Gun's a tool for an emergency

(PNI) There seems to be a coordinated effort among the letter-writing "anti's" in the gun debate to describe gun owners as paranoid people living in fear of a life-threatening world outside their front door.

Look at it from the other side. Most of us are not fearful or paranoid, just prepared for an emergency. Most people have emergency flashlights, spare tires in their cars, AAA cards in case we need roadside help, first-aid kits and fire extinguishers. All of which I have used over a lifetime. Having a firearm is just another tool for an emergency kit when the police cannot get there fast enough.

If the writers think this is all paranoid fantasy, just ask those who have had to defend themselves. Or better yet, read Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery's guest column in Monday's Republic about candidates for the death penalty.

There are bad people in the world, and sometimes you may meet one face to face, even at your front door. I bet a few of those victims would have fared better if they had been armed.

--Phil Scott, Phoenix

Court's take on the issue

Regarding "Young migrant not legal" (Opinions, Wednesday):

The letter writer questions the right of Daniel Rodriguez to be in the United States. Your reader may be ignoring the Supreme Court's opinion on that issue: "As a general rule, it is not a crime for a removable alien to remain present in the United States. (See INS vs. Lopez-Mendoza.)"

--Salem Spitz, Gilbert

Liberals just can't cut it

How can anyone expect the liberal Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate to offer any serious cuts to the country's exorbitant spending? Liberals don't even know how to spell the word "cut."

--Bruce Bean, Glendale

Electric-car tax absurd

Our big-government, tax-and-spend Legislature is at it again.

Next time the Republican Party tries to claim they are against taxes and for less government, feel free to laugh out loud. This time, they are proposing a 1-cent-per-mile tax on electric vehicles. How much more intrusive can our state get than us being forced to let them track our vehicles? Sounds like big government to me!

Also, collecting this tax would require a big bureaucracy to help track the electric vehicles. Since the number of electric cars in Arizona is quite small, the cost of collecting the tax would exceed the income from it for the foreseeable future. Decades, at least.

While 1 cent per mile may seem small, it actually equates to a 50 percent tax on energy. Currently, the tax on gas, at 18 cents per gallon, with a current cost of $3.70 a gallon, works out to only a 4.9 percent tax.

Now, a Nissan Leaf averages around 3.5 miles per kilowatt-hour, depending on how it's driven. Current SRP rates are 6.8 cents per kilowatt-hour, so the Leaf uses only 2 cents of electricity per mile. Yup, it's that cheap to operate an electric car. However, if the electricity is taxed at 1 cent per mile, that is a 50 percent tax rate on the cost of energy.

That's absurd. That's our Legislature!

--George Hall, Phoenix

Term limits for Congress

The reason the ratings for federal lawmakers are so low is that many members of the House and Senate have 20 years or more in office and they forget to take care of their constituents. They act like deities and feel they can do whatever they want without recourse.

It's about time the people of this great nation take the time to look at the legislation lawmakers submit and at their voting history. Let's not just put them back into office because we recognize a name. Instead, we need to have term limits.

--Pamela Bishop, Phoenix

A way to fund Ariz. roads

Regarding "Time to hit the road issue" (Editorial, Saturday):

I have had a question on my mind since I moved here almost 23 years ago. Why is it, since we need money for road improvements, that Arizona does not require driver's licenses to be renewed every four or five years instead of letting us keep them until the age of 65?

There are almost 4million drivers in Arizona, and a renewal every four or five years would bring in a good deal of money. I'm sure the state would have to hire some more people for the renewals, but there would be a great deal of income for the state to work with.

Is $10 or $12 every four or five years going to be a hardship for drivers? I think not.

As a senior citizen, I have to renew my license every five years and so far it has not been a hardship. I will continue renewing, gladly, as long as I am able to drive.

The only thing I see wrong with this renewal plan is that our Legislature would probably use the money for one of its useless "needs."

--Pat Ford, Mesa

Close tax loopholes

The president and Congress talk about the rich using loopholes in the tax code to avoid paying all the money they owe. Why in the world don't they take immediate action to close those loopholes?

They should be ashamed of themselves, and so should we -- for letting them get away with not taking action.

--Vincent Frey, Kearny

A Seuss-like diagnosis

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

I know he would do better than this, but he might say something like:

"Those guys on the Hill are an odd sort of bunch. They make laws for a cause, then go have a big lunch.

"But I don't think that they really care about us. They just can't agree, and they make a big fuss!

"They fight, and they blame; they cannot get along. They insist that the other guys have it all wrong. Their cause is so big that they can't see the view.

"And what is the view? Well, it's me and it's you!

"While they're eating lunch, down here we all wait -- for the guys we elected to determine our fate."

--Robin Crow, Phoenix

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