Letters to the Editor: Feb. 20

Re: the Feb. 14 article “3-way race could make history.”

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, as an Independent, is designated as I-Ariz. Her behavior would merit a more accurate description of Me-Ariz.

Patrick Hynes

Midtown

Use A-10s on the balloons

I wish NORAD would borrow a few of our A-10 Thunderbolts and their pilots for balloon-shooting duty, because I’ve heard one missile from an F-16 costs $400,000. If balloon busting is going to be a thing now, our Warthogs could take care of that duty for a lot less.

Phil Kennedy

Green Valley

‘Micro reactors’

Re: the Feb. 15 article “Schools to experiment with micro reactors.”

First it was “small modular reactors” — now it’s “micro reactors!” “(N)uclear energy on demand as a product, not as a big mega project,” says the nuclear engineer.

Well, I won’t be satisfied until I have a nano-reactor in my pocket to power my cell phone … and use the radioactive leftovers to make my own private dirty bomb. Then I’ll be safe, too.

Lucky for us, no nuclear energy project has ever come in on time, on budget. These vape pen hallucinations have no better prospect, because nothing like a “small modular” or “micro reactor” has yet been built to test cost and performance in the real world.

Why does the zombie nuclear power industry still exist after decades of subsidies and cost overruns? Because the U.S. nuclear weapons industry still needs the technical and industrial base it provides under a cracking veneer of civilian benefit.

Jack Cohen-Joppa

Midtown

Classified documents issue simplifiedWe have Donald Trump, father and son Biden, Mike Pence and Hillary Clinton’s unsecured bathroom server embroiled in the national discussion about the handling of classified documents, but if you think the issue is complicated, stop reading now. The 1955 Presidential Libraries Act established a system of privately erected and federally maintained libraries reinforcing the National Archives so no president or vice-president gets to depart with a secret hoard, classified or otherwise. They are our public servants and all guilty if they do so, it’s just that simple. Let’s fix this broken system starting now. When Joseph Biden leaves the West Wing he takes his coffee cup from the Resolute Desk and nothing else.

Jeffrey McConnell

West side

Families in poverty

Re: the Feb. 10 letter “Priorities.”

Dear Editor,

The letter writer makes good points about Congress working on and passing legislation that matters, not bickering and pursuing meaningless squabbles. Families breathed a sigh of relief when the expanded Child Care Credit passed, cutting child poverty in half. How about the priority of renewing that ladder out of poverty? Not to mention slowing the slide to homelessness by passing a renters’ tax credit that would end millions of people paying 50% of their income and more for rent. Not sure what to do? Send this letter to your members of Congress and ask them to get to work on priorities like these tax credits that lift families out of poverty!

Willie Dickerson

Northwest side

Freezing temperaturesThe icy wind did not let up last week. Try to imagine how extremely painful the cold feels to those living outside. The media is ill-informed because they do not understand that there is a difference between healthy American homeless people who lost their housing due to the recent surge of housing costs and street people who prefer to live outside for one reason or another. Why did the city not take responsibility and open up the convention center to provide emergency shelter? The city needs to provide fenced areas for homeless belongings like they do at the Fourth Ave. Street Fair for bikes and outside heated kennels for pets so the homeless can go into a shelter and know their pets and belongings will be there waiting for them when they leave.

Cheryl Kelli Downtown

Debt grows under Biden

During his State of the Union address, President Biden cheerfully stated that he lowered the budget deficit by a large amount.

No one has pointed out that during his presidency (two years) he increased the total national debt by almost 50%, from $21 trillion to $31 trillion.

The budget deficit increased during pandemic years due to decreased tax revenues and increased pandemic spending.

Thomas Wenzel

East side

County attorney’s failure

Re: the Feb. 14 article “UA urged to take report seriously.”

Your article regarding the tragic murder of Tom Meixner casts a lot of blame on UA’s safety practices. But you barely criticize the Pima County Attorney’s failure to take action against Murad Dervish.

The County Attorney’s office could have prevented this tragedy.

All we are told is that they “didn’t have enough evidence.” The County Attorney’s Office needs to be transparent about their actions, and they haven’t been.

Didn’t they search records and identify Dervish’s prior criminal record?

Didn’t they know he had made similar threats at other universities? What “evidence” did they lack, a

nd why didn’t they tell UA security what they needed to put Dervish in jail?

The County Attorney’s Office is getting a pass on its handling of this matter.

The Star needs to dig deeper into why it failed to prevent this senseless loss of life. And for the people of Pima County to know whether or not the County Attorney is protecting us.

James Tuthill

Oro Valley

Please teach GOP leaders basic math

All my middle school students will tell you that 30% of $100 is $30.

An item costing $100 will cost $130 if taxed at 30%. If taxed at 23% it will cost $123. Yet Republicans are saying a 30% sales tax is only 23%. They say such a tax is fair.

Do the math. A family income of $50,000 means they pay about $20,000 for goods and services taxed at 30%. That is $6,000. That is 12% of their income.

A family making $1 million does not buy 20 times the taxable goods and services. Maybe they purchase $100,000 of taxable goods at 30%.

That is $30,000 in tax.

That is 3% of their income. Is that fair?

Does anyone know what would be included in the 30% tax?

Would rent, mortgage, electricity, water, sewer, trash be included?

If so, the poor get stuck even more.

Don Ries

Southeast side

Romans did NOT do it better

Re: the Feb. 16 letter “Romans did it better than U.S.”

As a retired Classical Archaeologist, I take exception to this letter. The author touts the virtues and benefits of Roman citizenship while failing to mention that Rome was a slave society (perhaps one-third of its population) and denied women any participation in government. Thus, citizenship was severely limited, and hardly a model of justice. The author also ignores the economic and social injustices that caused a series of civil wars from the Gracchi in 146 b.c.e. to the Social War of 91-87 and the civil wars that caused the death of the Republic in 31 b.c.e., to say nothing of the wars consequent upon the failure of the Empire to establish an orderly line of succession. This led to a constant series of military revolts and palace intrigues hardly conducive to a stable society.

Sterling Vinson

Midtown