Hello. Umm, well, I guess I’ll tell you what happened first. This morning I saw a guy rear-end a lady, an old lady in a parking lot, and, uh, I got out and was going into the store, uh, Safeway there, and this guy gets out of his car and starts screaming at this lady. This was an older lady, I mean like she was probably in, oh, at least her late to, uh, or her 60s or 70s. This guy was yelling and carrying on, and he had run into her. I was driving behind him, and it was his fault totally. I couldn’t believe it. I went over and told the lady what happened, and he started to kind of look and talk to me, but when I looked at him I think he knew not to bring that toward me. So, but anyway, I got to thinking about it later and just thought how crazy people are. I mean, why not just walk up and be a man and say I’m sorry for that and are you okay. He didn’t even ask. She said she was fine, but anyway, just a note to people out there to try to be more human in your day. Try to be more like God wants you to be and not like you’re from the jungle. Alright, that’s my call. Thanks. My name’s Ray. Thanks. My deepest condolences to Mr. Martin for the loss of his wife and baby boy (Still Standing, February 2010). I pray he finds peace and solace in the years to come. My husband and I also went through a similar situation. I was in a terrible car accident when I was seven months pregnant. After a week in intensive care I was released from the hospital, but our baby girl, Emily, died on her 24th day of life. The heartache and despair we felt was indescribable. The only solace my husband or I could find was sitting in Emily’s nursery and rocking in the new chair we had bought to rock her in. Unfortunately, our insurance company put a cap on how much they would pay. We had hundreds of thousands of dollars in bills to pay for. So in our grief, we also had to file for bankruptcy, we lost our home and our baby’s nursery. My plea to Mr. Martin is from one grieving parent to another: Please talk to your friend Senator McCain. Mr. Martin, you had “government-run health insurance.” I’m sure all of your hospital bills were paid, and you did not lose your home or have to file for bankruptcy. We need good health care for all Americans. Your baby was just as important as mine! I want to thank Congressman Mitchell for voting yes for universal health care and doing what is morally right. I would not wish what my husband and I went through on my worst enemy, not even on a Republican. To all Republicans who want to see President Obama fail, whether it is because he is black or just a Democrat, all I have to say is there but for the grace of God go I. We must come together as a country and work for the good of all. Let’s put politics aside for a change and let’s do what is right! The boys who killed that officer in Gilbert should be strung up and hung in the center of town. Absolutely unconscionable. What are we coming to? Guns in the hands of monsters like this is the biggest risk we face, especially when the monsters will turn them without provocation on officers of the law upholding the peace. My name is Grady. It’s Sunday afternoon. Thank you.  I just picked up a copy of The Times, and it’s totally different from the Northeast Phoenix Times, which I normally pick up. (Dogs begin barking loudly in the background.) Why are you doing so many different issues and information? I enjoy your paper, but it’s kind of confusing. It would be nice to read the same thing. I was just wondering, what is your rationale? It’s kind of like the Arizona Republic. They just put some stories in different areas, and yet a lot of us would enjoy reading about the other areas too. So like I said, overall I do enjoy your paper, but it’s very confusing. And you’ll probably be like the Arizona Republic and when somebody tells you something you won’t do anything.

Editor’s Note: There is a great deal of shared content between the various editions of The Times; however, not all of the editions are released at the same time. We have tried to tell the publisher this is confusing, and he never responds. All he ever does is smile and wink. So bear with us. We appreciate that you enjoy the paper so much! Once again in the history of our republic Massachusetts has played a leading role. Now it is up to the rest of us to restore our constitution’s limits on the power of the federal government. The first order of business is to get the federal government out of any involvement whatsoever in health care. This is not a constitutional power of the federal government but of each individual state. Massachusetts showed us the way here also when it passed its own health-care legislation. We can also look to the European Union where each nation, many smaller than many of our states, has its own health-care system. Hi, this is Louise. If someone in your office could call me so I can, uh, talk to you about getting my ad in the paper (leaves phone number). Thank you. So I’m reading Shanna’s feature story (Still Standing, January 2010) with tears in my eyes at a freaking Subway. Very moving story. Thank you. – Patrick Rapagnani My family and I just recently move to Phoenix from Toledo, Ohio. We made the decision to sell and give away a lot of our belongings, some we even left behind to be collected at a later date. That being said, the other night I was going through some papers I brought with me and ran across an old essay paper I wrote when I was a senior in high school. Why did I bring this with me, of all things, I asked myself. As I was reading through the memory I wrote about it was broken up by all the marks the teacher made, making me second guess my whole love of writing. All my English teacher could see was the mistakes I’d make. Couldn’t she see what I’d seen through my writing? It was that moment when I was glad I hadn’t become (and I mean no offense to the great teachers in America) the kind of person who only sees the mistakes in life. Imagine if all we did was judge ourselves on past mistakes. None of us would move forward. That brings to mind a line from the band 3 Doors Down (whom I love!) which says, “Your mistakes do not define you now, they tell you who you’re not.” Maybe we should all take this knowledge to heart and stop being so hard on ourselves. I’m 2,000 miles away from the vast majority of my family and friends, trying to build a new life. All the mistakes we make are just tools to learn and grow from. Shed judgment on yourself and others. It’s time to move forward in your life. Stop looking at the mistakes and enjoy the memories. Hi, Steve. This is a voice from your past – Alex from the accounting firm. You may or may not remember me. Saw your business online and the success of your paper, and I just wanted to say Hi and Congrats, sir! Way to go! Take care. – Alex Good afternoon fellow capitalists, today is Saturday...and my name is Dave. It’s currently 3 p.m., and I’ve stopped the by house after a frustrating morning to Sound Off. I’m not finished with work yet but wanted to get this fired off as soon as possible. I don’t foresee having time tomorrow as, thankfully, I’ll be working Sunday too. Please bear with me. I manage a very small business, maybe best described as micro, and have been lucky enough to have survived the last three years. I enjoy working with and supporting other small businesses as well. Good ‘ol Ma and Pa... But following is a list of my grievances and source of frustration on this otherwise beautiful day: I wanted to order uniforms from a new supplier, a local shop...they’re closed weekends. I wanted to order promotional items for my customers from a new local outfit...they’re closed on weekends. I wanted to get an insurance quote from a neighborhood storefront agent...she’s also closed on weekends. Amazing! Three small, local businesses, two of which have spent money soliciting my business, apparently all work the same hours as my family doctor. No offense, Marty. But, wow, guys, you kinda really let me down today! ■