Zoning out: Your articles "Soiled Hands" and "Through the Cracks" (also March 23) show that the state Legislature makes it harder for homeowners to sue homebuilders, that the Arizona Registrar of Contractors gives a free pass to licensed contractors who build shoddy homes, that the Arizona Department of Real Estate wants to ease quality control, that local zoning inspectors sometimes check 90 homes a day (even when they make a lot of mistakes inspecting only 45 homes a day), that newbie zoning inspectors make lots of dumb mistakes that allow shoddy homes to be built, and that city council members pressure inspectors to pass shoddy homes built by people who gave the politicians money.

Finally, the article points out that the only way a diligent homebuyer can guarantee his or her home is built correctly is to hire a private independent zoning inspector and pay $300.

Mike Ross Libertarian candidate for Arizona governor