Tucson Speaks Out: March 17 letters of the day

Re: the Feb. 28 article "$2,500 in fines for leaving? Teachers deserve better."

I am a happily retired third-grade teacher. My career was in Deming, New Mexico, and we were lucky to have caring school boards and administrators. Every year we would sign contracts in May for the following school year. The salaries would be stated in the contracts, and it was naturally assumed that one would return to the same position in the fall. The only comment I have after reading this very disturbing column is that Arizona apparently has some school districts that either don't know how to attract and keep good teachers or don't much care whether or not they do.

Aston Bloom

East side

Tucson, I love you

I just love Tucson. We retired here in 2016, and within a year we got to see a unicyclist riding down Pima with his laundry in a basket on one shoulder. Today, two blocks from our house, there has been a dinosaur in the front yard, watching the traffic, for years. Today, waiting to turn right on Craycroft, a car went by with the passenger side rear window down. It had a beautiful big dog sticking his head out, barking at something behind his car. As traffic kept moving, I got to see the something.

Another beautiful dog with his head out the passenger window of his car, "chasing" the front runner ... loudly barking!

Tucson.

Duane Barbour

Midtown

Immigration/election interference

Laken Riley’s death is every parent’s nightmare; my heart goes out to her family. It’s unfortunate that her tragic death is being politicized and sensationalized (surprise) by Donald Trump and company. I do appreciate the author’s fact-check later in the article on the lack of evidence that migrants commit crimes more often than U.S. citizens. I wonder how many readers will read that far. Too bad the Star didn’t think about putting the story “Russia aims to influence election” (A7) on the front page that day, too. It contains critical information readers should — must — be aware of. Here's the lede:"For Vladimir Putin, victory in Ukraine may run through Texas' Rio Grande Valley." This is not a new phenomenon, as the article indicates, but the capacity to spread disinformation has grown to alarming levels. The stakes are higher than ever.

Karen Lieneke

Midtown

Corporate greed

Re: the March 1 article "Corporate greed is the real problem."

Jeff Egerton claims that according to Fortune magazine, fossil fuels are subsidized at $1.3 trillion a year, yet he fails to inform us that those are subsidies for all the countries in the world, not just the U.S. In fact the official U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that federal subsidies for renewable energy were almost 5 times higher than those for fossil energy.

Mr. Egerton says that higher food prices are due to corporate greed. More likely, the cause of higher food prices is due to the highest inflation we’ve experienced in the last 40 years.

Mr. Egerton writes that in 2022, CEO pay was 344 times higher than the average working stiff, but that is only for CEOs of large companies. In fact, all CEOs in America averaged $164,880 a year in 2024.

I hope I have clarified Mr. Egerton’s charges.

David Pearse

Foothills

Ciscomani 'independence'

Juan: Nikki Haley just suspended her campaign but in so doing, she did not endorse Trump. Thank goodness. She demanded leaders to have the courage to step up and stop following the "party line". I demand of you, Juan, to only support candidates who uplift: truth, honor, integrity, respect, love, empathy, compassion, Golden Rule ... and do so with courage. Will you lead and demand what I presume your parents taught you?..... or will you only follow a seditionist, hater, liar, cheater, abuser and denier? Hmmm. If you follow, you become that person. Maybe it is time to do a "Kyrsten Sinema" and become a true independent. After all, you gave us your word you would be our independent voice in DC. Or, maybe choose not to run for reelection. I challenge you ... declare your intentions now!

To believe in the life of love

To walk in the way of honor

To serve in the light of truth

Phil "Bulldog" Bentley

Foothills

Rhetoric ignores reality

Re: the March 8 letter "More authoritarian EPA rules from Biden."

This letter does not address the issue of climate change. Automobiles are responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and a failure to address this issue will result in a dark and dystopian future for our children. Being OK with sacrificing the future of humanity for lower prices today is selfish and irresponsible. Taking on these tough issues shows a president doing his job, instead of denying reality to further a political agenda. If you have ideas for ways that address this very real issue at a lower cost, please share them. This continuation of divisive rhetoric that ignores reality is at the core of our political dysfunction and must be combated with truth and facts instead of senseless partisanship.

Mike Junge

Southwest side

'Lincoln' Riley?

Let's get the facts straight. When President Biden held up the medallion with her name on it, he couldn't even read the name correctly of the innocent young woman who was attacked and killed by a person who shouldn't have been here. Even with all the "uppers" and whatever else was pumped into his body that night, he couldn't read it and say "Laken Riley"! This man is a joke and an embarrassment to our country!

John Sjursen

Oro Valley

Supreme Court legacy

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts managed to elicit a “unanimous” vote on the Court's 14th Amendment ruling, but it was unanimously wrong because it ignored the central truth: Trump’s active engagement in an insurrection. The appearance of unanimity is misleading despite reports of internal disagreement among the Justices. Roberts’ reportedly preeminent but impossible goal is to restore respect for the Court, but respect is earned by respectable behavior, not like its rulings on Roe, the 14th Amendment, Clarence Thomas’ ethical lapses or Thomas’ conflict of interest manifested by his wife’s overt Trump politicking. Yet, there sits SCOTUS, unwilling to confront or issue rulings unfavorable to Trump. And there sits Thomas, unapologetic, unethical, blithely refusing to recuse himself from issues on which he has no business ruling. Trump cheers while the country endures the legacy of Roberts’ Supreme Court.

Jack Graef

SaddleBrooke

A solution to our border crisis

How many desperate refugees are risking their lives to get into Russia, China, North Korea and Hungary, all totalitarian countries ruled by a “strongman?”

I rest my case.

Susan Vonkersburg

Foothills

Toothless permit for Copper World mine?

Re: the March 10 article "Regulators propose permit for Copper World."

The article failed to point out major obstacles preventing the permit from protecting our environment and precious groundwater. The State says that the draft permit will ensure that pollutants discharged by Copper World won't cause or contribute to a violation of State Aquifer Water Quality Standards at any monitoring wells where compliance with the rules will be "enforced." Although the ADEQ, "requires" extensive testing, there are absolutely no penalties to Hudbay should pollutants be discharged. None! Secondly, the statement that Hudbay will have to monitor for a host of contaminants Hudbay will be monitoring their own environmental testing! If ever there was a fox guarding the henhouse situation, this is it! No severe penalties for non-compliance and monitoring by the mine on an "honor" basis. Does anyone believe that Copper World management would report themselves for release of pollutants or other violations? Even if they did, there are no financial or other penalties for doing so. Common sense says that this mine should never be approved.

Dennis Winsten

Northeast side

Memory and mental fitness

The special counsel who investigated Joe Biden's retention of classified documents said Biden could not remember the date his son died. I do not recall the exact dates my parents recently died. Though not a chemist, I recalled the formula (H2SO4) when a TV program mentioned sulfuric acid. Memory is weird.

Psychologist John Gartner, recently of Johns Hopkins, says the first question he asks of a possible psychotic person is: "Who is the president of the U.S." Donald Trump fails this test. He confused Biden and Obama seven times late last year. In early March 2024, Trump became confused again, saying, "And Putin has so little respect for Obama that he's starting to throw around the nuclear word ..."

Biden knows who the president is. Unlike Trump, Biden suffers no delusions of grandeur in believing he is a pseudo-religious "chosen one" or the reincarnation of der Fuehrer come to terminate our Constitution. Good enough for me!

Ronald Pelech

Midtown

Yet another Trump hate letter

Did anybody notice that Trump is: handing over $90 million in rape bonds in a rape/defamation case, as witnesses are going public about him committing espionage, as his cabinet officials are publicizing his love of Hitler, as he's bankrupting the RNC, as he's two weeks away from going on trial for trying to cheat in the 2016 election and also has to come up with almost a half a billion dollars on almost the same day as his trial as he's being sued by his business partners in his social media company, as Scotland is suing him for fraud as he meets with authoritarians at Mar A Largo where he was keeping classified documents they he was caught on camera moving onto his airplane while his lawyers were meeting with the FBI before he flew the documents to New Jersey where he buried his wife on the golf course. I did.

Terry Louck

East side

Ongoing hatred

Re: the March 10 article "Israel shouldn't be top priority for AZ legislators."

This one was very critical of Rep. Alma Hernandez leading a group of elected officials on a visit to Israel. You state she jeopardized the work of the house. The Republican majority is only passing bills the Governor will veto, so I don't consider this a loss of productivity.

The reason I am sending this to you is in the hope that you will understand that any article that helps to create a negative attitude towards Israel or the Jewish people only adds to the ongoing hatred of this very small number of people who have been demonized for centuries.

With the large group of Muslims who have immigrated to America starting when Obama was President, hatred has increased all over the country. As this continues, the Jews will be under increased pressure unless they give up all together and emigrate to some other country for safety, if there is such a place.

Jack Walters

Southeast side

Refurbished Marroney Theater issues

Re: the March 10 article "UA program embraces complex musical."

Kathleen Allen’s recent review of "Sweeney Todd" at the remodeled UA Marroney Theater was (as usual) spot on. It’s a difficult musical to stage at best.

Marroney’s substantial makeover features a new stage, reappointed lobby, audience seating, remodeled bathrooms, redesigned acoustics and box office.

With one exception these renovations succeeded: The bathrooms: very small and cramped for 300+ theater goers resulting in intermission congestion with long lines. One urinal in the men’s room? A similar situation to the UA Centennial Theater anachronism across campus.

We joined with the capacity matinee crowd of Sweeney. Performers were rewarded with enthusiastic applause, especially during Stephen Sondheim’s soaring solos and duets.

The new Marroney is perfect for large-scale musicals while its sister stage, Tornabene Theater, is perfect for UA Repertory intimate plays. The musical theater curriculum at UA is being discontinued by the administration for “financial constraints.” "Sweeney Todd" is the finale musical. Disappointing.

What the department presents to fill this upgraded facility remains to be seen.

Baird Thompson

Foothills

March is Women’s History Month

Women have long been at the forefront of change, albeit often without recognition or a voice. Change came slowly for women in the U.S. The first women’s suffrage amendment was introduced to Congress in 1878 but wasn’t adopted until 42 years later in 1920.

Women’s History Month reminds me of all the women who made the 19th Amendment possible. They were women from all walks of life and backgrounds sharing a common purpose. I am moved by their camaraderie, bravery, and unflinching desire to have a voice in shaping our lives and democracy.

Today’s issues call on us to honor the voices of the past. We need advocacy for human rights built on honesty and integrity. We need bravery, tempered with compassion. But most of all, we need everyone to participate in making a true difference this election year.

We need your activism and your voice to safeguard our future and ensure a democracy we are all proud to leave to our posterity.

Carla Andrews O'Hara

Northeast side