No on prop. 412
Ballots are out for the special election for Tucson Proposition 412 this May. The bill includes a renewal of the Tucson-TEP Franchise agreement and a new 25 year fee (tax) on every household in the City of Tucson for “Environmental Resiliency” uses. I urge everyone to vote no to this new tax. The Franchise Agreement expires in 2025 so it can be voted on as a standalone measure in a future election. The new fee has several problems. Firstly, it is a regressive tax on middle and poorer citizens that are struggling with inflation and increasing costs. Secondly, the fee money will be used as a City of Tucson-TEP fund for their preferred environmental projects including “road diets”, lane reductions, 15 minute (from home) driving restriction zones. The goal is to reduce travel and use buses. Several of these measures failed in Los Angeles and increased pedestrian and bicycling accidents. Get more information at 412facts.com and vote no.
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Roscoe Johnson
East side
Shootings
I am saddened but not surprised at recent shootings: a teenager knocking on a door; a woman pulling into the wrong driveway; a cheerleader opens the door to the wrong car.
Those that amass weapons and ammo are just itching to use them, otherwise they look foolish to friends and family for wasting so much money. Jan. 6 came and went and there was no Apocalypse.
Armageddon didn’t happen. Now they are growing old and sitting on a stockpile.
Money that could have gone towards fixing the home and family vacations was instead fed to their paranoia. So they are angry at the world and desperate to prove they really needed all that firepower. Armed and dangerous as a wounded bear.
Don’t expect reason. They surrendered that a long time ago.
Christi Driggs
Northwest side
Prop. 412
As a TEP 17 committee stakeholder and Neighborhood Leader, Prop. 412 leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. The four neighborhoods at Kino Parkway and E. 36th St. need the power to come down from Irvington to help with the electricity grid that is being shared not only by South Park, Las Vistas, Pueblo Gardens and Western Hills, it is also being used by the Tucson Marketplace at the Bridges, U of A and Bourn properties. Prop 412 is touting clean energy when in fact they want taxpayers to pay for the lines. So my questions are:
Who is paid for the substation at 36th & Kino Parkway?
Who paid for the metal power poles that went up?
Who is paying for the lines to go underground?
Why doesn’t TEP use their money to finish the project they started back in 2017?
Should we start sending the bills to TEP for replacement of TV’s, computers, Microwaves?
Due to brownouts, blackouts, glitches and power surges? Our grids are broke!
Cynthia Harper-Ayala
South side
Fear is deadly
Re: the April 22 article “We can’t let fear stop us or turn us against each other.”
I appreciated Helen Ubinas’ editorial article in Saturday’s paper about fear. Growing up Catholic, I learned that the “seven deadly sins” are pride, anger, envy, greed, gluttony, lust, and sloth. Years into adulthood, I learned that the early Fathers of the Church originally taught there were nine deadly sins. Fear and deceit had been dropped from Western Christianity’s list, maybe because it is so hard for us to see our own sins. Fear is deadly because it is the root cause of prejudice and hatred. Maybe if the “religious right” could see that fear is sinful, they would stop engaging in it and promoting it. An antidote to fear is trust.
Sister Karen Berry, OSF
Midtown
Firearms
I am a retired physician. I am sick of those innumerable, uncivilized mass killings by firearms in schools, stores, parades, churches, etc.
Suggestions:
1. Many killings are done by the mentally ill. State mental hospitals were closed after drugs to treat mental diseases were discovered and felt to be the solution. Mentally ill people often won’t take them. We should mandate preventive mental evaluation of people suspected of dangerous behavioral problems. And reopen State mental hospitals.
2. Follow the money. Make it illegal for politicians to ever accept contributions from the NRA. That would remove any temptation they might have to vote against all firearms legislation, and should lead to a proliferation of reasonable control of firearms legislation.
Firearms should only be used for hunting, after thorough background check, and locked up when not in use. Private ownership of war weapons, or large amount of ammunition should be banned. Ownership of large amounts of ammunition should be illegal.
Jean-Paul Bierny
Midtown
Prop. 412
Tucson Electric Power is asking us to support Prop. 412. This Prop would raise our electric rate by $45 million dollars over the next 10 years to bury a new power line it says is needed.
This is the same TEP that just a couple of years ago denied many requests by those same rate payers to install rooftop solar, which would have cut down on the need for more power lines. How about TEP using this money to subsidize roof top solar instead of new power lines? This would accomplish two purposes, fewer unsightly power lines and pollution free solar power.
Howard Strause
Foothills
Leave with your head held high
I felt a sinking feeling in my heart when I read that Joe Biden had announced his candidacy for 2024.
The phrase “All glory is fleeting” applies to older athletes, movie stars, fashion models and indeed, Presidents.
It pains me to watch once dynamic and capable players in all arenas to fail to recognize that it is time to pass the baton to the next generation. It becomes an embarrassment to once loyal supporters and leaves us in the uncomfortable position.
Conscientious voters need to be able to embrace new leaders and not feel guilty about abandoning our old loyalties.
“Please Joe, say it ain’t so.”
Gaye Bruni
Northeast side
2024 election
I’m a depressed Republican. I’ve agreed with most of Donald Trump’s policies, but I’ve found his personality and morals detestable and incorrigible. If he wins the Republican nomination, he will probably lose to whoever the Democrats put up in the general election. He just isn’t as popular as he was in 2016. If he loses the Republican nomination, I doubt he will support the winning Republican. He may even run in a third-party ticket. If that happens, the Republicans will have their votes split and the Democrat will win. Therefore, things don’t look good for the Republicans in 2024. I just wish Donald Trump would quietly go away, but I don’t think that will happen.
Douglas R. Holm
East side
