Re: Voter’s remorse
I thank you, Mr. Taylor, for your letter expressing regret for your apparent vote for Trump. What I must say, however, is that you did vote for all the things you said you didn’t vote for. You heard Trump say he would pardon the J6 thugs. Did you miss that he views the Constitution/rule of law as merely annoying impediments to his grotesque impulses, and that he’s been dissing our allies and pandering to billionaires since forever? It was also clearly his intention to abandon Ukraine to please Putin. All this and worse. As for Musk, did you watch this lunatic prance around the campaign stage with Trump, and did you really think this would lead to anything good? Please help us understand how rational people like you could have observed all this and still have participated in the horror show we are all now experiencing.
People are also reading…
Hope Gastelum
East side
Chaos ahead
Donald Trump says Ukraine started the war against Russia by invading Russia. Everyone knows that’s not true. Everyone knows Russia invaded Ukraine. So why aren’t Republicans contesting this? Why are they such cowards?
Trump needs to know, U.S. soldiers won’t turn against their families (parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews) if ordered to. They’ll turn against their leaders instead. This is America.
Jim Dreis
East side
Fired workers are honest and competent
Any person who has a sense of decency should be horrified at what is happening to our federal work force. They are being called members of the fictitious “Deep State,” fraudsters, incompetents, worms, vermin and more. They do not deserve this. They also do not deserve to be fired because they happened to be working for the federal government at this time.
Federal workers were recruited because they were the best and the brightest. They work hard at their jobs and do their best to make a positive difference. They have not done anything wrong. They are being sacrificed by a soulless president, his sadistic henchman and a spineless Congress who care little about the consequences.
Many will never work in government again, might lose their homes and have to move to another city. Our neighbors, friends and families are suffering for no reason. Anyone who voted for Trump shares responsibility for this cruelty — and Trump and Musk have only started. Who will be next?
Dave Abbott
Southeast side
Ukraine and democracy
By the most recent vote at the United Nations regarding Russian aggression and invasion of Ukraine, the current rogue and utterly clueless administration just abdicated the United States of America’s role as the greatest and most powerful nation on earth. We just become a puppet of Putin, of Russia, and of their axis of evil co-conspirators. Just look up the countries that this UN vote aligned the US with. I am disgusted, embarrassed, and chagrined. To our worldwide, and especially European allies, please accept this patriot’s most sincere apology.
John Van Echo
West side
State “greeting”
Since our Arizona legislators are so busy with important business like coming up with a State “greeting”, how about instead of “Howdy” (which makes us sound like a bunch of Texans) we use something with more historical relevance like “Hola!” That seems far more appropriate.
I also came up with the idea that in order to serve in the Arizona Legislature, the representatives should have been born in Arizona. Maybe they would show a little more sensitivity to Arizona history and what makes us truly unique and beautiful.
Betsy Werhane
Northeast side
Musk, modern-day Simon Legree
A successful organization has a culture of camaraderie all striving for a cooperative common goal.
The Trump departments are now being run by dictators like Trump ... Trump’s way or the highway.
Musk waving the chainsaw is the epitome of Simon Legree waving his whip over his slaves.
Simon Legree, a name applied to somebody who forces others to work very hard and is often cruel to them.
Do as you’re told without using your brain or you’re fired?
With all this chaos, what kind of government are we going to soon endure?
Donald Plummer
Northwest side
Poor reporting and editing
Two recent Sports articles have perplexed me regarding editing and accompanying photos.
The Sunday Feb-21 lead article is the Rodeo livestock supplier’s battle to overcome devastating animal losses in 2024 in order to support Tucson’s 100th anniversary rodeo. Instead of a current photo showing their livestock at the 2025 rodeo, the Star uses an 8-year-old photo (2017) showing a horse biting another horse. What was the purpose of that photo? Surely your photographer could go to the grounds for a current photo.
In Feb-17 article reports Arizona women’s basketball strong effort against TCU, albeit in a losing cause. The article compliments players’ efforts — Skylar Jones, Paulina Paris and Lauryn Swann. Yet the accompanying photo and caption is from a completely different game on January 11, saying Paulina sheds a few tears in final five minutes. That’s no compliment to the TCU game effort.
These are but 2 examples of poor reporting, editing and photography that is becoming too common in the Star.
Jim Cummins
Midtown
Resist dismantling of democracy
Our democracy is clearly under attack. We cannot stand by as the institutions of our democracy are dismantled. Eliminating watchdogs and wholesale gutting of departments is only creating more inefficiencies. The current “bull in the china shop” approach will not end well. We the people cannot remain silent as “shock and awe” undoes decades of good government. We must speak up, organize, some must take a leadership role to resist this ongoing demise of our Democracy and freedoms. It is a takeover of our government by billionaires and oligarchs. Have no illusions, they do not have your best interests at heart. They are driven by the quest for power, plain and simple. Call, email, write your representative. Attend town halls, school boards, community meetings and make your voices heard. The only thing necessary for this evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Do not sell our Democracy and freedoms for the price of a dozen eggs or a gallon of gas.
James Stehn
Southwest side
Reply to “Voter’s remorse”
You say that you voted for “Magas.” Hmm, somehow I missed “Magas” as an option on the ballot. No, you voted for Trump. And everything that you complain about, Trump promised to do. So that means that somehow you didn’t know that. How did you miss that? Maybe you didn’t know that Fox news is not a news show, but is, in fact, an entertainment show. I don’t know if there is a cure for your level of ignorance. You voted for a known monster and that is what you got.
Sidney Hall
Oro Valley
Comic section revision request
I read your Sunday Arizona Daily Star, Editor McCumber, and was delighted with your decision that what we’ve been reading is not the “new normal.” Further along in your writing, I celebrated another promise to loyal readers: “You want all the features you love…and we will not stop working until we bring everything back to you.”
Recently, I submitted a letter to the Star, requesting that the dated, obsolete cartoon page drawings, characters, and situations be shelved. I do not read and recycle on delivery.
Please return the cartoonists of today that you featured before. These “astute” artists’ and observers’ imaginations deliver characters and situations that are more true “funnies” of the world today, which would surely increase your subscribers’ laughs and giggles and also expand your newspaper’s comic section.
Deborah Clifford Gessaman
Northwest side
Who are we?
It’s obvious where our country is headed. Just look at what the president has accomplished in one, short month: Removed guardrails and installed loyalists, particularly in the military. Neutered the legislative branch & threatened to defy court orders. Betrayed allies, and voted with Russia, North Korea & Belarus.
This is not making America great again. This is the “To Do” list of an aspiring dictator.
How do we stop the assault on our Republic? We must act, and act quickly:
1. Do not spend a dime on Friday, 2/28 and on every “Economic Blackout” date that will follow. If you can also miss work on those days, do so.
2. Contact our political leaders. Urge Republicans to vote with their Democratic colleagues. Unless these “leaders” prefer to serve a king, rather than their constituents, they must honor their oath to our Constitution. In order to preserve our Republic, we just need a few Republicans, in both Houses of Congress, to show some moral courage.
Before it’s too late.
Leslie Kanberg
Downtown
Really? Voter’s remorse
Excuse me while I wipe away my crocodile tears for the dispirited Mr. Taylor who has had a come-to-God moment a tad too late regarding his complicity in empowering the Trump regime. As the enchantment of Trump’s magic spell begins to wither, repentant MAGA dupes like him now find themselves desperately seeking exoneration for the cascade of recent events they claim have caught them by surprise. After all, all they wanted was less government, fewer non-American neighbors and cheaper eggs. It’s unfair, to be sure, to blame them for having been bewitched into facilitating the squandering of our democracy over shortsighted expedients.
But despite his claim of support for a mandate other than the one that has emerged, his feigned bewilderment at having been bamboozled by this blatant huckster-in-chief fails to muster much sympathy among those of us who declined to drink the Kool-Aid.
Robert Gavlak
Midtown
Didn’t realize?
Re “voter’s remorse” in 2/24 letters to the editor.
While I’m glad to see supporters of Trump maybe finally getting it, I have no sympathy for those who have responsibility for the chaos that has already occurred and worse yet to come.
What amazes me is that the letter writer and others have said they didn’t realize what Trump intended to do.
Everything he’s doing he said he would do during the campaign — just like Hitler did in the 1920s. Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.
So, contrary to Mr. Taylor’s letter, he did vote for the pardon of people who assaulted police, and for a billionaire to enlist his buddies to feather their nests and all the rest.
Glad to see you’re finally getting the message but frankly you and the other Trumpers deserve everything that’s likely to happen.
Let’s just hope the center holds.
Larry Fleischman
North side
Tucson rodeo
I wish the Arizona Daily Star along with the City of Tucson and Pima County would stop promoting the Tucson Rodeo. This activity is a bad tradition because it abuses animals. The pain and suffering these animals go through is totally unnecessary. Hopefully, people will look at the rodeo for what it is and stop going to see animals treated in a cruel and inhumane fashion.
Hal Holtkamp
Southwest side
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