Tucson Speaks Out: February 24

Federal marshals

By funding ICE, we are wasting money because something already exists that has been doing the job since 1789. That something is the U.S. Marshal Service. The mission of ICE and the U.S. Marshal Service are quite similar. The Marshal Service has operated almost without controversy since its inception. It has established offices and strong relationships with local law enforcement.

Much or all of the money going to ICE ($50,000 recruitment bonuses, high hourly wages, and paying for housing and food) could be directed to local law enforcement and the Marshal Service. The Marshall Service is already trusted & respected by local law enforcement. ICE monies could be directed to local law enforcement to assist in the apprehension of migrants who are criminals. This would help further lower local crime rates.

Jim & Jane Peterson

Oro Valley

City's budget shortfall

According to Arizona Luminaria, the city is facing a $27 million budget shortfall thanks to the Republican-controlled State Legislature.

One easy solution: Vote No on Props 418/419 (RTA Next) and pass a city-managed replacement tax in November. Instead of RTA Next, a city-managed tax could fund our transportation plan — Move Tucson — and bring an additional $20 million annually to the city's budget. How? Simply by keeping all the city revenue here rather than shipping it outside city limits.

Yes, RTA contributes a small amount ($10 million) to the city's transit funding. Meaning, we still need to find $17 million. But it solves more than 1/3 of the problem and gives Tucson more control over its future.

Our County Supervisors should also use property taxes to fund regional transit. People across Pima County use Sun Tran services; the funding burden shouldn't be shouldered by the city's budget (as it has been historically). Our county leaders must act with courage and free us from the bonds of RTA.

Steve Marquez

Northeast side

SAVE Act rebuttal

I was born over 80 years ago in a cabin on a farm in East Texas. My poor mother had a younger brother ride his horse to town to get the doctor. Under those circumstances, I received a birth certificate that I had until my first passport, when the U.S. government kept it. I may not have Ms. Zepeda's PhD stature (only 2 BSs and 1 MBA), but proving my citizenship has not been difficult. The SAVE Act assures that voters in Federal elections are citizens and requires that states provide an alternative process that an applicant may use to demonstrate U. S. citizenship.

Rebecca Gill

Foothills

RTA Next ballots

Recent letters have expressed alarm at the mail-in ballot format because there is no longer an extra envelope in which to put the yellow envelope with your signature, date signed, and phone number. I too was concerned, because of the phone. Date signed is meaningless; only the postmark or date of receipt is important. Nobody can steal your identity having only your signature. But the phone number bugged me. My concern stemmed from the poor design of the envelope. We all have filled out online forms hundreds of times. Very often, required fields are in red. The yellow envelope's signature, date, and phone lines are all red; first glance told me that all three must be required. In fact, phone is optional.

Kevin Stultz

Foothills

Appointment of receiver

Three cheers for Judge Roslyn Silver and her appointment of a receiver for the Arizona prison medical system. I was a teacher in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for 13 years, which had a receiver for its medical system and the juvenile education system. The reason for the necessity to appoint receivers: The vast majority of people in the prison system and large numbers of the public do not care about the welfare of prisoners. They don't care if prisoners have adequate food, health care, education, rehabilitation, safety, or anything that will help them prepare for when they rejoin society with us.

When the state places a person in prison, the state has assumed the responsibility for that person's care. Remember, most of the people in prison will eventually get out. Do you want them to be the same or better than when they were sentenced?

Larry Hammond

Southwest side

Defund ICE

Currently, ICE has $85 billion at its disposal. That is obscene and unnecessary. Trump has transformed ICE into a strictly paramilitary, hostile agency attacking citizens and immigrants alike. Despite Trump’s scare tactics statistics show that the immigrants — including undocumented immigrants— are less likely to commit crimes than the U.S.-born population.

It is time to defund ICE. Separate immigration from national security, and instead of holding immigrants in inhumane concentration camps (no doubt a money-making scheme), Congress can create a humane way to deal with vulnerable people at our border. A portion of those billions of dollars can be used to help immigrants who are seeking asylum or temporary work. Most economists agree that immigration is good for the U.S. economy but most importantly treating people with dignity is the right thing for our country to do.

Karen Allison

Three Points

My favorite Martian

Trump says it's time for the media to "move on" from heavy coverage of the disappearance/abduction of Nancy Guthrie. Given his desperate need for constant attention, no doubt he's unhappy media focus isn't totally on himself, as it normally is. Now, he's going to release government files on UFOs and aliens — a great distraction from the Epstein scandal (it's not going away). Top secret info on UFOs and aliens — perfect to capture the attention of and enthrall about half the population. Epstein and his cabal of despicable sexual predators may fade to mere naughty humans in comparison to intriguing and scary extra-terrestrials.

Deb Klumpp

Oro Valley

Broken rules

It falls to me to point out the Arizona Daily Star is breaking its own rules and the rules of journalism.

Writers of letters to the editor are allowed one letter a month, but Loyal M. Johnson is allowed more. He wrote about how Biden destroyed the economy on Feb. 9, and then how the majority of the people detained by ICE were criminals.

The second rule violated here is the duty of any newspaper staff to fact-check the material it prints. The Trump administration is presently spending billions of dollars to set up detention centers to house the people “arrested” by Ice in its attempt to rid the nation of people of color, while spreading the lie that our election system is broken.

Let Mr. Johnson keep the “news” he learns on Fox News to himself, or at least limit him to once a month.

Steve Devitt

East side

Arizona embarrassment

Gov. Hobbs didn’t attend the governors' dinner at the White House because of a scheduling conflict. Ha! Ha! A. Grijalva is not going to attend the State of the Union event. Both individuals are very prejudiced people and should resign and take all their toys home. Thanks for reading truth.

L.W. Johnson

Foothills

Protocols at voting locations

As a registered voter, I am alarmed about our upcoming election. On Feb 20, I attended the Election Integrity Commission meeting. Their purpose "...help improve conduct of elections by examining systems and processes behind them ... in order to improve functioning of and public trust in the Pima County electoral process."

I asked the question "Recently, MAGA member Steve Bannon issued threats that ICE will be at every polling site during voting. Do you have procedures in place to protect voters from ICE? My worry is that voters will be too fearful to go to the polls." The chair's response: "We are not allowed to answer that question."

If not here for the answer, then where? His response troubles me. Voters need to know protocols are in place for voter safety OR if none exist. I suspect I am not alone in needing assurances that polling sites are secure and our ballots cast.

Elizabeth Stone

Northeast side

Colorado River

Rusty Childress has now written three excellent articles about the Colorado River and our water use. This latest (Feb. 21) puts it in stark terms: The river is shrinking, but the states who depend on it are not. Instead, we are acting as if the water supply is infinite and we can keep on building huge subdivisions and water-guzzling projects out here in the desert. Childress points out that the river is governed by math, not negotiation. In other words, the river is the one that calls the shots.

While standing atop a small hill at Case Park on the far eastside of town, I was looking at the surrounding houses when I suddenly saw in my mind's eye dying trees and abandoned houses. Let's all try to change our ways, collectively and individually, before that scene becomes a reality!

Aston Bloom

East side