
August 8, 2018
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Editor: Well it happened again. Another elitist, Roger Fairfield, wrote a letter calling the vast majority of Trump supporters uneducated. Now, according to Roger, you are uneducated if you did not earn a college degree. Well, Steve Jobs did not earn a degree, nor did the founders of Home Depot. Many thousands upon thousands of people have done very well in their lives without a college degree. They have made excellent life decisions and led honorable lives.

Editor: This year marked the 12th annual Prescott Area Artist Studio Tour. We wish to thank our many art supporters for their contributions, our talented area artists for their participation and donations of raffle items, and the public for your interest in attending our Gala Pre-Tour Reception at the Elks and visiting our Studios and Art Centers during the Tour to learn how we do our art.

Editor: In April of last year I wrote a letter to the DC giving some data about primary and secondary education spending in 2015 (the most current data available at that time). My letter used data published by the Census bureau that shows the amount of education spending in each state and it breaks out “Instructional” spending from total spending.

Editor: My family and I attended the Oct. 22, 2019, Town of Prescott Valley Public Works & Utilities Department Open House. A well-made presentation was made by Norm Davis, PE, about Prescott Valley road expansions; landscaping of Glassford Hill Road median; chip seal projects; future development, and how the town puts our tax dollars to good use.

On Wednesday, Oct. 24, Congressman Paul Gosar posted on his official Facebook page an impassioned cry about “Adam Schiff’s Soviet-style inquiry” in his “secret room.” The congressman went on to say that “Not ONE member from Arizona is allowed to enter ... “ His post came after Wednesday’s Republican impeachment protest.

Editor: Prescott residents welcome all to our wonderful place. We share our culture yet are protective of it. Prescott has an easy pace. You see it in the “howdy” to strangers at a store checkout. We take time to enjoy life easy. We leave early so we don’t have to rush to wherever we are headed. We take a passive approach to a comfortable life.

Do you know anyone who takes Synthroid, Crestor, Lyrica or Januvia for fun? Neither do I. Medicine is for health care purposes, strictly dosed and prescribed. When people start thinking of medicine as “recreational,” you get the opioid crisis. What if OxyContin or fentanyl or other opioids were made legal for “recreation?”

I admit I am a newcomer to the beautiful town of Prescott. We moved here for the same reasons most others do; the beauty of the area, the weather, the “hometown” feeling of this wonderful community, etc. Imagine my dismay upon learning of the impending construction of the new adult criminal justice facility on Prescott Lakes Parkway. All I can wonder is, “Why?”

Editor: I’m a huge fan of Nigel Reynolds’ column. It has taken me to a lot of interesting places I would not have seen otherwise. His Prescott Circle Trail Guide gave me, a novice hiker at best, the confidence to go exploring on my own. I highly recommend those new to the area hike the Prescott Circle Trail. In addition to becoming familiar with the area, you will see the remnants of old ranches, gold mines, springs, wildlife and archeological sites.

I am a 91-year-old native born Arizonian and have literally walked, hunted, fished and explored most of Arizona — including the bottom and river of the Grand Canyon. I have great difficulty in seeing the Arizona I grew up with covered with asphalt, concrete and condominiums — but, that is what many call “progress.”

Alexandra Piacenza (Where Is Robin Hood, 7/28/2019) completely ignores that the proposed change to the food stamp (SNAP) program is to close a loophole created by the previous administration that allowed states to significantly exceed federal asset and income thresholds and dole out $2.5 billion annually of taxpayers’ money that recipients would not otherwise be entitled to.

Editor: A large group from my neighborhood attended a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting months ago to voice our strong disagreement to a new proposed development here. We spoke of how increased traffic would affect Bradshaw Drive, already a dangerous steep and winding road. We spoke of the character of our neighborhood, the homes and natural ambience.

Editor: This is regarding Stanley C. Brown’s letter on Aug. 15 titled “Separation From Parents.” Mr. Brown says being separated from his parents for an hour at a fair in 1932 left a “life long dark spot on my psyche.” So he thinks President Trump should be charged with child abuse for separating children from their parents at the border.

Editor: While I don’t condone it, I can understand it under certain conditions. I grew up at the tail end of WWII and saw a lot of hatred. Many of those in Europe lost not only husbands, wives, children and loved ones, many of them lost their homes, their businesses, property and everything they owned due to the rise of the Nazi Party.

Hal Cohen’s Aug. 1 letter on Ronald Reagan’s position on immigration is confusing because he (purposely?) omitted the terms illegal and legal. Reagan was a proponent of LEGAL immigration and an opponent of ILLEGAL immigration. At the time, he was joined in his hatred of illegal immigration by one of his contemporaries, Caesar Chavez.

Editor: Robin Hood to the Rescue? The US Dept. of Agriculture proposed closing a loophole that has allowed states to make participants receiving TANF, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, automatically eligible to participate in SNAP, the food stamp program. Source: Wash press release Jul. 23, 2019.

I think it would be a great idea if the one of our local law enforcement agencies (YCSO, PPD, PVPD) had a “Safe Internet Exchange Zone” in their parking lot so people selling items privately, like on Craigslist, could feel safe when meeting people they don’t know to sell their items.

Editor: Economic inequality in America is real. In fact, studies show that it’s a good deal greater here than in any other industrialized country, and has been increasing since the 1970s. As we all know, big money translates into big power. We have a regressive tax system that aids mainly the rich and very low spending on federal assistance programs.

Editor: RE: Gruden, Fitzgerald, work to build grassroots sports in Daily Courier article: https://www.dcourier.com/news/2019/jul/19/gruden-fitzgerald-morgan-work-build-grass-roots-sp/ What’s really sad is that kids—and their parents—today expect sports and games to be organized and arranged for them, by adults.

I am a 91-year-old native born Arizonan and have literally walked, hunted, fished and explored most of Arizona — including the bottom and river of the Grand Canyon. I have great difficulty in seeing the Arizona I grew up with covered with asphalt, concrete and condominiums — but, that is what many call “progress.”

There are so many things to like about our town of Prescott where I have been fortunate to reside for the last 20 years. I love the small-town feel, the friendly residents, its rich history reflected in the architecture, and especially all the beautiful open space with gorgeous views of forest, mountains, lakes and, of course, the unique beauty of the DELLS.

Our city officials seem obsessed with growth. I get it, Prescott has a huge PSPRS unfunded liability and in the short term growth generates new revenue in the form of permit fees and utility fees. New residents mean more property tax and new customers for local businesses, which turn further increases tax revenue. Sadly, this bump is short-lived.

The rant quoting Pope Francis that “clergy sex abuse not to be reported to police” missed or excluded paragraph seven in the article from the May 11 issue that states for the first time clergy must obey civil reporting requirements where they live and their obligation to report to the church in no way interferes with that.

The efforts of the mendacious Mr. Barr to expunge evidence of Trump’s crimes from the partially released Mueller report were superfluous. Irrefutable evidence that Putin conspired with Trump to install him as president already existed in the public record and is amply confirmed even in the redacted version of Mueller’s Volume I.

While the Arizona Legislature is considering ethical guidelines for lawmakers prior to their election, it would do well to also consider adding guidelines for the behavior of already elected officials who exceed the boundaries of acceptable and ethical behavior by their punitive actions.

In early February, two Prescott residents wrote to the Courier regarding water.

The Dewey-Humboldt Town Council has started the process of allowing steel cargo containers, maximum size 8 feet by 20 feet, on all town properties in Humboldt except for small lots.

The Yavapai County Education Service Agency (YCESA) was fortunate to be part of a partnership led by Steve Schmidt of the Prescott Noon Lions Club in distributing 58 huge boxes of coats (boys and girls, size 4 to 10+) to 16 school districts and charter schools throughout Yavapai County.

On the online version of the Courier (1/16/19) there are headline articles about a total of eight “white” people sentenced for various drug violations, kidnapping a 14-year-old male, a parole violation warrant, unlawful flight and endangerment charges and then one Hispanic man sentenced for murder (it was not mentioned if he was a permanent resident or not so I have to assume he is).

I wish Prescott City Council Members (Mayor Greg Mengarelli, Billie Orr, Steve Blair, Phil Goode, James Lamerson, Alexa Scholl, Steve Sischka, and City Attorney Jon Paladini and City Attorney) would be as engaged and interested in protecting the City Prescott from over development ... especially when you consider the water issue which we face.

I was a “Corporate Gypsy,” residing in 5 states over 30 years. I pursued the American Dream, reaching the pinnacle of my career as CEO of a fairly large division (five brands) in a Fortune 500 Corporation. The 95-year-old company lost its compass (like GE today) and ultimately liquidated all assets by 2001.

Alexandra Piacenza’s column: Civilization 101, Learn to Behave Aug 12. Sounded like a positive, “bring people together” piece until alas, at the end of her column, the only example she gives to this lesson in civility is the “raising middle fingers to reporters and TV cameras at a political rally.”