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Re: the Feb. 26 guest opinion "Don't ask all taxpayers to do school board's job" by Andy Morales.

Morales missed the point. Career Ladder districts receive approximately $3,500 to $5,000 per teacher of additional taxpayer funds. No matter how hard the school boards in Benson, Vail and other districts without this additional revenue work, they cannot make up that deficit.

To add insult to injury, taxpayers in Benson, Vail and other non-Career Ladder districts are helping to pay for this inequity. A significant part of the funding for Career Ladder currently comes from the state general fund. This is especially irksome for taxpayers in Cochise County, where none of the 22 school districts has Career Ladder.

The point is, all teachers deserve the kind of opportunities for additional income available to teachers in Career Ladder districts.

I recently watched Tennessee defeat Memphis in college basketball. J.P. Prince played a great game for Tennessee.

This was only the No. 2 team against the No. 1 team in the land, so I am certainly perplexed as to why he could not get any playing time with the University of Arizona.

Re: the Feb. 27 article "Giffords, Bee aiming to win in the middle."

While I respect the opinions of the author, I find his lack of research in the race for the 8th Congressional District a bit troubling. In his discussion of the race, the reporter fails to take into account the candidacy of independent Derek Tidball.

Tidball is a combat veteran who appeals to the large swath of independent voters that both state Senate President Tim Bee and U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords are vying for. In an election where both of the party-sponsored candidates seem to present very similar platforms, Tidball offers change. The fact of the matter is that both Bee and Giffords have their hands tied by their respective parties and lack the ability to represent District 8 accordingly in Washington D.C. Tidball offers the people of Southern Arizona an opportunity to have our needs heard independently from partisan politics.

Re: the Feb. 24 column "How to plan for our future" by John P. Schaefer.

Planning for our future and the financial resources that come with it make it possible to expand the cultural outlets and opportunities in a community that has been vital to Tucson's remarkable growth over the years. Essentially Schaefer is saying growth creates wonderful cultural opportunities so we can attract more growth. This circular reasoning suggests that he believes culture is made up of theaters and museums funded by wealthy corporations and individuals, and that growth is a desirable end in itself.

Much of Tucson's culture also lies in its artists, artisans, unique neighborhoods, ethnic traditions, history and its inhabitants' relationships with the Sonoran Desert.

Every one of these cultural elements is eroded by the growth that Schaefer espouses in his guest opinion. I hope the Star's Growth Forum will inspire us all to engage the real depth and complexity of the issues at stake, rather than letting the experts like Schaefer define them for us.

What has happened to free speech in this country? I had a neighborhood meeting at my home in regard to the Golder Ranch Fire District's annexation of our area. Evidently this really bothered the district.

A fire truck was driven up and down our street several times. The district had fire officials on the road outside our home handing out what I would consider scare-tactic information sheet. And if that was not enough, Oro Valley Town Council member Terry Parish came to my door. When I told him this was for our neighborhood only, he said I was "closed-minded."

Obviously this bully behavior must be standard procedures for both Golder Ranch Fire District and Parish. Is this the type of organization/town councilman you want representing you?

Re: the Feb. 29 editorial "Don't require quiet hybrid cars to be noisy."

Do what other civilized cities do: Have beepers and flashing lights at crosswalks for the visually and/or hearing impaired. Increasing the noise of cars is ridiculous.

Wake up, Tucson. Join the 21st century.

Re: the Feb. 24 article "Need a luxury spot for that Porsche? That will be $100K."

It's nice to know that in these days of record home foreclosures, a shrinking middle-class, astronomical federal debt and unending war that the Republican tax cuts are working. Now the very rich need not ever worry that their luxury vehicles will feel a drop of rain on their finely waxed surfaces.

I have an idea. Maybe the companies building these half-million-dollar garages can start a referral program for those families who are losing their homes. A family could move into an out-of-the way corner of one of these garages and throw a mattress on the floor. In exchange for shelter and use of the mini-kitchen, they can spend their days polishing the cars and wiping up any grease spots from the smooth epoxy floors. It's a win-win for everyone.

When the current administration came to power they said they would run the country like a business.

Any business run like the country has been for the last seven years would be filing for bankruptcy.

Re: the Feb. 23 Idea Forum editorial "Budget quandary should be state's No. 1 priority."

Thank you for your constructive editorial. It would seem that the Republican majority's fascination with guns (in schools, cars, bars and now anyplace, but don't point) is overkill.

However, one more gun bill might be needed. That bill would allow guns in the Arizona legislative chambers to protect us from the really dangerous persons in our state.

I read the paper the morning of Feb. 28 only to realize that there were not only one or two but 10 articles about killings. If that isn't enough, the Star then tells all about the killings in other countries. Life can be hard but we do not need to be constantly reminded.

Do all of us a favor and have a section of your paper called the killer page, that way people can bypass that section.