Opinion

Will the real Republicans please step forward?

OPINION — I have a question for Paul Cahill, who wondered in a recent letter to the editor where America’s real Democrats are. ... I’ll ask: Will the real Republicans please step forward?

Opinion

America's Charters of Freedom give Arizonans the power to bargain

OPINION — I’m replying to Annarose Lilly’s labor bargaining comments. America's Charters of Freedom already give Arizonans the power to bargain, so why would they pay a third party to negotiate their individual labor that would be in the union's best interest as a collective for all? The end doesn’t seem to justify the means for an individual.

Opinion

Why I’m voting Scianna over Montenegro for LD 29 House

OPINION — Legislative District 29’s Steve Montenegro has used his power as speaker of the state House to promote the nation’s most expensive voucher system at the same time Arizona is second-to-lowest in support of education.

Opinion

No need to expand collective-bargaining efforts in Arizona

OPINION — This is a response to Annarose Lilly's recent letter, Arizonans deserve real bargaining power. I read Ms. Lilly’s opinion with great interest. She seems to be advocating for labor unions either to be formed or expanded. In any event, my vote is firmly no.

Opinion

We know where Andy Biggs really stands

OPINION — Andy Biggs wants Arizonans to forget what he did after the 2020 election. We shouldn't, and I for certain have not. The organizer of the Jan. 6 rally said Biggs helped come up with …

Opinion

Why Phoenicians can count on Ashley Harder

OPINION — I have worked alongside Ashley Harder for more than a decade on projects that brought together art, history, veterans and communities across Phoenix. In all those years, one thing has remained constant: When Ashley commits to something, she shows up and does the work.

Opinion

LD 7 House candidate condemns racist attacks against incumbent

OPINION — As a candidate for state representative in Legislative District 7, I feel an obligation to say something about the racist attacks directed at Rep. Walt Blackman. They have greatly disturbed me.

Opinion

A new era in learning

OPINION — A few years ago, online learning was almost always discussed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sudden shift to virtual classrooms delivered a huge range of experiences and reactions as parents, teachers and students adjusted to an unfamiliar setting. After all, the transition was abrupt and unexpected. But now, years after the return to in-person schooling, online education hasn’t faded as a passing trend.

Opinion

Dental tourism may save money, but Arizonans should understand the risks

OPINION — As the cost of dental care continues to rise, more Arizonans are looking outside the United States for major dental treatments such as implants.

Opinion

Elections have consequences

OPINION — Mayors established sanctuary cities. Governors enable sanctuary states. District attorneys protect sanctuary bureaucracies. Elections have consequences. The imported aliens have …

Opinion

Howard, Clayton are my choices for LD 27

OPINION — “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!” Or is it “Knowledge is power?” It’s a bit of both. I felt uneasy telling people what I did for a living. At parties, “What do you do?” Me: “I am a public high school English teacher.” Reaction: “Oh … I hated English.” “Really?”

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Your Community Your Voice

Unhappy with Hamadeh despite support for veterans, responders

OPINION — I read with great interest the recent letter extolling the virtues of Congressman Abe Hamadeh’s many services to the constituents of Congressional District 8.

Arizona parents face many challenges; help is one call/text away

OPINION — If you are a parent to a young child, you already know that no two parenting journeys look alike and no two days are ever the same. Since your baby was born, you have probably had many challenging days.

Question of the Week: How are you observing Hispanic Heritage Month?

Arizona’s population of Hispanic or Latino heritage is 32.5% — nearly one-third, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. President Lyndon B. Johnson established Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 and …

Kennedy Center flap: A great president vs. one of our worst

OPINION — The battle over the name on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts provides opportunity to contrast a great president with the worst president in our country’s history.

Why Stephanie Walsh is the state senator LD 14 deserves

OPINION — As a resident of Legislative District 14 for 20 years, I want leadership that reflects the everyday priorities of our community, not partisan talking points. That is why I am supporting Stephanie Walsh for the Arizona State Senate, and why I find it troubling that Mylie Biggs is being considered a viable candidate to represent our families.

Finding hope within heartbreak

OPINION — Our daughter Collyns Belle — “Colly” — was born in 2021 after an uneventful pregnancy. She joined her two brothers and sister, and when she arrived, our family felt complete. Her first year was very typical. She did everything her three older siblings did. She rolled, sat, smiled, babbled and even crawled. Colly was overflowing with life, and her personality sparkled.

Holy cow! History — The original influencers? Mr. Whipple, Mrs. Olson and the Golden Age of TV commercials

OPINION — Once upon a time, American consumers took advice from a little man floating inside a toilet bowl. No, really! Ask your parents. They’ll remember. There’s even a name for it — the Golden Age of TV commercials.

Valley Gen Xers won’t be able to rely on Social Security

OPINION — For Gen Xers rapidly approaching retirement, the old playbook no longer applies. With Social Security nearing insolvency, Gen Xers will find they can’t retire as their parents did.

Your politics won’t protect you from the 'surveillance state'

OPINION — Erica Schwartz, the newly appointed director of the Centers for Disease Control, made federal priorities clear during her recent confirmation hearings: “Abortion surveillance is absolutely a critical component of what the CDC is currently doing.” She assured members of Congress that she would ensure that states weren’t “hiding abortions” under the auspices of “emergency care.”

The Social Security time bomb is ticking

OPINION — Here we go as seniors waiting for our elected officials to fix Social Security finances. Otherwise, folks, we are going to get a discounted check. ... How did this happen and how do we fix it?

Wildlife advocate: Vote Catherine Miranda for state Senate

OPINION — Arizonans saw countless attacks on our state’s beautiful wildlife this year in Phoenix. Bills designed to weaken protections for native wildlife, decimate Mexican gray wolves and prioritize cruel management practices over scientifically backed ones were on the table this year.

Combating hunger in Arizona requires effort from all of us

OPINION — More than 1 million Arizonans currently face inadequate access to food. In some communities, about 1 in 4 residents experience food insecurity.

More than a paycheck: The ripple effect of employment

OPINION — On a single night this year, 9,726 people were counted as experiencing homelessness across Maricopa County. Behind that number are thousands of individual stories of parents, children, veterans and neighbors navigating circumstances that can make stability difficult to reach.

AI is already making Valley travelers’ lives miserable

OPINION — All this talk about pacing the frontier of artificial intelligence overlooks a reality that travelers experience every day. An algorithm already determines your airfare. Another sets the hotel's rate. And another answers your complaint with a non-answer, hoping you'll give up.

Reader: Rep. Hamadeh should follow Charlie Kirk’s example

OPINION — In a recent newsletter, Rep. Abe Hamadeh memorialized Charlie Kirk, writing, “Charlie was murdered on September 10, 2025, while doing precisely what he had done throughout his public life: peacefully engaging Americans in a discussion about the future of our country. He did not hide from people who disagreed with him. He invited them to the front of the line, handed them a microphone and listened.”

Reader defends conservatives' silence on rising prices

OPINION — My response to Will Resist’s letter, Where is conservative outrage over high prices? : Inflation is a current problem, but less so than during the Biden years when inflation …

Continuing the debate on religion, secularism and neutrality

OPINION — In his response to my earlier letter, the original writer defends himself by saying that he wrote “Not a theocracy. Not an established church.” However, he conveniently …

Arizona lawmakers should kill the legislative subpoena

OPINION — According to Arizona law, a subpoena can be issued by the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House and the chairman of any committee. The Legislature has over 30 committees.

LD 27 challenger Howard: Fink shows she is an extremist

OPINION — Rep. Lisa Fink’s recent op-ed touting Andy Biggs as the gubernatorial candidate Arizonans should support was appalling, yet unsurprising. Fink has shown herself to be an out-of-touch extremist more interested in ideology than good governance.

A student’s perspective on Proposition 320

OPINION — Every morning, I walk into a public school in Mesa as a student. I go to class, learn from my teachers, work with my classmates and eventually go home. From the outside, it would be easy to think my education begins and ends in those classrooms. As a high school senior, I know it doesn’t.

Fairness should always come first

OPINION — Fairness – the equal and just treatment without favoritism or discrimination – once the key to the truth in political journalism, is disappearing. Media narratives seems to be filled …

Big Beautiful Bill letter praising Hamadeh doesn’t tell full story

OPINION — I’d like to offer a rebuttal to a recent letter-writer’s effusive praise for Rep. Abe Hamadeh’s support/vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill — OBBB.

Arizona needs another generation of water leaders

OPINION — Arizona lost one of its great public servants this month with the passing of former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl. His legacy offers an important lesson at exactly the moment our state needs it: …

The importance of routine PSA testing in combatting prostate cancer

OPINION — Prostate cancer often is called a “silent disease” because it rarely causes symptoms in its early, most treatable stages. Unlike a broken bone or a bad cough, there's no obvious signal that tells a man that something is wrong. And by the time symptoms like difficulty urinating, blood in the urine and pain occur, the disease often has progressed.

Arizona’s water providers are preparing today to protect our water tomorrow

OPINION — With federal cuts reducing Arizona’s Colorado River allocation by 27% each year through 2028, many people are coming to us concerned and asking: “Will I still have water?” “Will my tap run dry?” “What should we do?”

Phoenix’s AI-era hiring needs a judgment test

OPINION — Metro Phoenix just hosted more than 900 semiconductor facilities professionals for UltraFacility 2026, while the city’s PHXWorks job fair brought statewide employers face to face with job seekers. Those events point to a hiring problem that will grow as artificial intelligence becomes routine.

Trump can’t buy my vote

OPINION — Trump threw paper towels to the crowd on 10/03/17 at Calvary Chapel in Guaynabo Puerto Rico during a relief visit after hurricane Maria. How demeaning that was. Now he is going to give me $5,000 of my own money to vote MAGA?

Freedom, freeways and Flock cameras

OPINION — Flock cameras are spreading across Arizona. The backlash is growing just as fast. What are Flock cameras? Local governments enter into contracts with private companies to attach the …

Where is conservative outrage over high prices?

OPINION — If you’ve visited the grocery store or gas station lately, you’ve probably noticed the continual increase in prices. Diesel is at the highest price in history. Almost everything we buy is transported by trucks that use diesel. This drives up the cost of everything.

Closed doors fueled Hamadeh protests

OPINION — Abe Hamadeh has built the largest protest movement in the history of Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. He did it by refusing to let constituents in the room.

Know the record before voting on secretary of state

OPINION — For the past four years, Adrian Fontes has served as Arizona’s Secretary of State with a focus on secure, accurate, transparent and accessible elections. As Arizona’s chief …

Arizona students deserve better than Proposition 320

OPINION — As a future voter attending Arizona public schools since kindergarten and seeing, firsthand, the same slew of complaints, I know the biggest problem for students and me isn't a lack of …

LD 27 Rep. Lisa Fink: Vote Andy Biggs for governor

OPINION — Arizona has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to elect a conservative governor who will fight for our values in the West Valley and deliver results for our entire state. Andy Biggs has shown he has the experience, the character and the vision to Restore the American Dream in our state and help Arizona reach its full potential.

Question of the Week: Are Valley communities planning wisely?

Metro Phoenix remains among the fast-growing areas in the country. But are its communities doing the best job of regulating growth and development? Are they planning wisely for housing, schools, …

Gen Z women don’t owe America babies

OPINION — Gen Z women like me are having fewer babies. That shouldn’t be a surprise. With prices for everything going up, our parents’ steady jobs, white picket fences and retirement packages feel much less attainable for us.

Reader agrees Congress must fund defense innovation

OPINION — I recently read Todd Jackson’s letter to the editor, Don’t forget local Army Reservists after 9/11 remembrances. I have to say I had no idea about many of our modern defenses such as the Integrated Battle Command System that are being built and designed to protect not only our nation, but our service members as well.

Lifeboats from the RMS Titanic are uploaded to the RMS Carpathia in the hours after the luxury liner sank in April 1912.

Holy cow! History — The ship that tried to save the Titanic met a similar fate

OPINION — What is it about that frigid April night that haunts us so relentlessly? More than a century has passed. Other tragedies have horrified us: the Hindenburg, Chernobyl, the Challenger. Each an intersection between mankind and technological progress where something went terribly, catastrophically wrong.

Is Trump sleepwalking to a U.S. bond market crisis?

OPINION — According to an adage, it is not a good idea to bite the hand that feeds you. Evidently, President Trump does not buy into this adage as he weaponizes U.S. financial policy and arbitrarily imposes punitive import tariffs even on traditional allies. Trump seems impervious to the fact that the U.S. government has enormous borrowing needs and depends heavily on the kindness of strangers to finance them.

School readiness goes beyond the ABCs

OPINION — A 4-year-old who can wait for his turn walks into kindergarten better prepared than one who can recite the alphabet. That claim surprises parents, but it doesn’t surprise kindergarten teachers.

92-year-old finds hope in Independent's medical reporting

OPINION — My name is Stuart Costello and I’ve lived in Surprise for the past 27 years. I just read Jason Stone’s wonderful article about Hector Garcia and the medical procedure that he underwent in January.

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