You want the homeless in your city? Then go pitch a tent Isn’t it time we end this useless insanity called ‘war on drugs’?

The more you do for the homeless, the more homeless you get streaming into your community. The word absolutely gets out throughout the country to go to Salt Lake City, or go to Phoenix.

You think you’re doing human kindness for a limited number of people and your reward is having your community and all of your resources overwhelmed by the ever growing influx of people looking for as much as they can get.

The more you do, the far more they come. So here’s the question, reader — how many homeless tents will you allow be pitched permanently in your backyard?

— David Durfee, Tempe

Jeff Bezos thinks he’s ‘Citizen Kane,’ in charge of whole world

Welcome relief from Benson’s venom Thursday, and kudos for the cartoon by Sean Delonas, exposing the Washington Post for the tabloid it has become after it was purchased recently by Jeff Bezos, the filthy-rich founder of Amazon, for his own personal political soapbox.

Apparently he fancies himself a “Citizen Kane,” who controls everything. Nothing from the Washington Post can be taken as news now, and the story they originated about sharing classified information quoted no source. Must have been “Deep Throat” again. William Randolph Hearst would be muttering more than “Rosebud” if he were alive today.

— Ralph Morris, Glendale

Debt collection serves vital role in U.S. credit-based economy

Ken Alltucker’s April 18 article (”Report: Complaints mount against medical debt collectors”) cites a U.S. Public Interest Research Group report that relies on data made available by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Unfortunately, by relying on the CFPB’s unverified and non-contextualized data for its report, the U.S. PIRG perpetuates inaccuracies that are harmful to consumers and professional debt collectors.

ACA International, the national trade association for the credit and collection industry, has continuously urged the CFPB to address flaws in its consumer complaint handling process, including ensuring that the information it shares in the consumer complaint database is founded on meaningful, normalized data.

It is estimated that 77 million Americans have a reported debt in collection and that there are more than one-billion consumer contacts made by the debt collection industry annually. Last year, 39,483 debt collection complaints were submitted to CFPB. This accounts for roughly .004 percent of all consumer contacts made by the debt collection industry in 2016.

The credit and collection industry is one of the most highly regulated industries, and consumers have rights and protections under the law. As a result, legitimate debt collectors are focused on compliance and treat consumers lawfully and with respect.

In many cases debt collectors are a consumer’s best chance of quickly resolving a dispute with the original creditor.

Collectors want to be a part of the solution. They have an incentive to work with consumers to resolve issues and find mutually beneficial ways to help consumers resolve their debts.

— Heath Morder, Phoenix The letter writer is president of the Arizona Collectors Association.

In saying “we shouldn’t kid ourselves into thinking (the murder of journalists in Mexico) has nothing to do with the United States,” The Republic’s Editorial Board is 100 percent correct (“Just south of Arizona, journalists pay ultimate price for heroic work,” Sunday).

Specifically, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon declared the “war on drugs” in 1971, helping set in motion the global havoc this idiot battle has brought.

With creation of drug cartels around the world to smuggle heroin and other narcotics into the U.S. and elsewhere, trillions of dollars have been wasted fighting the war, millions of people have been jailed in the U.S., and tens of thousand have been murdered, particularly in Mexico.

Experience has now shown us that the probability of successfully fighting either the drug war or drug addiction are zero and none.

Thus, to continue them can properly be classified insanity.

Grow up America! End the useless war on drugs. — Earl Zarbin, Phoenix

Waiting for day when ‘Arizona Republic’ is fair and balanced

When do we get Arizona Republic news that aspires to be objective? I guess you leave that up to Steve Benson. — Dean Neumeyer, Fountain Hills