OPINION

For more opinions visit peoriatimes.com

PeoriaTimes.com /PeoriaTimes

AROUND THE BLUHMIN’ TOWN Sometimes you find yourself lost in life

BY JUDY BLUHM Peoria Times Columnist

Have you ever been lost? Yes, I guess at some time or another most of us have taken a wrong turn, had trouble following directions, or just gotten mixed up about where we are headed. Being a Realtor and often in rural areas, sometimes I find that street signs do not exist, easements are not always marked, landmarks change (the big saguaro where you are supposed to make your left turn looks the same as every other one) and GPS works best in cities that are neatly platted out. Imagine my surprise while driving on a dirt road in New River (lost) and finding an old, black horse standing in the middle of the two-lane goat path. He looked as bewildered to see me as I was to see him. Evidently, he did not think I belonged there, because he made no effort to move. A roadblock of the strangest kind!

Pulling over to the side, I stopped and got out. The horse stood his ground, just sizing me up as I carefully approached him. He was pretty thin, well-mannered and seemingly curious, if not happy to see me. Looking around, I pondered where the big fella came from. Not normal for a horse to be standing in the middle of a road with no one else around! About 300 feet to the north, I noticed a driveway and walked, gently resting my hand on the horse’s backside, as together we headed up a long, narrow dirt drive leading to an old ranch house.

The black horse and I got up the driveway and we both stood still for a moment, while an elderly man ran out from the garage with arms open like he might hug me. Well, he did embrace his horse and for a few minutes seemed confused, then asked what I was doing here with Rocky. When I said that I found Rocky standing in the middle of the road, the man looked shocked. He said, “Rocky is 34 years old and has arthritis, doesn’t eat much and barely walks any more. He usually just stands by my back porch or in his mare motel. He hasn’t walked this far in two years!” Clearly the man was flabbergasted, and then chuckled, saying that he better be sure to close his gates.

There might be another type of “lost.” A lady emailed me to say that she was married for 45 years and every day “knew what to do.” When her husband died, she said she “drifted” for one year, with no particular purpose or goal to do anything, except the basic chores of daily living. It can happen to us at any age. A loved one is snatched away too soon and we become bereft, struggling to find that new “normal” when all we really want is to go back to that place in time where we were before. This begs the question, can we be in the most familiar of places yet be completely lost?

Life is one heck of a journey. Sometimes roads don’t take you where you expected. Lost? It happens. Grab a compass, dear readers, because there might be times when we need a little help finding our way. PT

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local Realtor. Have a story or a comment? Email Judy at judy@ judybluhm.com.

Color alone not the only criterion for Supreme Court

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Peoria Times Columnist

United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his upcoming retirement on a Wednesday morning. Within the hour, reporters, pundits and politicos had settled on a must for the 83-year-old’s successor: The next justice, the 116th in the history of our nation, must be a Black woman.

This certainty dates back to a promise President Biden made during the 2020 primaries. Struggling to get traction, especially with Black voters, Biden went to South Carolina needing a jump start to his campaign. His promise at a February 2020 debate:

“I’m looking forward to making sure there’s a Black woman on the Supreme Court to make sure we in fact get everyone represented.”

The applause was loud. Biden won a seven-way primary with 49% of the vote.

I understand we live in a nation where 108 out of 115 members of the highest court in the land have been white men. I understand and see value in diversity, of justices who bring different perspectives and cultures to the court — even if they tend to vote in lockstep with either one of America’s two dominant, disastrous political parties.

But for days I’ve been scouring the news waiting for someone to say what to me seemed abundantly obvious: Shouldn’t the president, a Democrat, nominate the most qualified liberal justice to the court, as opposed to filtering out candidates based on race and gender?

I mean this as no slight to the jurists on the short list: Ketanji Brown Jackson, who currently sits on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, considered the second most important court in the country.

Harvard educated, a former editor of the Harvard Law Review, Brown Jackson clerked for Breyer early in her career. Also getting serious consideration is Leondra Kruger, who currently sits on the California Supreme Court. Kruger previously clerked for Justice John Paul Stevens and, as an assistant U.S. solicitor general, she argued a dozen cases before SCOTUS.

If either of these two amazing Black women is the most qualified choice for the court, then I celebrate the appointment.

Ironically, next year the court is scheduled to hear a case on affirmative action in education. The original lawsuits contend that Harvard and the University of North Carolina discriminate against Asian students, who scored higher than other racial cohorts on admission criteria like grades, tests scores and extracurriculars but were

Peoria numbers show positive direction

BY BRIDGET BINSBACHER Peoria Councilmember Peoria Mayoral Candidate

From the countless years of Little League and school sports for my kids to my service to the Cactus League and the Peoria Diamond Club before that, baseball has been a big part of my life for many years.

Not only is it “America’s Pastime,” but it is also the original sport where numbers matter.

Even before this era of modern analytics and “moneyball,” generations of fans spoke in hushed tones about batting averages, home runs, strikeouts and other important numbers.

People kept score on their own, and stadiums tracked most games around the league in real time. Maybe that’s why records and rankings really seem to matter so much in baseball. Perhaps, also, it’s why Peoria’s records and rankings mean so much to me and why I want to run for mayor to rack up even more wins for our city.

When you look at our city by the numbers, you find a community that is definitely heading in the right direction. Peoria scores high in both national and local rankings, and when you take in our track record, it comes as no surprise Peoria was named No. 1 City to Live, Work and Play in Arizona (Ranking Arizona, 2021) and No. 1 Best City to Live in Arizona and the 29th in the country by Money Magazine (2018). For the stat-minded, that’s literally one in a million.

The numbers show that Peoria is a safe community. We have a mayor and council who work well together and a proven track record of commitment to public safety.

Our hard work has paid off with Peoria being named in the Top 15 Safest Cities in the United States (Wallethub, 2019 and 2017) and 22nd Safest City in the United States (Phoenix Business Journal, 2018).

Not satisfied to rest on our past success, the council also recently voted to invest even more money into police officers and firefighters to ensure our first responders can be there when you need them most.

We are also hitting home runs when it comes to attracting jobs and economic opportunities. The city was ranked Fourth-Best Place to Get a Job (WalletHub, 2018) and the No. 1 city with booming employment growth (CNBC, 2017). The proof is in job numbers as well. Peoria’s labor force commuting to jobs in other cities is down to 69% from nearly 90% just a few years ago. Our city also remains a top tourist destination, racking up recognition as Best Winter Destination in the United States (Expedia, 2017) as well as a Top 10 Unique Destination (USA Today, 2019).

Peoria also offers outstanding choices for those of all ages and abilities who live in our city. Certainly, our active adult population can agree with Forbes, who ranked Peoria in the Top 25 Places to Retire in the Country (2017). The city has also scored top 10 Best City to Raise a Family (2017) and Top 5 Disability-Friendly Cities in the United States (2016) by WalletHub.

In the 180 square miles where Peoria resides, it houses Lake Pleasant, more than 30 parks, 20 miles of trails, the Seattle Mariners’ and San Diego Padres’ Spring Training complex, and a historic downtown, and it’s home to a lively entertainment district. Rent.

SEE NUMBERS PAGE 12

Kelly joined at Biden’s hip in upcoming race

BY J.D. HAYWORTH Peoria Times Columnist

There’s no mistaking Mark Kelly for the late comedian Don Knotts — especially since our junior senator bears an uncanny resemblance to Uncle Fester of “The Addams Family” — but similar themes have emerged in the body of work from both the contemporary legislator and the comedian of a bygone era.

Knotts, who won multiple Emmy Awards for his portrayal of bumbling Deputy Barney Fife on “The Andy Griffith Show,” parlayed that success on the small screen into a five-picture deal with Universal Studios in the mid1960s.

Sen. Kelly parlayed his fame from piloting the space shuttle into winning a seat in the Senate. Certainly Kelly’s fundraising abilities have proven astronomical; his campaign pulled in $9 million in the final three months of last year, giving him an estimated war chest of $22 million as he attempts to win a full six-year term this November.

Of course, $22 million — or more — won’t buy what it used to… not even as recently as the campaign year of 2020.

That’s because of Jan. 20, 2021… the day Joe Biden took up residency at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Immediately afterward, the politico-economic condition now known as “Bidenflation” took hold.

Ol’ Joe began by revoking authorization for the Keystone XL pipeline in an executive order. In so doing, he killed 10,000 jobs and took $2.2 billion in payroll out of workers’ pockets.

One of the newly unemployed, Neal Crabtree of Fouke, Arkansas, told the “Boston Herald” his concerns extended beyond his family to friends, neighbors and his fellow countrymen.

“Now we’re seeing rising energy prices,” said Crabtree, a common-sense kind of guy, who was working as a welding foreman before Joe Biden got a new job… and took away his.

Sadly, common sense is in short supply at the White House and within the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Then again, lots of things are in short supply these days.

A crippled supply line and a predictable decline in domestic energy production prompted a spike in prices.

The result?

The worst inflation rate our nation has seen in 40 years.

As costs increased across the board for food, shelter, clothing and transportation, prices at the pump were especially troubling: a hike of almost 50% by December.

Adding even more fuel to the inflationary fires was the spending spree of the Biden Bunch. Unilaterally enacted by the Democrats, a $1.9 trillion cash infusion actually paid bonuses to some lucky workers to stay off the job, kept the Bureau of Printing and Engraving churning out greenbacks, and further bloated our money supply.

Whether due to economic illiteracy or delusion — perhaps both — Joe Biden then claimed that his horribly misnamed “Build Back Better” initiative would somehow reduce inflation. Left unexplained is the dubious rationale behind the misguided notion that an exponentially more obscene orgy of spending — $5.5 trillion dollars’ worth — will do anything other than launch inflation to even “greater” heights and plunge our standard of living to even lower depths.

Thankfully, the “Build Back Bummer” has been scrubbed for now… no thanks to Mark Kelly.

Instead, Kelly has been a dependable vote for Bidenomics and Bidenflation, but Republicans aren’t exactly biding

SEE RACE PAGE 12

How to get a letter published

250 N. Litchfield Road, Suite 100, Goodyear, AZ 85338 Email: christina@timespublications.com

The Peoria Times welcomes letters that express readers’ opinion on current topics. Letters must include the writer’s full name, address (including city) and telephone number. The Peoria Times 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 Peoria Times will not publish consumer complaints, form letters, clippings from other publications or poetry. Letters’ authors, not the Times, are responsible for the “facts” presented in letters.

BUCKEYE AIR FAIR BUCKEYE AIR FAIR FEB. 19-20, 2022 FEB. 19-20, 2022

BUCKEYE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT BUCKEYE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. BOTH DAYS 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. BOTH DAYS ALLNEWAIRSHOW STOLDRAGRACING MILITARYDISPLAYS SCITECHFESTIVAL ANDMUCHMORE!

$15

AT EVENT PARKING PASSES AVAILABLE ONLINE

CREDIT CARD ONLY ONE VEHICLE PER PASS

2022 AIR FAIR SPONSORS:

COURT FROM PAGE 9 scored down on qualities like courage, kindness, personality and likability.

The end result? A racial quota system that kept the number of Asian students artificially low in favor of admitting a more diverse student body.

The concept that every facet of life requires equal representation by skin color is a shaky proposition, easy to turn on its head.

For example, the National Basketball Association in 2020 was about 74% African American, 17% white, not quite 3% Latino and Asian, and 6% players of other races. Today, non-Latino whites comprise 58% of the U.S. population. Latinos make up 19%, Blacks 12%.

Imagine the insanity that would ensue if the NBA mandated that each 15man roster needed to proportionally express the racial composition of the U.S.? Who among the Phoenix Suns’ 14 African American players would the team cut in favor of white ballers of presumably lesser talent?

Would the new, perfectly representative squad still sell tickets or perform to NBA Finals levels? Doubtful and doubtful.

It’s long past time for a Black woman to sit as a Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. But speaking about some of our nation’s best and brightest primarily through the prism of skin color and gender — with their hard work, qualifications and successes tossed in as a footnote — demeans the process and the judges in it. PT

David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Contact david@leibowitzsolo.com.

NUMBERS FROM PAGE 10 com has also taken notice of the staggering number of parks, trails, Lake Pleasant Regional Park and multiple mountain preserves, and ranked Peoria No. 7 on the list of cities with the most open space; the city also scored as the 12th Highest City for Green Space in the United States (2019).

However, the most important number I care about is “One Peoria.” My vision as mayor would be to see our city as a single community who can come together to build a stronger place to live, work, and enjoy an active lifestyle. We cannot and should not be pitting parts of the city against one another or creating divisions along regional, economic, social or other lines. We have come too far and worked too hard to erase our good work by those who want to foster discord and division. As I said before, our city is heading in the right direction and the numbers don’t lie. I am running for mayor to build on what has been done in the past by excellent leaders like mayors Keegan, Barrett and Carlat, and to take Peoria to the next level.

If we focus on “One Peoria” — one community — we will continue our domination of countless rankings lists. Every part of our city is All-Starworthy, and that makes for one spectacular team. PT

SEE MORE NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.PEORIATIMES.COM

BE DEBT FREE IN 24–48 MONTHS!

If you owe more than $10,000 in credit card or other debt, see how we can help.

RACE FROM PAGE 11 their time in the effort to scrub Mark Kelly’s political mission. This summer’s primary for the Arizona GOP Senate nomination will be crowded and spirited.

The eventual winner will face a cash-infused but performance-imperiled incumbent, joined at the hip to Joe Biden. Mark Kelly’s handlers are doing what they can right now to start a midcourse correction, recently making their man available for an interview with “Yahoo!,” which, like most Big Tech media organs, would be more accurately named “Hooray!” when covering Democrat politicians.

Despite the kid-glove “Yahoo!” coverage, Kelly cannot shake his Biden connection. He even mimicked Ol’ Joe’s attempted blame shifting to big corporations — the same folks financing the freshman senator’s campaign.

If Kelly remains reluctant to politically separate from Joe Biden, the ex-astronaut will have a lot of time on his hands a year from now to watch reruns of “The Andy Griffith Show.” Or “The Addams Family.” PT

J.D. Hayworth worked as a sportscaster at Channel 10, Phoenix, from 1987 until 1994 and represented Arizona in Congress from 1995-2007.

JUDGE’S OPINION — King Features

Rep. Lesko wants to offer quality services

BY REP. DEBBIE LESKO Eighth Congressional District

As your representative in Congress, my top priority is to ensure that the people of Arizona’s eighth congressional district receive quality constituent services.

During the past year, our office assisted hundreds of constituents with cases involving Social Security, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other federal agencies. Our office is ready to assist you with whatever you may need.

Our district is proud to be home to Luke Air Force Base and over 70,000 veterans. It is my mission to give back to those who have dedicated their lives to our country.

Veterans who need assistance with their VA benefits reach out to our office quite often. For example, a constituent reached out to our office because the chiropractic office they use was not receiving payments from the VA for himself and multiple veterans.

Our office reached out to the VA and ensured the payments were made, resulting in the constituent not being liable for the payments. In addition, our office ensures that disabled veterans receive their correct disability payments and liaises with the VA on their behalf.

Our office can also assist seniors navigating Social Security and Medicare benefits. One constituent contacted our office after she could not get an answer from the Social Security Administration regarding her disability claim. Our office contacted the Social Security Administration and her claim was processed after a year in the system.

The constituent recently started receiving her new monthly benefit payment because of the decision. Our office can also help in the hearing process. We can answer questions regarding Medicare and Social Security enrollment. Our goal is to assist seniors so they receive their full benefits.

We can also assist with travel- and immigration-related concerns, including working with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to process work permits and assisting constituents with scheduling appointments and applying for passports from the U.S. State Department.

A constituent once contacted our office with concerns about the processing of her permanent resident card. Our office worked with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to receive it.

No matter if you’re traveling abroad or trying to assist a loved one with a visa, our office can make the necessary contacts and expedite your visa application.

In addition to helping constituents in need, I recognize outstanding young people in our community. As your member of Congress, one of my greatest privileges is nominating deserving individuals to the U.S. Military Service Academies. I consider this an honor, and I enjoy learning about these outstanding students in our community.

My office offers two additional programs for which students can be recognized and rewarded for their achievements in a particular field. Middle and high school students can showcase their creativity and ingenuity in the arts and sciences by participating in the Congressional App Challenge and the Congressional Art Competition. Each year, it is wonderful to see the beautiful artwork and unique apps that students create.

These are just some of the many ways our office is here to serve you. If you need assistance with a federal agency, please contact our district office in Surprise at 623-776-7911. I am honored to continue to serve as your representative in the 117th Congress, and it is my hope that our office can successfully assist you, whatever you may need. PT

Military & Senior Discounts Available. Just ask when you call! Member of PORA APS & SRP Qualified Contractors Nate Certified Techs • HOA Friendly Se Habla Español AZ. H.P. Plmb