth in saying that politicians are more concerned with their own
political gain than working for the constituents who elected them.
This time around, I didn’t vote for Uhlich; in fact, I didn’t vote
for anybody in my ward. For all these years, I have been paying $28
(now $29) for garbage/recycling pickup once a month at my current
residence. Meanwhile, at the old house, I have been charged nearly $700
over the past four years just for the opportunity to wave at the
garbage and recycling trucks as they pass by. Down the street, a
household with a number of children stuffs their container every week
so high that the lid is never down.
Some people cite the Environmental Services fee as being “unfair.” I
consider it downright criminal. It amazes me that no one has yet
figured out an equitable proportionate fee, like that for water
use.
R. Karl Mehl
Comments From Readers at TucsonWeekly.com
Regarding “Crank It Out!” (Books, Nov. 19):
This is a wonderful article (about National Novel Writing Month),
and it is definitely something worth trying if you are someone who
wants to be a writer/author. I’ve been participating for two years now,
and it is a wonderful experience. Although I am the “pantser” type of
wrimo, I’ve found that without the burdens of having to make everything
believable and getting stuck on revision, your characters will surprise
you with the way they handle situations and move the story on their own
in fast-paced writing. It is truly a neat experience, and I plan to do
it for years to come.
—Jeldi
Regarding “Unincorporated and Unrepresented,” Nov. 19:
Why is this so confusing to the citizens of Marana? They’re
obviously unaware of the way in which our elected “representatives”
work. They’re elected, but they’re never really our “representatives”
until it’s time to be re-elected. The same is true for Tucson and all
municipalities. In Tucson, we had an election that threw out one of the
council members. Guess what? She was allowed to come back the day
before her replacement was to be installed so she could vote for an issue on which the majority of our neighborhoods were opposed. …
On her way out, she was going to be allowed to stab the neighborhoods
in the back as an act of revenge for being removed from office
by—voters! What’s wrong with this picture?! Yet, she was outraged
that, while on vacation, the basic issue was modified slightly, without
her knowledge, by the council, thus making her vote unnecessary. She
went ballistic! And remember that this attitude was displayed the day
before her replacement was to be installed! What arrogance!
That’s the image of our elected “representatives.” Marana officials
are no different. The next time there’s an election … throw them out
so you can install folks who are dedicated to residents first, and
process second.
—Porter
This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 2, 2009.