Tucson speaks up: Letters to the editor for the week of Jul. 25, 2025
- Updated
Our weekly round-up of letters published in the Arizona Daily Star.
- James Abels, Midtown
7/22/25: Guest opinion-Kent Blumenthal. I think Hobbs’ veto HB 2867 was appropriate given there are adequate hate and civil rights laws available to prosecute crimes and misdemeanors. These laws offer protection for groups based on group characteristics.
The problem with HB 2867 was it would limit free speech. Free speech allows people to say or publish stupid and/or ignorant statements. Free speech allows other people to say or publish statements that refute other pronouncements perceived to be stupid and/or ignorant statements.
I doubt the objectiveness of the "Stand With Israel Committee" or the "International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance" regarding HB2867 or the definition of antisemitism.
James Abels
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Ted Morrison, Midtown
July 20th PBS ran a production of Franklin D Roosevelt's rise to the presidency after being stricken by polio. It ended with 'Happy Days are Here Again', his campaign song, while the credits ran. The film, with smiling faces, gay music and story of overcoming adversity, was uplifting.
Compare that to the July 21st Star featuring the possible transfer of national parks to the state's care, including higher entrance fees, low staffing, and a backlog of maintenance. We no longer even have a facility at the north rim of the Grand Canyon. This is not uplifting, and neither is the coverage of the Epstein case - or Laura Loomer being a former Tucsonan. Last week our own Juan Ciscomani helped defund NPR and PBS of a third of their budget. These are vital news and entertainment stations. When you read where the 'saved' money is going you'll want to scream - not sing.
Ted Morrison
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- David Coatsworth, Midtown
In 1305 Edward I’s henchmen brutally executed William Wallace in public. His body was slashed open and his intestines forcibly removed while still alive. That’s evisceration. Trump and his henchmen (Noem, Miller, Bondi, Vought) are eviscerating our government. Beyond gutting HHS under Kennedy and Education under McMahon, Trump killed the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board, and Federal Election Commission by leaving board positions vacant or removing incumbents so the agencies can take little or no official action. The Big Ugly Bill removed health care coverage and took food from the table of millions of citizens. Then Republicans "clawed back" billions already appropriated for PBS, foreign aid, neighborhood programs, and education. This is not governance for the common good. These actions are immoral. They are un-American. They will kill people. While the greedy, power-hungry mob and its Don exercise their self-perceived superiority through ill-conceived executive orders and legislation, we must resist, resist, resist. And then we must vote.
David Coatsworth
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Updated
Grateful for veto
As a Jewish person of conscience and the mother of five young children, I am grateful that Governor Hobbs upheld free speech and protected Arizona educators by vetoing the so-called “Antisemitism” bill.
I feel so strongly that this bill was actually designed to prevent teachers from presenting the Palestinian viewpoint and on preventing criticism of Israel, that I drove up to Phoenix with my twin one-year-olds to testify against it at the House of Representatives.
In the face of international war crime convictions and collective punishment resulting in the starvation of 1 million Gazan children, our Jewish community ought to be questioning the Israeli government’s decisions and speaking out against the war at this point in time.
Hate is not a Jewish value, and once people are reminded of this, antisemitism will naturally decrease. We need to separate ourselves from the government of Israel, just as many of us do from the current U.S. President. We need to be humans first.
Maggie Smith
Midtown
Dahl resting on his laurels
I have been a Ward 3 resident since 2003. The Ward 3 newsletters consist of photo ops of Mr Dahl with City officials claiming accomplishments in many neighborhoods. It was the newsletter showing Mr. Dahl a shovel with a couple plants for a tree planting in my neighborhood. I was surprised, called other neighbors to see if any had received notice of this event. None of us had.
A crime fighting program was presented at Ward 3 office which seemed disjointed so I invited Mr Dahl to our neighborhood meeting for clarification. All questions to him were deferred to his staff.
We need strong and present leadership in our Ward 3 Office. Sadie Shaw is energetic with a real desire to help Ward 3 neighborhoods fulfill their potential. Sadie is approachable, comfortable, she is a good listener and follows up on what’s brought to her. Her energy and foresight, along with her valuable community-building experience, make her the perfect candidate for Ward 3 Councilperson.
Nancy Reid
North side
Supporting Dahl
I’ve known Kevin Dahl, on and off, for 50 years. He comes close to being perfect for the City Council, Ward 3. Or for anywhere else. I worked with him on several projects, and he was always pleasant to work with. Maybe most of all, he seems to be progressive but also is practical with his feet solidly on the ground. People like him are the future of this country.
Eric Schilling
Downtown
Dahl is a local hero
I’ve known and worked with Kevin Dahl for over 25 years. He is a champion of sound water policy, rainwater harvesting, and solar and green space expansion in low-income neighborhoods. He fights to help us adapt to climate change. He pushed to move up park and pool improvements by 4 years at Thompson Park (formerly Mansfield). Kevin also used Ward money to quietly pick up the tab for a senior meals program at the Donna Liggins Center after funding was canceled by federal budget cuts. He is a consummate community activist who has raised thousands of dollars for local Democratic candidates and non-profits over the past two decades. Working for Native Seeds Search, the Tucson Bird Alliance (formally Tucson Audubon) and the National Parks Conservation Association, he has made our region and state a better place. As a Councilmember, Kevin is that rare public servant who does not aspire to higher office or to feed his own ego. He just does the right thing. Always.
Christina McVie
Northwest side
Project Blue
The July 22 Star stated that a two-person family income range of $55,729 to $167,188 is needed to be considered middle class. Same paper, same day, Opinion section writer says Project Blue will hire 180 full-time employees at an average wage of $64,000.
Why on earth would City/County officials bring in a water-guzzling, electric-eating humongous monster that only employs 180 people at barely middle-class wages?
Frank Pitts
Northwest side
Canceling vital news source
July 20, PBS ran a production of Franklin D Roosevelt’s rise to the presidency after being stricken by polio. It ended with ‘Happy Days are Here Again’, his campaign song, while the credits ran. The film, with smiling faces, gay music and a story of overcoming adversity, was uplifting.
Compare that to the July 21 Star featuring the possible transfer of national parks to the state’s care, including higher entrance fees, low staffing, and a backlog of maintenance. We no longer even have a facility at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This is not uplifting, and neither is the coverage of the Epstein case — or Laura Loomer being a former Tucsonan. Last week, our own Juan Ciscomani helped defund NPR and PBS of a third of their budget. These are vital news and entertainment stations. When you read where the ‘saved’ money is going, you’ll want to scream — not sing.
Ted Morrison
Midtown
Project Blue fog
Who would own and operate Project Blue (PB)? What is their track record?
According to datacenters.com, there are already 98 data centers in AZ, including six in Tucson. Which are most similar to PB? What is their water and energy usage?
Will PB get tax exemptions for hardware and software purchases (as for other centers in AZ)? Will they be given waivers on other taxes?
What will PB actually do? AI processing? Cloud storage? AI needs more energy and cooling.
Why does PB propose to use potable and eventually reclaimed water, when some newer centers (e.g., in Chandler) use closed systems without constant water refreshing?
Do PB water calculations account for water needed with increased TEP power generation?
PB claims to be “water-positive.” How, exactly? Will PB, like other such projects, simply buy water restoration certificates (WRCs) that give them credit for adding water flows in some as-yet-unknown places?
We deserve answers.
Tom Ryan
East side
Speaking freely
July 22 guest opinion — Kent Blumenthal. I think Hobbs’ veto HB 2867 was appropriate given there are adequate hate and civil rights laws available to prosecute crimes and misdemeanors. These laws offer protection for groups based on group characteristics.
The problem with HB 2867 was it would limit free speech. Free speech allows people to say or publish stupid and/or ignorant statements. Free speech allows other people to say or publish statements that refute other pronouncements perceived to be stupid and/or ignorant statements.
I doubt the objectiveness of the “Stand With Israel Committee” or the “International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance” regarding HB2867 or the definition of antisemitism.
James Abels
Midtown
Dahl’s quiet support appreciated
Here are two of the many lessons I’ve learned in five years volunteering with Tucson Food Share. One, a lot of people struggle to get around, and it puts their food security at risk. This has deepened my commitment to keeping our transit fare free. As a Ward 6 resident, I voted for Miranda Schubert, who shares this value. Two, Kevin Dahl and the Ward 3 staff sincerely care about, and diligently work to care for, this community. They have supported TFS in countless ways and never asked for recognition. Whether it’s volunteering their time, facilitating neighbor relations, providing funds and supporting grant applications, assisting folks we refer to them, or just making creative suggestions as we try to problem solve, we know we can turn to Kevin’s office and find friends. With both Miranda and Kevin on the City Council, we can build a more connected and compassionate Tucson.
Suzanne Schafer
Downtown
Brazenly undermining Pima County
Someone inside Pima County government released internal documents about Project Blue without properly redacting them. That leak exposed the end user’s identity, violating a nondisclosure agreement and potentially breaching attorney-client privilege. Maybe even setting the county up for a civil suit that we will be on the hook for.
This wasn’t transparency. It was reckless.
Whoever did this has jeopardized our credibility with current and prospective partners and weakened our legal standing. If we can’t protect confidential negotiations, why would anyone do business with us?
This kind of behavior doesn’t just hurt one project, it damages the entire institution.
The person responsible should come forward, apologize publicly, and resign. If they don’t, leadership must act. With the state’s highest-paid County Administrator, we should expect the best leadership. Accountability isn’t optional.
We need to restore trust before it slips further. That starts with consequences.
Allen Sharpe
Midtown
Passing the child care buck to taxpayers
I had to give a double-take when I read your July 22 article titled, “Families can get on child-care wait list.” It mentions “The new state budget that just took effect allocates $125.9 million to provide help for 900 children in 530 families.” If my math is correct, that comes out to nearly $140,000 per child. Huh? I don’t have kids (although I’ve paid hefty school taxes for over four decades), but why are taxpayers paying for other people’s child care? How about, if you can’t support your kids financially, don’t have them? Passing the buck (all $125.9 million of them) to taxpayers seems wrong and even unconstitutional. Just as Joe Biden’s failed plan to stick taxpayers with college student loan debt — despite the student’s family annual income limit up to $400,000 — was highly unfair and unconstitutional. Kudos to SCOTUS for shooting it down. Perhaps Arizona judges need to do the same here.
Richard McDonald
Green Valley
Project Blue
The Star’s editorial about Project Blue rightly highlighted concerns over its impact on Tucson and Pima County land, water, and electricity use. However, another major issue is the loss of state and local tax revenue due to exemptions for the developer, owned by Amazon Web Services.
According to a 2025 Good Jobs First report, tax subsidies cost Arizona $19 million in 2024 — a 1,200% increase since 2020. With Project Blue’s massive size and billions in costs, Amazon may avoid taxes on building materials, machinery, and equipment. Some computer equipment must be replaced every few years. Without a cap, tax subsidies could continue for decades, severely limiting tax funds for schools, water, infrastructure, and public safety. Once granted, these tax breaks are almost impossible to revoke.
Arizona should not offer exemptions to wealthy tech corporations at the expense of essential public services in Tucson and Pima County.
Anthony and Veronica Nitko
Northwest side
Project Blue and Reliability Project
The question becomes:
Is what we now know as Amazon’s Project Blue proposed computer server farms, in even a remote way — since all electricity is connected — among the anticipated electricity-gobbling projects that might contribute to the supposed need for Tucson Electric Power’s Midtown Reliability Project?
Reminder:
Tens of miles of these 75-135-foot-tall towers and major power lines are being proposed by TEP for central Tucson, cutting through the west side of the University of Arizona and slicing through the city’s Gateway Corridor Zones, which were established to protect our community’s aesthetics and beautiful mountain viewscapes.
A public hearing for the TEP project is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, before the Tucson Mayor and Council at City Hall, 255 W. Alameda.
Perhaps the Mayor and Council could find out if there is any Project Blue-Midtown Reliability connection before that public hearing?
Stephen Yozwiak
Northwest side
- Ke Chiang Hsieh, Midtown
A loud “Amen!” to the straightforward LTE “He walks among us” by Peter Morales published on Sunday, 20 July 2025. Let those who have ears hear and those who have eyes see. What we have done to the least of these, we have done it to him. Wake up and resist, lest we be judged by our lack of action.
Ke Chiang Hsieh
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Terry Louck, East side
If you have committed horrific sex crimes on Jeffrey Epstein's island, you're in the clear.
If you have been here for years without paperwork, have children and work hard to provide for them, then you are placed in a camp surrounded by alligators.
This is America.
Terry Louck
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Aston Bloom, East side
Donald Trump must be joking when he says he wants our national parks to charge higher entrance fees to foreign tourists. I have worked at a national park. The entrance station rangers had a hard enough time getting the locals to even stop to show their passes, much less declare their nationality. Is this executive order even legal? Can a president really tell the National Park Service what to do? This looks like a mean-spirited way to tell foreigners that they aren't wanted in our country. How will this raise more money for the U.S.? And transferring the national parks to the states would be the stupidest move he's made yet. Looks like part of a grand scheme to eliminate the federal government and just have each state be a sovereign entity, with each one sending "representatives" to a rubber-stamp Congress. Really?
Aston Bloom
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Jean Getek, Foothills
Over the years, I, like many of you, acquired friends that I thought were of like mind regarding America and the freedom of living here. I have had relatives who fought in World War II, the Korean War, The Vietnam War, the Gulf War and until that fascist, immoral, orange-tinted thing came down the escalator, I thought that we all believed in the same mission in America. The freedoms we have here are too numerous to mention, but I thought that human morality and kindness would win out. How wrong I was and how sickening to see my "friends" follow the madman. Everything he is doing now and will continue to do smacks of the reincarnation of Hitler. Taking innocents off the streets, sending "unprocessed criminals" to foreign prisons, taking away the freedom and liberties that our relatives so bravely fought for. How can you sleep at night and live with the horror that you have unleashed on America?
Jean Getek
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Marybeth Schneider, East side
The destruction of our beloved Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge\visitors center/support housing has impacted Arizona, national and international prior and prospective visitors. I suggest a non-profit modeled after the Norte Dame Cathedral Fund. A person who had visited along with future visitors visiting this spectacular natural wonder would like to contribute to rebuilding this amazing hotel/mule riding/hiking
/visitor center along with support housing. The Grand Canyon is such a natural wonder. Sitting in the lodge built in the edge of the canyon and viewing the sight is a true vision.
Marybeth Schneider
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Leslie Woodford, Midtown
I contacted Juan Ciscomani to ask him to vote AGAINST the $9 billion rescissions act that takes back funds already promised to NPR and PBS. His office was gracious enough respond. He said, in essence, “I voted in favor of the rescissions act. I understand your concerns regarding public media funding, please know that I take your concerns seriously.” The response felt vacuous and unsupportive. For fun, I ran it through an AI checker: three out of four checkers said that it was AI generated.
I’m not against AI; however, if the content has little meaning and no depth of thought, it is valueless. My take-away from this interaction is that 1) Ciscomani does not care about constituent concerns, and 2) he cares so little that he has machines generate meaningless responses.
We deserve someone who truly DOES understand our concerns about undercutting funding for public news stations. He has done our country a terrible disservice in clawing back these funds.
Leslie Woodford
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Joe Sanchez, Marana
The woolly mammoth and the saber-toothed tiger became extinct during the previous Ice Age. The current ICE Age may make Hispanics in America extinct.
Joe Sanchez
Marana
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Lawrence Mazin, SaddleBrooke
“The greatest threat to America,” one man said during a Clinton-era White House gathering of the ultra-wealthy, “is us — the people in this room." He was right then. He’s even more right now.
Wages are stagnant. Young people can’t afford homes or an education. Trust in institutions is evaporating. Politicians point fingers at foreign threats — but the most corrosive danger to American democracy is domestic, and it wears a suit. It’s the billionaire class.
Today, billionaires control more wealth than the bottom 90% of Americans combined. That’s not capitalism — it’s a silent coup.
They bankroll elections, write tax loopholes, and flood the media with narratives that protect their interests. The average citizen gets a vote; billionaires get a veto.
I don’t agree with the politics of the potential new mayor of NYC, Zahran Mamdani, except for one statement he made: “I don’t think we should have billionaires.”
History is clear: societies don’t survive this kind of imbalance.
Lawrence Mazin
SaddleBrooke
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Betty Fridena, West side
What a topsy-turvy world we live in. We have a President and Administration that has disrupted international alliances and our world-leading scientific and educational institutions. Their emphasis on transactional results has triggered an abandonment of American morality and leadership. The School of Public Health at Boston University estimates that over 176,000 annual preventable deaths will occur with our abandonment of USAID programs. So far that is at least 103,000 deaths since inauguration. What have we become when the President’s affiliation to Epstein is the factor that threatens his credibility and not crimes against humanity?
Betty Fridena
West side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Barbara Benjamin, Foothills
I can't help but wonder how historians will evaluate our 65-year evolution from John F. Kennedy's Camelot to Donald J. Trump's scamalot!
Barbara Benjamin
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
Fairness
If you have committed horrific sex crimes on Jeffrey Epstein’s island, you’re in the clear.
If you have been here for years without paperwork, have children and work hard to provide for them, then you are placed in a camp surrounded by alligators.
This is America.
Terry Louck
East side
Project Blue’s true need
July 16 headline in Scientific American: “China Is Putting Data Centers in the Ocean to Keep Them Cool.” The article goes on to report that they will get 97% of their energy from a nearby offshore wind farm; meanwhile, American data centers are locating in hottest, driest locations because “dry air reduces the risk of damage to the equipment from humidity.”
So Project Blue wants our low humidity. Sunday Star’s article, Sparring over Project Blue’s Water, makes clear City Manager Tim Thomure has worked out a complex water reclamation “net zero” proposal. But what guarantee does the City have that whoever Project Blue may be will honor it in the future?
This is a crazy time. Could federal MAGA policies negate any previous agreement? Less likely, could the U.S. suddenly declare a Chinese catch-up, mandating new data centers go into the newly named Gulf of America?
Let’s not forget: Project Blue wants our dry heat for its equipment. Do we want its long-term impact on our fragile environment?
Ruth Beeker
Midtown
Wittenbraker for Council
It is time for change, Tucson! Our once beautiful city, quirky, independent and picturesque, has become a run-down, graffiti- and trash-filled homeless encampment. Janet Wittenbraker can bring balance and common sense back to the City Council. Janet’s extensive knowledge of our City Charter and her commitment to the community and common-sense values will do much to begin to turn things around for Tucson. The current Ward 3 incumbent recently voted to allow homeless encampments in public spaces such as city parks. Fully in violation of our local public nuisance laws. We deserve better. Allowing this issue to fester has resulted in increased crime, resulting in deaths and dark streets. Compassion is forever in Tucson’s character. It just shouldn’t be at the expense of the entire community. Janet is a model of compassion and sound judgment. Janet will help get us off the current track of slow destruction and on a path to prosperity for all Tucsonans. Vote for a better Tucson: Vote Janet.
Maria Lopez
West side
Resist or be damned
A loud “Amen!” to the straightforward LTE “He walks among us” by Peter Morales, published on Sunday. Let those who have ears hear and those who have eyes see. What we have done to the least of these, we have done it to him. Wake up and resist, lest we be judged by our lack of action.
Ke Chiang Hsieh
Midtown
Love, not hatred
Talking politics nowadays is enough to spark a fire of hatred and misunderstanding. In my personal experience, I have even seen certain individuals wish evil or spew hatred on others simply because they have different viewpoints. This is wrong, and it happens on both sides of the political spectrum. I am a 20-year-old Catholic Mexican-American college student, and I happen to have socially conservative views, but my politics are all over the place. I disagree with things both Kamala and Trump advocate for. Nevertheless, my political views do not give me the right to go curse, hate, and wish evil on others because their views are different. We must learn to be understanding and have fruitful conversations. We can only change the world with love. If hatred enters our hearts and our mouths curl with curses whenever we talk politics, we are doing something wrong. We cannot kill hatred with hatred. How can we advocate for world peace with hatred? We can’t. Love is the only way.
Hector Guzman
South side
Dahl campaign
Have you ever passed a large area of land where the old-growth desert got scraped away for another mega-development and wondered, “Why didn’t our leaders stop this?” Fortunately, we have at least one elected official who has been trying to stop unnecessary damage to the Earth’s precious natural skin for a long time – Tucson City Council Member Kevin Dahl. In addition to his strong environmental consciousness and broad experience, Kevin Dahl’s compassion for those less fortunate is unmatched, and it shows in his policy positions. The world needs more leaders like Kevin Dahl. And we need to keep those we already have. That’s why we must reelect Kevin Dahl to the Ward 3 City Council seat.
Frank Staub
North side
Ciscomani’s AI email
I contacted Juan Ciscomani to ask him to vote AGAINST the $9 billion rescissions act that takes back funds already promised to NPR and PBS. His office was gracious enough to respond. He said, in essence, “I voted in favor of the rescissions act. I understand your concerns regarding public media funding, please know that I take your concerns seriously.” The response felt vacuous and unsupportive. For fun, I ran it through AI checkers: Three out of four checkers said that it was AI-generated.
I’m not against AI; however, if the content has little meaning and no depth of thought, it is valueless. My take-away from this interaction is that 1) Ciscomani does not care about constituent concerns, and 2) he cares so little that he has machines generate meaningless responses.
We deserve someone who truly does understand our concerns about undercutting funding for public news stations. He has done our country a terrible disservice in clawing back these funds.
Leslie Woodford
Midtown
Leighton is best candidate for Ward 6
Many of us watched Miranda Schubert’s Instagram video, where she mocks homeowners as having yards that are “just dirt”. We are not laughing.
As homeowners, we know that our yards have value. They are places for family and friends to gather, to form bonds and connections. They are nurturing places, with trees providing cooling shade against the rising heat that density creates.
Any candidate who does not understand that is wrong for Ward 6. A home is the single largest investment we make, and any candidate who views that home and its backyard as “dirt”, will not protect our homeowner rights.
Miranda has advocated for overcrowding our neighborhoods with rental homes, ignoring the recent loss of state funds for affordable housing construction. Her willingness to sell us out to institutional investors will ensure that fewer people own homes in the future.
Leighton Rockafellow Jr. understands the connections between homes, yards, neighborhoods and community. That is why he gets my vote.
Colette Altaffer
Midtown
Merger of business development groups
The article on the merger of two local business support groups — Sun Corridor and Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce (July 20) provided encouraging news. Duplication of effort will be eliminated by the merger, and the strengths of the two principals, Joe Snell and Michael Guymon, can be combined. But their efforts to identify development priorities left me disappointed.
The first priority was “data centers,” with the recently proposed Project Blue listed as the prime example. But data centers are highly controversial due to their massive consumption of water and energy. A much more nuanced statement is needed, such as, “… carefully weigh the enhancement of local tax revenues and jobs against the environmental costs.”
The fifth was “mining,” emphasizing extraction. Much better would have been “Natural Resources” with a balanced focus on mining and recreation, such as hiking. Mining continues to be controversial due to its environmentally destructive nature. Both mining and non-consumptive resource uses are important to our local economy.
Dale Keyes
Northwest side
Protecting S-cuk Sǫn
S-cuk Sǫn, the spring, the river at the base of black mountain, is alive. The Santa Cruz River has the right to flow free.
I envision a future where my son catches fireflies along the River, he learns from his teachers the great blue heron and topminnow, and we gather i:huk and yerba mansa.
Currently, communities have few protections from Big Tech. This week, AZ Luminaria reported that Amazon Web Services is behind Project Blue. Data centers require massive amounts of water and energy, risking the quality of our watershed and our shared future. For how many jobs?
Tucson loves the Santa Cruz River. We want more miles of river flowing, not less. The River has the right to live, and we have a sacred responsibility to protect it.
Let’s use this moment to build a movement and design policy rooted in our values, love for desert and river. Water is not a commodity. It is kin.
Rebecca Perez
Midtown
Data centers and cryptomining
The claim of 180 jobs at $65k is very misleading. The only commitment made to Tucson is 75 jobs. The rest is speculation and “estimates.” Most data centers at best lose 90% of the staffing by year 4-5.
The energy infrastructure is what? With diesel generators for backup? TEP already needs 15% more from Tucson residents. Affordability in Tucson (water and energy) will plummet.
How about electronic waste disposal?
What is the penalty if they don’t provide or deliver on limited promises?
They claim to use “no chemicals,” but this is word-smithing. You can’t run without treatments, including biocides, anti-corrosion, total dissolved solids. All detrimental to groundwater and currently not monitored via regulatory standards. Their impact on human and animal life will be similar to what PFAS was for fire retardants. Dow swore PFAS were “all good” back in the day. And at date, we have no real limit for PFAS in our water for regulating.
People will pay. Don’t sell out.
Carissa Sipp
Midtown
From Camelot to Scamalot
I can’t help but wonder how historians will evaluate our 65-year evolution from John F. Kennedy’s Camelot to Donald J. Trump’s scamalot!
Barbara Benjamin
Foothills
State transfer threatens parks
Donald Trump must be joking when he says he wants our national parks to charge higher entrance fees to foreign tourists. I have worked at a national park. The entrance station rangers had a hard enough time getting the locals to even stop to show their passes, much less declare their nationality. Is this executive order even legal? Can a president really tell the National Park Service what to do? This looks like a mean-spirited way to tell foreigners that they aren’t wanted in our country. How will this raise more money for the U.S.? And transferring the national parks to the states would be the stupidest move he’s made yet. Looks like part of a grand scheme to eliminate the federal government and just have each state be a sovereign entity, with each one sending “representatives” to a rubber-stamp Congress. Really?
Aston Bloom
East side
Topsy-turvy wold
What a topsy-turvy world we live in. We have a President and Administration that has disrupted international alliances and our world-leading scientific and educational institutions. Their emphasis on transactional results has triggered an abandonment of American morality and leadership. The School of Public Health at Boston University estimates that over 176,000 annual preventable deaths will occur with our abandonment of USAID programs. So far, that is at least 103,000 deaths since inauguration. What have we become when the President’s affiliation to Epstein is the factor that threatens his credibility and not crimes against humanity?
Betty Fridena
West side
No meat and potatoes
Dan Barron claims conservatives offer “no meat and potatoes” on policy, specifically questioning the value of tariffs. Let me set the record straight. President Trump’s tariff strategy prioritizes bilateral, reciprocal trade agreements, moving away from multi-nation deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, where the U.S. often gets shortchanged. The principle is simple: you tariff us, we tariff you fairly.
Recent deals prove this works. With Vietnam, the U.S. imposes a 20% tariff on its exports, while Vietnam grants zero tariffs on U.S. imports and preferential access for American goods such as large-engine vehicles. This tackles Vietnam’s massive trade surplus ($136B vs. $13B).
Similarly, Indonesia faces a 19% tariff on goods entering the U.S., while U.S. exports enter tariff-free. Indonesia also committed to buying $15B in U.S. energy, $4.5B in agricultural products, and 50 Boeing jets.
These agreements level the playing field, boost American exports and create jobs. What’s not to like?
Jeffrey McConnell
West side
Protecting what is ours
Much is unknown about Project Blue. But here’s what we do know about the data centers gobbling up large parcels of land around our country:
— Data centers function most effectively in a dry climate. They require water and electricity.
— Families living near existing data centers (e.g, in Atlanta exurbs) now have undrinkable water, dry wells and taps, and/or non-functioning appliances.
— Data centers enrich the coffers of local and state governments. Lobbyists, chambers of commerce, and other pro-growth organizations support data centers. Environmental groups and communities do not.
Being generous folks, we can give them our dry air for free. But our water? Let’s not.
Leslie Kanberg
Downtown
The greatest threat to America
“The greatest threat to America,” one man said during a Clinton-era White House gathering of the ultra-wealthy, “is us — the people in this room.” He was right then. He’s even more right now.
Wages are stagnant. Young people can’t afford homes or an education. Trust in institutions is evaporating. Politicians point fingers at foreign threats — but the most corrosive danger to American democracy is domestic, and it wears a suit. It’s the billionaire class.
Today, billionaires control more wealth than the bottom 90% of Americans combined. That’s not capitalism — it’s a silent coup.
They bankroll elections, write tax loopholes, and flood the media with narratives that protect their interests. The average citizen gets a vote; billionaires get a veto.
I don’t agree with the politics of the potential new mayor of NYC, Zahran Mamdani, except for one statement he made: “I don’t think we should have billionaires.”
History is clear: societies don’t survive this kind of imbalance.
Lawrence Mazin
SaddleBrooke
ICE Age
The woolly mammoth and the saber-toothed tiger became extinct during the previous Ice Age. The current ICE Age may make Hispanics in America extinct.
Joe Sanchez
Marana
Friends
Over the years, I, like many of you, acquired friends that I thought were of like mind regarding America and the freedom of living here. I have had relatives who fought in World War II, the Korean War, The Vietnam War, the Gulf War and until that fascist, immoral, orange-tinted thing came down the escalator, I thought that we all believed in the same mission in America. The freedoms we have here are too numerous to mention, but I thought that human morality and kindness would win out. How wrong I was, and how sickening to see my “friends” follow the madman. Everything he is doing now and will continue to do smacks of the reincarnation of Hitler. Taking innocents off the streets, sending “unprocessed criminals” to foreign prisons, taking away the freedom and liberties that our relatives so bravely fought for. How can you sleep at night and live with the horror that you have unleashed on America?
Jean Getek
Foothill
North Rim fire
The destruction of our beloved Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge\visitors center/support housing has impacted Arizona, national and international prior and prospective visitors. I suggest a nonprofit modeled after the Norte Dame Cathedral Fund. A person who had visited along with future visitors visiting this spectacular natural wonder would like to contribute to rebuilding this amazing hotel/mule riding/hiking/visitor center, along with support housing. The Grand Canyon is such a natural wonder. Sitting in the lodge built on the edge of the canyon and viewing the sight is a true vision.
Marybeth Schneider
East side
s
- Richard Kimball, Midtown
Just like the sitcoms of my youth, news programming only flourishes if it can attract an audience.
Attracting audience is everything, it is existence, it is another season, it is money.
In news entertainment, you first find a following, then feed it, and if you grow, you prosper.
All ten of the most watched entertainment news programs are now on Fox, because hate, vengeance and any abuse of you sells and demands attention, no less than one screaming shots fired, anywhere, any place.
Richard Kimball
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Richard Bechtold, West side
Egocentric children see the world the way they want without regard for reality. The world exists the way they see it, end of story. Trump is a classic egocentric child. He doesn't like the name of the Gulf of Mexico, so he changes it and expects everyone to accept it. He wants cane sugar in his Coca Cola. The Coca Cola company should change it. Trump wants the Guardians and Commanders sports team names changed to Indians and Redskins. Why? because he wants it. The border is pretty much sealed. No one is trying to cross anymore, but the egocentric child wants billions for a wall and hires 8,000 Customs personnel and fires all the asylum judges. Why? because he wants to. The child holds the tariff ball. I'm charging tariffs on you, no I'm not, yes I am, no I'm not. This is the world's most powerful child.
Richard Bechtold
West side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Sheldon Metz, Northeast side
Only one name on the now destroyed list concerned Donald J. Trump. Despite his false, contrary assertions to the contrary, Jeffrey Epstein was convicted and murdered during #45's term, not Biden’s.
Over 100,000 pages covering decades of Epstein’s escapades, including client lists, flight logs, personal desires, contact information, “black books,” 7 pages of names of girls used for private “massages, over 10,000 photographs of (children), travel logs, employee lists, more than $17,000 in cash, and even beverage preferences.” Trump promised to release these files.
A posse led by Pam Bondi reviewed all 100,000 pages - in search of one name. The administration then reversed another duplicitous promise and refused to release the files. Trump said no such files existed. I'm lost. The Star's Trump defenders/interpreters might help.
If the files and lists never existed: What was Ghislaine Maxwell referring to in her testimony? What was on Bondi’s desk once that wasn’t there later? Why was the release canceled - after meticulous review?
Sheldon Metz
Northeast side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Loyal M Johnson Jr, Oro Valley
Incessantly, your Democratic LTE submitters have promoted the idea that the Democratic Party and its acolytes are the saviors of democracy, and are far more intelligent, righteous, and compassionate than the unwashed heathens belonging to the Republican Party. Strikingly, the curtain has been lifted and the lies exposed. We now find that the Obama Administration falsified and promoted the Russia hoax intentionally with malice aforethought. We also know that President Biden’s mental decline was hidden from the public and unelected sycophants were running our government. These same sycophants are all invoking the 5th when questioned about their coverup roles. The border crisis speaks for itself, again a total abrogation of existing laws and a lack of good sense. Unsurprisingly, they practice blatant racism. The obvious conclusion is that the Democrats are shysters, charlatans, and obsessed liars who will do anything to reclaim power and have a total disregard for the Constitution, the laws of this nation, and for the well-being of the common citizen. Sad, but true.
Loyal M Johnson Jr
Oro Valley
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Philip Reinecker, East side
During the WNBA All-star Game players wore shirts espousing "Pay us what you owe us," apparently comparing the NBA's huge salaries with the more meager of the WNBA. Records indicate that the WNBA has operated at a huge loss since its inception in 1997. In fact, the WNBA relies almost totally on the NBA for financial support and cannot stay afloat without the NBA support. Allegedly the WNBA operated at a $50 million loss in 2024. No one disputes that NBA players are paid far and away more than seems lucrative and the WNBA is woefully lacking in its payment to players, but the recent increase in WNBA popularity isn't enough. I suspect that if the WNBA someday becomes equal in popularity to the NBA salaries should, in fact, be substantially increased. Until that time the "Pay us what you owe us" slogan is no more than a hope in the dark. Apples to oranges.
Philip Reinecker
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Terry Louck, East side
It is not acceptable to threaten to take territory away from other countries.
It is not acceptable to release violent criminals from prison.
It is not acceptable to put unqualified and unethical loyalists in position of power.
It is not acceptable to try to silence media with lawsuits and threats to take away their licenses.
It is not acceptable to retaliate against people who investigated your criminal conduct.
It is not acceptable to put put oligarch billionaires in charge of the budget.
No one with any shred of decency should still be supporting Trump.
He is a fascist, authoritarian, immoral and 100 percent un-American.
Terry Louck
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Jean Meconi, Oro Valley
The trade war initiated by the Trump administration has left the United States in a weak and unstable position. The president terminated trade agreements made during his first term and replaced genuine negotiation with erratic, irrational social media announcements. As a result, our allies have shifted to other markets and imposed retaliatory tariffs on American products.
This hurts the American consumer who is paying more for goods and services. It hurts small businesses who cannot absorb increased costs or compete globally. It has shrunk the US economy and destabilized world markets. And it has supercharged China’s meteoric global influence thus leaving the US in the dust.
Jean Meconi
Oro Valley
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
Due process
As we arrest, detain, deport and “disappear” immigrants, asylum seekers, visa holders — and, yes, sometimes, U.S. citizens — with alacrity, can we pause for just a moment to appreciate the irony of the comment from the unnamed CBP spokesperson in the wake of the arrest of Agent Bart Yager for 10 counts of child trafficking? “An arrest is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”
In other words, due process.
Laura Penny
Foothills
No on Project Blue and ABF
Project Blue isn’t worth the risks for Tucson, Phoenix, or Arizona. Elected leaders must take a stand against industries that exploit our limited resources for the benefit of undisclosed corporate interests. In TUSD, I was the only board member to vote against an AI policy that opens the door for unchecked use of these tools in the classroom. As a city council member, I will oppose projects like Project Blue and the outsourcing of jobs to the slow creep of AI.
While I’m encouraged by the community’s pushback, we must look critically at other so-called “advanced industries.” Dahl voted in favor of the American Battery Factory in January 2023, which will consume 150,000 gallons of potable and 25,000 gallons of reclaimed water daily when operational. I do my homework on high-profile items and those that fly under the radar like ABF to ensure Tucson’s water, air, and future aren’t traded away for promised jobs and long-term environmental costs.
Sadie Shaw
Midtown
In the dust
The trade war initiated by the Trump administration has left the United States in a weak and unstable position. The president terminated trade agreements made during his first term and replaced genuine negotiation with erratic, irrational social media announcements. As a result, our allies have shifted to other markets and imposed retaliatory tariffs on American products.
This hurts the American consumer who is paying more for goods and services. It hurts small businesses who cannot absorb increased costs or compete globally. It has shrunk the US economy and destabilized world markets. And it has supercharged China’s meteoric global influence thus leaving the US in the dust.
Jean Meconi
Oro Valley
Project Blue misinformation
There have been some beyond ridiculous claims in opinions about Project Blue (such as it’s “water positive”). They can’t make water. Given all the secrecy and misinformation, please do a tiny bit of homework. Google “Phoenix data center problems” to find a long list of reports of problems in our bigger city to the north.
For a possible way to improve the situation, search on “Waterless data center.” Forward-looking companies, including Microsoft, are building data centers with closed loop cooling systems that do not use any water for cooling. It costs a bit more up front but is probably cheaper than building an 18-mile pipeline for reclaimed water. The idea of wasting at least a million gallons of precious and irreplaceable water a day is ridiculous. Why has Pima County or the City of Tucson not insisted that the mysterious developer use more sustainable technology?
Jeff Edwards
West side
Kevin Dahl delivers
There are two ways a great City Council member serves this city: technical skills (for example, on housing, climate, building strong neighborhoods) and personal strengths (wisdom, openness and compassion) that energize our city. Kevin Dahl has both, on display for decades. We’re lucky to have this option in the City Council race.
Ford Burkhart
Downtown
Data center
Re: “Secret Project Blue water,” the writer is spot on and very clear about why this project is such a bad idea. I read with great interest the articles on Project Blue. Yet, I still cannot comprehend how anyone could think it is a good idea. Lots of mumbo jumbo to decipher. These centers are massive consumers of electricity and water. Another rate increase is in the works for TEP and we live in a desert, in drought most of the time. What’s not to understand? I’m all for progress and job creation but this makes no sense.
Denise Walker
Midtown
Project Blue water use
Rainfall in southern Arizona was virtually nonexistent in winter 2025. So far the summer “monsoons” have been pitiful.
The Hudbay mine in the Santa Ritas will consume massive quantities of groundwater. Project Blue will consume massive quantities of groundwater, as well as effluent from the Santa Cruz which will require a miles-long pipeline, and possibly drain the Santa Cruz River north of Tucson.
I’m not a genius or a hydrologist, but these projects both appear to be extremely unwise and shortsighted. I urge local Government to strongly resist both of these projects.
Dan Egan
East side
Ward 3
Kevin Dahl has devoted his life to conservationism and protecting the environment. That passion is demonstrated by Kevin’s work to improve city parks in Ward 3 and his concern with public school grounds. His focus in improving lives doesn’t stop with conservation but extends to working with neighborhood associations to making them safe and providing community building opportunities. He is also aware that some residents are underserved and votes to protect them. Kevin is aware that water is a precious and scarce resource in the Sonoran Desert and considers water usage and water reclamation for future city projects. I strongly urge Ward 3 voters to keep Kevin Dahl on Tucson City Council.
Judy J Gillies
Downtown
Support for Trump
It is not acceptable to threaten to take territory away from other countries.
It is not acceptable to release violent criminals from prison.
It is not acceptable to put unqualified and unethical loyalists in position of power.
It is not acceptable to try to silence media with lawsuits and threats to take away their licenses.
It is not acceptable to retaliate against people who investigated your criminal conduct.
It is not acceptable to put put oligarch billionaires in charge of the budget.
No one with any shred of decency should still be supporting Trump.
He is a fascist, authoritarian, immoral and 100 percent un-American.
Terry Louck
East side
On Bondi’s desk, but never there
Only one name on the now destroyed list concerned Donald J. Trump. Despite his false, contrary assertions to the contrary, Jeffrey Epstein was convicted and murdered during #45’s term, not Biden’s.
Over 100,000 pages covering decades of Epstein’s escapades, including client lists, flight logs, personal desires, contact information, “black books,” 7 pages of names of girls used for private “massages, over 10,000 photographs of (children), travel logs, employee lists, more than $17,000 in cash, and even beverage preferences.” Trump promised to release these files.
A posse led by Pam Bondi reviewed all 100,000 pages — in search of one name. The administration then reversed another duplicitous promise and refused to release the files. Trump said no such files existed. I’m lost. The Star’s Trump defenders/interpreters might help.
If the files and lists never existed: What was Ghislaine Maxwell referring to in her testimony? What was on Bondi’s desk once that wasn’t there later? Why was the release canceled — after meticulous review?
Sheldon Metz
Northeast side
The egocentric child
Egocentric children see the world the way they want without regard for reality. The world exists the way they see it, end of story. Trump is a classic egocentric child. He doesn’t like the name of the Gulf of Mexico, so he changes it and expects everyone to accept it. He wants cane sugar in his Coca Cola. The Coca Cola company should change it. Trump wants the Guardians and Commanders sports team names changed to Indians and Redskins. Why? because he wants it. The border is pretty much sealed. No one is trying to cross anymore, but the egocentric child wants billions for a wall and hires 8,000 Customs personnel and fires all the asylum judges. Why? because he wants to. The child holds the tariff ball. I’m charging tariffs on you, no I’m not, yes I am, no I’m not. This is the world’s most powerful child.
Richard Bechtold
West side
The pious
Incessantly, your Democratic LTE submitters have promoted the idea that the Democratic Party and its acolytes are the saviors of democracy, and are far more intelligent, righteous, and compassionate than the unwashed heathens belonging to the Republican Party. Strikingly, the curtain has been lifted and the lies exposed. We now find that the Obama Administration falsified and promoted the Russia hoax intentionally with malice aforethought. We also know that President Biden’s mental decline was hidden from the public and unelected sycophants were running our government. These same sycophants are all invoking the 5th when questioned about their coverup roles. The border crisis speaks for itself, again a total abrogation of existing laws and a lack of good sense. Unsurprisingly, they practice blatant racism. The obvious conclusion is that the Democrats are shysters, charlatans, and obsessed liars who will do anything to reclaim power and have a total disregard for the Constitution, the laws of this nation, and for the well-being of the common citizen. Sad, but true.
Loyal M Johnson Jr
Oro Valley
Water where?
First rule of economics, scarcity plays a crucial role in business because it directly affects pricing, demand, and competition. When resources are scarce, their value increases, leading to higher prices. Even the least intelligent politician of city manager would understand this but apparently our Tucson one doesn’t either understand or care. Somehow Mayor Romero and others appointed someone seemingly so blind to Tucson residents and ignorant of data centers. Or maybe this Manager and his opinion is because of money? Obviously not money and savings for residents but money for the term he is manager. Even a report from June 2025 faults data centers for higher energy costs: “As summer electric bills arrive with a jolt, a newly released independent report points the finger squarely at the data center industry for the dramatic rise in wholesale power costs — spikes that are now hitting consumers in the wallet.”
Carissa Sipp
Midtown
Zero fares for a better Tucson
I have been riding Sun Tran since I came to Tucson in 1977. I ride the bus and streetcar every day, using various routes. In 2022, I made a log of 349 bus rides in 4.5 months during which I witnessed zero instances of physical violence or abuse toward drivers. If the Mayor and Council reinstate fares I think there will be less safety. There will be more confrontations between would-be riders and drivers over the need to pay. Confrontations result in longer boarding times, especially problematic during summer and monsoon. Longer boarding times lead to longer trip times. If the nonprofits don’t resume providing free passes for their clients, and due to budget cuts they probably won’t, ridership will plummet. Less services, more heat exposure, more pedestrians on dangerous roads. These problems can be avoided by raising the hotel/motel room tax, which hasn’t changed since 2016, by $6.00 per night.
Allen Benz
East side
Kevin Dahl’s leadership on Project Blue
I appreciate Tucson City Council Member Kevin Dahl’s recent letter explaining his opposition to Project Blue. Mr. Dahl’s principled and informed opinion helped me see how the numerous problems that Project Blue will bring to Southern Arizona far outweigh any potential benefits. I value Mr. Dahl’s leadership on this issue and hope that his fellow Council Members will also vote a hard no on Project Blue.
Drew Colenbrander
East side
- Dan Bannon, Midtown
I believe there is a lot of disillusionment going on among Maga people. Much revolves around Trump’s failure to provide client lists involving the Epstein and several conspiracy theories that were promoted by Trump, family and insiders. I am not a Maga person, but I think we all deserve more honesty. Many love conspiracies but when they are false, we all lose. I have searched “leaving Maga” and found a site that presents testimonials of ex-Maga people that shed light on all of this. Take a risk and listen to so many that have left.
Dan Bannon
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Don Gerlach, East side
And now our ruler has the media tightly in his grip: Voice of America, NPR, PBS. By fiat -- as well as by the intimidation of public media -- our ruler has all but neutered the functioning of our democracy. He can silence the voice of his dissenters.
With little or no effective governance by both of the one-sided legislative and judicial branches, our ruler and his family dynasty are now in charge of the country. They have access to all of the internal workings of our government. They will arrange to reap the rewards for decades. The "purification" of America is well on its way and is being funneled through the mind of one person. I am ashamed. I am fearful.
Don Gerlach
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Mort Ganeles, Foothills
Trump often displays emotional swings and perfidious decisions/actions. That tendency creates chaotic environments under the Trump leadership. Some may believe that sowing chaos may be a deliberate Trump strategy designed to keep others off balance and more tentative in their postures.
An example is The Donald’s volatile threats to fire Federal Reserve Board chairman Jerome Powell. Trump appointed Powell during his first term as president. Powell has done a competent job to keep both the U.S. economy and its finances on an even keel and, concurrently, helped to maintain international financial stability.
Trump raised media stress levels and alarms by insisting that Powell aid him to stimulate the economy by lowering interest rates. Powell has resisted those Trump demands out of concern that it might cause inflation to increase. Trump is livid. Two conservative Trump-supporting media giants each have expressed concern over the threat and reasoned against Trump firing Powell. U.S. and world monetary and economic chaos might ensue. I agree.
Mort Ganeles
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Eric Weiss, Foothills
What perfect irony. CNN recently broadcast a live performance of the Broadway play “Good Night, and Good Luck” celebrating Edward R Murrow and CBS’ courageous, principled, and successful stand for freedom of the press against a loud-mouthed bully of the 1950s, Senator Joseph R McCarthy (R-Wisconsin). McCarthy falsely claimed to have a list of Communists in the State Department, and he ruined the careers and reputations of those who opposed him, including many in the media.
Recently, Paramount, the parent company of CBS, paid off today’s loud-mouthed bully threatening the media, Donald Trump, to avoid a completely frivolous lawsuit he brought against CBS’ 60 Minutes, and also to keep him from blocking a merger Paramount wanted.
And now, after Stephen Colbert spoke up against this Mafia-style payoff, CBS canceled his successful TV show, most likely in order to placate the bully and to avoid further angering him.
What a shameful and cowardly retreat for CBS from their forgotten courage and past glory.
Eric Weiss
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- James Abels, Midtown
Tom McGorray appears to have made the admission that his decisions are based on subjective emotions (heart) rather analytical reasoning (mind).
If most conservatives follow their subjective hearts rather than their rational minds, that might imply the basis for irrational loyalty for somebody who expresses only conditional loyalty for subordinates. The same can said about liberals, except there is not currently a central figure with undue influence.
Scientific studies have confirmed decisions are primarily based on emotion with reasoning coming into play to support the emotion-based decision.
Case in point: “…abortion is wrong…” I say, why is abortion wrong? What empirical evidence can be offered that confirms or denies this position?
Would we not be better off if we engaged in objective reflection and recognized the irrational influence of emotions before arriving at conclusions and decisions?
James Abels
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Loran Hancock, Northwest side
Watched an interview with the Governor of Maryland and when asked about the Trump Budget, his primary response was deflection. He spent a lot of time discussing the need for immigration reform after talking about how many people were going to lose their healthcare coverage because the taxpayers will no longer foot the bill. The problem is that Biden refused to obey the immigration law that existed. There may be a need to update the existing law but there was a law in place when the Biden administration ignored and broke the law allowing millions of illegal immigrants to enter the country. But the Biden administration went one step further, they actively aided and abetted the illegal immigrants by relocating them to various parts of the country. There may be a need for reform, but the first step seems to be in admitting that the law was broken by the Democratic administration and making every effort to remove the illegals from the country without Democratic interference or violence.
Loran Hancock
Northwest side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Philip Reinecker, East side
President Trump has vehemently denied that he drew the picture of a naked woman and signed the drawing. Even with the dismal record of honesty for politicians you would like to believe that what the President says may be true. Unfortunately even those of you who fervently believe in this person must admit that when it comes to truth Trump trumps all known records for dishonesty. We probably all realize that he was somewhat involved because of his interest in keeping the records on the back burner. We also know that he will do all in his not inconsiderable power to keep total truth from public view. Doubtless something will emerge in a redacted fashion but most of us will remain unconvinced. I still hope that someday honesty will rise to the forefront for the Presidency and will not just be a laugher when he invokes his word.
Philip Reinecker
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Tim Helentjaris, Northwest side
During my science career, I had the privilege of annually traveling to the National Science Foundation in DC where I sat on a panel of experts to review new research proposals, funding only those deemed most promising. The benefits of public research to this country are incalculable; one recent example was the lightning-fast development of RNA vaccines for covid, saving millions of lives around the world. But now individuals with no science background in the current administration are busy gutting this program for capricious reasons. One friend recently had his grant terminated because he had a German collaborator. The damage to science in this country will take decades to undo, as scientists are leaving and students are discouraged from entering these fields. Publicly funded research is also a primary driver for our economy. Without it, businesses in this country will starve for new ideas, far exceeding the negative impact of tariffs. Remember the Republicans who voted for this disaster in the next election cycles. Trust science, not morons.
Tim Helentjaris
Northwest side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Neil Norton, Oro Valley
We know that at least 25 women have publicly accused Trump of sexual assullt. He has been found guilty of sexual abuse. We have all heard his tapes bragging about grabbing women by their you know what. He has bragged about when he owned the Miss Teen USA Pageant how he could walk into the dressing room while they were getting dressed and bragged about seeing the "teenage girls" naked. Remember even Ivanka accused him of rape, and Jill Harth's 1967 claim of sexual harassment. We also know he was a very good friend of Epstein's. There are many pictures of with him at many of Epstein's parties. I am not sure whether the letter to Epstein is real or not but "where there is smoke there is fire." How can his base just turn a blind eye? How can any woman or man with any morals still follow him? I am not sure what can be done but to have Trump lead our nation is a nation disgrace.
Neil Norton
Oro Valley
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Chuck Barrett, Midtown
The Justice Department forced the resignations of seven prosecutors in February who refused to drop corruption charges against New York mayor Eric Adams after he cut a deal with Trump to enforce Trump’s immigration agenda. Acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon called DOJ’s deal “an improper offer of immigration enforcement assistance in exchange for a dismissal of his case.”
Some 20 career DOJ prosecutors have been forced out of their jobs on grounds of principle by Attorney General Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Bove, now being considered for a federal judgeship.
There are lawsuits against sitting judges in Maryland, threats against judges in New Jersey, Louisiana, California and elsewhere. There are lawsuits against legal firms who represent clients or causes repugnant to Trump. Actions against academia.
Trump’s strong-arm coercion serves no public policy. Rather, an autocrat’s retribution. His DOJ enforcers are leg-breakers in suits. It’s three-piece thuggery.
Chuck Barrett
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
City Council Ward 3 race
What do we want from our elected officials? A Tucson Ward 3 resident for 44 years, I’ve known Kevin Dahl from the 1970s in the conservation movement. Kevin is one of the kindest, most compassionate, committed and decent people I know. He thinks well, understands the issues in front of him, asks questions, works hard for his constituents, and at the end of the day, tries to make this corner of the world better. His entire life, frankly, has been focused on conservation, environmental justice and doing right.
The decisions elected officials make are usually shades of gray. I want a councilperson with a demonstrated lifetime of solid character, caring and judgment, and demonstrated action moving Tucson forward and improving people’s lives. I’m proud of my friend’s service, and I urge my former neighbors to back him in the primary. A recent Ward 6 transplant, I look forward to being able to vote for Kevin Dahl again, come November.
Arlan Colton
Midtown
Three-piece thuggery
The Justice Department forced the resignations of seven prosecutors in February who refused to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams after he cut a deal with Trump to enforce Trump’s immigration agenda. Acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon called DOJ’s deal “an improper offer of immigration enforcement assistance in exchange for a dismissal of his case.”
Some 20 career DOJ prosecutors have been forced out of their jobs on grounds of principle by Attorney General Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Bove, now being considered for a federal judgeship.
There are lawsuits against sitting judges in Maryland, threats against judges in New Jersey, Louisiana, California and elsewhere. There are lawsuits against legal firms that represent clients or causes repugnant to Trump. Actions against academia.
Trump’s strong-arm coercion serves no public policy. Rather, an autocrat’s retribution. His DOJ enforcers are leg-breakers in suits. It’s three-piece thuggery.
Chuck Barrett
Midtown
Thanks for ‘leaving MAGA’ letter
I believe there is a lot of disillusionment going on among MAGA people. Much revolves around Trump’s failure to provide client lists involving Epstein and several conspiracy theories that were promoted by Trump, family and insiders. I am not a MAGA person, but I think we all deserve more honesty. Many love conspiracies, but when they are false, we all lose. I have searched “leaving MAGA” and found a site that presents testimonials of ex-MAGA people that shed light on all of this. Take a risk and listen to so many that have left.
Dan Bannon
Midtown
Juan Ciscomoney, you did it again
Rep. Juan Ciscomani just voted to strip $9 billion in foreign aid — that saves millions of lives around the world — and public broadcasting, which provides critical lifelines of information to poor and rural Americans.
And this after his outrageous vote to strip poor families of food and medicine so he could help send $1 trillion to billionaires and add $5 trillion to our national debt.
Why would he be so cruel to the poorest of us?
He did it because Juan Ciscomoney is all in for the cash! He wants to stuff even more millions into his pockets and operations. And he must be snickering all the way to the bank.
Our fine congressman set (unsavory) fundraising records this year. Total receipts for the 2025-26 cycle totaled $2,312,346.31 so far. And in Q1 of this year, he set a record for the district, grabbing more than $1.5 million. To date, 79% of the cash he has gathered is from PACs. Dirty money indeed.
Jeff Herr
North side
Voting for compassion in action
Now more than ever, we need local politicians who are willing to engage in challenging conversations and create action from ideas.
Miranda Schubert talks about relationships. Then, she builds them. I reached out to her as a future constituent, curious for her help as an expert navigating safer streets through a mini-grant for our neighborhood. She agreed to meet up right away. We talked. She listened. Took notes. Researched. Followed up.
Miranda volunteers with mutual aid groups to help unsheltered folks. She manages the operations for KXCI, the heartbeat of Tucson. She’s depended on public transit and knows the stats: any barriers to accessibility deter riders. She wants a community with transit connecting us. She’s worked in large systems at UA and Pima, helping students get access to resources.
I want to vote for someone who takes small and big actions, has deep community advocacy experience, and follows through.
That’s why I’m voting for Miranda. She’s compassion in action.
Kristen Sawyer
Midtown
Exceptional candidate Kevin Dahl
Tucson is facing many serious challenges over the next decade, including water security, climate preparedness, homelessness, infrastructure needs, and energy sustainability. Lucky for us, we have a fantastic candidate to represent us in Ward 3 who can address these issues most effectively: Kevin Dahl. I have known and collaborated on projects with Kevin for over 20 years and am extremely supportive of his candidacy. Kevin not only has critical experience in these areas, but he listens, is accessible, creative, energetic, and thoughtful in his approach to issues. He is not afraid to take difficult stands (e.g., in opposition to the controversial Project Blue proposal) and to ask critical questions. We will all sleep better knowing that we have a competent representative looking after our interests.
Jeanne Calhoun
Midtown
Heart and mind resolution
Tom McGorray appears to have made the admission that his decisions are based on subjective emotions (heart) rather than analytical reasoning (mind).
If most conservatives follow their subjective hearts rather than their rational minds, that might imply the basis for irrational loyalty for somebody who expresses only conditional loyalty for subordinates. The same can be said about liberals, except there is not currently a central figure with undue influence.
Scientific studies have confirmed decisions are primarily based on emotion, with reasoning coming into play to support the emotion-based decision.
Case in point: “… abortion is wrong …” I say, why is abortion wrong? What empirical evidence can be offered that confirms or denies this position?
Would we not be better off if we engaged in objective reflection and recognized the irrational influence of emotions before arriving at conclusions and decisions?
James Abels
Midtown
Truth is actually a viable option
President Trump has vehemently denied that he drew the picture of a naked woman and signed the drawing. Even with the dismal record of honesty for politicians, you would like to believe that what the President says may be true. Unfortunately, even those of you who fervently believe in this person must admit that when it comes to truth Trump trumps all known records for dishonesty. We probably all realize that he was somewhat involved because of his interest in keeping the records on the back burner. We also know that he will do all in his not inconsiderable power to keep total truth from public view. Doubtless, something will emerge in a redacted fashion, but most of us will remain unconvinced. I still hope that someday honesty will rise to the forefront for the Presidency and will not just be a laugher when he invokes his word.
Philip Reinecker
East side
Immigration reform
Watched an interview with the Governor of Maryland, and when asked about the Trump budget, his primary response was deflection. He spent a lot of time discussing the need for immigration reform after talking about how many people were going to lose their healthcare coverage because the taxpayers will no longer foot the bill. The problem is that Biden refused to obey the immigration law that existed. There may be a need to update the existing law, but there was a law in place when the Biden administration ignored and broke the law, allowing millions of illegal immigrants to enter the country. But the Biden administration went one step further; they actively aided and abetted the illegal immigrants by relocating them to various parts of the country. There may be a need for reform, but the first step seems to be in admitting that the law was broken by the Democratic administration and making every effort to remove the illegals from the country without Democratic interference or violence.
Loran Hancock
Northwest side
Controlling media
And now our ruler has the media tightly in his grip: Voice of America, NPR, PBS. By fiat — as well as by the intimidation of public media — our ruler has all but neutered the functioning of our democracy. He can silence the voice of his dissenters.
With little or no effective governance by both of the one-sided legislative and judicial branches, our ruler and his family dynasty are now in charge of the country. They have access to all of the internal workings of our government. They will arrange to reap the rewards for decades. The “purification” of America is well on its way and is being funneled through the mind of one person. I am ashamed. I am fearful.
Don Gerlach
East side
Let the Fed chair do his job
Trump often displays emotional swings and perfidious decisions/actions. That tendency creates chaotic environments under the Trump leadership. Some may believe that sowing chaos may be a deliberate Trump strategy designed to keep others off balance and more tentative in their postures.
An example is The Donald’s volatile threats to fire Federal Reserve Board chairman Jerome Powell. Trump appointed Powell during his first term as president. Powell has done a competent job to keep both the U.S. economy and its finances on an even keel and, concurrently, helped to maintain international financial stability.
Trump raised media stress levels and alarms by insisting that Powell aid him to stimulate the economy by lowering interest rates. Powell has resisted those Trump demands out of concern that it might cause inflation to increase. Trump is livid. Two conservative Trump-supporting media giants each have expressed concern over the threat and reasoned against Trump firing Powell. U.S. and world monetary and economic chaos might ensue. I agree.
Mort Ganeles
Foothills
Gutting science research
During my science career, I had the privilege of annually traveling to the National Science Foundation in D.C., where I sat on a panel of experts to review new research proposals, funding only those deemed most promising. The benefits of public research to this country are incalculable; one recent example was the lightning-fast development of RNA vaccines for COVID, saving millions of lives around the world. But now, individuals with no science background in the current administration are busy gutting this program for capricious reasons. One friend recently had his grant terminated because he had a German collaborator. The damage to science in this country will take decades to undo, as scientists are leaving and students are discouraged from entering these fields. Publicly funded research is also a primary driver for our economy. Without it, businesses in this country will starve for new ideas, far exceeding the negative impact of tariffs. Remember the Republicans who voted for this disaster in the next election cycle. Trust science, not morons.
Tim Helentjaris
Northwest side
Perfect irony
What perfect irony. CNN recently broadcast a live performance of the Broadway play “Good Night, and Good Luck,” celebrating Edward R Murrow and CBS’ courageous, principled, and successful stand for freedom of the press against a loud-mouthed bully of the 1950s, Senator Joseph R McCarthy (R-Wisconsin). McCarthy falsely claimed to have a list of Communists in the State Department, and he ruined the careers and reputations of those who opposed him, including many in the media.
Recently, Paramount, the parent company of CBS, paid off today’s loud-mouthed bully threatening the media, Donald Trump, to avoid a completely frivolous lawsuit he brought against CBS’ “60 Minutes,” and also to keep him from blocking a merger Paramount wanted.
And now, after Stephen Colbert spoke up against this Mafia-style payoff, CBS canceled his successful TV show, most likely in order to placate the bully and to avoid further angering him.
What a shameful and cowardly retreat for CBS from their forgotten courage and past glory.
Eric Weiss
Foothills
$2.5B Fed folly
This issue is so typical of the vile nature of Trump. Cite a dollar amount, name Powell and drop the notion of fraud without reason/facts. Please, let’s have some semblance of common sense. Are we really supposed to believe that Powell is the architect and general contractor solely responsible for cost? Or are there two or more planning commissions overseeing the project? One of which has recent Trump appointee. Trump and his sycophants fail to mention that there are actually two buildings being renovated, much less any mention of size. They happen to be on the Capital Mall and have historical designations. In keeping, the planning commissions have insisted on using marble as the facade. This attack/blame of Powell is simply one more Trump exaggeration/lie. Time to stop swallowing Trump’s BS and regurgitating it as having any relevance.
Brode Meyer
Midtown
How do women vote for Trump?
We know that at least 25 women have publicly accused Trump of sexual assullt. He has been found guilty of sexual abuse. We have all heard his tapes bragging about grabbing women by their you know what. He has bragged about when he owned the Miss Teen USA Pageant, how he could walk into the dressing room while they were getting dressed and bragged about seeing the “teenage girls” naked. Remember, even Ivanka accused him of rape, and Jill Harth’s 1967 claim of sexual harassment. We also know he was a very good friend of Epstein’s. There are many pictures of with him at many of Epstein’s parties. I am not sure whether the letter to Epstein is real or not, but “where there is smoke there is fire.” How can his base just turn a blind eye? How can any woman or man with any morals still follow him? I am not sure what can be done, but to have Trump lead our nation is a national disgrace.
Neil Norton
Oro Valley
- Peter Morales, Midtown
Hey you! Get over here! You look like you don’t belong here! Where were you born?
Bethlehem, a city on the West Bank, south of Jerusalem.
Oh, so you’re a Palestinian, a refugee.
I’m here to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and to help the needy, for whatever you do for the least of these you do unto Him.
Him who is that?
My Father in heaven.
Well, you are here illegally, which makes you an illegal immigrant and you have violated U.S. law. You are under arrest. Cuff him boys, if he resists, beat him down. He’s a threat to our national security, being a Palestinian and all. We’re going to send you to CECOT in El Salvador. We need to teach your kind a lesson. We don’t want your kind corrupting our big, beautiful country. After all, we’re going to make America great again, which means people like you need to go.
Resist.
Peter Morales
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Barbara Benjamin, Foothills
How might a "sleeper" make America great again? By limiting the First Amendment and the flow of information? By limiting the Fourth Amendment? By demanding that Congress cede its constitutional powers to the executive? By firing judges and otherwise ignoring judicial decisions? By jeopardizing the healthcare of citizens? By taking over all levels of education to control what and how one thinks so that citizens are slaves to their government? By denying due process to individuals who have committed no felonies? By ending the "Good Samaritan" reputation of the United States? By creating a brain drain to end United States' supremacy in the sciences, medicine and future explorations? By creating distractions to hide what is actually happening? By attempting to deny citizenship to an individual born in the United States? By abrogating all constitutional guarantees and rights?
Barbara Benjamin
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Gary Simons, Oro Valley
I was of the opinion the Trump administration wanted to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in the government, a laudable goal if pursued with care, not chainsaws. Multiple programs (too many to discuss under an LTE word limit) have been gutted using the latter approach.
As I write this, 500 tons of USAID emergency food, intended to be distributed to the poorest, hungriest people in the world, is to be destroyed at a taxpayer cost of $100K, rather than being distributed. Is that not wasteful, and abusive of those who could benefit, not perish, from this decision? Already children have died from the dismantling of USAID from distributing food and medical aid. It’s too bad this food couldn’t have somehow found its way to Gaza to mitigate the hunger crisis there. Sad.
Where is the humanity in this administration?
Gary Simons
Oro Valley
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
A ‘sleeper’ makes America great again
How might a “sleeper” make America great again? By limiting the First Amendment and the flow of information? By limiting the Fourth Amendment? By demanding that Congress cede its constitutional powers to the executive? By firing judges and otherwise ignoring judicial decisions? By jeopardizing the healthcare of citizens? By taking over all levels of education to control what and how one thinks so that citizens are slaves to their government? By denying due process to individuals who have committed no felonies? By ending the “Good Samaritan” reputation of the United States? By creating a brain drain to end the United States’ supremacy in the sciences, medicine and future explorations? By creating distractions to hide what is actually happening? By attempting to deny citizenship to an individual born in the United States? By abrogating all constitutional guarantees and rights?
Barbara Benjamin
Foothills
Penalties won’t deter extreme water usage
We are supposed to feel good about penalties applied to Project Blue if they use more water than their allotment. I do not believe this will prevent water overuse by Project Blue.
As a business, Project Blue can annually budget for any overuse penalty each year so their bottom line remains protected.
Perhaps even worse, any financial penalty that the city charges for overuse, even if Project Blue pays the penalty, does not replace the water. Money does not replace the water that is so important for our populace. Sorry, Mr. Thomure, your argument does little to support the addition of Project Blue for Tucson.
Craig Whaley
Oro Valley
Waste and abuse
I was of the opinion the Trump administration wanted to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in the government, a laudable goal if pursued with care, not chainsaws. Multiple programs (too many to discuss under an LTE word limit) have been gutted using the latter approach.
As I write this, 500 tons of USAID emergency food, intended to be distributed to the poorest, hungriest people in the world, is to be destroyed at a taxpayer cost of $100K, rather than being distributed. Is that not wasteful and abusive of those who could benefit, not perish, from this decision? Already, children have died from the dismantling of USAID from distributing food and medical aid. It’s too bad this food couldn’t have somehow found its way to Gaza to mitigate the hunger crisis there. Sad.
Where is the humanity in this administration?
Gary Simons
Oro Valley
He walks among us
Hey you! Get over here! You look like you don’t belong here! Where were you born?
Bethlehem, a city on the West Bank, south of Jerusalem.
Oh, so you’re a Palestinian, a refugee.
I’m here to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and to help the needy, for whatever you do for the least of these you do unto Him.
Him, who is that?
My Father in heaven.
Well, you are here illegally, which makes you an illegal immigrant, and you have violated U.S. law. You are under arrest. Cuff him boys, if he resists, beat him down. He’s a threat to our national security, being a Palestinian and all. We’re going to send you to CECOT in El Salvador. We need to teach your kind a lesson. We don’t want your kind corrupting our big, beautiful country. After all, we’re going to make America great again, which means people like you need to go.
Resist.
Peter Morales
Midtown
‘No’ on Project Blue
As a candidate for City Council, I spent much of the past few weeks conferring with experts, meeting with ward 6 residents, and reviewing the latest release of public information regarding Project Blue. I have previously expressed my frustration with the lack of details available at the time and hesitated to say I was either a “yes” or “no.” However, based on this new information, I am a “no” on this project. While I recognize the potential benefits it could bring to our community, I am not convinced that those benefits outweigh the potential harm to our environment, our water security, and our future as a desert community. Tucson must maintain its commitment to water conservation. Given the information that is publicly available, I do not believe this project honors that commitment.
Leighton Rockafellow Jr.
Midtown
Re-elect Dahl
Re-elect City Council Member Kevin Dahl. He is a longtime champion for Tucson’s environment and a sustainable future.
Kevin was the first council member to declare he was a “Hard No” on Project Blue, the proposed data center that is projected to consume more electricity than all Tucson homes combined.
The Ward 3 office has been extremely responsive to community concerns under Kevin’s leadership. I have personally worked with Kevin on a variety of issues, ranging from protecting our water supply to enhancing low-income assistance programs, and he has been a thoughtful and effective leader.
Kevin Dahl’s unwavering commitment to our community and our environment makes him the clear choice for this election.
Ed Hendel
West side
Data centers can benefit us
Charles Borla’s July 15 informative article on the proposed data centers highlights their water and energy use. Tucson City Manager Tim Thomure is a former water planner and water director. Mayor and Council should charge him with finding a means to establish greater responsibility by these projects to develop new water service technology and to conserve water. There must be severe penalties for any water overuse.
Lost in all of this is the urgent need to increase the region’s tax base. Tucson is in need of funding for public safety equipment, affordable housing, park and neighborhood amenities, educational enrichment and more.
I’m pleased to read that there are opportunities for the public to learn more about these projects, including a website. It is our responsibility to learn as much as we can about this issue.
Carol W. West
East side
City Council priorities
Mr. Rockafellow Jr. must be in the pocket of rich conservatives, like Ann Charles, and right-wing misinformation spreaders, like Kevin Daily and the Crime Free Coalition, because they have spent a lot of money to send four mailers (this likely cost them about $40,000 in total). Junior will prioritize the profits of his buddies in the County and Phoenix over the working families of Tucson. Rich people protect rich people.
That’s why we need to elect a fresh face to Tucson City Council: Miranda Schubert. She opposed Prop 414, has long been against Project Blue and data centers in our precious desert. She is a working-class candidate, endorsed by the Working Families Party, and is a longtime advocate for the working people of Tucson. It’s time for change — vote Miranda for Ward 6.
Milly Brown
Midtown
The Bedouins’ place in Israel
Commenting on Mr Pelech’s letter on July 18. The points he makes are largely correct, however, it would be more nuanced if he included more contrasts to the nomadic American Plains Indian. Just like the Bedouin, the Plains Indians’ nomadic existence was not compatible with a settled agrarian society. American Native peoples were confined to reservations. Israel has developed townships and villages for the Bedouin, in which about half now reside. His opinion would have benefited by making clear the Bedouin of Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Iraq face the same challenges as in Israel. In Jordan, Bedouins rule.
Differences in treatment of American tribes and the Israeli Bedouin include: Bedouin volunteering to serve in the Israeli army from the earliest days of Israeli independence, access to healthcare that was nonexistent prior to Israeli development (pre WW2 years and after), and educational opportunities that never existed prior to Israel’s independence.
Is life perfect for the Bedouin? No, nor is it for our Native American population or Bedouin of neighboring countries.
Barbara Katz
Green Valley
Voting priorities
The people who voted to ban pride flags, drag queens and books “to protect the children” are the same people who voted to protect a pedophile ring. You Republicans are disgusting.
Terry Louck
East side
Data center taking our fresh water
I live in Corona de Tucson. Who has signed up to drink pee water so that this monster can exist?
Joan Money
Southeast side
Dahl has earned my vote
As a longtime resident of Tucson and Ward 3, I have watched Council Member Kevin Dahl lead with purpose and heart. He transformed his office into a cooling center with cots — not for political optics, but because he genuinely cares. He was the lone vote against criminalizing those sleeping in washes, reminding us that compassion belongs in City Hall.
He has pushed vital climate reforms like clean water access and rainwater harvesting — forward-thinking actions in a region facing existential environmental challenges. He has also fought for housing, turning motels into shelters and opening an Amphi site for those in need. His support for police bike patrols and park renamings shows his commitment to both safety and honoring Tucson’s diverse legacy.
Also, he keeps his constituents informed with his weekly emails, something I have never seen before in Ward 3.
Kevin Dahl has earned my trust — and my vote.
Jeffrey St. Clair
North side
- Vincent Allen, Northwest side
It is an important issue (to all of us), but our lawmakers refuse to update our laws to address our concerns, so we let ourselves be ruled by fear. And, because he won't encourage lawful reform, we let Trump rule us all.
Our government, such as it is, refuses to inform us of who, why and where immigrants (and often non-immigrants) are being denied basic human rights by ICE. Our government is encouraging imprisonment of "suspects" in the most heinous and barbaric conditions.
Regardless of your political leanings, I urge you to not let our glorious country become a Fascist dictatorship because we can't get together and get real immigration reform into law.
I believe that former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema's proposal would to be a very good starting point for reform.
Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals, religious and non-religious need to work together to make it happen. Think of how proud you would be to be able to tell anyone and everyone that you helped make it happen.
Vincent Allen
Northwest side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Gail Slentz, Northwest side
As a retired senior, I am in a bit of a quandary. I depend on social security and Medicare for my basic needs and have little money for charitable or political donations. As federal funding is destroyed, I want to financially support diversity in our country, public media and education, valuable community non-profits and food security for our most vulnerable. I also want to support politicians that will represent the best interests of their constituents, not give political wins to a cruel and unethical president with no regard for the rule of law. But I can’t afford to meaningfully support them all so, how do I prioritize? How can I decide which of these issues is most important when it’s only together they form the very fabric of what makes us a great nation?
The GOP and MAGA use a slogan “Make America Great Again” but without federal support for all people of this nation, not just the wealthy, they are just empty words.
Gail Slentz
Northwest side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Ernest Saccani, Foothills
Reply to McConnell's LTE of 7/17: Your letter is more a plea for Trump views than for Conservative views. How did you ever survive BT (Before Trump)? Your letter's attention to our nation's "misguided programs" involving transgender clinics, reassignment surgeries, & LGBTQ advocacy (to name a few) in countries like India, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Serbia, and Nepal must have caused much consternation & countless sleepless nights all these years, yes? These "misguided programs" stated as part of USAID are much more complex and consequential than described in your letter. Surely you could list some ways these initiatives/programs have benefited both our country and global development.
Likewise, you've likely been suffering greatly since 2003 with the enactment of Bush's PEPFAR initiative, yes? May I suggest 2 things: First, read the July 17 opinion piece "We must rediscover American values" by Rick Rappaport. If that doesn't do it, consider applying for ambassadorship to one of the countries listed above.
Ernest Saccani
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Mary Zimmerman, SaddleBrooke
To all the people who voted for Trump, is this really what you wanted? Have you figured out that all that bluster about not touching Medicare and about releasing the Epstein files was just that - bluster? He stood there and said, "I love the uneducated," and you cheered. He said, "I don't care about you. I just want your vote." You cheered. Now he said that you are stupid and foolish, and he doesn't need your support. When are you going to realize that this man, who really should be behind bars, is unfit to be sitting in the Oval Office? Every day that he is in office brings some fresh hell to our country in the form of more lies and bad policy. Isn't it time you start pushing back?
Mary Zimmerman
SaddleBrooke
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Terry Louck, East side
The people who voted to ban pride flags, drag queens and books "to protect the children" are the same people who voted to protect a pedophile ring. You Republicans are disgusting.
Terry Louck
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Gary Susko, Midtown
let's not confuse Loyal Johnson with Samuel Johnson, a legitimate lexicographer. Sir, your bogus definition of "Trump Derangement Syndrome" is upside down & backward, more OCD than OED. In fact, your own LTEs are most often perfect examples of the malady, replete with outright falsehoods & ludicrous assertions untethered to reality, all in service to a world-class liar, Mr. Trump. That's TDS.
Gary Susko
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Melody Sears, North side
Federal legislators -- the Representatives and Senators that voters elect to represent their states -- are usually elected based upon their claims to stand up for the benefit of their constituents. In the case of the recent so-called "Big Beautiful Bill," constituents with low incomes were tossed aside by most Republicans, who would rather cozy up to President Trump than stand up for their own voters.
In Arizona more than a quarter of our 7.6 million residents are enrolled in the state's Medicaid program and will have to work more and pay more for their medical care, unless of course they are physically unable to do so. In which case many may end up in hospitals that are now facing severe financial shortfalls and potential closure: specifically those in Nogales, Bisbee, Globe, Winslow and Page.
This is a house of cards falling at the feet of Republicans, whose loyalty is to Trump and to rewarding the rich, while ignoring the rest of us.
Melody Sears
North side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- S. Ross Emmanuel, Southeast side
Regarding USAID, I have little doubt that funds misappropriation existed, as I suspect it does in virtually any massive operation. I must also state, however, that I would never want Jeffrey McConnell to define for me what "prioritizes American interests," any more than I would trust the egregious liar currently in the presidency to do so. Most importantly, Mr. McConnell's letter of 7/17 states, "No children have died as a result (of USAID cuts)." As they say, the day is young. A recent study in The Lancet projects that various crucial USAID cuts could lead to over 4.5 million child deaths by 2030, with an estimated additional 700,000 child deaths per year. The cuts are projected to halt or reverse two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations, disproportionately falling on children. The study's findings are corroborated by other reports/analyses that show a direct link between funding cuts and increased mortality rates, primarily among children.
S. Ross Emmanuel
Southeast side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Gloria McMillan, Midtown
I agree with John Warnock that creating World War II analogies do not fit today’s high-risk nuclear situation. Warnock’s timeline of his father’s World War II Okinawa ordeals and the decision making about the Hiroshima bombing move us because those August 1945 events resonate with us. President Truman's administration's actions show not one of their decisions was inevitable. What men decided surrounding Japan’s surrender on September 2nd, 1945, is important to note in context, but does not and should not determine our future.
Today is fundamentally different, because we are in a nuclear escalation with no exit ramp. As Warnock says, our current nuclear arms race “has made it possible” that millions will die worldwide and “possibly even lead to human extinction.” Like Warnock's father, many people suffered in past wars, but the faulty use of people’s personal experiences when there were no nuclear weapons to justify current and future military actions where there are nuclear weapons is senseless for our decisions today.
Gloria McMillan
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- James Dolian, SaddleBrooke
I see that Trump has issued an "ultimatum" to Putin that the latter must end the war in Ukraine within 50 days or face serious consequences. I'm sure this "tough guy" approach is playing well with Trump's MAGA base who lack the critical thinking skills to realize that this is, in fact, a gift to Putin. It allows Putin more than seven weeks to step up offensive operations in Ukraine and take advantage of summer weather conditions which tend to be conducive to offensive operations. Moreover, Putin is well aware, as we all are, that Trump is notorious for issuing ultimatums and then regularly backing down. Trump continues to project weakness, not strength, in the international arena, and Putin continues to "play" Trump. Trump's promise to end the war In Ukraine on "day one" was laughable. Unfortunately for Ukraine and the United States, Trump's manifest incompetence will have disastrous consequences going forward.
James Dolian
SaddleBrooke
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Brode Meyer, Midtown
This issue is so typical of the vile nature of Trump. Cite a dollar amount, name Powell and drop the notion of fraud without reason/facts. Please, let's have some semblance of common sense. Are we really supposed to believe that Powell is the architect and general contractor solely responsible for cost? Or are there two or more planning commissions overseeing the project? One of which has recent Trump appointee. Trump and his sycophants fail to mention that there are actually two buildings being renovated, much less any mention of size. They happen to be on the Capital Mall and have historical designations. In keeping, the planning commissions have insisted on using marble as the facade. This attack/blame of Powell is simply one more Trump exaggeration/lie. Time to stop swallowing Trump's BS and regurgitating it as having any relevance.
Brode Meyer
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
Re: ‘Remembering Hiroshima’
I agree with John Warnock that creating World War II analogies do not fit today’s high-risk nuclear situation. Warnock’s timeline of his father’s World War II Okinawa ordeals and the decision-making about the Hiroshima bombing move us because those August 1945 events resonate with us. President Truman’s administration’s actions show not one of their decisions was inevitable. What men decided surrounding Japan’s surrender on September 2nd, 1945, is important to note in context, but does not and should not determine our future.
Today is fundamentally different, because we are in a nuclear escalation with no exit ramp. As Warnock says, our current nuclear arms race “has made it possible” that millions will die worldwide and “possibly even lead to human extinction.” Like Warnock’s father, many people suffered in past wars, but the faulty use of people’s personal experiences when there were no nuclear weapons to justify current and future military actions, where there are nuclear weapons, is senseless for our decisions today.
Gloria McMillan
Midtown
Trump’s gift to Putin
I see that Trump has issued an “ultimatum” to Putin that the latter must end the war in Ukraine within 50 days or face serious consequences. I’m sure this “tough guy” approach is playing well with Trump’s MAGA base, who lack the critical thinking skills to realize that this is, in fact, a gift to Putin. It allows Putin more than seven weeks to step up offensive operations in Ukraine and take advantage of summer weather conditions, which tend to be conducive to offensive operations. Moreover, Putin is well aware, as we all are, that Trump is notorious for issuing ultimatums and then regularly backing down. Trump continues to project weakness, not strength, in the international arena, and Putin continues to “play” Trump. Trump’s promise to end the war in Ukraine on “day one” was laughable. Unfortunately for Ukraine and the United States, Trump’s manifest incompetence will have disastrous consequences going forward.
James Dolian
SaddleBrooke
A very important clarification
Regarding USAID, I have little doubt that funds misappropriation existed, as I suspect it does in virtually any massive operation. I must also state, however, that I would never want Jeffrey McConnell to define for me what “prioritizes American interests,” any more than I would trust the egregious liar currently in the presidency to do so. Most importantly, Mr. McConnell’s letter of July 17 states, “No children have died as a result (of USAID cuts).” As they say, the day is young. A recent study in The Lancet projects that various crucial USAID cuts could lead to over 4.5 million child deaths by 2030, with an estimated additional 700,000 child deaths per year. The cuts are projected to halt or reverse two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations, disproportionately falling on children. The study’s findings are corroborated by other reports/analyses that show a direct link between funding cuts and increased mortality rates, primarily among children.
S. Ross Emmanuel
Southeast side
A house of cards
Federal legislators — the Representatives and Senators that voters elect to represent their states — are usually elected based upon their claims to stand up for the benefit of their constituents. In the case of the recent so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” constituents with low incomes were tossed aside by most Republicans, who would rather cozy up to President Trump than stand up for their own voters.
In Arizona, more than a quarter of our 7.6 million residents are enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program and will have to work more and pay more for their medical care, unless of course they are physically unable to do so. In which case, many may end up in hospitals that are now facing severe financial shortfalls and potential closure: specifically those in Nogales, Bisbee, Globe, Winslow and Page.
This is a house of cards falling at the feet of Republicans, whose loyalty is to Trump and to rewarding the rich, while ignoring the rest of us.
Melody Sears
North side
Do you see what Trump really is?
To all the people who voted for Trump, is this really what you wanted? Have you figured out that all that bluster about not touching Medicare and about releasing the Epstein files was just that — bluster? He stood there and said, “I love the uneducated,” and you cheered. He said, “I don’t care about you. I just want your vote.” You cheered. Now he said that you are stupid and foolish, and he doesn’t need your support. When are you going to realize that this man, who really should be behind bars, is unfit to be sitting in the Oval Office? Every day that he is in office brings some fresh hell to our country in the form of more lies and bad policy. Isn’t it time you start pushing back?
Mary Zimmerman
SaddleBrooke
Secret Project Blue water
This quasi-secret project claims to be “net water positive.” What kind of political mumbo-jumbo is that? The proposed facility is going to use a lot of water, lots of water, whether clean or reclaimed. It is not going to manufacture water. All the water credits, searching for new sources, etc., is not going to produce any more water. Water is a finite thing. There are no more new sources. The Colorado River is not going to magically save Arizona.
William Long
Foothills
Arizona is running out of water
Arizona will not run out of water in the future — it is happening right now. By 2035, ADWR predicts a shortage of 800,000 acre-feet per year. Sharp declines in Colorado River flows, supplying Pima County via the Central Arizona Project, have the seven basin states disputing how to allocate cuts. New home construction has been stopped in Buckeye and a suburb of Scottsdale. Residents cannot deepen wells fast enough to keep up with falling water tables in areas of Pinal, Mohave, La Paz, Yuma, and Cochise counties.
Under these conditions, reclaimed water becomes as precious as potable water. The three data centers proposed for Pima County would consume about 2,865 acre-feet per year, enough to sustain over 10,000 homes.
If our local elected officials approve these data centers, history will judge them in the same light as former Tucson city council member Sam Hughes, who diverted and mortally wounded the Santa Cruz River in 1888.
Brooks Keenan
Oro Valley
Derangement?
Let’s not confuse Loyal Johnson with Samuel Johnson, a legitimate lexicographer. Sir, your bogus definition of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” is upside down & backward, more OCD than OED. In fact, your own LTEs are most often perfect examples of the malady, replete with outright falsehoods & ludicrous assertions untethered to reality, all in service to a world-class liar, Mr. Trump. That’s TDS.
Gary Susko
Midtown
Immigration reform important to all
It is an important issue (to all of us), but our lawmakers refuse to update our laws to address our concerns, so we let ourselves be ruled by fear. And, because he won’t encourage lawful reform, we let Trump rule us all.
Our government, such as it is, refuses to inform us of who, why and where immigrants (and often non-immigrants) are being denied basic human rights by ICE. Our government is encouraging imprisonment of “suspects” in the most heinous and barbaric conditions.
Regardless of your political leanings, I urge you to not let our glorious country become a Fascist dictatorship because we can’t get together and get real immigration reform into law.
I believe that former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s proposal would to be a very good starting point for reform.
Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals, religious and non-religious need to work together to make it happen. Think of how proud you would be to be able to tell anyone and everyone that you helped make it happen.
Vincent Allen
Northwest side
Ambassadorship to (fill in the blank)
Reply to McConnell’s LTE of July 17: Your letter is more a plea for Trump views than for Conservative views. How did you ever survive BT (Before Trump)? Your letter’s attention to our nation’s “misguided programs” involving transgender clinics, reassignment surgeries, & LGBTQ advocacy (to name a few) in countries like India, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Serbia, and Nepal must have caused much consternation & countless sleepless nights all these years, yes? These “misguided programs” stated as part of USAID are much more complex and consequential than described in your letter. Surely you could list some ways these initiatives/programs have benefited both our country and global development.
Likewise, you’ve likely been suffering greatly since 2003 with the enactment of Bush’s PEPFAR initiative, yes? May I suggest 2 things: First, read the July 17 opinion piece “We must rediscover American values” by Rick Rappaport. If that doesn’t do it, consider applying for ambassadorship to one of the countries listed above.
Ernest Saccani
Foothills
Federal funding
As a retired senior, I am in a bit of a quandary. I depend on Social Security and Medicare for my basic needs and have little money for charitable or political donations. As federal funding is destroyed, I want to financially support diversity in our country, public media and education, valuable community non-profits and food security for our most vulnerable. I also want to support politicians that will represent the best interests of their constituents, not give political wins to a cruel and unethical president with no regard for the rule of law. But I can’t afford to meaningfully support them all so, how do I prioritize? How can I decide which of these issues is most important when it’s only together they form the very fabric of what makes us a great nation?
The GOP and MAGA use a slogan “Make America Great Again” but without federal support for all people of this nation, not just the wealthy, they are just empty words.
Gail Slentz
Northwest side
- Richard Bechtold, West side
Trump has cut the Forest Service, PBS, Department of Education, Medical research money, EPA, HHS,Veterans Affairs, SNAP, USAID, Student Loans, CDC, HUD, etc, etc. 80,000 federal employees have lost or will lose their jobs. With all those cuts to services for Americans, I'll bet we saved a lot of money! Cuts to services and employees will increase the national debt by $4 trillion dollars. Where did all the savings go? Cutting revenue increases the debt more than cutting services. The middle class will get a few bucks to keep them quiet, but the big bucks go to the rich. Americans lose services and jobs and the national debt goes up. Do the math. Cutting expenses does decrease debt, but drastic decreases in revenue increases debt much more. National debt goes up, tax breaks cut revenue and Americans lose services and jobs. How can you not understand this?
Richard Bechtold
West side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Dan Bannon, Midtown
Mike Johnson who is the speaker of the United States House of Representatives declares a “cut and run” move and closes down House business to avoid Epstein transparency.
No wonder MAGA supporters are leaving MAGA. No one can find out the truth.
Conspiracy lies are not only MAGA problems. They are everyone’s problems.
Meanwhile the price of beef is soaring. The sales tax aka tariffs from Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Canada and a lot more countries are hurting Americans. Check and follow food, tool, cars, coffee, wine et al. This is everyone’s problem. Resist BS.
Dan Bannon
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Max LaPlante, Southeast side
Our POTUS and many other countries seem to be wearing "rose colored glasses" when it comes to the 20-month Israel-Hamas war, as more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed. Of those 55,000 Palestinians, it's not clear whether any of those are Hamas or had Hamas ties. Over 412 aid workers have been killed trying to provide aid to the starving families of Gaza. Between the IDF killing hundreds of Palestinians every day and Netanyahu starving the population as a whole, 47 will have his golf courses, casinos, and vacation villas in no time.
Is Netanyahu aware that the Torah forbids murder, furthermore the Torah's Sanctity of Life emphasizes that human life is sacred because humans are created in God's image, meaning that taking a human life is a grave offense?
Are these poor, displaced, and starving Palestinians attacking the IDF with their empty pots, pans, and containers? No, they're not.
The cleansing will only stop when Palestinians are considered an endangered species and close to extinction.
Max LaPlante
Southeast side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Arturo Coppola, Midtown
It seems the lure of the job's benefits have begun to impact Ruben Gallegos position on transgender youth in sports. I fully understand the negative reaction from the LGTBQ community to him on this. When re-election time comes again his continued fund-raising pleas in order to fight back against the openly anti-constitutional Republican Party will sound hollow to those who believe that all humans deserve the same dignity and respect. How else to explain this about-face from a previously passionate supporter? Gallego seems to fall on the side of the Democratic Party that is out of touch with its supporters and is losing his spine for the fight.
Arturo Coppola
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Hope Gastelum, East side
I love young people -- they are the future. Still, re: Hector Guzman's LTE of 7/23 - bright young people can have great ideas but their youthful views tend to lack context and perspective. "Changing the world with love" is a lovely notion, but one not based in reality. We currently have an inherently bad person in a position of unspeakable world power -- a person with a twisted, disordered mind whose entire adult life has been a study in dishonesty and self-dealing, a person who "hates" everyone who dares to criticize his unconscionable behaviors. This unfortunate situation decimates talk of policy or "different views." Decent, reasonable people ideally should be able to "have fruitful conversations" about achieving positive goals. However, this requires leadership with character, integrity and a true desire to best serve the public at large. This is a complex process, not one that can be facilitated with a self-consumed charlatan like Donald Trump at the world's helm.
Hope Gastelum
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
More like this...
- James Abels, Midtown
7/22/25: Guest opinion-Kent Blumenthal. I think Hobbs’ veto HB 2867 was appropriate given there are adequate hate and civil rights laws available to prosecute crimes and misdemeanors. These laws offer protection for groups based on group characteristics.
The problem with HB 2867 was it would limit free speech. Free speech allows people to say or publish stupid and/or ignorant statements. Free speech allows other people to say or publish statements that refute other pronouncements perceived to be stupid and/or ignorant statements.
I doubt the objectiveness of the "Stand With Israel Committee" or the "International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance" regarding HB2867 or the definition of antisemitism.
James Abels
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Ted Morrison, Midtown
July 20th PBS ran a production of Franklin D Roosevelt's rise to the presidency after being stricken by polio. It ended with 'Happy Days are Here Again', his campaign song, while the credits ran. The film, with smiling faces, gay music and story of overcoming adversity, was uplifting.
Compare that to the July 21st Star featuring the possible transfer of national parks to the state's care, including higher entrance fees, low staffing, and a backlog of maintenance. We no longer even have a facility at the north rim of the Grand Canyon. This is not uplifting, and neither is the coverage of the Epstein case - or Laura Loomer being a former Tucsonan. Last week our own Juan Ciscomani helped defund NPR and PBS of a third of their budget. These are vital news and entertainment stations. When you read where the 'saved' money is going you'll want to scream - not sing.
Ted Morrison
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- David Coatsworth, Midtown
In 1305 Edward I’s henchmen brutally executed William Wallace in public. His body was slashed open and his intestines forcibly removed while still alive. That’s evisceration. Trump and his henchmen (Noem, Miller, Bondi, Vought) are eviscerating our government. Beyond gutting HHS under Kennedy and Education under McMahon, Trump killed the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board, and Federal Election Commission by leaving board positions vacant or removing incumbents so the agencies can take little or no official action. The Big Ugly Bill removed health care coverage and took food from the table of millions of citizens. Then Republicans "clawed back" billions already appropriated for PBS, foreign aid, neighborhood programs, and education. This is not governance for the common good. These actions are immoral. They are un-American. They will kill people. While the greedy, power-hungry mob and its Don exercise their self-perceived superiority through ill-conceived executive orders and legislation, we must resist, resist, resist. And then we must vote.
David Coatsworth
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
Grateful for veto
As a Jewish person of conscience and the mother of five young children, I am grateful that Governor Hobbs upheld free speech and protected Arizona educators by vetoing the so-called “Antisemitism” bill.
I feel so strongly that this bill was actually designed to prevent teachers from presenting the Palestinian viewpoint and on preventing criticism of Israel, that I drove up to Phoenix with my twin one-year-olds to testify against it at the House of Representatives.
In the face of international war crime convictions and collective punishment resulting in the starvation of 1 million Gazan children, our Jewish community ought to be questioning the Israeli government’s decisions and speaking out against the war at this point in time.
Hate is not a Jewish value, and once people are reminded of this, antisemitism will naturally decrease. We need to separate ourselves from the government of Israel, just as many of us do from the current U.S. President. We need to be humans first.
Maggie Smith
Midtown
Dahl resting on his laurels
I have been a Ward 3 resident since 2003. The Ward 3 newsletters consist of photo ops of Mr Dahl with City officials claiming accomplishments in many neighborhoods. It was the newsletter showing Mr. Dahl a shovel with a couple plants for a tree planting in my neighborhood. I was surprised, called other neighbors to see if any had received notice of this event. None of us had.
A crime fighting program was presented at Ward 3 office which seemed disjointed so I invited Mr Dahl to our neighborhood meeting for clarification. All questions to him were deferred to his staff.
We need strong and present leadership in our Ward 3 Office. Sadie Shaw is energetic with a real desire to help Ward 3 neighborhoods fulfill their potential. Sadie is approachable, comfortable, she is a good listener and follows up on what’s brought to her. Her energy and foresight, along with her valuable community-building experience, make her the perfect candidate for Ward 3 Councilperson.
Nancy Reid
North side
Supporting Dahl
I’ve known Kevin Dahl, on and off, for 50 years. He comes close to being perfect for the City Council, Ward 3. Or for anywhere else. I worked with him on several projects, and he was always pleasant to work with. Maybe most of all, he seems to be progressive but also is practical with his feet solidly on the ground. People like him are the future of this country.
Eric Schilling
Downtown
Dahl is a local hero
I’ve known and worked with Kevin Dahl for over 25 years. He is a champion of sound water policy, rainwater harvesting, and solar and green space expansion in low-income neighborhoods. He fights to help us adapt to climate change. He pushed to move up park and pool improvements by 4 years at Thompson Park (formerly Mansfield). Kevin also used Ward money to quietly pick up the tab for a senior meals program at the Donna Liggins Center after funding was canceled by federal budget cuts. He is a consummate community activist who has raised thousands of dollars for local Democratic candidates and non-profits over the past two decades. Working for Native Seeds Search, the Tucson Bird Alliance (formally Tucson Audubon) and the National Parks Conservation Association, he has made our region and state a better place. As a Councilmember, Kevin is that rare public servant who does not aspire to higher office or to feed his own ego. He just does the right thing. Always.
Christina McVie
Northwest side
Project Blue
The July 22 Star stated that a two-person family income range of $55,729 to $167,188 is needed to be considered middle class. Same paper, same day, Opinion section writer says Project Blue will hire 180 full-time employees at an average wage of $64,000.
Why on earth would City/County officials bring in a water-guzzling, electric-eating humongous monster that only employs 180 people at barely middle-class wages?
Frank Pitts
Northwest side
Canceling vital news source
July 20, PBS ran a production of Franklin D Roosevelt’s rise to the presidency after being stricken by polio. It ended with ‘Happy Days are Here Again’, his campaign song, while the credits ran. The film, with smiling faces, gay music and a story of overcoming adversity, was uplifting.
Compare that to the July 21 Star featuring the possible transfer of national parks to the state’s care, including higher entrance fees, low staffing, and a backlog of maintenance. We no longer even have a facility at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This is not uplifting, and neither is the coverage of the Epstein case — or Laura Loomer being a former Tucsonan. Last week, our own Juan Ciscomani helped defund NPR and PBS of a third of their budget. These are vital news and entertainment stations. When you read where the ‘saved’ money is going, you’ll want to scream — not sing.
Ted Morrison
Midtown
Project Blue fog
Who would own and operate Project Blue (PB)? What is their track record?
According to datacenters.com, there are already 98 data centers in AZ, including six in Tucson. Which are most similar to PB? What is their water and energy usage?
Will PB get tax exemptions for hardware and software purchases (as for other centers in AZ)? Will they be given waivers on other taxes?
What will PB actually do? AI processing? Cloud storage? AI needs more energy and cooling.
Why does PB propose to use potable and eventually reclaimed water, when some newer centers (e.g., in Chandler) use closed systems without constant water refreshing?
Do PB water calculations account for water needed with increased TEP power generation?
PB claims to be “water-positive.” How, exactly? Will PB, like other such projects, simply buy water restoration certificates (WRCs) that give them credit for adding water flows in some as-yet-unknown places?
We deserve answers.
Tom Ryan
East side
Speaking freely
July 22 guest opinion — Kent Blumenthal. I think Hobbs’ veto HB 2867 was appropriate given there are adequate hate and civil rights laws available to prosecute crimes and misdemeanors. These laws offer protection for groups based on group characteristics.
The problem with HB 2867 was it would limit free speech. Free speech allows people to say or publish stupid and/or ignorant statements. Free speech allows other people to say or publish statements that refute other pronouncements perceived to be stupid and/or ignorant statements.
I doubt the objectiveness of the “Stand With Israel Committee” or the “International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance” regarding HB2867 or the definition of antisemitism.
James Abels
Midtown
Dahl’s quiet support appreciated
Here are two of the many lessons I’ve learned in five years volunteering with Tucson Food Share. One, a lot of people struggle to get around, and it puts their food security at risk. This has deepened my commitment to keeping our transit fare free. As a Ward 6 resident, I voted for Miranda Schubert, who shares this value. Two, Kevin Dahl and the Ward 3 staff sincerely care about, and diligently work to care for, this community. They have supported TFS in countless ways and never asked for recognition. Whether it’s volunteering their time, facilitating neighbor relations, providing funds and supporting grant applications, assisting folks we refer to them, or just making creative suggestions as we try to problem solve, we know we can turn to Kevin’s office and find friends. With both Miranda and Kevin on the City Council, we can build a more connected and compassionate Tucson.
Suzanne Schafer
Downtown
Brazenly undermining Pima County
Someone inside Pima County government released internal documents about Project Blue without properly redacting them. That leak exposed the end user’s identity, violating a nondisclosure agreement and potentially breaching attorney-client privilege. Maybe even setting the county up for a civil suit that we will be on the hook for.
This wasn’t transparency. It was reckless.
Whoever did this has jeopardized our credibility with current and prospective partners and weakened our legal standing. If we can’t protect confidential negotiations, why would anyone do business with us?
This kind of behavior doesn’t just hurt one project, it damages the entire institution.
The person responsible should come forward, apologize publicly, and resign. If they don’t, leadership must act. With the state’s highest-paid County Administrator, we should expect the best leadership. Accountability isn’t optional.
We need to restore trust before it slips further. That starts with consequences.
Allen Sharpe
Midtown
Passing the child care buck to taxpayers
I had to give a double-take when I read your July 22 article titled, “Families can get on child-care wait list.” It mentions “The new state budget that just took effect allocates $125.9 million to provide help for 900 children in 530 families.” If my math is correct, that comes out to nearly $140,000 per child. Huh? I don’t have kids (although I’ve paid hefty school taxes for over four decades), but why are taxpayers paying for other people’s child care? How about, if you can’t support your kids financially, don’t have them? Passing the buck (all $125.9 million of them) to taxpayers seems wrong and even unconstitutional. Just as Joe Biden’s failed plan to stick taxpayers with college student loan debt — despite the student’s family annual income limit up to $400,000 — was highly unfair and unconstitutional. Kudos to SCOTUS for shooting it down. Perhaps Arizona judges need to do the same here.
Richard McDonald
Green Valley
Project Blue
The Star’s editorial about Project Blue rightly highlighted concerns over its impact on Tucson and Pima County land, water, and electricity use. However, another major issue is the loss of state and local tax revenue due to exemptions for the developer, owned by Amazon Web Services.
According to a 2025 Good Jobs First report, tax subsidies cost Arizona $19 million in 2024 — a 1,200% increase since 2020. With Project Blue’s massive size and billions in costs, Amazon may avoid taxes on building materials, machinery, and equipment. Some computer equipment must be replaced every few years. Without a cap, tax subsidies could continue for decades, severely limiting tax funds for schools, water, infrastructure, and public safety. Once granted, these tax breaks are almost impossible to revoke.
Arizona should not offer exemptions to wealthy tech corporations at the expense of essential public services in Tucson and Pima County.
Anthony and Veronica Nitko
Northwest side
Project Blue and Reliability Project
The question becomes:
Is what we now know as Amazon’s Project Blue proposed computer server farms, in even a remote way — since all electricity is connected — among the anticipated electricity-gobbling projects that might contribute to the supposed need for Tucson Electric Power’s Midtown Reliability Project?
Reminder:
Tens of miles of these 75-135-foot-tall towers and major power lines are being proposed by TEP for central Tucson, cutting through the west side of the University of Arizona and slicing through the city’s Gateway Corridor Zones, which were established to protect our community’s aesthetics and beautiful mountain viewscapes.
A public hearing for the TEP project is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, before the Tucson Mayor and Council at City Hall, 255 W. Alameda.
Perhaps the Mayor and Council could find out if there is any Project Blue-Midtown Reliability connection before that public hearing?
Stephen Yozwiak
Northwest side
- Ke Chiang Hsieh, Midtown
A loud “Amen!” to the straightforward LTE “He walks among us” by Peter Morales published on Sunday, 20 July 2025. Let those who have ears hear and those who have eyes see. What we have done to the least of these, we have done it to him. Wake up and resist, lest we be judged by our lack of action.
Ke Chiang Hsieh
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Terry Louck, East side
If you have committed horrific sex crimes on Jeffrey Epstein's island, you're in the clear.
If you have been here for years without paperwork, have children and work hard to provide for them, then you are placed in a camp surrounded by alligators.
This is America.
Terry Louck
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Aston Bloom, East side
Donald Trump must be joking when he says he wants our national parks to charge higher entrance fees to foreign tourists. I have worked at a national park. The entrance station rangers had a hard enough time getting the locals to even stop to show their passes, much less declare their nationality. Is this executive order even legal? Can a president really tell the National Park Service what to do? This looks like a mean-spirited way to tell foreigners that they aren't wanted in our country. How will this raise more money for the U.S.? And transferring the national parks to the states would be the stupidest move he's made yet. Looks like part of a grand scheme to eliminate the federal government and just have each state be a sovereign entity, with each one sending "representatives" to a rubber-stamp Congress. Really?
Aston Bloom
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Jean Getek, Foothills
Over the years, I, like many of you, acquired friends that I thought were of like mind regarding America and the freedom of living here. I have had relatives who fought in World War II, the Korean War, The Vietnam War, the Gulf War and until that fascist, immoral, orange-tinted thing came down the escalator, I thought that we all believed in the same mission in America. The freedoms we have here are too numerous to mention, but I thought that human morality and kindness would win out. How wrong I was and how sickening to see my "friends" follow the madman. Everything he is doing now and will continue to do smacks of the reincarnation of Hitler. Taking innocents off the streets, sending "unprocessed criminals" to foreign prisons, taking away the freedom and liberties that our relatives so bravely fought for. How can you sleep at night and live with the horror that you have unleashed on America?
Jean Getek
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Marybeth Schneider, East side
The destruction of our beloved Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge\visitors center/support housing has impacted Arizona, national and international prior and prospective visitors. I suggest a non-profit modeled after the Norte Dame Cathedral Fund. A person who had visited along with future visitors visiting this spectacular natural wonder would like to contribute to rebuilding this amazing hotel/mule riding/hiking
/visitor center along with support housing. The Grand Canyon is such a natural wonder. Sitting in the lodge built in the edge of the canyon and viewing the sight is a true vision.
Marybeth Schneider
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Leslie Woodford, Midtown
I contacted Juan Ciscomani to ask him to vote AGAINST the $9 billion rescissions act that takes back funds already promised to NPR and PBS. His office was gracious enough respond. He said, in essence, “I voted in favor of the rescissions act. I understand your concerns regarding public media funding, please know that I take your concerns seriously.” The response felt vacuous and unsupportive. For fun, I ran it through an AI checker: three out of four checkers said that it was AI generated.
I’m not against AI; however, if the content has little meaning and no depth of thought, it is valueless. My take-away from this interaction is that 1) Ciscomani does not care about constituent concerns, and 2) he cares so little that he has machines generate meaningless responses.
We deserve someone who truly DOES understand our concerns about undercutting funding for public news stations. He has done our country a terrible disservice in clawing back these funds.
Leslie Woodford
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Joe Sanchez, Marana
The woolly mammoth and the saber-toothed tiger became extinct during the previous Ice Age. The current ICE Age may make Hispanics in America extinct.
Joe Sanchez
Marana
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Lawrence Mazin, SaddleBrooke
“The greatest threat to America,” one man said during a Clinton-era White House gathering of the ultra-wealthy, “is us — the people in this room." He was right then. He’s even more right now.
Wages are stagnant. Young people can’t afford homes or an education. Trust in institutions is evaporating. Politicians point fingers at foreign threats — but the most corrosive danger to American democracy is domestic, and it wears a suit. It’s the billionaire class.
Today, billionaires control more wealth than the bottom 90% of Americans combined. That’s not capitalism — it’s a silent coup.
They bankroll elections, write tax loopholes, and flood the media with narratives that protect their interests. The average citizen gets a vote; billionaires get a veto.
I don’t agree with the politics of the potential new mayor of NYC, Zahran Mamdani, except for one statement he made: “I don’t think we should have billionaires.”
History is clear: societies don’t survive this kind of imbalance.
Lawrence Mazin
SaddleBrooke
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Betty Fridena, West side
What a topsy-turvy world we live in. We have a President and Administration that has disrupted international alliances and our world-leading scientific and educational institutions. Their emphasis on transactional results has triggered an abandonment of American morality and leadership. The School of Public Health at Boston University estimates that over 176,000 annual preventable deaths will occur with our abandonment of USAID programs. So far that is at least 103,000 deaths since inauguration. What have we become when the President’s affiliation to Epstein is the factor that threatens his credibility and not crimes against humanity?
Betty Fridena
West side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Barbara Benjamin, Foothills
I can't help but wonder how historians will evaluate our 65-year evolution from John F. Kennedy's Camelot to Donald J. Trump's scamalot!
Barbara Benjamin
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
Fairness
If you have committed horrific sex crimes on Jeffrey Epstein’s island, you’re in the clear.
If you have been here for years without paperwork, have children and work hard to provide for them, then you are placed in a camp surrounded by alligators.
This is America.
Terry Louck
East side
Project Blue’s true need
July 16 headline in Scientific American: “China Is Putting Data Centers in the Ocean to Keep Them Cool.” The article goes on to report that they will get 97% of their energy from a nearby offshore wind farm; meanwhile, American data centers are locating in hottest, driest locations because “dry air reduces the risk of damage to the equipment from humidity.”
So Project Blue wants our low humidity. Sunday Star’s article, Sparring over Project Blue’s Water, makes clear City Manager Tim Thomure has worked out a complex water reclamation “net zero” proposal. But what guarantee does the City have that whoever Project Blue may be will honor it in the future?
This is a crazy time. Could federal MAGA policies negate any previous agreement? Less likely, could the U.S. suddenly declare a Chinese catch-up, mandating new data centers go into the newly named Gulf of America?
Let’s not forget: Project Blue wants our dry heat for its equipment. Do we want its long-term impact on our fragile environment?
Ruth Beeker
Midtown
Wittenbraker for Council
It is time for change, Tucson! Our once beautiful city, quirky, independent and picturesque, has become a run-down, graffiti- and trash-filled homeless encampment. Janet Wittenbraker can bring balance and common sense back to the City Council. Janet’s extensive knowledge of our City Charter and her commitment to the community and common-sense values will do much to begin to turn things around for Tucson. The current Ward 3 incumbent recently voted to allow homeless encampments in public spaces such as city parks. Fully in violation of our local public nuisance laws. We deserve better. Allowing this issue to fester has resulted in increased crime, resulting in deaths and dark streets. Compassion is forever in Tucson’s character. It just shouldn’t be at the expense of the entire community. Janet is a model of compassion and sound judgment. Janet will help get us off the current track of slow destruction and on a path to prosperity for all Tucsonans. Vote for a better Tucson: Vote Janet.
Maria Lopez
West side
Resist or be damned
A loud “Amen!” to the straightforward LTE “He walks among us” by Peter Morales, published on Sunday. Let those who have ears hear and those who have eyes see. What we have done to the least of these, we have done it to him. Wake up and resist, lest we be judged by our lack of action.
Ke Chiang Hsieh
Midtown
Love, not hatred
Talking politics nowadays is enough to spark a fire of hatred and misunderstanding. In my personal experience, I have even seen certain individuals wish evil or spew hatred on others simply because they have different viewpoints. This is wrong, and it happens on both sides of the political spectrum. I am a 20-year-old Catholic Mexican-American college student, and I happen to have socially conservative views, but my politics are all over the place. I disagree with things both Kamala and Trump advocate for. Nevertheless, my political views do not give me the right to go curse, hate, and wish evil on others because their views are different. We must learn to be understanding and have fruitful conversations. We can only change the world with love. If hatred enters our hearts and our mouths curl with curses whenever we talk politics, we are doing something wrong. We cannot kill hatred with hatred. How can we advocate for world peace with hatred? We can’t. Love is the only way.
Hector Guzman
South side
Dahl campaign
Have you ever passed a large area of land where the old-growth desert got scraped away for another mega-development and wondered, “Why didn’t our leaders stop this?” Fortunately, we have at least one elected official who has been trying to stop unnecessary damage to the Earth’s precious natural skin for a long time – Tucson City Council Member Kevin Dahl. In addition to his strong environmental consciousness and broad experience, Kevin Dahl’s compassion for those less fortunate is unmatched, and it shows in his policy positions. The world needs more leaders like Kevin Dahl. And we need to keep those we already have. That’s why we must reelect Kevin Dahl to the Ward 3 City Council seat.
Frank Staub
North side
Ciscomani’s AI email
I contacted Juan Ciscomani to ask him to vote AGAINST the $9 billion rescissions act that takes back funds already promised to NPR and PBS. His office was gracious enough to respond. He said, in essence, “I voted in favor of the rescissions act. I understand your concerns regarding public media funding, please know that I take your concerns seriously.” The response felt vacuous and unsupportive. For fun, I ran it through AI checkers: Three out of four checkers said that it was AI-generated.
I’m not against AI; however, if the content has little meaning and no depth of thought, it is valueless. My take-away from this interaction is that 1) Ciscomani does not care about constituent concerns, and 2) he cares so little that he has machines generate meaningless responses.
We deserve someone who truly does understand our concerns about undercutting funding for public news stations. He has done our country a terrible disservice in clawing back these funds.
Leslie Woodford
Midtown
Leighton is best candidate for Ward 6
Many of us watched Miranda Schubert’s Instagram video, where she mocks homeowners as having yards that are “just dirt”. We are not laughing.
As homeowners, we know that our yards have value. They are places for family and friends to gather, to form bonds and connections. They are nurturing places, with trees providing cooling shade against the rising heat that density creates.
Any candidate who does not understand that is wrong for Ward 6. A home is the single largest investment we make, and any candidate who views that home and its backyard as “dirt”, will not protect our homeowner rights.
Miranda has advocated for overcrowding our neighborhoods with rental homes, ignoring the recent loss of state funds for affordable housing construction. Her willingness to sell us out to institutional investors will ensure that fewer people own homes in the future.
Leighton Rockafellow Jr. understands the connections between homes, yards, neighborhoods and community. That is why he gets my vote.
Colette Altaffer
Midtown
Merger of business development groups
The article on the merger of two local business support groups — Sun Corridor and Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce (July 20) provided encouraging news. Duplication of effort will be eliminated by the merger, and the strengths of the two principals, Joe Snell and Michael Guymon, can be combined. But their efforts to identify development priorities left me disappointed.
The first priority was “data centers,” with the recently proposed Project Blue listed as the prime example. But data centers are highly controversial due to their massive consumption of water and energy. A much more nuanced statement is needed, such as, “… carefully weigh the enhancement of local tax revenues and jobs against the environmental costs.”
The fifth was “mining,” emphasizing extraction. Much better would have been “Natural Resources” with a balanced focus on mining and recreation, such as hiking. Mining continues to be controversial due to its environmentally destructive nature. Both mining and non-consumptive resource uses are important to our local economy.
Dale Keyes
Northwest side
Protecting S-cuk Sǫn
S-cuk Sǫn, the spring, the river at the base of black mountain, is alive. The Santa Cruz River has the right to flow free.
I envision a future where my son catches fireflies along the River, he learns from his teachers the great blue heron and topminnow, and we gather i:huk and yerba mansa.
Currently, communities have few protections from Big Tech. This week, AZ Luminaria reported that Amazon Web Services is behind Project Blue. Data centers require massive amounts of water and energy, risking the quality of our watershed and our shared future. For how many jobs?
Tucson loves the Santa Cruz River. We want more miles of river flowing, not less. The River has the right to live, and we have a sacred responsibility to protect it.
Let’s use this moment to build a movement and design policy rooted in our values, love for desert and river. Water is not a commodity. It is kin.
Rebecca Perez
Midtown
Data centers and cryptomining
The claim of 180 jobs at $65k is very misleading. The only commitment made to Tucson is 75 jobs. The rest is speculation and “estimates.” Most data centers at best lose 90% of the staffing by year 4-5.
The energy infrastructure is what? With diesel generators for backup? TEP already needs 15% more from Tucson residents. Affordability in Tucson (water and energy) will plummet.
How about electronic waste disposal?
What is the penalty if they don’t provide or deliver on limited promises?
They claim to use “no chemicals,” but this is word-smithing. You can’t run without treatments, including biocides, anti-corrosion, total dissolved solids. All detrimental to groundwater and currently not monitored via regulatory standards. Their impact on human and animal life will be similar to what PFAS was for fire retardants. Dow swore PFAS were “all good” back in the day. And at date, we have no real limit for PFAS in our water for regulating.
People will pay. Don’t sell out.
Carissa Sipp
Midtown
From Camelot to Scamalot
I can’t help but wonder how historians will evaluate our 65-year evolution from John F. Kennedy’s Camelot to Donald J. Trump’s scamalot!
Barbara Benjamin
Foothills
State transfer threatens parks
Donald Trump must be joking when he says he wants our national parks to charge higher entrance fees to foreign tourists. I have worked at a national park. The entrance station rangers had a hard enough time getting the locals to even stop to show their passes, much less declare their nationality. Is this executive order even legal? Can a president really tell the National Park Service what to do? This looks like a mean-spirited way to tell foreigners that they aren’t wanted in our country. How will this raise more money for the U.S.? And transferring the national parks to the states would be the stupidest move he’s made yet. Looks like part of a grand scheme to eliminate the federal government and just have each state be a sovereign entity, with each one sending “representatives” to a rubber-stamp Congress. Really?
Aston Bloom
East side
Topsy-turvy wold
What a topsy-turvy world we live in. We have a President and Administration that has disrupted international alliances and our world-leading scientific and educational institutions. Their emphasis on transactional results has triggered an abandonment of American morality and leadership. The School of Public Health at Boston University estimates that over 176,000 annual preventable deaths will occur with our abandonment of USAID programs. So far, that is at least 103,000 deaths since inauguration. What have we become when the President’s affiliation to Epstein is the factor that threatens his credibility and not crimes against humanity?
Betty Fridena
West side
No meat and potatoes
Dan Barron claims conservatives offer “no meat and potatoes” on policy, specifically questioning the value of tariffs. Let me set the record straight. President Trump’s tariff strategy prioritizes bilateral, reciprocal trade agreements, moving away from multi-nation deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, where the U.S. often gets shortchanged. The principle is simple: you tariff us, we tariff you fairly.
Recent deals prove this works. With Vietnam, the U.S. imposes a 20% tariff on its exports, while Vietnam grants zero tariffs on U.S. imports and preferential access for American goods such as large-engine vehicles. This tackles Vietnam’s massive trade surplus ($136B vs. $13B).
Similarly, Indonesia faces a 19% tariff on goods entering the U.S., while U.S. exports enter tariff-free. Indonesia also committed to buying $15B in U.S. energy, $4.5B in agricultural products, and 50 Boeing jets.
These agreements level the playing field, boost American exports and create jobs. What’s not to like?
Jeffrey McConnell
West side
Protecting what is ours
Much is unknown about Project Blue. But here’s what we do know about the data centers gobbling up large parcels of land around our country:
— Data centers function most effectively in a dry climate. They require water and electricity.
— Families living near existing data centers (e.g, in Atlanta exurbs) now have undrinkable water, dry wells and taps, and/or non-functioning appliances.
— Data centers enrich the coffers of local and state governments. Lobbyists, chambers of commerce, and other pro-growth organizations support data centers. Environmental groups and communities do not.
Being generous folks, we can give them our dry air for free. But our water? Let’s not.
Leslie Kanberg
Downtown
The greatest threat to America
“The greatest threat to America,” one man said during a Clinton-era White House gathering of the ultra-wealthy, “is us — the people in this room.” He was right then. He’s even more right now.
Wages are stagnant. Young people can’t afford homes or an education. Trust in institutions is evaporating. Politicians point fingers at foreign threats — but the most corrosive danger to American democracy is domestic, and it wears a suit. It’s the billionaire class.
Today, billionaires control more wealth than the bottom 90% of Americans combined. That’s not capitalism — it’s a silent coup.
They bankroll elections, write tax loopholes, and flood the media with narratives that protect their interests. The average citizen gets a vote; billionaires get a veto.
I don’t agree with the politics of the potential new mayor of NYC, Zahran Mamdani, except for one statement he made: “I don’t think we should have billionaires.”
History is clear: societies don’t survive this kind of imbalance.
Lawrence Mazin
SaddleBrooke
ICE Age
The woolly mammoth and the saber-toothed tiger became extinct during the previous Ice Age. The current ICE Age may make Hispanics in America extinct.
Joe Sanchez
Marana
Friends
Over the years, I, like many of you, acquired friends that I thought were of like mind regarding America and the freedom of living here. I have had relatives who fought in World War II, the Korean War, The Vietnam War, the Gulf War and until that fascist, immoral, orange-tinted thing came down the escalator, I thought that we all believed in the same mission in America. The freedoms we have here are too numerous to mention, but I thought that human morality and kindness would win out. How wrong I was, and how sickening to see my “friends” follow the madman. Everything he is doing now and will continue to do smacks of the reincarnation of Hitler. Taking innocents off the streets, sending “unprocessed criminals” to foreign prisons, taking away the freedom and liberties that our relatives so bravely fought for. How can you sleep at night and live with the horror that you have unleashed on America?
Jean Getek
Foothill
North Rim fire
The destruction of our beloved Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge\visitors center/support housing has impacted Arizona, national and international prior and prospective visitors. I suggest a nonprofit modeled after the Norte Dame Cathedral Fund. A person who had visited along with future visitors visiting this spectacular natural wonder would like to contribute to rebuilding this amazing hotel/mule riding/hiking/visitor center, along with support housing. The Grand Canyon is such a natural wonder. Sitting in the lodge built on the edge of the canyon and viewing the sight is a true vision.
Marybeth Schneider
East side
s
- Richard Kimball, Midtown
Just like the sitcoms of my youth, news programming only flourishes if it can attract an audience.
Attracting audience is everything, it is existence, it is another season, it is money.
In news entertainment, you first find a following, then feed it, and if you grow, you prosper.
All ten of the most watched entertainment news programs are now on Fox, because hate, vengeance and any abuse of you sells and demands attention, no less than one screaming shots fired, anywhere, any place.
Richard Kimball
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Richard Bechtold, West side
Egocentric children see the world the way they want without regard for reality. The world exists the way they see it, end of story. Trump is a classic egocentric child. He doesn't like the name of the Gulf of Mexico, so he changes it and expects everyone to accept it. He wants cane sugar in his Coca Cola. The Coca Cola company should change it. Trump wants the Guardians and Commanders sports team names changed to Indians and Redskins. Why? because he wants it. The border is pretty much sealed. No one is trying to cross anymore, but the egocentric child wants billions for a wall and hires 8,000 Customs personnel and fires all the asylum judges. Why? because he wants to. The child holds the tariff ball. I'm charging tariffs on you, no I'm not, yes I am, no I'm not. This is the world's most powerful child.
Richard Bechtold
West side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Sheldon Metz, Northeast side
Only one name on the now destroyed list concerned Donald J. Trump. Despite his false, contrary assertions to the contrary, Jeffrey Epstein was convicted and murdered during #45's term, not Biden’s.
Over 100,000 pages covering decades of Epstein’s escapades, including client lists, flight logs, personal desires, contact information, “black books,” 7 pages of names of girls used for private “massages, over 10,000 photographs of (children), travel logs, employee lists, more than $17,000 in cash, and even beverage preferences.” Trump promised to release these files.
A posse led by Pam Bondi reviewed all 100,000 pages - in search of one name. The administration then reversed another duplicitous promise and refused to release the files. Trump said no such files existed. I'm lost. The Star's Trump defenders/interpreters might help.
If the files and lists never existed: What was Ghislaine Maxwell referring to in her testimony? What was on Bondi’s desk once that wasn’t there later? Why was the release canceled - after meticulous review?
Sheldon Metz
Northeast side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Loyal M Johnson Jr, Oro Valley
Incessantly, your Democratic LTE submitters have promoted the idea that the Democratic Party and its acolytes are the saviors of democracy, and are far more intelligent, righteous, and compassionate than the unwashed heathens belonging to the Republican Party. Strikingly, the curtain has been lifted and the lies exposed. We now find that the Obama Administration falsified and promoted the Russia hoax intentionally with malice aforethought. We also know that President Biden’s mental decline was hidden from the public and unelected sycophants were running our government. These same sycophants are all invoking the 5th when questioned about their coverup roles. The border crisis speaks for itself, again a total abrogation of existing laws and a lack of good sense. Unsurprisingly, they practice blatant racism. The obvious conclusion is that the Democrats are shysters, charlatans, and obsessed liars who will do anything to reclaim power and have a total disregard for the Constitution, the laws of this nation, and for the well-being of the common citizen. Sad, but true.
Loyal M Johnson Jr
Oro Valley
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Philip Reinecker, East side
During the WNBA All-star Game players wore shirts espousing "Pay us what you owe us," apparently comparing the NBA's huge salaries with the more meager of the WNBA. Records indicate that the WNBA has operated at a huge loss since its inception in 1997. In fact, the WNBA relies almost totally on the NBA for financial support and cannot stay afloat without the NBA support. Allegedly the WNBA operated at a $50 million loss in 2024. No one disputes that NBA players are paid far and away more than seems lucrative and the WNBA is woefully lacking in its payment to players, but the recent increase in WNBA popularity isn't enough. I suspect that if the WNBA someday becomes equal in popularity to the NBA salaries should, in fact, be substantially increased. Until that time the "Pay us what you owe us" slogan is no more than a hope in the dark. Apples to oranges.
Philip Reinecker
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Terry Louck, East side
It is not acceptable to threaten to take territory away from other countries.
It is not acceptable to release violent criminals from prison.
It is not acceptable to put unqualified and unethical loyalists in position of power.
It is not acceptable to try to silence media with lawsuits and threats to take away their licenses.
It is not acceptable to retaliate against people who investigated your criminal conduct.
It is not acceptable to put put oligarch billionaires in charge of the budget.
No one with any shred of decency should still be supporting Trump.
He is a fascist, authoritarian, immoral and 100 percent un-American.
Terry Louck
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Jean Meconi, Oro Valley
The trade war initiated by the Trump administration has left the United States in a weak and unstable position. The president terminated trade agreements made during his first term and replaced genuine negotiation with erratic, irrational social media announcements. As a result, our allies have shifted to other markets and imposed retaliatory tariffs on American products.
This hurts the American consumer who is paying more for goods and services. It hurts small businesses who cannot absorb increased costs or compete globally. It has shrunk the US economy and destabilized world markets. And it has supercharged China’s meteoric global influence thus leaving the US in the dust.
Jean Meconi
Oro Valley
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
Due process
As we arrest, detain, deport and “disappear” immigrants, asylum seekers, visa holders — and, yes, sometimes, U.S. citizens — with alacrity, can we pause for just a moment to appreciate the irony of the comment from the unnamed CBP spokesperson in the wake of the arrest of Agent Bart Yager for 10 counts of child trafficking? “An arrest is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”
In other words, due process.
Laura Penny
Foothills
No on Project Blue and ABF
Project Blue isn’t worth the risks for Tucson, Phoenix, or Arizona. Elected leaders must take a stand against industries that exploit our limited resources for the benefit of undisclosed corporate interests. In TUSD, I was the only board member to vote against an AI policy that opens the door for unchecked use of these tools in the classroom. As a city council member, I will oppose projects like Project Blue and the outsourcing of jobs to the slow creep of AI.
While I’m encouraged by the community’s pushback, we must look critically at other so-called “advanced industries.” Dahl voted in favor of the American Battery Factory in January 2023, which will consume 150,000 gallons of potable and 25,000 gallons of reclaimed water daily when operational. I do my homework on high-profile items and those that fly under the radar like ABF to ensure Tucson’s water, air, and future aren’t traded away for promised jobs and long-term environmental costs.
Sadie Shaw
Midtown
In the dust
The trade war initiated by the Trump administration has left the United States in a weak and unstable position. The president terminated trade agreements made during his first term and replaced genuine negotiation with erratic, irrational social media announcements. As a result, our allies have shifted to other markets and imposed retaliatory tariffs on American products.
This hurts the American consumer who is paying more for goods and services. It hurts small businesses who cannot absorb increased costs or compete globally. It has shrunk the US economy and destabilized world markets. And it has supercharged China’s meteoric global influence thus leaving the US in the dust.
Jean Meconi
Oro Valley
Project Blue misinformation
There have been some beyond ridiculous claims in opinions about Project Blue (such as it’s “water positive”). They can’t make water. Given all the secrecy and misinformation, please do a tiny bit of homework. Google “Phoenix data center problems” to find a long list of reports of problems in our bigger city to the north.
For a possible way to improve the situation, search on “Waterless data center.” Forward-looking companies, including Microsoft, are building data centers with closed loop cooling systems that do not use any water for cooling. It costs a bit more up front but is probably cheaper than building an 18-mile pipeline for reclaimed water. The idea of wasting at least a million gallons of precious and irreplaceable water a day is ridiculous. Why has Pima County or the City of Tucson not insisted that the mysterious developer use more sustainable technology?
Jeff Edwards
West side
Kevin Dahl delivers
There are two ways a great City Council member serves this city: technical skills (for example, on housing, climate, building strong neighborhoods) and personal strengths (wisdom, openness and compassion) that energize our city. Kevin Dahl has both, on display for decades. We’re lucky to have this option in the City Council race.
Ford Burkhart
Downtown
Data center
Re: “Secret Project Blue water,” the writer is spot on and very clear about why this project is such a bad idea. I read with great interest the articles on Project Blue. Yet, I still cannot comprehend how anyone could think it is a good idea. Lots of mumbo jumbo to decipher. These centers are massive consumers of electricity and water. Another rate increase is in the works for TEP and we live in a desert, in drought most of the time. What’s not to understand? I’m all for progress and job creation but this makes no sense.
Denise Walker
Midtown
Project Blue water use
Rainfall in southern Arizona was virtually nonexistent in winter 2025. So far the summer “monsoons” have been pitiful.
The Hudbay mine in the Santa Ritas will consume massive quantities of groundwater. Project Blue will consume massive quantities of groundwater, as well as effluent from the Santa Cruz which will require a miles-long pipeline, and possibly drain the Santa Cruz River north of Tucson.
I’m not a genius or a hydrologist, but these projects both appear to be extremely unwise and shortsighted. I urge local Government to strongly resist both of these projects.
Dan Egan
East side
Ward 3
Kevin Dahl has devoted his life to conservationism and protecting the environment. That passion is demonstrated by Kevin’s work to improve city parks in Ward 3 and his concern with public school grounds. His focus in improving lives doesn’t stop with conservation but extends to working with neighborhood associations to making them safe and providing community building opportunities. He is also aware that some residents are underserved and votes to protect them. Kevin is aware that water is a precious and scarce resource in the Sonoran Desert and considers water usage and water reclamation for future city projects. I strongly urge Ward 3 voters to keep Kevin Dahl on Tucson City Council.
Judy J Gillies
Downtown
Support for Trump
It is not acceptable to threaten to take territory away from other countries.
It is not acceptable to release violent criminals from prison.
It is not acceptable to put unqualified and unethical loyalists in position of power.
It is not acceptable to try to silence media with lawsuits and threats to take away their licenses.
It is not acceptable to retaliate against people who investigated your criminal conduct.
It is not acceptable to put put oligarch billionaires in charge of the budget.
No one with any shred of decency should still be supporting Trump.
He is a fascist, authoritarian, immoral and 100 percent un-American.
Terry Louck
East side
On Bondi’s desk, but never there
Only one name on the now destroyed list concerned Donald J. Trump. Despite his false, contrary assertions to the contrary, Jeffrey Epstein was convicted and murdered during #45’s term, not Biden’s.
Over 100,000 pages covering decades of Epstein’s escapades, including client lists, flight logs, personal desires, contact information, “black books,” 7 pages of names of girls used for private “massages, over 10,000 photographs of (children), travel logs, employee lists, more than $17,000 in cash, and even beverage preferences.” Trump promised to release these files.
A posse led by Pam Bondi reviewed all 100,000 pages — in search of one name. The administration then reversed another duplicitous promise and refused to release the files. Trump said no such files existed. I’m lost. The Star’s Trump defenders/interpreters might help.
If the files and lists never existed: What was Ghislaine Maxwell referring to in her testimony? What was on Bondi’s desk once that wasn’t there later? Why was the release canceled — after meticulous review?
Sheldon Metz
Northeast side
The egocentric child
Egocentric children see the world the way they want without regard for reality. The world exists the way they see it, end of story. Trump is a classic egocentric child. He doesn’t like the name of the Gulf of Mexico, so he changes it and expects everyone to accept it. He wants cane sugar in his Coca Cola. The Coca Cola company should change it. Trump wants the Guardians and Commanders sports team names changed to Indians and Redskins. Why? because he wants it. The border is pretty much sealed. No one is trying to cross anymore, but the egocentric child wants billions for a wall and hires 8,000 Customs personnel and fires all the asylum judges. Why? because he wants to. The child holds the tariff ball. I’m charging tariffs on you, no I’m not, yes I am, no I’m not. This is the world’s most powerful child.
Richard Bechtold
West side
The pious
Incessantly, your Democratic LTE submitters have promoted the idea that the Democratic Party and its acolytes are the saviors of democracy, and are far more intelligent, righteous, and compassionate than the unwashed heathens belonging to the Republican Party. Strikingly, the curtain has been lifted and the lies exposed. We now find that the Obama Administration falsified and promoted the Russia hoax intentionally with malice aforethought. We also know that President Biden’s mental decline was hidden from the public and unelected sycophants were running our government. These same sycophants are all invoking the 5th when questioned about their coverup roles. The border crisis speaks for itself, again a total abrogation of existing laws and a lack of good sense. Unsurprisingly, they practice blatant racism. The obvious conclusion is that the Democrats are shysters, charlatans, and obsessed liars who will do anything to reclaim power and have a total disregard for the Constitution, the laws of this nation, and for the well-being of the common citizen. Sad, but true.
Loyal M Johnson Jr
Oro Valley
Water where?
First rule of economics, scarcity plays a crucial role in business because it directly affects pricing, demand, and competition. When resources are scarce, their value increases, leading to higher prices. Even the least intelligent politician of city manager would understand this but apparently our Tucson one doesn’t either understand or care. Somehow Mayor Romero and others appointed someone seemingly so blind to Tucson residents and ignorant of data centers. Or maybe this Manager and his opinion is because of money? Obviously not money and savings for residents but money for the term he is manager. Even a report from June 2025 faults data centers for higher energy costs: “As summer electric bills arrive with a jolt, a newly released independent report points the finger squarely at the data center industry for the dramatic rise in wholesale power costs — spikes that are now hitting consumers in the wallet.”
Carissa Sipp
Midtown
Zero fares for a better Tucson
I have been riding Sun Tran since I came to Tucson in 1977. I ride the bus and streetcar every day, using various routes. In 2022, I made a log of 349 bus rides in 4.5 months during which I witnessed zero instances of physical violence or abuse toward drivers. If the Mayor and Council reinstate fares I think there will be less safety. There will be more confrontations between would-be riders and drivers over the need to pay. Confrontations result in longer boarding times, especially problematic during summer and monsoon. Longer boarding times lead to longer trip times. If the nonprofits don’t resume providing free passes for their clients, and due to budget cuts they probably won’t, ridership will plummet. Less services, more heat exposure, more pedestrians on dangerous roads. These problems can be avoided by raising the hotel/motel room tax, which hasn’t changed since 2016, by $6.00 per night.
Allen Benz
East side
Kevin Dahl’s leadership on Project Blue
I appreciate Tucson City Council Member Kevin Dahl’s recent letter explaining his opposition to Project Blue. Mr. Dahl’s principled and informed opinion helped me see how the numerous problems that Project Blue will bring to Southern Arizona far outweigh any potential benefits. I value Mr. Dahl’s leadership on this issue and hope that his fellow Council Members will also vote a hard no on Project Blue.
Drew Colenbrander
East side
- Dan Bannon, Midtown
I believe there is a lot of disillusionment going on among Maga people. Much revolves around Trump’s failure to provide client lists involving the Epstein and several conspiracy theories that were promoted by Trump, family and insiders. I am not a Maga person, but I think we all deserve more honesty. Many love conspiracies but when they are false, we all lose. I have searched “leaving Maga” and found a site that presents testimonials of ex-Maga people that shed light on all of this. Take a risk and listen to so many that have left.
Dan Bannon
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Don Gerlach, East side
And now our ruler has the media tightly in his grip: Voice of America, NPR, PBS. By fiat -- as well as by the intimidation of public media -- our ruler has all but neutered the functioning of our democracy. He can silence the voice of his dissenters.
With little or no effective governance by both of the one-sided legislative and judicial branches, our ruler and his family dynasty are now in charge of the country. They have access to all of the internal workings of our government. They will arrange to reap the rewards for decades. The "purification" of America is well on its way and is being funneled through the mind of one person. I am ashamed. I am fearful.
Don Gerlach
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Mort Ganeles, Foothills
Trump often displays emotional swings and perfidious decisions/actions. That tendency creates chaotic environments under the Trump leadership. Some may believe that sowing chaos may be a deliberate Trump strategy designed to keep others off balance and more tentative in their postures.
An example is The Donald’s volatile threats to fire Federal Reserve Board chairman Jerome Powell. Trump appointed Powell during his first term as president. Powell has done a competent job to keep both the U.S. economy and its finances on an even keel and, concurrently, helped to maintain international financial stability.
Trump raised media stress levels and alarms by insisting that Powell aid him to stimulate the economy by lowering interest rates. Powell has resisted those Trump demands out of concern that it might cause inflation to increase. Trump is livid. Two conservative Trump-supporting media giants each have expressed concern over the threat and reasoned against Trump firing Powell. U.S. and world monetary and economic chaos might ensue. I agree.
Mort Ganeles
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Eric Weiss, Foothills
What perfect irony. CNN recently broadcast a live performance of the Broadway play “Good Night, and Good Luck” celebrating Edward R Murrow and CBS’ courageous, principled, and successful stand for freedom of the press against a loud-mouthed bully of the 1950s, Senator Joseph R McCarthy (R-Wisconsin). McCarthy falsely claimed to have a list of Communists in the State Department, and he ruined the careers and reputations of those who opposed him, including many in the media.
Recently, Paramount, the parent company of CBS, paid off today’s loud-mouthed bully threatening the media, Donald Trump, to avoid a completely frivolous lawsuit he brought against CBS’ 60 Minutes, and also to keep him from blocking a merger Paramount wanted.
And now, after Stephen Colbert spoke up against this Mafia-style payoff, CBS canceled his successful TV show, most likely in order to placate the bully and to avoid further angering him.
What a shameful and cowardly retreat for CBS from their forgotten courage and past glory.
Eric Weiss
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- James Abels, Midtown
Tom McGorray appears to have made the admission that his decisions are based on subjective emotions (heart) rather analytical reasoning (mind).
If most conservatives follow their subjective hearts rather than their rational minds, that might imply the basis for irrational loyalty for somebody who expresses only conditional loyalty for subordinates. The same can said about liberals, except there is not currently a central figure with undue influence.
Scientific studies have confirmed decisions are primarily based on emotion with reasoning coming into play to support the emotion-based decision.
Case in point: “…abortion is wrong…” I say, why is abortion wrong? What empirical evidence can be offered that confirms or denies this position?
Would we not be better off if we engaged in objective reflection and recognized the irrational influence of emotions before arriving at conclusions and decisions?
James Abels
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Loran Hancock, Northwest side
Watched an interview with the Governor of Maryland and when asked about the Trump Budget, his primary response was deflection. He spent a lot of time discussing the need for immigration reform after talking about how many people were going to lose their healthcare coverage because the taxpayers will no longer foot the bill. The problem is that Biden refused to obey the immigration law that existed. There may be a need to update the existing law but there was a law in place when the Biden administration ignored and broke the law allowing millions of illegal immigrants to enter the country. But the Biden administration went one step further, they actively aided and abetted the illegal immigrants by relocating them to various parts of the country. There may be a need for reform, but the first step seems to be in admitting that the law was broken by the Democratic administration and making every effort to remove the illegals from the country without Democratic interference or violence.
Loran Hancock
Northwest side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Philip Reinecker, East side
President Trump has vehemently denied that he drew the picture of a naked woman and signed the drawing. Even with the dismal record of honesty for politicians you would like to believe that what the President says may be true. Unfortunately even those of you who fervently believe in this person must admit that when it comes to truth Trump trumps all known records for dishonesty. We probably all realize that he was somewhat involved because of his interest in keeping the records on the back burner. We also know that he will do all in his not inconsiderable power to keep total truth from public view. Doubtless something will emerge in a redacted fashion but most of us will remain unconvinced. I still hope that someday honesty will rise to the forefront for the Presidency and will not just be a laugher when he invokes his word.
Philip Reinecker
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Tim Helentjaris, Northwest side
During my science career, I had the privilege of annually traveling to the National Science Foundation in DC where I sat on a panel of experts to review new research proposals, funding only those deemed most promising. The benefits of public research to this country are incalculable; one recent example was the lightning-fast development of RNA vaccines for covid, saving millions of lives around the world. But now individuals with no science background in the current administration are busy gutting this program for capricious reasons. One friend recently had his grant terminated because he had a German collaborator. The damage to science in this country will take decades to undo, as scientists are leaving and students are discouraged from entering these fields. Publicly funded research is also a primary driver for our economy. Without it, businesses in this country will starve for new ideas, far exceeding the negative impact of tariffs. Remember the Republicans who voted for this disaster in the next election cycles. Trust science, not morons.
Tim Helentjaris
Northwest side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Neil Norton, Oro Valley
We know that at least 25 women have publicly accused Trump of sexual assullt. He has been found guilty of sexual abuse. We have all heard his tapes bragging about grabbing women by their you know what. He has bragged about when he owned the Miss Teen USA Pageant how he could walk into the dressing room while they were getting dressed and bragged about seeing the "teenage girls" naked. Remember even Ivanka accused him of rape, and Jill Harth's 1967 claim of sexual harassment. We also know he was a very good friend of Epstein's. There are many pictures of with him at many of Epstein's parties. I am not sure whether the letter to Epstein is real or not but "where there is smoke there is fire." How can his base just turn a blind eye? How can any woman or man with any morals still follow him? I am not sure what can be done but to have Trump lead our nation is a nation disgrace.
Neil Norton
Oro Valley
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Chuck Barrett, Midtown
The Justice Department forced the resignations of seven prosecutors in February who refused to drop corruption charges against New York mayor Eric Adams after he cut a deal with Trump to enforce Trump’s immigration agenda. Acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon called DOJ’s deal “an improper offer of immigration enforcement assistance in exchange for a dismissal of his case.”
Some 20 career DOJ prosecutors have been forced out of their jobs on grounds of principle by Attorney General Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Bove, now being considered for a federal judgeship.
There are lawsuits against sitting judges in Maryland, threats against judges in New Jersey, Louisiana, California and elsewhere. There are lawsuits against legal firms who represent clients or causes repugnant to Trump. Actions against academia.
Trump’s strong-arm coercion serves no public policy. Rather, an autocrat’s retribution. His DOJ enforcers are leg-breakers in suits. It’s three-piece thuggery.
Chuck Barrett
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
City Council Ward 3 race
What do we want from our elected officials? A Tucson Ward 3 resident for 44 years, I’ve known Kevin Dahl from the 1970s in the conservation movement. Kevin is one of the kindest, most compassionate, committed and decent people I know. He thinks well, understands the issues in front of him, asks questions, works hard for his constituents, and at the end of the day, tries to make this corner of the world better. His entire life, frankly, has been focused on conservation, environmental justice and doing right.
The decisions elected officials make are usually shades of gray. I want a councilperson with a demonstrated lifetime of solid character, caring and judgment, and demonstrated action moving Tucson forward and improving people’s lives. I’m proud of my friend’s service, and I urge my former neighbors to back him in the primary. A recent Ward 6 transplant, I look forward to being able to vote for Kevin Dahl again, come November.
Arlan Colton
Midtown
Three-piece thuggery
The Justice Department forced the resignations of seven prosecutors in February who refused to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams after he cut a deal with Trump to enforce Trump’s immigration agenda. Acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon called DOJ’s deal “an improper offer of immigration enforcement assistance in exchange for a dismissal of his case.”
Some 20 career DOJ prosecutors have been forced out of their jobs on grounds of principle by Attorney General Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Bove, now being considered for a federal judgeship.
There are lawsuits against sitting judges in Maryland, threats against judges in New Jersey, Louisiana, California and elsewhere. There are lawsuits against legal firms that represent clients or causes repugnant to Trump. Actions against academia.
Trump’s strong-arm coercion serves no public policy. Rather, an autocrat’s retribution. His DOJ enforcers are leg-breakers in suits. It’s three-piece thuggery.
Chuck Barrett
Midtown
Thanks for ‘leaving MAGA’ letter
I believe there is a lot of disillusionment going on among MAGA people. Much revolves around Trump’s failure to provide client lists involving Epstein and several conspiracy theories that were promoted by Trump, family and insiders. I am not a MAGA person, but I think we all deserve more honesty. Many love conspiracies, but when they are false, we all lose. I have searched “leaving MAGA” and found a site that presents testimonials of ex-MAGA people that shed light on all of this. Take a risk and listen to so many that have left.
Dan Bannon
Midtown
Juan Ciscomoney, you did it again
Rep. Juan Ciscomani just voted to strip $9 billion in foreign aid — that saves millions of lives around the world — and public broadcasting, which provides critical lifelines of information to poor and rural Americans.
And this after his outrageous vote to strip poor families of food and medicine so he could help send $1 trillion to billionaires and add $5 trillion to our national debt.
Why would he be so cruel to the poorest of us?
He did it because Juan Ciscomoney is all in for the cash! He wants to stuff even more millions into his pockets and operations. And he must be snickering all the way to the bank.
Our fine congressman set (unsavory) fundraising records this year. Total receipts for the 2025-26 cycle totaled $2,312,346.31 so far. And in Q1 of this year, he set a record for the district, grabbing more than $1.5 million. To date, 79% of the cash he has gathered is from PACs. Dirty money indeed.
Jeff Herr
North side
Voting for compassion in action
Now more than ever, we need local politicians who are willing to engage in challenging conversations and create action from ideas.
Miranda Schubert talks about relationships. Then, she builds them. I reached out to her as a future constituent, curious for her help as an expert navigating safer streets through a mini-grant for our neighborhood. She agreed to meet up right away. We talked. She listened. Took notes. Researched. Followed up.
Miranda volunteers with mutual aid groups to help unsheltered folks. She manages the operations for KXCI, the heartbeat of Tucson. She’s depended on public transit and knows the stats: any barriers to accessibility deter riders. She wants a community with transit connecting us. She’s worked in large systems at UA and Pima, helping students get access to resources.
I want to vote for someone who takes small and big actions, has deep community advocacy experience, and follows through.
That’s why I’m voting for Miranda. She’s compassion in action.
Kristen Sawyer
Midtown
Exceptional candidate Kevin Dahl
Tucson is facing many serious challenges over the next decade, including water security, climate preparedness, homelessness, infrastructure needs, and energy sustainability. Lucky for us, we have a fantastic candidate to represent us in Ward 3 who can address these issues most effectively: Kevin Dahl. I have known and collaborated on projects with Kevin for over 20 years and am extremely supportive of his candidacy. Kevin not only has critical experience in these areas, but he listens, is accessible, creative, energetic, and thoughtful in his approach to issues. He is not afraid to take difficult stands (e.g., in opposition to the controversial Project Blue proposal) and to ask critical questions. We will all sleep better knowing that we have a competent representative looking after our interests.
Jeanne Calhoun
Midtown
Heart and mind resolution
Tom McGorray appears to have made the admission that his decisions are based on subjective emotions (heart) rather than analytical reasoning (mind).
If most conservatives follow their subjective hearts rather than their rational minds, that might imply the basis for irrational loyalty for somebody who expresses only conditional loyalty for subordinates. The same can be said about liberals, except there is not currently a central figure with undue influence.
Scientific studies have confirmed decisions are primarily based on emotion, with reasoning coming into play to support the emotion-based decision.
Case in point: “… abortion is wrong …” I say, why is abortion wrong? What empirical evidence can be offered that confirms or denies this position?
Would we not be better off if we engaged in objective reflection and recognized the irrational influence of emotions before arriving at conclusions and decisions?
James Abels
Midtown
Truth is actually a viable option
President Trump has vehemently denied that he drew the picture of a naked woman and signed the drawing. Even with the dismal record of honesty for politicians, you would like to believe that what the President says may be true. Unfortunately, even those of you who fervently believe in this person must admit that when it comes to truth Trump trumps all known records for dishonesty. We probably all realize that he was somewhat involved because of his interest in keeping the records on the back burner. We also know that he will do all in his not inconsiderable power to keep total truth from public view. Doubtless, something will emerge in a redacted fashion, but most of us will remain unconvinced. I still hope that someday honesty will rise to the forefront for the Presidency and will not just be a laugher when he invokes his word.
Philip Reinecker
East side
Immigration reform
Watched an interview with the Governor of Maryland, and when asked about the Trump budget, his primary response was deflection. He spent a lot of time discussing the need for immigration reform after talking about how many people were going to lose their healthcare coverage because the taxpayers will no longer foot the bill. The problem is that Biden refused to obey the immigration law that existed. There may be a need to update the existing law, but there was a law in place when the Biden administration ignored and broke the law, allowing millions of illegal immigrants to enter the country. But the Biden administration went one step further; they actively aided and abetted the illegal immigrants by relocating them to various parts of the country. There may be a need for reform, but the first step seems to be in admitting that the law was broken by the Democratic administration and making every effort to remove the illegals from the country without Democratic interference or violence.
Loran Hancock
Northwest side
Controlling media
And now our ruler has the media tightly in his grip: Voice of America, NPR, PBS. By fiat — as well as by the intimidation of public media — our ruler has all but neutered the functioning of our democracy. He can silence the voice of his dissenters.
With little or no effective governance by both of the one-sided legislative and judicial branches, our ruler and his family dynasty are now in charge of the country. They have access to all of the internal workings of our government. They will arrange to reap the rewards for decades. The “purification” of America is well on its way and is being funneled through the mind of one person. I am ashamed. I am fearful.
Don Gerlach
East side
Let the Fed chair do his job
Trump often displays emotional swings and perfidious decisions/actions. That tendency creates chaotic environments under the Trump leadership. Some may believe that sowing chaos may be a deliberate Trump strategy designed to keep others off balance and more tentative in their postures.
An example is The Donald’s volatile threats to fire Federal Reserve Board chairman Jerome Powell. Trump appointed Powell during his first term as president. Powell has done a competent job to keep both the U.S. economy and its finances on an even keel and, concurrently, helped to maintain international financial stability.
Trump raised media stress levels and alarms by insisting that Powell aid him to stimulate the economy by lowering interest rates. Powell has resisted those Trump demands out of concern that it might cause inflation to increase. Trump is livid. Two conservative Trump-supporting media giants each have expressed concern over the threat and reasoned against Trump firing Powell. U.S. and world monetary and economic chaos might ensue. I agree.
Mort Ganeles
Foothills
Gutting science research
During my science career, I had the privilege of annually traveling to the National Science Foundation in D.C., where I sat on a panel of experts to review new research proposals, funding only those deemed most promising. The benefits of public research to this country are incalculable; one recent example was the lightning-fast development of RNA vaccines for COVID, saving millions of lives around the world. But now, individuals with no science background in the current administration are busy gutting this program for capricious reasons. One friend recently had his grant terminated because he had a German collaborator. The damage to science in this country will take decades to undo, as scientists are leaving and students are discouraged from entering these fields. Publicly funded research is also a primary driver for our economy. Without it, businesses in this country will starve for new ideas, far exceeding the negative impact of tariffs. Remember the Republicans who voted for this disaster in the next election cycle. Trust science, not morons.
Tim Helentjaris
Northwest side
Perfect irony
What perfect irony. CNN recently broadcast a live performance of the Broadway play “Good Night, and Good Luck,” celebrating Edward R Murrow and CBS’ courageous, principled, and successful stand for freedom of the press against a loud-mouthed bully of the 1950s, Senator Joseph R McCarthy (R-Wisconsin). McCarthy falsely claimed to have a list of Communists in the State Department, and he ruined the careers and reputations of those who opposed him, including many in the media.
Recently, Paramount, the parent company of CBS, paid off today’s loud-mouthed bully threatening the media, Donald Trump, to avoid a completely frivolous lawsuit he brought against CBS’ “60 Minutes,” and also to keep him from blocking a merger Paramount wanted.
And now, after Stephen Colbert spoke up against this Mafia-style payoff, CBS canceled his successful TV show, most likely in order to placate the bully and to avoid further angering him.
What a shameful and cowardly retreat for CBS from their forgotten courage and past glory.
Eric Weiss
Foothills
$2.5B Fed folly
This issue is so typical of the vile nature of Trump. Cite a dollar amount, name Powell and drop the notion of fraud without reason/facts. Please, let’s have some semblance of common sense. Are we really supposed to believe that Powell is the architect and general contractor solely responsible for cost? Or are there two or more planning commissions overseeing the project? One of which has recent Trump appointee. Trump and his sycophants fail to mention that there are actually two buildings being renovated, much less any mention of size. They happen to be on the Capital Mall and have historical designations. In keeping, the planning commissions have insisted on using marble as the facade. This attack/blame of Powell is simply one more Trump exaggeration/lie. Time to stop swallowing Trump’s BS and regurgitating it as having any relevance.
Brode Meyer
Midtown
How do women vote for Trump?
We know that at least 25 women have publicly accused Trump of sexual assullt. He has been found guilty of sexual abuse. We have all heard his tapes bragging about grabbing women by their you know what. He has bragged about when he owned the Miss Teen USA Pageant, how he could walk into the dressing room while they were getting dressed and bragged about seeing the “teenage girls” naked. Remember, even Ivanka accused him of rape, and Jill Harth’s 1967 claim of sexual harassment. We also know he was a very good friend of Epstein’s. There are many pictures of with him at many of Epstein’s parties. I am not sure whether the letter to Epstein is real or not, but “where there is smoke there is fire.” How can his base just turn a blind eye? How can any woman or man with any morals still follow him? I am not sure what can be done, but to have Trump lead our nation is a national disgrace.
Neil Norton
Oro Valley
- Peter Morales, Midtown
Hey you! Get over here! You look like you don’t belong here! Where were you born?
Bethlehem, a city on the West Bank, south of Jerusalem.
Oh, so you’re a Palestinian, a refugee.
I’m here to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and to help the needy, for whatever you do for the least of these you do unto Him.
Him who is that?
My Father in heaven.
Well, you are here illegally, which makes you an illegal immigrant and you have violated U.S. law. You are under arrest. Cuff him boys, if he resists, beat him down. He’s a threat to our national security, being a Palestinian and all. We’re going to send you to CECOT in El Salvador. We need to teach your kind a lesson. We don’t want your kind corrupting our big, beautiful country. After all, we’re going to make America great again, which means people like you need to go.
Resist.
Peter Morales
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Barbara Benjamin, Foothills
How might a "sleeper" make America great again? By limiting the First Amendment and the flow of information? By limiting the Fourth Amendment? By demanding that Congress cede its constitutional powers to the executive? By firing judges and otherwise ignoring judicial decisions? By jeopardizing the healthcare of citizens? By taking over all levels of education to control what and how one thinks so that citizens are slaves to their government? By denying due process to individuals who have committed no felonies? By ending the "Good Samaritan" reputation of the United States? By creating a brain drain to end United States' supremacy in the sciences, medicine and future explorations? By creating distractions to hide what is actually happening? By attempting to deny citizenship to an individual born in the United States? By abrogating all constitutional guarantees and rights?
Barbara Benjamin
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Gary Simons, Oro Valley
I was of the opinion the Trump administration wanted to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in the government, a laudable goal if pursued with care, not chainsaws. Multiple programs (too many to discuss under an LTE word limit) have been gutted using the latter approach.
As I write this, 500 tons of USAID emergency food, intended to be distributed to the poorest, hungriest people in the world, is to be destroyed at a taxpayer cost of $100K, rather than being distributed. Is that not wasteful, and abusive of those who could benefit, not perish, from this decision? Already children have died from the dismantling of USAID from distributing food and medical aid. It’s too bad this food couldn’t have somehow found its way to Gaza to mitigate the hunger crisis there. Sad.
Where is the humanity in this administration?
Gary Simons
Oro Valley
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
A ‘sleeper’ makes America great again
How might a “sleeper” make America great again? By limiting the First Amendment and the flow of information? By limiting the Fourth Amendment? By demanding that Congress cede its constitutional powers to the executive? By firing judges and otherwise ignoring judicial decisions? By jeopardizing the healthcare of citizens? By taking over all levels of education to control what and how one thinks so that citizens are slaves to their government? By denying due process to individuals who have committed no felonies? By ending the “Good Samaritan” reputation of the United States? By creating a brain drain to end the United States’ supremacy in the sciences, medicine and future explorations? By creating distractions to hide what is actually happening? By attempting to deny citizenship to an individual born in the United States? By abrogating all constitutional guarantees and rights?
Barbara Benjamin
Foothills
Penalties won’t deter extreme water usage
We are supposed to feel good about penalties applied to Project Blue if they use more water than their allotment. I do not believe this will prevent water overuse by Project Blue.
As a business, Project Blue can annually budget for any overuse penalty each year so their bottom line remains protected.
Perhaps even worse, any financial penalty that the city charges for overuse, even if Project Blue pays the penalty, does not replace the water. Money does not replace the water that is so important for our populace. Sorry, Mr. Thomure, your argument does little to support the addition of Project Blue for Tucson.
Craig Whaley
Oro Valley
Waste and abuse
I was of the opinion the Trump administration wanted to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in the government, a laudable goal if pursued with care, not chainsaws. Multiple programs (too many to discuss under an LTE word limit) have been gutted using the latter approach.
As I write this, 500 tons of USAID emergency food, intended to be distributed to the poorest, hungriest people in the world, is to be destroyed at a taxpayer cost of $100K, rather than being distributed. Is that not wasteful and abusive of those who could benefit, not perish, from this decision? Already, children have died from the dismantling of USAID from distributing food and medical aid. It’s too bad this food couldn’t have somehow found its way to Gaza to mitigate the hunger crisis there. Sad.
Where is the humanity in this administration?
Gary Simons
Oro Valley
He walks among us
Hey you! Get over here! You look like you don’t belong here! Where were you born?
Bethlehem, a city on the West Bank, south of Jerusalem.
Oh, so you’re a Palestinian, a refugee.
I’m here to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and to help the needy, for whatever you do for the least of these you do unto Him.
Him, who is that?
My Father in heaven.
Well, you are here illegally, which makes you an illegal immigrant, and you have violated U.S. law. You are under arrest. Cuff him boys, if he resists, beat him down. He’s a threat to our national security, being a Palestinian and all. We’re going to send you to CECOT in El Salvador. We need to teach your kind a lesson. We don’t want your kind corrupting our big, beautiful country. After all, we’re going to make America great again, which means people like you need to go.
Resist.
Peter Morales
Midtown
‘No’ on Project Blue
As a candidate for City Council, I spent much of the past few weeks conferring with experts, meeting with ward 6 residents, and reviewing the latest release of public information regarding Project Blue. I have previously expressed my frustration with the lack of details available at the time and hesitated to say I was either a “yes” or “no.” However, based on this new information, I am a “no” on this project. While I recognize the potential benefits it could bring to our community, I am not convinced that those benefits outweigh the potential harm to our environment, our water security, and our future as a desert community. Tucson must maintain its commitment to water conservation. Given the information that is publicly available, I do not believe this project honors that commitment.
Leighton Rockafellow Jr.
Midtown
Re-elect Dahl
Re-elect City Council Member Kevin Dahl. He is a longtime champion for Tucson’s environment and a sustainable future.
Kevin was the first council member to declare he was a “Hard No” on Project Blue, the proposed data center that is projected to consume more electricity than all Tucson homes combined.
The Ward 3 office has been extremely responsive to community concerns under Kevin’s leadership. I have personally worked with Kevin on a variety of issues, ranging from protecting our water supply to enhancing low-income assistance programs, and he has been a thoughtful and effective leader.
Kevin Dahl’s unwavering commitment to our community and our environment makes him the clear choice for this election.
Ed Hendel
West side
Data centers can benefit us
Charles Borla’s July 15 informative article on the proposed data centers highlights their water and energy use. Tucson City Manager Tim Thomure is a former water planner and water director. Mayor and Council should charge him with finding a means to establish greater responsibility by these projects to develop new water service technology and to conserve water. There must be severe penalties for any water overuse.
Lost in all of this is the urgent need to increase the region’s tax base. Tucson is in need of funding for public safety equipment, affordable housing, park and neighborhood amenities, educational enrichment and more.
I’m pleased to read that there are opportunities for the public to learn more about these projects, including a website. It is our responsibility to learn as much as we can about this issue.
Carol W. West
East side
City Council priorities
Mr. Rockafellow Jr. must be in the pocket of rich conservatives, like Ann Charles, and right-wing misinformation spreaders, like Kevin Daily and the Crime Free Coalition, because they have spent a lot of money to send four mailers (this likely cost them about $40,000 in total). Junior will prioritize the profits of his buddies in the County and Phoenix over the working families of Tucson. Rich people protect rich people.
That’s why we need to elect a fresh face to Tucson City Council: Miranda Schubert. She opposed Prop 414, has long been against Project Blue and data centers in our precious desert. She is a working-class candidate, endorsed by the Working Families Party, and is a longtime advocate for the working people of Tucson. It’s time for change — vote Miranda for Ward 6.
Milly Brown
Midtown
The Bedouins’ place in Israel
Commenting on Mr Pelech’s letter on July 18. The points he makes are largely correct, however, it would be more nuanced if he included more contrasts to the nomadic American Plains Indian. Just like the Bedouin, the Plains Indians’ nomadic existence was not compatible with a settled agrarian society. American Native peoples were confined to reservations. Israel has developed townships and villages for the Bedouin, in which about half now reside. His opinion would have benefited by making clear the Bedouin of Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Iraq face the same challenges as in Israel. In Jordan, Bedouins rule.
Differences in treatment of American tribes and the Israeli Bedouin include: Bedouin volunteering to serve in the Israeli army from the earliest days of Israeli independence, access to healthcare that was nonexistent prior to Israeli development (pre WW2 years and after), and educational opportunities that never existed prior to Israel’s independence.
Is life perfect for the Bedouin? No, nor is it for our Native American population or Bedouin of neighboring countries.
Barbara Katz
Green Valley
Voting priorities
The people who voted to ban pride flags, drag queens and books “to protect the children” are the same people who voted to protect a pedophile ring. You Republicans are disgusting.
Terry Louck
East side
Data center taking our fresh water
I live in Corona de Tucson. Who has signed up to drink pee water so that this monster can exist?
Joan Money
Southeast side
Dahl has earned my vote
As a longtime resident of Tucson and Ward 3, I have watched Council Member Kevin Dahl lead with purpose and heart. He transformed his office into a cooling center with cots — not for political optics, but because he genuinely cares. He was the lone vote against criminalizing those sleeping in washes, reminding us that compassion belongs in City Hall.
He has pushed vital climate reforms like clean water access and rainwater harvesting — forward-thinking actions in a region facing existential environmental challenges. He has also fought for housing, turning motels into shelters and opening an Amphi site for those in need. His support for police bike patrols and park renamings shows his commitment to both safety and honoring Tucson’s diverse legacy.
Also, he keeps his constituents informed with his weekly emails, something I have never seen before in Ward 3.
Kevin Dahl has earned my trust — and my vote.
Jeffrey St. Clair
North side
- Vincent Allen, Northwest side
It is an important issue (to all of us), but our lawmakers refuse to update our laws to address our concerns, so we let ourselves be ruled by fear. And, because he won't encourage lawful reform, we let Trump rule us all.
Our government, such as it is, refuses to inform us of who, why and where immigrants (and often non-immigrants) are being denied basic human rights by ICE. Our government is encouraging imprisonment of "suspects" in the most heinous and barbaric conditions.
Regardless of your political leanings, I urge you to not let our glorious country become a Fascist dictatorship because we can't get together and get real immigration reform into law.
I believe that former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema's proposal would to be a very good starting point for reform.
Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals, religious and non-religious need to work together to make it happen. Think of how proud you would be to be able to tell anyone and everyone that you helped make it happen.
Vincent Allen
Northwest side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Gail Slentz, Northwest side
As a retired senior, I am in a bit of a quandary. I depend on social security and Medicare for my basic needs and have little money for charitable or political donations. As federal funding is destroyed, I want to financially support diversity in our country, public media and education, valuable community non-profits and food security for our most vulnerable. I also want to support politicians that will represent the best interests of their constituents, not give political wins to a cruel and unethical president with no regard for the rule of law. But I can’t afford to meaningfully support them all so, how do I prioritize? How can I decide which of these issues is most important when it’s only together they form the very fabric of what makes us a great nation?
The GOP and MAGA use a slogan “Make America Great Again” but without federal support for all people of this nation, not just the wealthy, they are just empty words.
Gail Slentz
Northwest side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Ernest Saccani, Foothills
Reply to McConnell's LTE of 7/17: Your letter is more a plea for Trump views than for Conservative views. How did you ever survive BT (Before Trump)? Your letter's attention to our nation's "misguided programs" involving transgender clinics, reassignment surgeries, & LGBTQ advocacy (to name a few) in countries like India, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Serbia, and Nepal must have caused much consternation & countless sleepless nights all these years, yes? These "misguided programs" stated as part of USAID are much more complex and consequential than described in your letter. Surely you could list some ways these initiatives/programs have benefited both our country and global development.
Likewise, you've likely been suffering greatly since 2003 with the enactment of Bush's PEPFAR initiative, yes? May I suggest 2 things: First, read the July 17 opinion piece "We must rediscover American values" by Rick Rappaport. If that doesn't do it, consider applying for ambassadorship to one of the countries listed above.
Ernest Saccani
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Mary Zimmerman, SaddleBrooke
To all the people who voted for Trump, is this really what you wanted? Have you figured out that all that bluster about not touching Medicare and about releasing the Epstein files was just that - bluster? He stood there and said, "I love the uneducated," and you cheered. He said, "I don't care about you. I just want your vote." You cheered. Now he said that you are stupid and foolish, and he doesn't need your support. When are you going to realize that this man, who really should be behind bars, is unfit to be sitting in the Oval Office? Every day that he is in office brings some fresh hell to our country in the form of more lies and bad policy. Isn't it time you start pushing back?
Mary Zimmerman
SaddleBrooke
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Terry Louck, East side
The people who voted to ban pride flags, drag queens and books "to protect the children" are the same people who voted to protect a pedophile ring. You Republicans are disgusting.
Terry Louck
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Gary Susko, Midtown
let's not confuse Loyal Johnson with Samuel Johnson, a legitimate lexicographer. Sir, your bogus definition of "Trump Derangement Syndrome" is upside down & backward, more OCD than OED. In fact, your own LTEs are most often perfect examples of the malady, replete with outright falsehoods & ludicrous assertions untethered to reality, all in service to a world-class liar, Mr. Trump. That's TDS.
Gary Susko
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Melody Sears, North side
Federal legislators -- the Representatives and Senators that voters elect to represent their states -- are usually elected based upon their claims to stand up for the benefit of their constituents. In the case of the recent so-called "Big Beautiful Bill," constituents with low incomes were tossed aside by most Republicans, who would rather cozy up to President Trump than stand up for their own voters.
In Arizona more than a quarter of our 7.6 million residents are enrolled in the state's Medicaid program and will have to work more and pay more for their medical care, unless of course they are physically unable to do so. In which case many may end up in hospitals that are now facing severe financial shortfalls and potential closure: specifically those in Nogales, Bisbee, Globe, Winslow and Page.
This is a house of cards falling at the feet of Republicans, whose loyalty is to Trump and to rewarding the rich, while ignoring the rest of us.
Melody Sears
North side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- S. Ross Emmanuel, Southeast side
Regarding USAID, I have little doubt that funds misappropriation existed, as I suspect it does in virtually any massive operation. I must also state, however, that I would never want Jeffrey McConnell to define for me what "prioritizes American interests," any more than I would trust the egregious liar currently in the presidency to do so. Most importantly, Mr. McConnell's letter of 7/17 states, "No children have died as a result (of USAID cuts)." As they say, the day is young. A recent study in The Lancet projects that various crucial USAID cuts could lead to over 4.5 million child deaths by 2030, with an estimated additional 700,000 child deaths per year. The cuts are projected to halt or reverse two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations, disproportionately falling on children. The study's findings are corroborated by other reports/analyses that show a direct link between funding cuts and increased mortality rates, primarily among children.
S. Ross Emmanuel
Southeast side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Gloria McMillan, Midtown
I agree with John Warnock that creating World War II analogies do not fit today’s high-risk nuclear situation. Warnock’s timeline of his father’s World War II Okinawa ordeals and the decision making about the Hiroshima bombing move us because those August 1945 events resonate with us. President Truman's administration's actions show not one of their decisions was inevitable. What men decided surrounding Japan’s surrender on September 2nd, 1945, is important to note in context, but does not and should not determine our future.
Today is fundamentally different, because we are in a nuclear escalation with no exit ramp. As Warnock says, our current nuclear arms race “has made it possible” that millions will die worldwide and “possibly even lead to human extinction.” Like Warnock's father, many people suffered in past wars, but the faulty use of people’s personal experiences when there were no nuclear weapons to justify current and future military actions where there are nuclear weapons is senseless for our decisions today.
Gloria McMillan
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- James Dolian, SaddleBrooke
I see that Trump has issued an "ultimatum" to Putin that the latter must end the war in Ukraine within 50 days or face serious consequences. I'm sure this "tough guy" approach is playing well with Trump's MAGA base who lack the critical thinking skills to realize that this is, in fact, a gift to Putin. It allows Putin more than seven weeks to step up offensive operations in Ukraine and take advantage of summer weather conditions which tend to be conducive to offensive operations. Moreover, Putin is well aware, as we all are, that Trump is notorious for issuing ultimatums and then regularly backing down. Trump continues to project weakness, not strength, in the international arena, and Putin continues to "play" Trump. Trump's promise to end the war In Ukraine on "day one" was laughable. Unfortunately for Ukraine and the United States, Trump's manifest incompetence will have disastrous consequences going forward.
James Dolian
SaddleBrooke
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Brode Meyer, Midtown
This issue is so typical of the vile nature of Trump. Cite a dollar amount, name Powell and drop the notion of fraud without reason/facts. Please, let's have some semblance of common sense. Are we really supposed to believe that Powell is the architect and general contractor solely responsible for cost? Or are there two or more planning commissions overseeing the project? One of which has recent Trump appointee. Trump and his sycophants fail to mention that there are actually two buildings being renovated, much less any mention of size. They happen to be on the Capital Mall and have historical designations. In keeping, the planning commissions have insisted on using marble as the facade. This attack/blame of Powell is simply one more Trump exaggeration/lie. Time to stop swallowing Trump's BS and regurgitating it as having any relevance.
Brode Meyer
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
Re: ‘Remembering Hiroshima’
I agree with John Warnock that creating World War II analogies do not fit today’s high-risk nuclear situation. Warnock’s timeline of his father’s World War II Okinawa ordeals and the decision-making about the Hiroshima bombing move us because those August 1945 events resonate with us. President Truman’s administration’s actions show not one of their decisions was inevitable. What men decided surrounding Japan’s surrender on September 2nd, 1945, is important to note in context, but does not and should not determine our future.
Today is fundamentally different, because we are in a nuclear escalation with no exit ramp. As Warnock says, our current nuclear arms race “has made it possible” that millions will die worldwide and “possibly even lead to human extinction.” Like Warnock’s father, many people suffered in past wars, but the faulty use of people’s personal experiences when there were no nuclear weapons to justify current and future military actions, where there are nuclear weapons, is senseless for our decisions today.
Gloria McMillan
Midtown
Trump’s gift to Putin
I see that Trump has issued an “ultimatum” to Putin that the latter must end the war in Ukraine within 50 days or face serious consequences. I’m sure this “tough guy” approach is playing well with Trump’s MAGA base, who lack the critical thinking skills to realize that this is, in fact, a gift to Putin. It allows Putin more than seven weeks to step up offensive operations in Ukraine and take advantage of summer weather conditions, which tend to be conducive to offensive operations. Moreover, Putin is well aware, as we all are, that Trump is notorious for issuing ultimatums and then regularly backing down. Trump continues to project weakness, not strength, in the international arena, and Putin continues to “play” Trump. Trump’s promise to end the war in Ukraine on “day one” was laughable. Unfortunately for Ukraine and the United States, Trump’s manifest incompetence will have disastrous consequences going forward.
James Dolian
SaddleBrooke
A very important clarification
Regarding USAID, I have little doubt that funds misappropriation existed, as I suspect it does in virtually any massive operation. I must also state, however, that I would never want Jeffrey McConnell to define for me what “prioritizes American interests,” any more than I would trust the egregious liar currently in the presidency to do so. Most importantly, Mr. McConnell’s letter of July 17 states, “No children have died as a result (of USAID cuts).” As they say, the day is young. A recent study in The Lancet projects that various crucial USAID cuts could lead to over 4.5 million child deaths by 2030, with an estimated additional 700,000 child deaths per year. The cuts are projected to halt or reverse two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations, disproportionately falling on children. The study’s findings are corroborated by other reports/analyses that show a direct link between funding cuts and increased mortality rates, primarily among children.
S. Ross Emmanuel
Southeast side
A house of cards
Federal legislators — the Representatives and Senators that voters elect to represent their states — are usually elected based upon their claims to stand up for the benefit of their constituents. In the case of the recent so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” constituents with low incomes were tossed aside by most Republicans, who would rather cozy up to President Trump than stand up for their own voters.
In Arizona, more than a quarter of our 7.6 million residents are enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program and will have to work more and pay more for their medical care, unless of course they are physically unable to do so. In which case, many may end up in hospitals that are now facing severe financial shortfalls and potential closure: specifically those in Nogales, Bisbee, Globe, Winslow and Page.
This is a house of cards falling at the feet of Republicans, whose loyalty is to Trump and to rewarding the rich, while ignoring the rest of us.
Melody Sears
North side
Do you see what Trump really is?
To all the people who voted for Trump, is this really what you wanted? Have you figured out that all that bluster about not touching Medicare and about releasing the Epstein files was just that — bluster? He stood there and said, “I love the uneducated,” and you cheered. He said, “I don’t care about you. I just want your vote.” You cheered. Now he said that you are stupid and foolish, and he doesn’t need your support. When are you going to realize that this man, who really should be behind bars, is unfit to be sitting in the Oval Office? Every day that he is in office brings some fresh hell to our country in the form of more lies and bad policy. Isn’t it time you start pushing back?
Mary Zimmerman
SaddleBrooke
Secret Project Blue water
This quasi-secret project claims to be “net water positive.” What kind of political mumbo-jumbo is that? The proposed facility is going to use a lot of water, lots of water, whether clean or reclaimed. It is not going to manufacture water. All the water credits, searching for new sources, etc., is not going to produce any more water. Water is a finite thing. There are no more new sources. The Colorado River is not going to magically save Arizona.
William Long
Foothills
Arizona is running out of water
Arizona will not run out of water in the future — it is happening right now. By 2035, ADWR predicts a shortage of 800,000 acre-feet per year. Sharp declines in Colorado River flows, supplying Pima County via the Central Arizona Project, have the seven basin states disputing how to allocate cuts. New home construction has been stopped in Buckeye and a suburb of Scottsdale. Residents cannot deepen wells fast enough to keep up with falling water tables in areas of Pinal, Mohave, La Paz, Yuma, and Cochise counties.
Under these conditions, reclaimed water becomes as precious as potable water. The three data centers proposed for Pima County would consume about 2,865 acre-feet per year, enough to sustain over 10,000 homes.
If our local elected officials approve these data centers, history will judge them in the same light as former Tucson city council member Sam Hughes, who diverted and mortally wounded the Santa Cruz River in 1888.
Brooks Keenan
Oro Valley
Derangement?
Let’s not confuse Loyal Johnson with Samuel Johnson, a legitimate lexicographer. Sir, your bogus definition of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” is upside down & backward, more OCD than OED. In fact, your own LTEs are most often perfect examples of the malady, replete with outright falsehoods & ludicrous assertions untethered to reality, all in service to a world-class liar, Mr. Trump. That’s TDS.
Gary Susko
Midtown
Immigration reform important to all
It is an important issue (to all of us), but our lawmakers refuse to update our laws to address our concerns, so we let ourselves be ruled by fear. And, because he won’t encourage lawful reform, we let Trump rule us all.
Our government, such as it is, refuses to inform us of who, why and where immigrants (and often non-immigrants) are being denied basic human rights by ICE. Our government is encouraging imprisonment of “suspects” in the most heinous and barbaric conditions.
Regardless of your political leanings, I urge you to not let our glorious country become a Fascist dictatorship because we can’t get together and get real immigration reform into law.
I believe that former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s proposal would to be a very good starting point for reform.
Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals, religious and non-religious need to work together to make it happen. Think of how proud you would be to be able to tell anyone and everyone that you helped make it happen.
Vincent Allen
Northwest side
Ambassadorship to (fill in the blank)
Reply to McConnell’s LTE of July 17: Your letter is more a plea for Trump views than for Conservative views. How did you ever survive BT (Before Trump)? Your letter’s attention to our nation’s “misguided programs” involving transgender clinics, reassignment surgeries, & LGBTQ advocacy (to name a few) in countries like India, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Serbia, and Nepal must have caused much consternation & countless sleepless nights all these years, yes? These “misguided programs” stated as part of USAID are much more complex and consequential than described in your letter. Surely you could list some ways these initiatives/programs have benefited both our country and global development.
Likewise, you’ve likely been suffering greatly since 2003 with the enactment of Bush’s PEPFAR initiative, yes? May I suggest 2 things: First, read the July 17 opinion piece “We must rediscover American values” by Rick Rappaport. If that doesn’t do it, consider applying for ambassadorship to one of the countries listed above.
Ernest Saccani
Foothills
Federal funding
As a retired senior, I am in a bit of a quandary. I depend on Social Security and Medicare for my basic needs and have little money for charitable or political donations. As federal funding is destroyed, I want to financially support diversity in our country, public media and education, valuable community non-profits and food security for our most vulnerable. I also want to support politicians that will represent the best interests of their constituents, not give political wins to a cruel and unethical president with no regard for the rule of law. But I can’t afford to meaningfully support them all so, how do I prioritize? How can I decide which of these issues is most important when it’s only together they form the very fabric of what makes us a great nation?
The GOP and MAGA use a slogan “Make America Great Again” but without federal support for all people of this nation, not just the wealthy, they are just empty words.
Gail Slentz
Northwest side
- Richard Bechtold, West side
Trump has cut the Forest Service, PBS, Department of Education, Medical research money, EPA, HHS,Veterans Affairs, SNAP, USAID, Student Loans, CDC, HUD, etc, etc. 80,000 federal employees have lost or will lose their jobs. With all those cuts to services for Americans, I'll bet we saved a lot of money! Cuts to services and employees will increase the national debt by $4 trillion dollars. Where did all the savings go? Cutting revenue increases the debt more than cutting services. The middle class will get a few bucks to keep them quiet, but the big bucks go to the rich. Americans lose services and jobs and the national debt goes up. Do the math. Cutting expenses does decrease debt, but drastic decreases in revenue increases debt much more. National debt goes up, tax breaks cut revenue and Americans lose services and jobs. How can you not understand this?
Richard Bechtold
West side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Dan Bannon, Midtown
Mike Johnson who is the speaker of the United States House of Representatives declares a “cut and run” move and closes down House business to avoid Epstein transparency.
No wonder MAGA supporters are leaving MAGA. No one can find out the truth.
Conspiracy lies are not only MAGA problems. They are everyone’s problems.
Meanwhile the price of beef is soaring. The sales tax aka tariffs from Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Canada and a lot more countries are hurting Americans. Check and follow food, tool, cars, coffee, wine et al. This is everyone’s problem. Resist BS.
Dan Bannon
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Max LaPlante, Southeast side
Our POTUS and many other countries seem to be wearing "rose colored glasses" when it comes to the 20-month Israel-Hamas war, as more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed. Of those 55,000 Palestinians, it's not clear whether any of those are Hamas or had Hamas ties. Over 412 aid workers have been killed trying to provide aid to the starving families of Gaza. Between the IDF killing hundreds of Palestinians every day and Netanyahu starving the population as a whole, 47 will have his golf courses, casinos, and vacation villas in no time.
Is Netanyahu aware that the Torah forbids murder, furthermore the Torah's Sanctity of Life emphasizes that human life is sacred because humans are created in God's image, meaning that taking a human life is a grave offense?
Are these poor, displaced, and starving Palestinians attacking the IDF with their empty pots, pans, and containers? No, they're not.
The cleansing will only stop when Palestinians are considered an endangered species and close to extinction.
Max LaPlante
Southeast side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Arturo Coppola, Midtown
It seems the lure of the job's benefits have begun to impact Ruben Gallegos position on transgender youth in sports. I fully understand the negative reaction from the LGTBQ community to him on this. When re-election time comes again his continued fund-raising pleas in order to fight back against the openly anti-constitutional Republican Party will sound hollow to those who believe that all humans deserve the same dignity and respect. How else to explain this about-face from a previously passionate supporter? Gallego seems to fall on the side of the Democratic Party that is out of touch with its supporters and is losing his spine for the fight.
Arturo Coppola
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
- Hope Gastelum, East side
I love young people -- they are the future. Still, re: Hector Guzman's LTE of 7/23 - bright young people can have great ideas but their youthful views tend to lack context and perspective. "Changing the world with love" is a lovely notion, but one not based in reality. We currently have an inherently bad person in a position of unspeakable world power -- a person with a twisted, disordered mind whose entire adult life has been a study in dishonesty and self-dealing, a person who "hates" everyone who dares to criticize his unconscionable behaviors. This unfortunate situation decimates talk of policy or "different views." Decent, reasonable people ideally should be able to "have fruitful conversations" about achieving positive goals. However, this requires leadership with character, integrity and a true desire to best serve the public at large. This is a complex process, not one that can be facilitated with a self-consumed charlatan like Donald Trump at the world's helm.
Hope Gastelum
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
Japanese company invests in mine near Mount Lemmon
