Tucson Speaks Out: June 10

TEP and ACC partnership

March 2025, a year ago, the United States generated 51% of its electricity using solar-wind-renewables.

TEP generates only 17% of its sales with fixed, lower-cost solar-wind.

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) proclaims that "Maintaining a reliable energy grid requires the ‘all of the above’ approach this Commission has been pushing.”

Generating 86% of the electricity with fossil fuels is not an “All of The Above Approach” increases costs charged to captive ratepayers and exports AZ ratepayers' funds to benefit other states' economies.

ACC allows utilities to recover all costs, even if not reasonable, and pays utilities 10% interest/profit for the no-risk capital expenditures. The ACC does not identify lowest cost-reliable resource plans, only reviews those submitted by the Utility, so it is not possible for them to determine if the Utility proposal is optimally “reasonable.”

During elections later this year, we need to terminate Commissioners Myers and Thompson and elect commissioners that will require TEP to generate 50% of electricity with solar-energy storage.

Terry Finefrock

Foothills

Human value

While walking my dog in the Sam Hughes neighborhood on Friday morning, June 5, I witnessed a man trying desperately to stand to his feet. I was a block or so away and started to jog towards him. As I did so, I observed two men running, they looked and kept running; a family on bicycles with their dog in a carriage who noticed the man, but kept riding. I shouted, "Sir, are you OK?" and he looked up and said, "I need energy."

As he said this, a couple stepped out of their front door, and I asked if they could please provide the man with a granola bar and water; something, anything ... "he needs energy." The woman looked at me and said "we are going to PT." I pointed to their home and said, "this is your house with a refrigerator and water ... please ..." and both she and the man ignored me and proceeded to their car.

I yelled, "this is a human ... I live blocks away ... please help him!" And they did nothing. I told the man I would run home and come right back and as I started to run a Parks and Rec truck was driving by. I flagged it down. The kind woman driver provided her breakfast and drink to the man. He was grateful. He, the man, is a human. She, the kind woman, is a human. So are the man and woman who failed our community. Thank you, good humans who understand the struggle is real. Shame on the others who look the other way.

When did a human become disposable? Shame.

Kelly Cupell

Midtown

Famous dictators

Late this morning, close to noon, I was picking up an order of fish and chips. In paying, I mentioned to the young lady that our Sunday mornings consist of champagne, the New York Times and fish and chips. Her reaction was, you read? And you read the NY Times?

Yes, I said, not knowing if she was commenting on reading or reading the Times. It was at that moment I wished I taught a high school civics class and asked the class to name some dictators who they may have read about. I gave them some examples:

Joseph Stalin? Donald Trump? Kim Jong-Un? Trump? Benito Mussolini? Augusto Pinochet? Trump? Francisco Franco? Trump? Saddam Hussein? Trump? Bashar al-Assad? Trump. Vladimir Putin? And Omar al-Bashir?

The class had trouble coming up with lists of their own. And as I ended the class, I thought about the young lady who asked me about reading, and reading the NY Times.

Tom Staab

East side

Apologizers forever

The defenders of our president will continue to apologize forever, even after he is gone from national politics (and he is not going to disappear easily.) As Bob Woodward writes in his book WAR, people do not check facts for things they already believe. Is it human nature? This system provides a powerful and safe place for Trump supporters.

This same non-checking of facts works for Trump loathers, too.

Toni Kane

Oro Valley

Distortion of reality

Trump’s recent interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with Kristen Welker was a bizarre event where he walked out in a rage. She called him out on what she saw as lies about him saying that the California elections are rigged. But what actually happened here? Was Trump lying, or does he actually believe that California is cheating in elections?

As someone with a formal education in abnormal psychology, I see a delusional sociopath (antisocial personality disorder) creating his own reality to match his grandiose self-image. California is not a Trump state, so in his mind, there must be something wrong with them for not backing him. He bends reality to claim they are cheating. This protects his grandiose self-image. In this case, I don’t believe he’s lying; he’s delusional and actually believes California is cheating.

But does he actually lie in some cases? Yes.

Steve Rasmussen

Foothills

Who promoted Thomas/Kavanaugh?

This Sunday, as part of the Republican attack machine, Marc Short referred to the Democratic Senate candidate from Maine, Graham Platner as a Nazi and child sex trafficker.

I understand the link between a skull and crossbones tattoo leading to a charge of piracy and an alliance with Jack Sparrow, but the SS accusation is a bit much for someone who served our country well beyond Mr. Short’s history. Reminds me a bit of the treatment Max Cleland received. The Reps love the military, until they don’t. Collins gets to claim innocence.

Child sex trafficking? That’s an odd and unverified charge. This from the good folks who brought us the nominations of Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh. Then there are those pesky Epstein files that just seem stuck in a file cabinet somewhere.

Politics can be a dirty business and will get dirtier if we keep falling for this shell game. It is in our power to clean it up by simply not voting for it.

Jim Sinex

Midtown

'Same ol-Same ol'

Food for thought: Donald Trump: In his 1987 book. "The Art of the Deal," he shared a business philosophy, writing, "Good publicity is preferable to bad, but from a bottom-line perspective, bad publicity is sometimes better than no publicity at all." What with all of his media coverage over the years, I believe that is his "credo". He certainly enjoys all this attention! I think that the best thing that we can do is IGNORE him. (IMPOSSIBLE you say!!) Try it.

Fred Thompson

East side

DNI danger

After the attack on 9/11, a review of what happened indicated that a lack of coordination between the various intelligence agencies was a problem. Consequently, Congress created the position of Director of National Intelligence to oversee all the intelligence agencies. The law that created that position stated that the office holder must have “extensive national security experience.” Bill Pulte, scheduled to be put in that position by the president, does not have any national security experience. We are currently in a war with Iran. The primary job of the president is to keep the country safe. With Pulte soon to be the Acting DNI, that is the exact opposite of what is needed. Unfortunately, this is just another example of America being destroyed from the inside by appointing incompetent people, e.g., Pete Hegseth, Kash Patel, RFK Jr.

William Brandt

Oro Valley