The border is more secure than it’s ever been

Last Sunday’s editorial incorrectly suggests that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security must produce one single data point to define “border security.”

But no single data point or metric can paint the entire picture (“Napolitano must do part,” Opinions).

Today, our border is more secure than ever. Over the past four years, the DHS has deployed historic levels of personnel, technology and infrastructure to the Southwest border to reduce the flow of illicit illegal immigrants and contraband to expedite legal trade and travel. This deployment has, by any definition, led to unprecedented gains along our Southwest border.

As measured by apprehensions and other data, fewer illegal immigrants are attempting to cross our borders — with apprehensions falling 78 percent since 2000.

Violent crime in Southwest border states has dropped since 2008 and our border cities are amongst the safest in the country.

We have also improved the flow of lawful travel and trade so critical to our economy. Last year alone, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol processed more than $2.3 trillion in trade and enrolled more than 1.5 million travelers in its Trusted Traveler Programs.

These metrics, and the dozens of other metrics we use every day, clearly demonstrate that our efforts should now extend to reforming the overall immigration system.

— Thomas S. Winkowski, To comment on letters, columns and editorials, go to opinions.azcentral.com. Arizona have been able to do on their own.

They have just wisely made it easier, along with being the proper thing to do.

My partner of 18 years and I made sure both our names were on the deed when we purchased a home together, and we were both listed with “right of survivorship.” We did the same thing on our joint bank accounts and the title of our car. Our powerof-attorney forms listed each other as next of kin and the final decision maker in medical and legal situations. When we arranged for our cremations, it was specified that the survivor was the final decider as to disposition of the body and cremains.

Having all these documents made my job easier when he passed away recently, but it would have been much nicer if we had not found it necessary to cover all those bases in the first place.

I applaud the Bisbee council’s wisdom and foresight, as well as their recognition of equality.—

Robb Kask,

Since when does experiencing something make one an expert in all the nuances of that topic?

I ask because that’s what Arizona Congressman Ron Barber used as one of the reasons he is qualified to legislate on gun control.

Please do not misunderstand; what happened to him, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and the rest of the victims was a horrible tragedy.

However, being shot doesn’t make one an expert on the topic. If it does, then logic dictates that the couple of accidents I’ve been in make me an expert on traffic safety and highway design, and my heart attack and open-heart surgery make me a cardiologist and cardiac surgeon. But they don’t. The only things these have done is make me an expert on being in an accident and what it’s like to have a heart attack.

— Tim Weaver,

Barber isn’t a gun expert

Schooling vs. education

Syndicated columnist Eugene Robinson’s column Wednesday, “Eradicate testscore obsession in schools,” points out one major flaw with standardized testing. He writes that “treating test scores the way a corporation might treat sales targets is wrong. Students are not widgets.”

I agree that business products, individually or collectively, cannot be compared to an individual child or a group of children.

Achild is a diverse, complex, individual learner and needs to have an instructional program that is structured to build on previous experiences, interest, creativity, imagination and challenges.

Our schools are the largest gatherings of interest, creativity, imagination and intellectual abilities. Therefore, kids should be allowed and encouraged to discuss, brainstorm, debate, collaborate, encourage support and challenge fellow learners.

Students should do research on these topics and write comprehensive papers. The papers would be difficult to label with an F to A, but they would be a great record of the topics researched, knowledge gained and the ability to utilize and build on their academic achievement for success.

This is the difference between schooling and education.

— Richard Thomas,

Eddie, Don made impact

Arizona recently lost two of its finest, Eddie Basha and Don Robinson.

I had the privilege of knowing both while affiliated with Pinnacle West Capital Corporation and Arizona Public Service Co. Eddie was a member of our board of directors, and Don was the president and chief operating officer of Arizona Public Service.

All that has been said during the last several days about Eddie’s business acumen, sense of humor and dedication to our community is true.

Likewise, Don had an astute business mind, a wonderful sense of humor and was a great asset to our community through the many contributions of time and energy he made to organizations dedicated to making our community better. He was very bright and had an incredible mind for numbers, but he was always most concerned with any impact decisions might have on people, i.e., customers, employees and members of the community.

Leaders as dedicated to people and our community, as were Eddie and Don, do not come along very often. It was a sad coincidence that they both left us. Arizona was indeed fortunate to have them for the time we did. — Warren Kotzmann,