Letters to the Editor by Deborah Burdett

October 29, 2022

     I love the USA and want to leave it better for future generations. I pray and vote for candidates who espouse our American/democratic ideals: truth, facts, rule of law and equality, liberty, honor and justice for all.

     I believe that the 2022 midterm is the most consequential election of my lifetime because our American ideals and democracy itself are in danger from within. Power-hungry mainstream Republicans abandoned America’s long-held ideals and relinquished the GOP to sociopath Trump and his MAGAs. Enemies of democratic rule, MAGAs plan to overturn elections that don’t go their way, violence being an option as evidenced on Jan. 6. Proving that they care more about regaining power than America, mainstream Republicans are campaigning for MAGAs.

     With nothing more to attract voters than MAGA lies, conspiracies and culture wars, Republicans are falsely blaming Biden for high inflation. Will you trade democracy for autocracy because Republicans duped you into believing that worldwide inflation is caused by Biden? Inflation would be high if Republicans were in charge, but many Americans would be harder pressed without the help that Biden/Democrats are providing.

     Republicans’ voting records and plans confirm their disdain for the majority of Americans and their determination to thwart Biden’s agenda. Republicans rallied against: helping “burn pit” veterans, the infrastructure bill, reducing the cost of insulin for all Americans, the child tax credit and more. Republicans plan to slash Social Security, Medicare, SNAP, Obamacare and aid to Ukraine. Republicans plan to raise taxes on the middle class and to reverse Biden/Democrats' legislation to lower prescription drug costs and relieve student debt.

     Voting for Republicans is voting for the demise of American democracy and to upend the security and quality of life of America’s masses. Regardless of your party affiliation, I urge you to vote for Democrats up and down ballot in 2022.   

September 29, 2022

     I love the USA and thank God every day for all of the rights, freedoms and benefits that citizenship affords me and my fellow Americans. I love that Arizonans can vote by mail and that every vote counts. I love that I receive Social Security and Medicare and want them preserved for future generations. I love that I freely chose to be a mother and want that choice available to every female. I love public education and believe that quality public education is the great equalizer. I love Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and want for everyone the freedom to choose whom they will or will not worship. I want these and our other rights and freedoms protected and preserved for future generations of Americans.

     Our democracy, voting rights (including mail-in voting), Social Security, Medicare, reproductive rights, funding of public education and freedom of religion are all on the ballot in 2022. Arizona’s extreme MAGA Republican candidates (Masters, Crane, Lake, Finchem, Hamadeh and Martinez) are proudly campaigning that they will limit or even rescind those and other rights that we take for granted. Their allegiance isn’t to Arizona and the USA, but to themselves and Trump. Whether they were duped, complicit or deviously opportunistic, Arizona’s MAGA candidates support that pathological liar, corrupt twice-impeached charlatan, traitor and top secret documents thief over truth, justice, logic, rule of law, national security and the American way.

     Arizona’s Democratic candidates (Kelly, O’Halleran, Hobbs, Fontes, Mayes, Seaman and Kerby) will safeguard all of our rights. They’re committed to defending our democracy and solving Arizona’s and America’s real problems.

     Our military protects the USA from foreign threats. In 2022 voters must protect the USA from domestic threats. Patriots, please vote for Democrats up and down ballot to protect our democracy, our rights and freedoms.

August 29, 2022     

     Socialism, it’s the bogeyman buzzword Republicans use to brand Democrats’ policies. But Democrats aren’t changing the U.S. from a capitalistic, free enterprise country any more than Republicans. As evidenced by their voting records, Democrats work to benefit America’s masses; Republicans work to benefit the wealthy and corporations and to defund or privatize the U.S. Postal Service and other “socialist” services and programs that Americans rely on daily.

     Sixty-five million Americans receive Social Security; 64 million receive Medicare. If Republicans regain power, they plan to change or abolish Social Security and Medicare. Though 13.8 million Americans receive their health care insurance through the Affordable Care Act, Republicans plan to repeal it and have been trying to do so for years.

     Two hundred seventy-eight Republican and 0 Democratic legislators voted for Trump’s tax cuts (averaging $50,000 in 2020) for the top 1% of U.S. earners. Every Democratic legislator voted for the Child Tax Credit (which decreased American children’s poverty rate by 40%), as every Republican legislator voted against it.

     Thirty-two Republican legislators voted for Biden’s infrastructure bill. Many who voted against it are hypocritically taking credit for its good-paying jobs and “socialist” projects (improving roads, bridges, highways, public transportation, passenger and freight systems, ports, airports, water systems, broadband and more).

     Every Republican legislator voted against and every Democratic legislator voted for Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which will among other great policies for Americans cap monthly out-of-pocket insulin charges at $35 and annual out-of-pocket drug prices at $2,000 for Medicare recipients.

     Though funding Arizona public schools has for years been a top voter priority, Republican legislators robbed our public school coffers by voting for expansion of vouchers for schoolchildren to attend private and parochial schools (benefiting wealthy families and blatantly crossing the line that should separate church and state).

     Democrats work for the majority of Americans. Please vote for Democrats up and down ballot.

July 29, 2022     

     Donald Trump, the leader of the GOP is a criminal and traitor to the USA. Not only did Trump plan, incite and direct the violent insurrection on our US Capitol, that sociopath

watched it on TV as law enforcement officers were being attacked and beaten by “his people” as they fought to protect and defend our seat of democracy and the lives of

those whom American voters entrusted to it. It took Trump more than 3 hours to call off the carnage and destruction being perpetrated in his name.

     We know that Trump’s criminal behavior wasn’t limited to the Jan 6 th insurrection. Other unsuccessful nonviolent coups preceded it, with the promise of more to follow.

     Trump has many Republican enablers in and out of office who help him in his criminalactivities.Trump’s Arizona accomplices include 2 US Reps Andy Biggs (requested a pardon fromTrump) and Paul Gosar, who attended the Dec 21, 2020 WH planning meeting to overturn Biden’s legitimate victory and 22 AZ Republican party members who

fraudulently claimed to be AZ’s official electors. Among those 22 frauds are: AZ State Rep Jake Hoffman (2022 AZ State Senate candidate who admitted that he was a fake elector on TV news), Anthony Kern, (Jan 6 th protester while an AZ State Rep and 2022 AZ State Senate candidate), James Lamon (2022 US Senate candidate), along with Dr.Kelli Ward AZ GOP Chairwoman, her husband, Dr. Michael Ward and other AZ GOP

officials. They made a video of their group’s signing the fake elector certificates and issued a news release stating so.

     AZ AG Brnovich (2022 US Senate candidate) hasn’t investigated any of the 22 for fraud of any kind or unlawful use of the AZ State Seal (a class 3 misdemeanor). They would

have been a cinch to prosecute considering Hoffman’s admission; the video and document evidence, their press release; and more.

     The GOP can no longer claim to be the “law-and-order party”. With Trump as their leader and his MAGAs running in 2022, expect more coups and violence.

     Let’s restore integrity to AZ government. Please vote for Democrats up and down ballot. 

June 30, 2022     

     “A republic, if you can keep it," an ominous and foreboding warning of the fragility of our democracy from Ben Franklin, and a clarion call to patriots to protect it. We came close to losing our republic on Jan. 6, 2021, and are still at risk of losing it because captive to Trump, the Republican Party is a clear and present danger to American democracy.  

     The Jan. 6 committee hearings have shared facts and sworn testimony from Trump’s innermost circle including his daughter Ivanka, stating that by early December they and Trump knew that Trump lost the 2020 election. Yet, Trump and his MAGA allies relentlessly broadcast his Big Lie without objection or correction from mainstream Republican leaders. Duped by Trump’s Big Lie, Trump scammed his MAGA supporters out of $250 million for his nonexistent “Official Election Defense Fund." With knowledge of the illegality of their actions, Trump and his MAGA accomplices in and out of office engaged in criminal coups to overthrow Biden’s legitimate victory, culminating in the violent Jan. 6 insurrection.   

     As Trump did in 2016 and 2020, MAGA Republican legislators and candidates are boldly proclaiming that the only way that they can lose in 2022 is from election fraud. They’re blatantly promising to fix it so that they win even when they lose. They pledge to void their fellow Americans’ votes, thus annihilating the most fundamental tenet of our democracy, as mainstream Republicans silently stand by, ignoring their duty to protect and defend our republic.

     Americans will soon celebrate our beloved 4th of July, Independence Day, democracy, freedom, all of our rights. A few months later, voters will decide if we remain a democratic republic or devolve into autocracy. I pray that we keep our republic. Patriots, please vote for Democrats up and down ballot.  

May 31, 2022     

     “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time,” sage advice from Maya Angelou. Patriots beware: Many current and pending Republican leaders and legislators have repeatedly shown us who they are — corrupt, lying, hypocritical, power-hungry obstructionists; fascist, autocratic extremists; exhorters of white supremacy and other hateful and absurd conspiracy ideologies; legislating to limit our rights and planning to upend our democracy while cognizant Republican legislators cowardly and silently stand by.  

     Those Republicans’ loyalty isn’t to our US. Constitution, our democratic republic or the American people, but to their ambition, power and Trump, a twice-impeached president, the instigator of the Jan. 6 insurrection, the purveyor of over 30,000 lies made during his presidency including the Big Lie.  

     The Republican Party leadership insults us, labeling the vicious, deadly revolt perpetrated by Trump’s insurrectionists as “legitimate political discourse” and a “normal tourist visit." Hours after Trump’s and his Republican allies’ violent and deadly insurrection, 147 Republican legislators voted as Trump instructed to overturn the will of the voters. Across the U.S., Republican candidates for our 2022 election are blatantly campaigning with the promise of subverting voters’ choices that don’t put Republicans in power, thus ending our democracy.   

     Time and again, Republicans have shown us who they are. Republican legislators disregard what most Americans want and need. En masse Republican legislators vote: against common sense gun laws (supported by 90% of Americans); against infrastructure bills, yet hypocritically take credit for the projects benefiting their constituents; for tax cuts for the rich. Just last week, 192 Republican legislators heartlessly voted against the bill for getting baby formula to sick American babies.  

     Patriots, show us who you are, regardless of party affiliation. Our country needs you to protect our democratic republic by voting for Democrats up and down the ballot.