“If you moved to Gilbert because of the good schools, then you may become disappointed. New GPS board members want to turn Gilbert into a charter school district. Charter schools are a privatization of public schools that funnel your tax dollars to a small group of insiders. Charter schools do not outperform public schools. Do research, pay attention, and get involved.”

“If the Grand Obstinate Party is ever going to win any elections in 2014 or 2016 they need to do three things: Schedule a few sessions with Dr. Phil, privatize elections nationwide and have Koch Industries count the ballots, and, above all, don’t use pollsters that gerrymander. Republicans should know that’s the best way to get the worst information.”

Mother’s Day has always been special in the Genung household.

Some comment on the utter futility, lawlessness and lunacy of those occupying a park near Wall Street and the nearly countless others across the nation and around the world who claim to be the forgotten “99 percent,” left behind by 1 percent whom they view as having corralled the majority of wealth and privilege.  Laissez-faire capitalism, the unbridled exercise of control over assets, is viewed by many as the single most important characteristic of Western Civilization. And those who are seen to apparently question this notion are demonized as socialists or communists, and certainly as misguided fools. But are they?

Paul Koch comes from a long line of blue-collar workers. His great-grandfather left Germany to settle in the U.S. as a toolmaker, a craft handed down to his sons, grandsons and great-grandson. Along with thousands of others, they collectively created an industry and identity for Erie, Pa., as a major tool-and-die center.

NEW YORK - Wall Street wandered through a listless session Monday, finishing little changed as investors cast aside upbeat earnings at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Lowe's Cos. ahead of critical inflation and spending data later this week.

The Upper Deck Co. of Carlsbad, Calif., which signed prep phenom LeBron James to an exclusive contract card and autograph earlier this week, has released a set of women’s golf cards to coincide with Annika Sorenstam’s appearance in this week's Bank of America Colonial tournament in Fort Worth, Texas.

Ken Koziol, vice president of Arizona Event Co., knows a thing or two about staging large-scale events — his firm organizes the annual Fiesta Bowl Block Party in downtown Tempe. The seeds for this weekend's Tempe Music Festival were sown during preparations for one of the annual New Year's Eve events.

Ken Koziol, vice president of Arizona Event Co., knows a thing or two about staging large-scale events — his firm organizes the annual Fiesta Bowl Block Party in downtown Tempe. The seeds for this weekend's Tempe Music Festival were sown during preparations for one of the annual New Year's Eve events.

Editor's Note: These letters to the editor have been sorted by topic by the Tribune editorial staff in an effort to allow readers to read varied opinions on the issues, candidates, and other circumstances surrounding the 2012 general election. These submissions are the opinions of the author, not the Tribune, and have not been edited for grammar or content.

Voters will clarify the presidential field today with polls open in Arizona and more than 20 other states coast to coast.