Arizona Theater Company

In your article "Arizona Theater Company makes final push to save 2016-17 season (7/16/2016" it seems to me the Artistic Director David Ira Goldstein is a bit arrogant.  It appears he is willing to bilk season ticket holders out of their money and nefariously still collect ticket money knowing he may close the show and not have cash on hand to refund the money. Mr. Goldstein has carried a $1 million debt over to the next  budget year, without erasing that debt.  It also appears the Director is only interested in high dollar donors.  Other not-for-profits such as: public radio, TV, museums and other theater groups, use direct public fund raising, targeting the citizens, to support their programs.    I am a small dollar donor and supporter of the arts.  I associate with many people who support the arts and are willing to be small dollar donors to save ATC, but we have never been asked.

Coup In Turkey

 If this coup in Turkey is successful, the new leaders my find themselves side ways with Nato, the war on terror coalition, blow any chance of being a member of the EU, and having the Kurds see a chance to take advantage of the ensuing instability to advance their cause for independence by an increase in violence.  Syria and ISIS will be doing their happy dance.

Bite-Size Election Reform

I enjoyed reading your opinion piece on "Here is what Az leaders must do for the state in
2015. I agreed with some of the goals you set out and disagreed with others in particular the
section titled Bite-size election reform. I agree the ballot counting process needs to be streamlined.

Laws against harvesting voted and dropping non-voters from mail in ballots roles is counterproductive to free elections. Harvesting votes like voter fraud is such a nonissue. The practice collecting mail in ballots and delivering them to the post office is such a small percent of votes, it is ridiculous to consider this legislation. A law as such would make me criminal for delivering my 91 year old mother-in-law's ballot to the mail box. It would be a law that would have a negative impact on minority, poor and elderly votes. This is a political partisan issue not a an electoral one. The voter nationwide turnout in the mid-term elections of 40% was appalling. Why do we as a state want to reduce the opportunity to vote? Maybe we should encourage voting. The Legislature could pass a resolution requesting all news outlets on a weekly basis, if not daily, as a public service to remind voters to turn in their mail in ballots. For those who have not used their mail in ballots, make sure that their registered political parties are aware of the those not using their ballots and I assure you they will do adequate outreach. At a time when research from major universities is establishing that the aforementioned laws as well as voter ID laws are reducing voter turnout, we as citizens and our law makers should be making it easier to vote not harder.

SHOOTING THE MENTALLY ILL

In light of what is happening in Ferguson Mo. we as citizens of Phoenix should remind ourselves that the

only part of our criminal justice system that can arrest, judge, act as jury and executioner is the police.

As reported by the Republic, four officers not serving a criminal warrant, but a court order to hospitalize

a mentally ill person, were threatened with a hammer. They had time to tell the person to drop the

weapon twice and then shot and killed her. To warn the person twice allowed ample time to back away

draw tasers and fire. A 19 year veteran and a sergeant no less, should have better options in this case

than deadly force. Maybe this is not a matter for a police review or review by the DA. but a review by

the Grand Jury allowing citizens to consider this matter.

TORTURE

In this Christmas season, I am sitting here pondering a curiosity. Latest statistics report

that 78% of U.S. citizens report that they are Christians. And the latest polls taken

indicate that two of three people in the U.S. approve of the torture tactics of the CIA in

the war on terror. Here lies the curiosity. A child will be born that will become the

Prince of Peace. He is destined to be tortured and murdered. He will have a crown of

thorns pressed into his skull. He will flogged leaving raw bloody exposed wounds. He

will be forced to carry a heavy cross up a mountain path while being subject to

humiliation and ridicule. He will be stripped of his robes left only with a loin cloth.

While being laid on the cross large spikes will be driven into his hands and feet to

secure him on to that cross. The cross will be lifted into a standing position. The

weight of his body will drag on the spikes in his hands and feet. Water will not be made

available to him and he will soon die in the most ignominious manner. This is called the

Passion of the Christ in some traditions, but it still meets the definition of torture. My

curiosity is; how can a Christian in any good conscious condone torture.

More on the Food Tax

Bravo to you Laurie Roberts for focusing articles on the duplicity and lack of integrity in the Mayor’s

office. Pointing out that the city administrator is protecting his $43,000 + raise by playing Chicken Little

“the police and fireman are going away.” Point out the unwillingness and lack of intestinal fortitude of

the Mayor to keep his campaign promises and make hard choices to streamline city government.

Pointing out that The Mayor and those on the City Council would rather do business as usual than

eliminate the burden of the “Food Tax” at the financial expenses to those who have lost their jobs in this

continuing recession. Again Bravo to you Laurie Roberts

Letter on the City Budget

Regarding this Cities deficit, you on the City Council and the Mayor screwed the pooch on this one. You

have to have a cognitive disorder not see the economy was not growing as fast as needed and city

revenues would suffer minus the food tax. The reduction in the Cities bond rating was the canary in the

cold mine and your response was to fiddle while Phoenix burned. You spent money needlessly:

changing conversion lanes, too many consultants, Melrose sign, not ending pension spiking etc. You

were too worried about the Cites image and pandering to your constituencies in an election cycle than

doing the job. What is the image of a broke City with an inferior bond rating? What do you think your

constituents think of you now?