Gun-buyback stand shows Brewer is 2-faced

(PNI) Our governor has been saddled with many labels during her reign, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to add another: hypocrite.

This freedom-loving, finger-waving defender of personal liberty, individual initiative and the American way has signed into law a bill that denies the right of an individual to dispose of his/her personal blunderbuss as he or she chooses. If you want to get it off the streets through a buyback program, for whatever reason, you can't. It has to be resold! Big sister has spoken.

For shame, governor. Your effort to elevate the lowly firearm into the equivalent of religious icon is turning our state into the butt of late-night jokes. Keep your hands off my guns -- coming, or going.

--Mike Sheehan,

Grand Canyon

Rep. Issa, look in mirror

While Benghazi was and is a tragedy, I wonder where the concern from Congressman Darrell Issa was when, in 2011, he voted to deny the State Department's request for increased funding for the embassy security budget.

Keep in mind that Issa's vote to deny this request was as the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Now as the chairman of this same committee, he is asking how the Benghazi tragedy happened! If you want to talk about knowingly placing embassy personnel at risk, you need to look no further than this vote.

The State Department can only spend money as appropriated by Congress. Had this money been approved, the Benghazi fiasco might not have happened.

--Scott Peterburs, Mesa

Benson exploits 3 victims

Shame on Republic cartoonist Steve Benson for using the story of the three kidnapped victims in Cleveland to make comment about the Republican Party (Opinions, Friday).

These three women in Cleveland went through hell for nearly 10 years. One reportedly was beaten to force five miscarriages. To equate the Republican Party with the diabolical actions of the captor is beyond imagination.

Benson should let these women come back to some kind of a normal life and not use them for his political agenda.

--Joe Callahan, Peoria

A pension-reform idea

Pension plans for public employees do not focus the employee on saving for retirement. This is unfair to the employees who are "dependent" on the taxpayer while they are working and then are "dependent" on the taxpayer, and the pension plan's investments, for their future.

Promising police, firefighters, teachers and other municipal workers an absurd retirement income does not encourage those workers to take even a modicum of responsibility for their own futures.

We would be much better served -- and public employees would be much better served -- if we structured a sound retirement strategy that included saving and personal investment, without limiting contributions and taxing away profits made by employee investments.

If we did this smartly, with the focus on the future rather than the immediate benefit, thewhole system would function better, which is good for all!

--Scott Keeffe, Scottsdale

Comparing cover-ups

Do you remember what led to impeachment proceedings against President Nixon? It was a cover-up of a break-in of a Democratic Party office.

Does that have the same weight as an administration that stood by and watched an ambassador and three others die and then lied to the American public about it?

Amazing how our values have changed in such a few years!

--Gary Yohe, Phoenix

Stay to right, slow driver

Regarding "Like to speed? Go around" (Opinions, Thursday):

The problem is not necessarily speed but traffic flow. While the posted speed is 65 mph, that does not mean you should labor in all the lanes going 65.

Most states have signs indicating "Keep to the Right Except to Pass" or "Slower Traffic Keep to the Right." However, Arizona's Legislature, with its Wild West mentality, will not post those signs.

I already leave 15 minutes early to dodge the inconsiderate slow driver, cellphone talker and texting hog and broken-down handyman and landscaping trucks in the left and middle lanes. It is dangerous to pass these self-centered people.

I want to be able to choose whether or not I want a speeding ticket.

Think about other citizens. Keep to the right.

Another problem is traffic-light synchronization. I encounter 24 lights on my way to work. I don't care what speed I travel, I will hit 18 of them. Talk about safety, environment and pollution.

--Bob Lament, Phoenix

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