State lawmakers lack long-term vision

(PNI) Regarding "Leaders warned on Arizona economic development" (Valley & State, Sunday):

Great story recalling the 2008 Morrison Institute report, and call to arms, with respect to the so-called Sun Corridor megapolitan region.

What's not so great is that the current Arizona Legislature seems to have no long-term vision, though they do have the responsibility and authority. Lawmakers simply are incapable of taking up this body of work, and Science Foundation Arizona CEO William Harris' challenge for a successful 21st-century Arizona, and moving forward.

Big thinkers and legacy leaders? Arizona? Not.

Where are the Goldwaters, Haydens, Udalls and Ellers for the 21st century?

--John and Patti Latson, Mesa

Editors should take own advice

Regarding "Temper words, win new voters" (Editorial, Tuesday):

Tempering words would be good advice for the Editorial Board to give itself as it castigates those elected by your readers, subscribers and advertisers. And for what? Exercising their right to free speech?

The leaders you criticize are on the front lines. This is how they see the war against America, Americans and Arizonans.

At least the editorial stopped short of calling them racists. For now.

--Gary Rudnick, Scottsdale

Take a stand: Take public transit

Arizona's Grand Canyon Sierra Club Chapter joins the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Arizona Public Interest Research Group, Sonoran Institute, Arizona Transit Association and the American Public Transit Association in encouraging you to "Dump the Pump" on Thursday (and every day) by taking public transportation.

Not only is taking transit a great way to save money, it's also a great way to send the message that you are breaking free from automobile dependency.

Even if you love your car, it's liberating to know there are other ways to get around. And even if you need your car, it's good to know how to use the alternative.

Taking public transit actually extends the life of your car by reducing wear and tear. It can also turn stressful driving time into productive reading time while you let someone else do the driving.

Visit www.valleymetro.org, where you may find that taking public transit is easier than you thought.

--Michael Brady, Scottsdale

Pentagon budget not a jobs bill

As a 24-year Navy veteran, I believe your editorial in which you relate cuts in the Defense Department budget to Arizona losing jobs is misguided ("Defense cuts call for unity," Editorial, Friday).

The Defense Department submits a budget request to Congress based on strategic requirements to maintain the country's security. The request balances the force's structure within the expected budget constraints. Any changes made to this force structure will take away from the balanced force the Pentagon has planned.

As the Defense secretary testified before a Senate subcommittee last week, "There's no free lunch here. Every low-priority program or overhead cost that is retained will have to be offset in cuts in higher-priority investments in order to comply" with the budget agreement.

He is referring to items placed in the budget the Pentagon doesn't want by congressmen keeping jobs in their states or districts.

The Pentagon budget should not be used as a jobs bill. And the mayor of Phoenix is not qualified to lobby for programs in the Defense Department budget. He has no business campaigning for any jobs or program funding!

While some may look at the jobs he may save, any jobs saved will cost the military from another part of the budget. I'm sure those sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines will be thankful someone here had a job when they can't get the part to fix their equipment because "it's not in the budget."

--Michael Yates, Mesa

Watching a political poker game

There are no ifs, ands or buts. President Obama is politically shrewd like a crafty chess player.

His recent executive order on the immigration-enforcement policy change to help young non-U.S. Hispanics who grew up in America will impact the presidential election and will have political consequences in the post-election.

If Mitt Romney wins and repeals the executive order without corresponding or better legislation, can you imagine what that would do to the Republican Party's future with Hispanic Americans?

Can you imagine the damage to the Republican Party's conservative base, if a President Romney does not repeal it right away or the tremendous pressure on any Republican Congress after it is repealed?

Regardless of whether you like Obama, whatever your position on illegal immigration, we are witnessing a political poker game that has great implications for the future of both political parties that pundits will be talking about for years, if not decades.

--Herbert Dippold Jr., Phoenix

Surrounded by Chicken Littles

Regarding "Talk of drones patrolling U.S. skies spawns anxiety" (Republic, Tuesday):

Is there anything under the sun that does not cause someone to have anxiety? Today we have a universe of "Chicken Little" with all the sky-is-falling people.

People had anxiety when the bow and arrow came about and when the gun was invented. I wonder what the next big thing will be to cause people to have anxiety. Maybe they will have anxiety over the possibility of Phoenix having snow in July.

--Harry V. Spangler, Phoenix

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