Tucson speaks out: June 2

Billions and billions of gallons of water

Recent opinion on water usage by Dr. JB Marshall. Doctor, thanks, but please turn your energy toward a far worse crisis than data centers, like Copper World and Hudbay Mining, a Canadian Company in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson. They are moving forward with their operation that will drain the southern aquifer in six years, yes, six years. Save the Santa Ritas, a nonprofit, is fighting a good fight, but Sahuarita and Arizona politics are winning. The mine promises to replace the water at a rate of 105% from the Colorado River, and we all know that will never happen, and the governor and Sahuarita City are GIVING them all the water they want for what, short-term jobs. They are polluting the air and water, creating an ecological disaster that the citizens of Arizona will be required to clean up. So, everyone who cares about water usage in the state should fight this invasion and write to their governor and representative and senator.

Curtis Urban

Vail

TEP & Data center treachery

TEP can't use ratepayer funds for direct political contributions or lobbying. But the ACC has still not ruled on TEP's request to charge ratepayers $2.1 MILLION+ for dues TEP paid in 2023 and 2024 for memberships in organizations that do engage in aggressive political campaigns for less regulation, and against clean energy mandates, net energy metering, and AZ electrification efforts. These are Chambers of Commerce, economic development organizations, and political trade associations like Edison Electric Institute and American Gas Association (AGA).

The AGA membership relates to the planned gas pipeline from TX to Tucson to meet data centers' huge power demands. TEP now claims Tucson needs the pipeline even without data centers. But a Dec. ACC Open Meeting confirmed that there's already plenty of reserve electricity even during Tucson's peak use, and TEP is losing some other large customers. Also, Tucson's population growth is below 1% and slowing.

So, data centers are the ONLY reason for the $5.6B+ pipeline Tucson residents will pay for!

Lee Stanfield

East side

Gladiator meets DC

Now, after 250 years of trying to be “civilized,” our country has reached its lowest depths:

Gladiator sports on the lawn of the White House.

We rank with the Roman civilization, and we all know what happened with Nero and how Rome burned. Will we also see the burning of all we hold dear?

I would like to see each state’s contribution of elegance and progress with a representation of each state’s beauty, culture and gastronomic delights. Maybe a quilt designating each state’s contribution to the union. That would show how far we have come in 250 years. Did anyone ask the school children (the new generation) how they would like to be represented? This “gladiator” celebration only fits a small population and does not represent the majority of citizens. What would George Washington think? I would like his face on my passport as well as the $250 bill. Everything George Washington fought for seems to be going down in smoke!

Paula Palotay

Marana

'G' whiz, Donald

DJT — the grift that keeps on grieving. Rather than fulfill his touted campaign promises, he has embarked on a “G” whiz tour headlined by grandeur, greed and grievance. Ostensibly, he is attempting to outdo the other king (Midas) by gilding nearly everything he touches inside/outside the White House, including golf course statues, mobile phones, sneakers, coins, ad nauseam. He’s become the king of NIL (name, image and likeness) with those attributes displayed wherever/whenever possible. He and his family profit (allegedly) from questionable cryptocurrency and fungible token deals, uncontested business contracts, and stock market transactions that smell like insider trading - not to mention potential emolument violations. Meanwhile, he uses his administration to prosecute his list of grievances, amassed over a decade now, that seem to grow hour by hour.

This November we need a RAD-ical change. Restore American Democratic values. Vote out those state and federal officials who enable his behavior, and restore guardrails to prevent them. Then on to 2028!

Gary Simons

Oro Valley

A 'Dumocrat' dissents!

While I appreciate and agree with the May 31 letter writer’s gentle admonishment for Americans to lose the Them vs. Us attitude, I respectfully respond that never in my life has a sitting president behaved in such an egregious, undignified, unbecoming and appalling manner that Trump exhibits daily. Since his descent on the gold-plated escalator, he has engaged in name-calling, referring to Democrats as “garbage,” “scum,” “vermin,” “enemies of the state,” and recently, “Dumocrats.” He also has insulting names for members of his own party who don’t sufficiently bend the knee or lick his boots. I disagreed with their policies, but I always respected Presidents Reagan, Bush, Sr., and Bush, Jr., because they understood that they were the presidents of all of us, not just folks who voted for them. Trump alone is responsible for the current Them vs. Us environment we find ourselves in as we head toward the celebration of our 250th year as a country. It’s sad.

Anne Lane

Northeast side