Tucson Speaks Out: May 12

Bicyclists beware

I just witnessed a terrible bicycle encounter at University and Euclid. An older man on a bicycle, after the light turned green, was crossing the street and a car sped through the stoplight and hit him without slowing down or swerving. The car kept going without stopping to assist the man laying on the ground in pain and shock.

This in my mind was no accident. People choose to drive impaired enjoying their high or choose breaking laws to get there faster. These are conscious decisions. Personal decisions like these are too often made in our society where it is more about me than us. Decisions like these should have consequences.

My wife and I always look both ways when proceeding on the green light, especially when on a bicycle. We recommend this precaution to all in Tucson.

Linda Smalley

Midtown

Tucson traffic

Great article May 9 on Tucson traffic. One item was missed. It is great the city has begun work on AI assists for traffic management. It would be nice to rein in the arbitrary traffic congestion for non-road construction. It seems that various contractors block off lanes for work (likely for OSHA requirements). What is missing is some better city control for blockages long periods before work starts and after work is complete. Construction delays are inevitable, but lane closures need to be better managed by the city and county.

David Germain

East side

Protect public schools!

am writing to correct the untruthful letter to the editor about the proposed Protect Education Act ballot initiative. If the author read the description he is either unable to understand the proposal or is making an intentional misrepresentation. Star guidelines preclude “clear errors.”

The initiative does NOT end the school voucher system. It limits recipients' family incomes to $150,000 except for students with disabilities. Among other restrictions to prevent abuse, it clearly defines allowed and disallowed educational expenditures, especially by homeschoolers ... no more purchases for jewelry, hot tubs or resort stays. It requires the same security checks for private school employees as public schools ... no pedophiles allowed.

The current system has no monitoring of expenditures or safeguards and supports wealthy families: 70% of families taking a voucher to a private school were already enrolled there.

The current voucher program is destroying public education! We must rein in the abuse!

Bruce Hilpert

North side

Vote local

Why do we vote? Because our vote is the language of democracy. By voting, we can express our needs and how we want to be governed.

How important is local government in our lives? Immeasurable. Voting for local officials, who share many of our own concerns, can impact our schools’ quality, police training and tax rate, to name a few.

Find valuable information at:

Arizona Secretary of State home or the Bipartisan Fair Elections Center.

There are deadlines for registering to vote, mailing ballots and primary dates as well.

This year, think about filling out the bottom of your ballot and then moving up. Pretty exciting!

Sally Mayersohn

Northwest side

Mother’s Day?

In reading the May 10 edition, I found very little reference to Mother’s Day. There was one-third of a page with some statistics. I was hoping that once I got to the Opinion Section there would be at least one warm and fuzzy reference to the love, affection and dedication that mothers have provided over the years in raising children. I am so proud to be among the ranks of motherhood — no greater accomplishment in life. Instead, the vile negativity of the news and LTEs continued. I cannot take it anymore. So, after this abysmal coverage of Mother’s Day and the complete omission of the Kentucky Derby, I am placing The Star in its own Obituary Section. I am done!

Nancy Short

Foothills

Cheating and lying

Tennessee racists are overjoyed!! They love the change taking away Black votes, brown votes then women votes!! All on lies!! George Orwell said it best, "The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it."

David E Leon

Vail

Thanks to S.A.P.C and David McCumber

About a week and a half ago delightful rocks painted with flowers showed up at the base of mailboxes in my neighborhood (Casas Adobes). This was such a wonderful surprise with the difficulties at our national and world level, and for me, two very challenging personal issues. Whoever took the time to decorate and place these — YOU ROCK (figuratively and literally) and brought joy to my world. I'd also like to say that it's wonderful to learn David McCumber is going back to his roots of in the field journalism. It's becoming a lost art and I am so fortunate to live in a community that still values and retains reporters and journalistic integrity. So, thank you for both of these lovely experiences that occurred recently.

Sonja Stupel

Northwest side

YA's asteroid mission 'dead in space?'

Successful societies, historically, have been those that mastered new technologies — the crossbow, armor, the rifle, the telegraph, the airplane and, in its time, the battleship. But, ridiculously vulnerable to armed drones and rockets, battleships, even with advanced weapons systems, are now themselves obsolescent. Yet Donald Trump asks for, and apparently will get funding from his Republican Congress to build a $17 billion to $20 billion ship (each) of a type retired by the military just after World War II! While investing in this old technology, the budget for cutting-edge space exploration that among other things could protect the world from some deadly asteroid collision, is to be “zeroed out,” according to the lead story in Sunday’s Star. Our Osiris-Apex mission is already far into its journey into space — with a price tag of a paltry $1.2 billion. Is there no limit to such suicidal madness?

Suzanne Ferguson

East side

A salute to schools 

A sad time from my perspective for Amphitheater School District, which impacts former and present students, teachers, teacher aides, office staff, cafeteria workers, administrators and bus drivers. Donaldson and Holaway are two elementary schools closing in the Amphitheater School District. These two schools were part of my working days throughout my professional career. As principal, I watched expert competent teachers become master teachers, thus personally prepared to provide students an opportunity to excel. Teachers and staff members worked tirelessly and were dedicated to provide students with the best education possible. Parents willingly supported and accepted teacher decisions that affected their children. It is my wish and hope that the remaining schools in the Amphitheater School District continues to be part of the excellent district it has always been throughout its existence.

James Paterson

Northwest side

To be pro-life

I am pro-life. I do believe that abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty are murder and are wrong. Nevertheless, I was shocked to read in the paper today that President Trump was called the "most "pro-life president in America". I don't think so. Trump is not pro-life. Threatening to eliminate an entire nation of people is not pro-life. Deporting immigrants and undocumented people and keeping them in inhumane detention centers is not pro-life. Having loose gun laws is not pro-life. I could go on and on. And sadly, neither Democrats nor Republicans are pro-life. Democrats support legal abortion, which is the murder of unborn children, something that is barbaric and sickening, while Republicans disregard the sanctity of life by deporting and incarcerating immigrants while also supporting the death penalty and loose gun laws, all of which are also appallingly not pro-life. We must learn to respect all human life, regardless of anything, from conception until natural death.

Héctor Guzmán

South side