Tucson Speaks Out: March 8 letters of the day

Team Biden recently met in the White House with automobile manufacturers and auto unions relating to the EPA’s new “tailpipe” rules that were to take effect in 2027. The rules mandated that 65% of new car sales by 2032 be electric vehicles (EVs). Auto manufacturers were to severely cut tailpipe CO2 emissions by 2027. Automakers and unions complained to the Biden administration that EV sales are not as projected due to low consumer demand, and unions feared future layoffs because EVs require less labor to build. Desperate to win Michigan and the union vote there, Biden relented pushing the 2027 tailpipe regulations off to 2030. Biden’s EPA has imposed new punitive CO2 restrictions on existing coal power plants, a ban on new natural gas projects for export, and soot emissions from the manufacturing industry. All will increase costs to these industries and those costs will be passed on to consumers. Look at TEP going green with more solar and their electricity price hikes resulting from it. Authoritarian Joe Biden.

Charley Favors

Three Points

A true gentleman

President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is a man of integrity. He is empathetic, kind, a true gentleman. Joe is a man of the people and has proven that via the legislation he has signed into law. President Biden has suffered many losses in his family and when he says to the grieving, “My thoughts and prayers are with you,” he means every word. His intentions are to give us all a better future. Whereas former President Donald J. Trump fibs.

Jon Langione

Marana

Legislature’s propaganda jaunt to Israel

If the Legislature sends a delegation to Israel through itrek for a lopsided look at complex issues, who pays?

Itrek, an NGO based in New York City, offers trips for graduate students, combining “education, culture, and fun” (itrek.org). I don’t think grad students lurk in the Arizona Legislature, and “fun” does not apply to fact-finding in a war zone.

Accepting travel subsidies from itrek might constitute a bribe by a foreign nation, if there is even a shadowy connection with the Israeli government. Harvard students declare the Israeli military sponsors itrek, and Georgetown University students canceled a trip over policy concerns (Wickipedia).

If the State of Arizona pays, I strenuously object to this use of tax dollars. Are the travelers paying for themselves? Is this a re-election ploy to impress voters?

Will the legislators spend equal time with Gaza and Palestine spokespersons, to assure balanced perspectives?

Legislature, you have important work here. Stay home, produce a budget, fund public schools.

Ila Abernathy

Midtown

No communication with Biden, Harris

Former Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz appeared for an interview on “60 Minutes” and revealed that during his two-year tenure (2021 to 2023) under the Biden administration, he had never spoken with President Biden or VP Kamala Harris. Remember, Harris had been appointed as the “Border Czar.” Ortiz was in command of 20,000 agents. Ortiz retired in May 2023, just two months after testifying before Congress that the border was not secure and that people would continue to enter illegally when not fearing removal. DHS Secretary A. Mayorkas had announced that the federal crime of illegal entry was no longer a basis for removal. Asked if he believed the White House has sent mixed messages to migrants, Ortiz stated, “most definitely.” I believe Biden’s scheme from the beginning was to allow millions to enter illegally, then later convey citizenship to them, knowing that most will become Democrat voters. He is only interested in the border now because of his dismal polling on it and the upcoming November election.

Rory Smith

Marana

Let’s extrapolate

Extrapolation: To infer from something that is known. Or my definition, looking into the future, predicting based on past knowledge. Republicans didn’t see the firestorm over the repeal of Roe v Wade coming. But by now, they know. After the Texas rulings, they should have known. Now, the Alabama debacle over IVF has ignited another firestorm. They should have extrapolated. What a mess for them! Who knew people cherished their privacy and reproductive freedom? Now let’s extrapolate in another situation, the red states outlawing abortion. Wealthier people can and will go out of state for services. Who’s left? The poor. These are the same states notorious for not funding child healthcare, education, childhood supplemental nutrition programs and other social services. Will this result in more births of poor white and poor minority children? What would those demographics look like? More poverty, more incarceration, more cheap labor? Economic slavery? Let’s extrapolate ...

Mel Strijdonk

Oro Valley

From Sinema to Gallegos

Learning that Sen. Kyrsten Sinema will not seek reelection lightened my spirit. Originally a supporter of Sinema, I lost confidence in her decision-making and balance as a legislator during her tenure. Adding to her questionable political stances starting with her view on the filibuster, her personal extravagances in travel and lifestyle, such as attending athletic events and tossing in a peripheral constituent moment added to my disillusionment. Knowing that her reelection efforts might enable Keri Lake to succeed in Lake’s ego-driven crusade for a Senate win, I compliment Sinema in this decision. Ruben Gallegos, the best candidate for Sinema’s replacement in the Senate, should be the voter’s choice for a positive, balanced future for Arizona.

Roger Shanley

East side

Inflation

A recent article on inflation stated that corporations were to blame for the spike in inflation. It conveniently dismissed any contribution to the increase due to the massive increase in dollars spent by the Feds. When dollars are printed without any backing the dollars in one’s pocket and savings loses buying power, it takes more to buy commodities and services. During the Trump administration, the rate of inflation was under 3%. Shortly after Biden took office, the rate skyrocketed to over 8%. The Federal Reserve increases the discount rate to discourage spending and slow the rate of inflation. The inflation rate is slowly coming down but prices are approximately 19% higher than during the prior administration. To have an editorial that ignores the money supply and places blame solely on corporations for inflation is naive and ignorant.

Bill Dowdall

Oro Valley

Thank you, Tucson Symphony

I’m fairly sure that most of us are discouraged when we call somewhere for an appointment or for customer service and are greeted with an offshore call center.

Imagine my gratitude when I called the Tucson Symphony for tickets to their 2024-25 season offerings. The person I spoke with could not have been more helpful. I don’t know if he worked locally, but he was certainly not part of an offshore call center. He gave me great advice on the best seats for each of the programs I was interested in as well as the content of some of the programs. Thank you, Tucson Symphony, for not going the way of so many businesses who choose saving money by engaging offshore call centers. While they offer lower operational costs, they often result in communication problems, less insight into the issues and of course, they eliminate U.S. jobs.

Marcy Tigerman

Midtown

Rally around Biden

Re: the March 5 letter “Nikki, the Democrat?.”

Really? Don’t you realize that Nikki Haley is just a paler version of Trump? How much are you willing to bet that she will not just fall at his feet now that she has finally quit the race? Her policies are just a rehash of his “policies”, and she is just as much a danger to our democracy as he is. Please don’t be fooled by her “youth and determination.” What is she so determined to do? Do you think that her “moving to the center” would mean anything other than giving Trump a boost toward winning in November?

Our job as patriotic Americans — Democrats, Centrists, Independents, and disenchanted Republicans — is to rally around Biden and do everything we can to stop Trump from ever getting anywhere near the White House again. Our survival as a nation depends on it. Our country — Love It and Fight for It.

Klara Cserny

Southwest side

Ukraine defense aid vital for America

House GOP Speaker Johnson needs to be excoriated for the failure of the House to pass the Ukraine defense bill. Ukrainian soldiers are literally fighting for their lives against Russian military aggression on their own soil. President Putin launched his Ukraine invasion over two years ago. Ukraine defense forces are short artillery ammunition, air defense missiles and other vital munitions of modern warfare. It is vital to American interests that this Ukraine defense aid is passed immediately in Congress.

Article Five of the NATO treaty dictates that if ANY NATO country is attacked, the United States is automatically at war. This agreement has kept the peace in Europe from general regional war since 1945. President Putin has his designs on the Baltic countries, Moldova, Poland and any other cheap real estate he can grab. We need to remember the Republicans today are acting like the American isolationists of the 1930s which resulted in WW2 with 65 MILLION deaths. We must stop Putin today to prevent a potential holocaust war tomorrow.

Kyle Stoutenburg

Sierra Vista

Siren call of cease-fire now

At the Tucson City Council on March 5, “progressive” individuals called for a cease-fire in Gaza. None of these individuals, most being sincere, mentioned the consequence of a cease-fire, leaving Hamas in power. Prior to breaking the cease-fire on Oct. 7, Hamas initiated five wars against Israel since 2006. Following each Palestinian aggression, there was the expected Israeli retaliation and much hand-wringing from these same ‘cease-fire now’ individuals. Hamas’ has declared they will break cease-fire after cease-fire into the future, causing the inevitable Israeli response. Therefore, ‘Cease-fire now’ dooms Palestinian civilians to a continued cycle of violence with no end. “Progressives” don’t need to tell us “war is hell.” Israel did not start this war. “There is no comparison to what Israel has faced in Gaza — certainly none by which Israel comes out looking the worse.”

I suggest Councilors call for creation of safe zones for civilians on both Israeli and Egyptian territory, with all humanitarian needs to be met until the Hamas military is wiped out.

Judith Mirell

Green Valley

Sinema won’t seek reelection

Re: the March 6 article “Sen. Kyrsten Sinema won’t seek reelection.”

Interesting piece on the independent Senator from Arizona. I read with some amusement the paragraph where she states that she does not know what the future holds for her. My crystal ball foresees a promising career in the pharmaceutical industry as a lobbyist.

Richard Govern

Foothills

Look what Biden has done

Re: the March 6 letter “I see my dad in President Joe Biden.”

I must point out where the writer has confused some of President Biden’s ‘weaknesses’ with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s blank stares and Trump’s mental confusion, slurring his words and his “word salads.” President Biden’s lifetime stutter is sometimes evident, but he has no problems in stating his positions coherently. I encourage everyone to look at the data on President Biden’s huge and historic achievements for ALL — We The American People. For example, President Biden has/is creating 290,000 jobs per month. At no time in our history has this happened, and wages are up and income inequality is down, just to name a couple of instances.

Claudia Miller

Midtown

118th do-nothing Congress

The 118th Congress has passed 40 bills as of March 5. The previous four Congresses have passed on average 179-240 of bills at this point in their term. That’s roughly 20% of what a “normal” Congress has passed. My point, Republicans were given an immigration bill that included many of the provisions they wanted, but because it didn’t do everything they wanted, they rejected it completely without even voting on it. They decided they can wait another year for any immigration reform. Since MAGA Republicans in Congress can’t or don’t want to govern, we should remove this burden from them and vote them out. In Arizona, let’s start with David Schweikert, Eli Crane, Andy Biggs, Juan Ciscomani and Paul Gosar (Debbie Lesko decided on her own not to work In Congress). Let’s help them out and vote for Democrats in November.

Richard Montgomery

Marana