Letters to the Editor by Deborah Burdett

April 30, 2022

     Casa Grande has been my beloved hometown for over 42 years. During this time, I’ve volunteered with churches, schools, charity groups, many civic organizations and as a community activist. I’ve earned and maintained the reputation of being honest and trustworthy. I’ve written numerous letters to the editor and been disagreed with as is expected. However, in their March and April letters, B. Marsh and B. Brannigan inferred that I was lying. I don’t take kindly to being called a liar, even by inference.  

     Each could have easily said his/her piece without invoking my name, since much of what each shared had little or nothing to do with the majority or focuses of my letters.   

     As I’ve said before, I’m a patriot and proud Democrat. I regret that my fellow Americans are experiencing the hardships of high inflation. I pray that it will end soon. I’m happy that President Biden is committed to Americans having clean water to drink and clean air to breathe, while recognizing our current energy needs and trying to lower gas prices and get inflation under control. 

     Here are a few facts regarding U.S. oil production. During Biden’s first year in office, the U.S. produced an average of about 11 million barrels of crude oil per day. Trump’s first year average was 9 million barrels per day. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. oil industry currently has over 9,000 approved but unused drilling permits. Regrettably for their fellow Americans, rather than investing in production, it appears that U.S. oil companies prefer to keep supply low and the demand and prices high.  Deborah Burdett, Casa Grande

March 29, 2022

   I thank God every day for the USA and all the rights afforded me here. I’m a patriot and a proud Democrat because Democrats invest in all Americans regardless of gender/gender identity, age, race, color, creed, class or net worth. Democrats champion policies and laws to help all Americans enjoy life, liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness.  

     President Biden along with Democratic legislators are pursuing a legislative agenda to protect and preserve our democracy, for racial, social and criminal justice and for these and other policies that will make life better for Americans: COVID suppression; investing in universal pre-K and K-12 public education; affordable child care and health care; reducing prescription drug prices; protecting civil and voting rights, Medicare, Social Security and our environment; climate change abatements; supporting our veterans and law enforcement agencies; saving the USPS; common-sense gun laws; and learning the truth about the Jan. 6 insurrection.   

     Democrats are working for financial justice by investing in infrastructure, reducing child poverty, creating more and better American jobs and proposing a federal minimum wage. During President Biden’s first year in office our U.S. economy added 6.2 million jobs and grew by about 5%; corporate profits and stock prices hit new records. Yet, many Americans aren’t feeling these positive financial changes due to worldwide inflation, largely caused by COVID and Putin’s war on Ukraine. Please don’t permit the costs of worldwide inflation to blind you to all that President Biden and Democrats have accomplished in the last 14 months.  

     Democrats aren’t perfect, but we’re working to make America better.   

February 26, 2022

     I love the USA. I’m a patriot and a proud Democrat. I regret that Americans along with people all over the world are experiencing the hardships of inflation. This worldwide inflation is caused largely by COVID-19, the worldwide pandemic which has grossly interfered with the balance of supply and demand all over the world. I appreciate that President Biden is sympathetic to Americans who are hurting and doing what he can to lower these costs. Regrettably things will likely get worse for a while before they get better.  

     I’ve repeated world and worldwide many times in this letter because Americans are affected by the rest of the world. Our president’s authority is limited to our country by our legislative and judicial branches. That said, I’m proud of President Biden and his administration’s influence on our allies. President Biden has brought desperately needed diplomatic skills to negotiating ours and our allies’ response to Putin’s plans to invade Ukraine. Declassifying intelligence, President Biden publicly exposed Putin’s playbook and revealed Putin’s lies. President Biden and our NATO allies have shrewdly responded to Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine (a sovereign democratic country) with sanctions. President Biden has wisely prepared Americans to expect Putin to react. Although he is doing what’s in his power to mitigate, President Biden warned that we can expect higher gas prices (which affect the cost of just about everything). We can also expect cyber attacks for which the Russians are famous. Our NATO allied countrymen will likely be hit first and hardest. 

     Standing up to Putin’s vile aggression will not be painless, but it is necessary. It is the USA and our NATO allies against Putin, a cruel dictator. In support of democracy here and abroad, it's time for American patriots to come together to support our president. 

January 3, 2022

     Little over a week ago, Christmas was celebrated by millions around the world in varying ways for varying reasons. For Christians, the celebration of Christmas holds a special meaning, the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.     

     During his brief earthly ministry, Jesus taught us how to live and love. Jesus taught us that our faith rests on the two greatest commandments (paraphrased by me): loving God first and foremost with all that we are and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Loving like this doesn’t come naturally to us. We need God’s help and thankfully, God readily helps us.     Scripture teaches us that we are the Body of Christ ... “If one part suffers, all parts suffer with it.” In that light, the Light of Christ, I’ve been baffled by some Christians’ refusal to protect themselves and their neighbors against COVID-19 and all of the suffering and death that the pandemic has caused.

     I leave you to ponder the proverbial words of an anonymous author, “Social distance or not, mask or not, vaccinate or not, love one another or not. What would Jesus do?”     

     I pray that God will help us all.

October 22, 2020    

     I’m writing to all patriots who strive for the U.S. to grow into our stated ideals: indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Please consider the questions and answers stated below before you vote for U.S. president and all down-ballot races. What do Vladimir Putin, Russia, the Proud Boys; the Ku Klux Klan, QAnon, other affiliated and non-affiliated racists, white supremacists, xenophobes, misogynists, conspiracy theorists, voter suppressors, billionaires and millionaires who’ve benefited from Trump’s tax cuts, two-faced millionaire white televangelists along with their pseudo-Christian cult followings and COVID-19, science and climate change deniers have in common? Most support Donald Trump and the gutless Republican senators, representatives, governors and mayors who to avoid Trump’s wrath have enabled Trump to divide our country and mete out liberty, pardons and wealth to himself and his loyal subjects while vengefully punishing true patriots, like Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who honored his oath and spoke the truth about Trump. 

     What do Americans who value and want to protect health care, Social Security, the environment, clean air and drinking water, voting rights, a living minimum wage, unions, women’s rights, gay rights, marriage and gender equality, a free press, education; Americans who believe in science and climate change, that Black Lives Matter, that Trump’s policy separating immigrant children from their parents is unconscionable, and that Trump grossly failed Americans in his response to COVID-19 have in common? Most support Biden and Democratic candidates who’ll work to unite the U.S. and make our American ideals more attainable for all Americans.           Admittedly these aren’t exhaustive lists of supporters for either candidate. But, have you more in common with Trump or Biden supporters? Patriots, if you aspire for liberty and justice for all, please vote for Biden and all Democrats down ballot. 

September 12, 2020

     To date, almost 195,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and the U.S. has over 6.4 million confirmed cases of the virus. Thousands of Americans are recovering, some left with lifelong debilitating medical conditions. 

     During a Feb. 7, 2020, recording of Trump speaking to reporter Bob Woodward about the COVID-19, Trump admitted that he knew that the virus was airborne, very lethal and that it attacked all ages, even children.

     How many Americans' lives might have been saved if on Feb. 7 Trump told the American public what he told Woodward? How many lives would have been saved if Trump, knowing the ease of transmission and the lethality of COVID-19, told Americans to wear masks and physically distance back in February? We’ll never know, because Trump candidly relayed the dangers of COVID-19 to Woodward but was calculating in his lies about the pandemic to the American people to whom he owed the truth. Trump has blatantly and repeatedly lied to the American people about COVID-19 for the last seven to eight months. Trump’s at 20,000 lies and counting since he took office. 

     Trump also admitted to Woodward that he liked to play down the pandemic. Yesterday, Trump unapologetically admitted that he played down the pandemic to avoid panic. Trump played down the pandemic because he thought it would benefit Trump. Trump takes care of Trump at anyone’s expense, this time to the peril of Americans. 

     Trump is unfit to be president. Trump has the blood of Americans who lost their lives in this pandemic on his hands. Most Republican congressmen, governors and mayors enabled Trump instead of standing up for their constituents. None of them deserve your trust or your vote. It’s time for change. Please vote early for Joe Biden and all Democrats down ballot.