Fairness is among the first lessons we teach our children. Wait your turn, share your toys, obey the rules. So why is this value absent when it comes to funding children’s public education? I can’t fully answer that question. Neither can the thousands of parents like me whose children attend Arizona’s virtual public charter schools. Though our children are public school students under Arizona state law, they receive only a portion of standard public school funding.

Transparency and accountability are of critical importance for promoting economic development. Anytime our elected officials consider any proposal that provides taxpayer money to incentivize the private sector, strong safeguards must be in place.

As a conservative Republican, a frequent contributor to Republican political campaigns, and one who is very worried about the future the Republican Party, I would like to comment on Randy Pullen’s letter (posted March 26 on the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry website).

Living in Arizona for over 30 years I have come to love many aspects of our great state. One area that greatly concerns me, however, is the performance of our education system. Rather than just complain about it, I’ve devoted more than 20 years to reforming K-12 education.

In the debate over Medicaid expansion, the ace up the sleeve of expansion advocates is federal largesse. The federal health care law requires states to eventually cover 10 percent of the cost of expanding Medicaid eligibility; but for the next three years 100 percent of the cost is covered by the federal treasury.

Arizonans are watching as the misinformed rhetoric and vitriol obfuscate an issue that close to a million voters made perfectly clear they support. . .twice.

With the “fiscal cliff” behind us, Americans now have a new concern on the horizon — the debt ceiling. The fiscal cliff resulted in an average tax increase of $1,600 per year for most taxpayers, and the impact debt ceiling negotiations will have is still uncertain. In light of the uncertainty, consumers are becoming even more diligent when it comes to their spending and saving habits.

As a Phoenix firefighter for 26 years and the president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona (PFFA), an organization that represents more than 6,700 firefighters statewide, I know quite a bit about “protection.” In fact, protecting others has been the basis of my career.

We know when our opponents do not have a strong argument, they resort to personal attacks and don’t really address the key issue, in this case, clean air. In its hit piece “Sierra Club ‘Clearing the Haze’ comments undermine its credibility” published March 15 in the Arizona Capitol Times, Arizona Electric Power Cooperative (AEPCO) leaves out key factors regarding the cleanup of its coal-fired Apache Generating Station.

Following on the success of the 2011 ouster of state Senate President Russell Pearce, immigrants’ rights groups and others are now aiming at a more prominent official — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.