Editor’s note: Night online editor Judy Carlock wraps up the week for the final time.
“Another socialist university,” harrumphed a reader, in response to coverage of President Obama’s commencement speech Wednesday at Sun Devil Stadium.
Well, yeah. Public education is socialism. Knee-jerk responses to the s-word miss the point that collective financing works for some things. Just not everything.
The president’s pep talk urged grads to make the most of what they’ve got – the very soul of capitalism, to my mind.
He also gave a nod to late launchers: older adults driven to new success relatively late in life.
With the end of the Citizen on Saturday, staff members are learning what a luxury it was to be themselves and dodge most bureaucratic busywork. In keeping with Obama’s ethos, I consider skills learned here an investment.
They’ve been part of my compensation. I still want the check, though.
Redefine success, Obama tells ASU grads
MONEY TALKS: Why, I wonder, do some people complain of being “forced” to learn a second language? That came up in comments about the billion-dollar boost Mexican shoppers bring to Tucson’s retail and hospitality industries.
It’s just a skill. You don’t have to develop it. But if other people do, they have a right to leverage that skill however they can.
Wednesday’s story about Mexican spending here spurred comments from readers apparently hostile to the whole idea of . . . Mexicans.
The shoppers are not here illegally, and they’re not immigrants . . . so naturally, the story brought out reader reaction to illegal immigration.
Get over it. We’re an hour from the border.
Mexican shoppers add $1B to Tucson economy
OPEN BEATING LAW: It’s illegal for a quorum of a public body to meet in private. I didn’t know until this week it was also illegal to try to seek consensus by polling your colleagues in twosies. Apparently that’s so, according to the state Open Meeting Law.
The issue came up Tuesday in relation to Councilwoman Nina Trasoff’s efforts to find a fix for Tucson’s budget.
Late local pol E.S. “Bud” Walker defended secrecy succinctly: “When the press finds out, they blow the whole program.’”
He put his faith in smoke-filled rooms, and provided the Pall Malls.
Now they’d be breaking the law by lighting up.
City budget talks derailed by open meetings law tiff
Our Opinion: Council’s talks likely violated Arizona Open Meetings Law
PACKING: How do you balance the right to bear arms with a property owner’s right to have no guns on the premises? A state House vote Wednesday favored fans of firearms.
It seems reasonable that if you have the right to carry a gun, you have the right to keep it in your car. But – is it carrying concealed to stash it under the seat? And if it’s in plain view, could that incite theft?
Then there’s the Arizona heat. What would it do to ammo?
Cigarette lighters can explode in hot cars. One took the windshield out of my VW wagon.
I’m not packing – except for cleaning out my desk.
House OKs bill to allow guns in parked vehicles
DefensiveCarry.com discussion on car heat
SPEED KILLS: Dang! Now there are 10 more places I can’t speed.
Caught on candid camera at Oracle and River a few months back, I started slowing at the yellow light, scared of getting another ticket.
I haven’t. Big Brother modified my behavior.
Pima County gets in on the act this weekend, with a warning period to start Monday.
Traffic enforcement saves lives. OK by me. One question about my neighborhood, at La Cholla and River:
Why does River have two left-turn lanes onto a street with one southbound lane?
Speed camera test starts Friday; warning period will be Monday through Saturday
PHOTO SHOOT: Some folks think President Obama is posturing in his attempt to keep photos of abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan under wraps.
He explained his turnaround by saying earlier photos led to “appropriate actions” against “a small number of individuals.”
“Appropriate.” The new fascism.
Arizona’s John McCain twittered approval of Obama’s stance.
The fear: That the images would fuel anti-American actions in the Middle East.
I figure the people who would hate us already do.
No matter how stupid the soldiers who did the deeds or made those pictures, Arabs and Afghans know how much worse it could be. This is not My Lai.
Release them. We don’t have to post them on the Net.
Al-Jazeera will take care of that.