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

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

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.

Opinion

RCSC may want to downsize to save money

OPINION — I just finished reading the opinions page and was thinking about all the people that pay the Recreation Centers of Sun City fee each year and do not use the facilities.

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 …

Opinion

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?

Opinion

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.”

Opinion

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 …

Opinion

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.

Opinion

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.

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Your Community Your Voice

What’s the real reason RCSC member dues are rising?

OPINION — When I read the 9/23/26 front page article of the Sun City Independent regarding the proposed annual fee increase being considered by the RCSC board, I could no longer contain my anger.

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?”

Is RCSC providing members what they were promised?

OPINION — Recreation Centers of Sun City was created to serve its members. An increasing number of members are asking a basic question: Does RCSC still listen to the people it was created to serve?

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.

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, …

The grandparents no one asks about

OPINION — There is a photograph on a refrigerator in Sun City that stopped updating four years ago. The child in the photo is 9. She is 13 now. Her grandmother knows this because she counts.

Surprise reader: Hamadeh’s office failed us

OPINION — We submitted, for a nice refund, our e-file on April 2. In May, the IRS asked us to be verified. We did. Online it shows that they received our forms. It does not progress past received.

Arizonans deserve real bargaining power

OPINION — Arizona workers deserve more than a “right to work.” They deserve the ability to bargain from a position of strength.

Isn’t Sun City supposed to be affordable for seniors?

OPINION — After attending the Sept. 14 Recreation Centers of Sun City board meeting, I believe there is no way to reason with the board. One of the ladies from the dance club researched statistics of past recreation fees and posed to the board that these fees should not be raised $90 due to the board not doing what it should have done in the past.

Where are America’s real Democrats?

OPINION — Will the real Democrats step forward? Yes, that is the question. I’m talking about the real American Democrats, not the Democratic Socialists of America.

Grateful that Hamadeh supports veterans

OPINION — Our freedom depends on the men and women who serve in uniform. Less than 1% of our population serve. Without them, we would not have a free country. That’s why I’m grateful …

Is Turning Point’s pull in the West Valley elections eroding?

OPINION — A recent Valley news report indicated that candidates and voters are pushing back against Turning Point USA’s growing influence in Arizona elections. As West Valley voters, we should understand its involvement in our own races.

Why Rep. Hamadeh has my vote

OPINION — I have read some recent negative opinions in your editorials about Rep. Abe Hamadeh and I just say they obviously don’t know what this man has done for Congressional District 8.

Can Abe Hamadeh properly represent CD 8?

OPINION — Re: Arizona deserves the full story on Abe Hamadeh: The full story, like the fact he was born in this country to parents who were here illegally? Like the full story that he doesn’t live in the district he represents?

Question of the Week: Are freeways the best way to get from here to there?

Since the mid-1980s, the Valley has built its regional freeway system, which moves tens of thousands of people every day. Population continues to grow. Lane expansion is inevitable. New freeways are …

As Valley heat keeps rising, it takes all hands to keep pace

OPINION — A few weeks ago, a family of four was brought to our doors by a Phoenix firefighter who had responded to a heat-distress call in a parking lot where the family had been living out of their car. That handoff, from first responder to shelter provider, happens more often than most people realize.

Grandparents shouldn’t have to choose between running A/C, enjoying retirement

OPINION — Many Arizonans spent decades working, raising families and planning for a retirement they hoped would bring some financial security. But for too many, retirement has become another exercise in stretching every dollar. Housing, groceries, prescriptions and utility bills all compete for the same fixed income.

Thanks to Hamadeh for One Big Beautiful Bill support

OPINION — I've been hearing a lot of negative comments about President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. Thank God for it.

9/11 memories: The Valley looks back on terror attacks

You didn’t have to be in New York City, Washington, D.C, or rural Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001, to be profoundly impacted by the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and changed both America and the world forever. Here are memories shared by 14 current and former Valley residents.

Disappointed in Hamadeh’s voting record

OPINION — In preparation of the forthcoming midterm election, I reviewed the voting record of my 8th District Congressman and disappointingly found he had voted or “rubber stamped” every Trump-backed expenditure.

Question of the Week: Should the Trump administration move forward with its border wall project in Arizona over a Native American tribe’s objections?

The Trump administration has resumed construction of a stretch of border wall in southern Arizona along part of the Tohono O’odham tribal land, despite protests from the tribe. U.S. Customs and …

Young Arizonans can contribute to their college savings — here’s how

OPINION — School is back in session across the state, making September a busy time for many Arizona families. September is also College Savings Month, and the start of the seventh-annual statewide essay writing contest where students can jumpstart college dreams by winning $529 for their AZ529 education savings plan.

Preventing burnout in the growing caregiver landscape

OPINION — For more than 63 million Americans, daily life includes providing ongoing care for adult or minor family members with a medical condition or disability. This extraordinary act of service provides much-needed support for a loved one, but it can also lead family caregivers to put their own well-being to the side, leading to burnout that affects physical and mental health.

Vote this November to calm political environment

OPINION — I finally had a free day and sat down to watch the news on TV and discovered the president and Congressional District 8 Rep. Abe Hamadeh appear to think I have a fatal personality disorder just because I do not believe anything they say and I will not follow their every whim and fancy.

Building a wellness portfolio can help Arizonans age well

OPINION — Throughout time, humans have searched for a way to stop the clock, stay forever young and erase the signs of aging. But rather than search for that mythical fountain of youth, there are more realistic ways to evaluate what it means to age well and build a wellness portfolio that can help us preserve our strength, our vitality and our ability to live fully as we grow older.

Reader takes issue with letter about Hamadeh’s full story

OPINION — In her letter, Arizona deserves the full story on Abe Hamadeh, Analyn Megison demands the “complete story” about the congressman, yet her letter largely repeats Hamadeh’s own talking points while attacking the press.

Time for real representation for CD 8

OPINION — As I read Nikki Colletti’s letter, I was struck by her tone concerning our perpetually absent representative and what a “breath of fresh air” he is for Congressional District 8. I wouldn’t know about this fresh air because I have never seen him be accessible.

Why I’m voting for Bernadette Greene-Placentia in November

OPINION — When I read Abe Hamadeh’s recent newsletter, I see that he has been very helpful to individuals struggling with the bureaucracy (otherwise known as our hardworking, understaffed Civil Service) and supportive of the military and police. But what about the 400,000 Arizonans who lost their SNAP food benefits and those who will not be able to afford health insurance after the election because of the Big Beautiful Bill his vote helped put into law?

To save state Medicaid budgets, lawmakers must target fraud, not cut care

OPINION — State Medicaid programs are heading toward a fiscal wall. Nationwide, state leaders are grappling with severely strapped budgets, rising healthcare costs and shrinking revenues. To make matters worse, the federal government has begun pulling back match funding and aggressively deferring payments, holding back over $1 billion in federal Medicaid transfers to states while demanding stricter documentation. With federal dollars tightening, states are bracing for severe budget cuts in 2027.

Question of the Week: Should Arizona gubernatorial candidates cross the political aisle in selecting running mates?

For the first time, Arizonans will select a lieutenant governor in November. The new office will be the No. 2 position in state government. Gov. Katie Hobbs raised eyebrows when she named former Mesa …

Arizona deserves the full story on Abe Hamadeh

OPINION — As an Arizona citizen, I believe we should recognize public officials who demonstrate genuine servant leadership. Congressman Abe Hamadeh deserves that recognition.

How to spot an AI-powered scam

OPINION — Early this summer, an “advertisement” about a big sale — $1 books at Barnes & Noble — was all over social media. Any voracious reader would hoist an eyebrow. Last spring, there were widespread “offers” on the internet of deeply discounted tickets and travel packages to see the University of Arizona men’s basketball team play at the Final Four.

Do state Sen. Carroll’s priorities align with LD 28’s needs?

OPINION — What exactly are state Sen. Frank Carroll’s priorities for Legislative District 28? Start with BNSF Railway, which has begun construction and site preparation for a massive rail and logistics development in the Wittmann area, with serious implications for traffic, roads, water, growth and surrounding communities.

Question of the Week: Have rising prices affected your back-to-school spending this year?

For many Valley families, back to school means updating their students’ wardrobes, buying backpacks, assorted gear, books, electronics and school supplies. According to reports, the average …

Hidden heroes: Three extraordinary women of color who changed the course of history through espionage

OPINION — When we think of spies, we often imagine fictional characters equipped with high tech gadgets, disguises and daring escapes. Yet some of history’s most remarkable intelligence agents were real women of color whose courage, intelligence and determination helped shape the outcome of major wars.

Why is Hamadeh calling out Hobbs when he won’t debate opponent?

OPINION — Arizona Congressional District 8 Rep. Abe Hamadeh sure likes to throw stones at glass houses, but runs away afterward. He called out Gov. Katie Hobbs for not debating his fellow House Republican gubernatorial candidate, Andy Biggs, while Hamadeh running away from CD 8 opponent Bernadette Greene-Placentia’s debate challenge.