Tucson Speaks Out: May 27

19x votes versus 3x votes

After reading the news report "Report: Biden team failed Harris" and finding that the Republican National Committee (RNC) is sitting on about $124 million while the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is essentially financially underwater, I now understand something else.

When I receive Democratic Party emails, there's sometimes a 3x match, so if I were to give $25, another $75 would match from some other source. Since January of last year, I have received literally thousands of emails from the RNC. On the bottom of their emails is, "Support our Trump-endorsed Patriots, 19x Impact Unlocked." In other words, if you give $25 to the RNC, the donation is matched with $475 from another source.

Since the SCOTUS Buckley v. Veleo decision of Jan. 30, 1976, politically, money equals speech. It would seem nowadays that a DNC donation/vote is now less than a sixth the value of a RNC donation/vote. Where's my "Equal Protection" of the 14th Amendment from the tyranny of the rich, both civilly and criminally?

Matt Somers

Midtown

Geniuses at work

Totally unbelievable that so many in positions of authority continue to ignore the easiest and permanent solution to our water crisis. Seventy-five of these groups are pushing Congress for an additional $2B to find ways to better handle the Colorado River. For decades now, billions have been spent without achieving success.

There are articles every day complaining that new industry or housing projects should not be approved because of water.

All of this is negative. We should be enjoying positive growth. The Pacific Ocean has enough water to take care of our needs. I have always believed this should be a national issue solved by Congress. Building desalination plants on the West Coast would shortly provide for California removing that state. It wouldn’t take much time before the reservoirs started filling up and removing those bathtub rings. Isn’t there anyone in authority who agrees with me? If so, act now.

Jack Walters

Northeast side

A Memorial Day message

You’ve seen the movie in which the military officer knock at the doors to inform a parent that their soldier son or daughter had died.

On July 10, 1994 I answered that door.

A respectful staff sergeant reported that my stepson, Charles W. Rawls of the 101st Airborne, had died that day. It was left to me to inform his mother. It was the worst day of our lives.

My wife was widowed when “Chip” was two. She raised him as a single parent for seven years. No mother or son loved one another more.

Join me in honoring our brave men and women who have answered the call of our nation, including the thirteen souls whose lives were recently lost.

Join me in demanding that our political leaders value each life they place in harm’s way — they are not "suckers and losers;' they are heroes.

Join me in holding them accountable to the veterans who return in need of medical care. May they all return home safely.

Don Jorgensen

Foothills

Saving our democracy

Thank you, Terry Bracy, for laying out the many ways Trump has been enriching himself, family, friends and billionaires. Everything in our country is for sale, and nothing we hold sacred is spared.

My question is, how do we save our democracy from the authoritarian fraudsters? I think an immediate first step will be upon us on Nov. 3, 2026. We must wrest power away from Trump’s corrupt government at the ballot box. We must vote in numbers so great that they cannot be manipulated.

The next step after the dust settles must be for our newly elected Congress to immediately create laws that will form a more perfect union, establish justice (prosecute those now in power who have broken current laws), reform the Supreme Court, ensure domestic tranquility, promote the general welfare for all its people, including the undocumented, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. As per the preamble of our Constitution.

Karen Allison

Three Points

When lies do harm …

How is it that if you claim to have served in the military but did not in order to gain something, it’s against the law (Stolen Valor Act), but you can lie constantly about how an election was stolen, and this does damage to democracy ... you can get away with it under the guise of "free speech." There are defamation laws that should prevent this. Media and other corporations have standards boards that verify the validity of your statement so you don’t get sued. It seems that it is ok for politicians to lie to gain favor with their base. I know the media points out lies and untruths, but we’ve become so used to it, we accept the lies with no accountability, and our system is further degraded. I hope someone with the clout and financial backing would call them out and go to court to defend our democracy.

Mije Burton

Midtown

Billionaires

Recently, there is much discussion about billionaires, especially those who learned, worked, saved, invested, invented, produced, and distributed. There is another group that nobody talks about that becomes billionaires or multimillionaires, but don't follow that path. These are the big lottery winners. With $2 and luck, overnight, they are unjustly rich. The states actually promote the sales of lottery tickets with capitalistic greed terminology. These winners could use their enormous wealth to influence elections and government policy.

I propose the maximum lottery prize, after taxes, to be 3 million. 2 million to invest and live comfortably on the proceeds and 1 million to upgrade your car, your house, and maybe take some vacations you deserve. Call your legislator now and ask them to ban large government lottery prizes, which create wealth inequality.

Ken Smalley

Midtown

Ciscomani's signs

Ciscomani has huge signs everywhere. One on each corner of an intersection by us. I guess he's hoping that having signs everywhere will distract from the fact that he's been incommunicado with his constituents for years. He constantly states reasonable positions on issues, but then does a 180 when it comes time to vote. We have him to thank for high gas prices, increased cost of groceries, and the actions of ICE. All due to his unwavering support for Trump's economic and foreign policies.

Craig Miller

Northwest side

Draining the Treasury, not the swamp

While we struggle to pay for groceries, mortgages and gas, President Trump has tripled his overall fortune since 2024 — from $2.4 billion at the start of his second term to $6.3 billion as of April 2026, according to Forbes. His fortune is driven mostly by billions flowing in from foreign governments, crypto deals and quid pro quos that the IRS will be permanently unable to investigate.

Yet he can’t seem to find the money to pay for healthcare, as he steals from taxpayers. Now he plans to use your money to give January 6 participants millions of dollars, not just as a thank you for the past, but as an investment in the future by buying their loyalty to engage in future violence at his command.

Fraud and corruption are being normalized; violence is being rewarded while the president is looting the country in plain sight. This madness can only end by We The People and our votes.

Teresa Jenkins

SaddleBrooke

School vouchers

In his opinion piece in the Arizona Daily Star, Bruce Hilpert traced the birth of the school voucher system back to the racists’ solution to evade the desegregation of the public schools and to deprive the public schools of taxpayer support.

How can such a dishonorable scheme be permitted to continue? As a taxpayer, why am I forced to subsidize our racist past? Let us end school vouches. Justice requires no less.

John Reed

Northeast side

Trump

Trump — Epstein

Trump — Iran

Trump — Felon

Trump — Inflation

Trump — $5gal/gas

Trump — ballroom $$$

Juan — KissMyHiney!!

Monica Bradley

East side