Mailbag

A Morality Issue: Let the Taxpayers Choose Whether to Pay Lawmakers

While I appreciate Frank Antenori’s efforts to at least partially rid us of the virus that has become our camera-infected society, I am disgusted by his attempt to get out of a 2009 traffic ticket by claiming immunity (“Stopping at Red Lights Is for Liberals,” The Range, March 21).

He calls himself a leader. I’m sorry, but leaders don’t hide behind the skirts of immunity when they do wrong. They stand up, fess up and move on.

Maybe it’s time our legislators took a few minutes from all of the time they spend trying to control every aspect of our lives, to try to control their own. They can start by eliminating immunity for themselves, and then expecting, and demanding, that each of them conduct themselves as expected by the voters.

Failing that, they need to allow each individual taxpayer to opt out of having any of their tax dollars go toward the legislators’ salaries. This would, of course, be based on each taxpayer’s moral beliefs.

Dave Rollins

A Comment From a Reader at TucsonWeekly.com

Regarding “The Patterson Follies,” Editor’s Note, April 5:

The people who have had regular interactions with Daniel Patterson in the course of the regular business of the House of Representatives would have the most to say, and the biggest stake in the outcome of this situation. From the perspective of (Pima County Democratic Chairman) Jeff Rogers, he hasn’t been directly aware of those interactions at the House. That House Minority Leader Chad Campbell is taking the lead in pushing this situation to resolution is very appropriate. From my discussions with him, he’s been aware of the problem for a long time. The public incident with (Georgette) Escobar a month or so ago made it all come to a head at the Capitol. To protect his staff and colleagues, Campbell is taking an appropriate stand.

—Steve M

This article appears in Apr 12-18, 2012.