President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office, with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio standing behind him, on April 23 at the White House in Washington, D.C.
Trump Administration racism
The Trump administration is offering admission to the United States to "white" South Africans who believe that they are victims of egregious actions by the government of South Africa against them. This is happening at the same time that the administration is spending huge sums of tax money to deport people (many of whom are not "white" and victims of egregious actions) who have emigrated to the United States from numerous other countries. Will the Republicans continue to follow this racist policy when they select their next candidate for President?
Alan Roehl, P.E.
Green Valley
Thank you
I really appreciate the editorial cartoons in the Star. A recent one, in particular, caught my attention because one of the snakes was named Profiteering. I have long thought that another name for Privatizing was "Pofitizing ..."
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The cartoons surely clarify the artist's view of reality. Today, the artist shared mine.
Claudette Haney
Green Valley
A soldier's dilemma
As a real combat veteran in Vietnam and an ex-Green Beret, I have a question. How do those in today’s military serve with honor, when so many of their top leaders have none?
Robert Scanlon
Midtown
Republican signs? Shame or scared?
Driving through Tucson last month, I’ve noticed lots of political signs. It is, after all, election season. But this season I’ve noticed something unusual: lots of signs with no party affiliation. Even the colors are strange, bright pink, purple, even blue for Republicans. Democrats do seem to show party affiliation and are blue.
Obviously, the Republicans know they are in trouble. They have done absolutely nothing to help working Americans. They have been missing from D.C. more than ever and refused to do town halls. They can’t defend passing the BBB that added to the debt and put deep cuts in healthcare, nutrition assistance, FEMA, etc. But it did help billionaires with huge, “permanent” tax cuts.
Now they are talking about cutting Social Security and Medicare to help balance that debt. “Trump added nearly $8 trillion to the national debt, which is more than any other president. Ever!
Our Republican leaders are too afraid of Trump to help their constituents and are trying to hide their cowardice!
Shirley Pevarnik
West side
Honor the vote
In 2015, Tucson voters spoke clearly and decisively: they rejected red-light cameras. That should have settled the issue. Yet today, some City Council members are taking the first steps toward bringing them back.
This debate is about more than traffic enforcement. It is about whether the will of the people still matters. Beginning the process to select a camera vendor before statewide voters decide the issue — and before Tucson voters are even asked — puts government action ahead of the democratic process.
If city leaders truly believe public opinion has changed, the democratic solution is simple: ask the voters. Don't begin laying the groundwork for a program the public has already rejected. Democracy depends on elected officials respecting election results and allowing voters — not government — to decide when those results should change.
Tucson voters have already spoken. Unless they choose otherwise at the ballot box, their decision deserves respect — not reversal.
William Searcy
Foothills
Write-in Green Party candidates
The Green Party values nonviolence, ecology, grassroots democracy and social justice.
The Green Party endorses write-in candidates Carlos Melendez for Governor, Jon Robert Ralston for Secretary of State, and Mike Cease for Corporation Commissioner. The Green Party actively opposes Risa Lombardo for Governor and Duwayne Collier for Secretary of State.
Carlos Melendez calls for moratoriums on new data centers and Flock surveillance cameras. He supports public banking, rent control, and converting private utilities into public utilities.
Jon Ralston advocates sincere voting methods like ranked choice voting or STAR voting for single-winner elections, allowing multiple candidates to compete without vote splitting. Jon supports proportional representation in multi-member districts for legislative bodies to secure ethnic, religious, ideological, and socioeconomic diversity in representation.
Mike Cease advocates sanctioning companies complicit in the genocide of Palestinians. He would also sanction the mining companies destroying the Santa Ritas and Oak Flat and polluting our groundwater.
Gary Swing
Green Party candidate for Congress, CD6
Northeast side
Messages from our leaders
On Jan. 8, 2011, six people were killed, and Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 13 others were seriously injured in the assassination attempt. On Jan. 12, President Obama spoke at the McKale Center to over 14,000 people in support of Gabby and the other victims. He gave a stirring and inspirational message to those of us who were horrified and grieving about what had happened in our community.
The Arizona Daily Star’s headline on Jan. 13 quoted President Obama. He had told us this: “What matters is not wealth, or status, or power or fame, but how well we have loved.” As we are bombarded with the constant vitriol coming from our current president, it is hard not to compare what we have lost. Remember those days, only 15 years ago, when even political adversaries treated each other with some dignity and respect, and could inspire us to think of someone or something other than ourselves?
Michael Urbanski
Northwest side
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