Letters to the Editor by Carole Clark

     As Harry Carey used to say, “Holy Cow!” The 2020 election season has only one week left — seems like it’s been going on for five years! Since so many Arizonans vote early or by mail, most of the ballots are in already, so it’s too late to do much persuasion. I just wanted to commend all of our Democratic candidates for working as hard as they could under the toughest of circumstances. Especially our Pinal County candidates who participated in every town hall meeting and debate; the values and policies of the Democratic Party were well represented. Democrats offered pragmatic solutions to the problems facing our nation, our state and our county!

     Additionally, our volunteers were engaged, inspired and tireless as they worked for months on end to carry our message of hope to Arizona’s working, retired and neediest families. We were on Zoom meetings, honking our horns in car rallies, writing postcards, dropping literature at doors, pounding signs into the ground and making phone calls — we left no task undone! We as Democrats are proud of our party and our candidates. During these extremely troubled times in America, we stand as the party of inclusion, offering an honest and data driven approach to problem solving. Whether you voted with us or not, we care about each and every one of you and will never stop working to make America better for us all!

     The Arizona Republic reported the results of a couple of polls taken recently in Arizona. The phone surveys asked registered voters to identify their top issues in 2020. Surprisingly, some 71% identified climate change as their No. 1 concern. Coming in second was funding for public education followed by access to affordable quality health care.

     I said surprisingly because the Arizona Republican Party believes the only Arizona issue is how low your taxes are. Arizona is controlled by a political party that can’t even name any of the actual top three issues. This disconnect becomes very clear when you take a close look at the GOP’s dismal record on these crucial issues.

     The GOP members of the state Legislature to a person are science deniers. They’ve never come close to fully funding public education — the results make headlines: teacher shortages and decrepit infrastructure keeping Arizona among the lowest rated systems in the nation. The GOP continues to push for an end to the law that provides basic affordable health coverage for millions as well as protections for those with pre-existing conditions. They have never once offered a plan that actually works.

     In 2020, we have a chance to make a real and significant difference by electing state senators and representatives that agree with Arizonans on what’s really important. We can choose to elect people who care about working families. It’s time we chose problem solvers over uncaring career politicians.

     In LD8 we need to elect Barbara McGuire to the state Senate and Sharon Girard to the state House. In LD11 we need to elect JoAnna Mendoza to the state Senate and Dr. Felipe Perez to the state House. By electing these highly qualified and committed candidates to our state capital, we will begin to work on the issues that really matter in people's lives.

     Most effective leaders are consensus builders. They’re adept at getting people together to solve mutual problems. Those leaders tend to bring out the very best in others, as they encourage cooperation and trust. They usually find the best solutions because they invite ideas from across a wide spectrum of experiences and backgrounds. Unfortunately, this does not describe the current president of the United States.

     Nearly everything Donald Trump does and says alienates more than half of the American public. He has a knack for making every policy decision or public statement about loyalty to him personally or becoming his enemy. As a result, we find an America so starkly divided that solutions built with consensus are now impossible. He’s made everything contingent on his sole authority.

     The latest in an infinitely long list of issues revolves around face masks. While virtually every medical/scientific expert tells us face masks save lives, Trump has turned this into a political beachhead. The CDC says some 30,000 fewer Americans will die if we wear them — Trump uses ridicule and intimidation, forcing his loyalists to shun them. Trump has equated face masks to weakness and a statement that his administration is a failure. Trump’s COVID mantra has become: Die for the Dow — it’s all about his reelection.

     Imagine highways without mandatory enforcement of seat belts or children’s car seats, homes with paint containing lead and asbestos or food processing and packaging with no FDA. Society has to place lifesaving restrictions on itself or we all suffer. It’s not what Congressman Andy Biggs calls “tyrannical,” but merely good governance.

     We’re facing some big problems: immigration, racial injustice, overdue policing reforms and a surging pandemic. America desperately needs a consensus builder. America needs leadership based on our common good, not narcissistic whims.

     A letter and story in Tuesday’s Dispatch caught my attention. One titled “LD11 reps are abusing power” called out state legislators for political overreaching while not taking care of real problems in their own communities. The second was “Lawmakers want to make it tougher for workers to sue over COVID-19." While they may seem to be taking up separate issues, they’re actually very closely related.

     The single point is that Arizona’s GOP legislative majority is failing the common, everyday, clock-punching, lunch-bag-toting worker. Hey, of course businesses have been hurt terribly by the virus shutdown — our country is lawsuit crazy — you’ll get no argument from me on either. Yet, the Legislature is focusing all its attention on businesses while ignoring the hardships and health risks of workers.

     If businesses get protected from lawsuits, shouldn’t workers be guaranteed they’re returning to a safe and healthy, pre-inspected environment? If workers can’t sue for negligence, shouldn’t there at least be a whistleblower mechanism in place when the employers fail to meet sanitizing safety standards? If the state’s going to protect owners, why won’t they protect workers by mandating pre-return COVID testing and additional followup testing at regular intervals — paid for by the state?

     Everyone has been impacted by COVID-19 infection and/or the economic shutdown. Every segment of our community has suffered — some much more than others. But if, as our political leaders frequently say, “We’re all in this together," then we need to come out of this all together. We need to help business owners, employees and customers get through this all together. We need elected representatives who understand what “all together” really means!