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WEST VALLEY VIEW NEWS | JANUARY 26, 2022
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OUR READERS’ VIEWPOINTS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Open App Markets Act would solve problems
Editor: I am glad that the Open App Markets Act is finally starting to move in Congress, with a mark-up of the act scheduled for later this month. Many people don’t realize just how unfairly Apple and Google treat the people who develop apps for their app stores. They require the app developers use their (Apple and Google’s) payment system for in-app purchases, raking 30% off the top of any payment. This makes it extremely hard for the app developer to make a profit or often even to recoup their costs to develop the app, and often these charges are passed directly on to the customer. The big tech companies promote their apps above those of others as well as make it extremely difficult for the developers to communicate directly with their users. Add to this the often confusing rules for having an app approved, especially if they have their own app they want to market, and you end up with an almost monopolistic environment. The Open App Markets Act would solve many of these problems. Our delegation in Washington needs to actively support this bill and help level the playing field. The stifled innovation and high costs of the current system make us, the end users, the losers. Jonathan Miller Buckeye
Becoming an independent
Editor: President Biden’s policies are more popular than him. Successfully steering us back toward normalcy apparently isn’t enough.
He took office amid a violent insurgency, deadly pandemic and crashed economy. His accomplishments include passage of the American Rescue Plan; rapid vaccination of anyone who wants it; restoration of us as a world leader; rapid movement of freight off wharves; unemployment at its lowest since 1969; passage of the infrastructure bill so roads, bridges, plumbing and electrical grids can be repaired; and broadband internet made available to all. One problem is “big lie” advocates continuing to poison the air. Liz and Dick Cheney were the only Republicans at the Jan. 6 memorial. In his words, “It’s not a leadership that resembles any of the folks I knew when I was here.” Insurrectionists interpret intellectual arguments party leaders use to justify boycott of investigating the insurrection to be a go-ahead green light, and this is dangerous. Divided into warring tribes, we may lose the exceptional way of life that makes this nation the envy of the world. There’s a reason 1 out of every 3 Arizonans now identifies as independent. Dr. John Bradley Avondale
How to get a letter published 250 N. Litchfield Road, Ste. 130, Goodyear, AZ 85340 E-mail: editor@westvalleyview.com The West Valley View welcomes letters that express readers’ opinion on current topics. Letters must include the writer’s full name, address (including city) and telephone number. The West Valley View will print the writer’s name and city of residence only. Letters without the requisite identifying information will not be published. Letters are published in the order received, and they are subject to editing. The West Valley View will not publish consumer complaints, form letters, clippings from other publications or poetry. Letters’ authors, not the View, are responsible for the “facts” presented in letters. We will not print personal attacks or hateful language. Lengthy letters will be edited for space and grammar. Please do not submit multiple letters on the same topic.
Senator needs to stress RX drug pricing reform BY REP. CESAR CHAVEZ
P
ublic support for prescription drug pricing reform has hit an alltime high; however, since popular policies to bring down the cost of basic medications have gained ground across the country, the pharmaceutical industry has made it its top priority to stymie reform efforts. Yet, drug companies have hired an army of high-powered lobbyists and spent billions of dollars to resist regulation; Democrats in Washington, D.C., still have the chance to pass major prescription drug pricing reform legislation. Rising prescription drug prices isn’t a new issue for Arizonans, but recent reports of price-gouging practices affecting life-saving medications, like insulin, and news about greedy drug executives like “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli, have sparked a public outcry for change. In Arizona, the call for fair prescription drug prices is nearly unanimous — 90% of Arizonans support key policies like Medicare negotiation and capping outof-pocket spending on medications. However, despite the popular push to pass regulations and enforce transparency measures, drug companies have managed to delay reform efforts with a multibillion-dollar lobbying apparatus with the sole goal of pushing misinformation and gumming up the works in Washington. The unscrupulous tactics used by the pharmaceutical industry to preserve shady business practices have recently attracted public attention, but drug companies have leveraged their lobbying power to influence political decisions made in D.C. for decades. A 2020 observational study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that from 1998 to 2018 the pharmaceutical industry spent $4.7 billion a year — more than any other industry — to resist efforts to regu-
late drug companies. Now, because legislation to crack down on practices like price gouging and pay-for-delay schemes is gaining steam in Washington and around the country, the pharmaceutical industry has turned up the dial on its lobbying efforts. The number of registered lobbyists employed by pharmaceutical companies, NGOs and PACs has ballooned to 1616, or about three lobbyists for every member of Congress. By the end of 2021, a watchdog group reported that lobbying expenditures for the pharmaceutical industry totaled more than $266 million. Fortunately, we have elected officials in Washington willing to stand up to the pharmaceutical industry. Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has emerged as a leading voice in Congress on the issue of prescription drug pricing reform — last November, Sen. Sinema reached a deal with a diverse Democratic caucus to endorse key policies to dramatically reduce the cost of prescription drugs and save taxpayers billions of dollars. However, despite all the effort that Sen. Sinema has put into passing prescription drug pricing reform, there’s still work to be done before these policies can get to the Oval Office. While Sen. Sinema has become a serious power player in Congress, she still needs our support and encouragement to deliver on the reforms Arizonans need. Sen. Sinema, on behalf of every Arizonan, we need you to keep up the pressure for prescription drug pricing reform. Rep. Cesar Chavez has represented Arizona’s 29th Legislative District since 2017. Legislative District 29 encompasses the Hispanic minority population in Arizona. Chavez immigrated to Arizona at the age of 3.
