A paddle boarder floats past wild horses on the Salt River at the Blue Point Recreation Site in the Tonto National Forest, Arizona, on June 15.
Special interest 'science' on Salt River Horses
The recent guest opinion on radically reducing Salt River herd was co-authored by cattle and sportsman interests that contradict leading equine geneticist Gus Cothran, and others, determining the minimal number of horses to sustain viability is 150 to 200. Less will degrade the herd already reduced with humane fertility control, while the public has loudly supported protection of the herd.
Like previous governors, Hobbs’ appointments to Arizona Game and Fish include cattlemen and Safari Club International (SCI) and affiliated interests. No organization is more destructive to species protection than SCI to support elite competitive trophy hunting. For top honors, killing over 320 species is required, including rare, declining populations, as with the degraded Arizona mountain lion population subject to inhumane hunting with hounds, chased to exhaustion, with hounds and lions often severely bloodied for trophy.
People are also reading…
Wild horses have long been on cattlemen’s “hit list,” the administration has rounded up almost 4,000 last year.
Candace Charvoz Frank
West side
Still needed
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been largely gutted by the Supreme Court. It seems the Roberts Court believes that the Voting Rights Act that protected Black people's right to vote is no longer needed.
Just this week, we are learning that some polling places with higher-than-average concentrations of Black voters are being closed. This, of course, will make it even more difficult for some Black people to vote.
In its decision to gut the Voting Rights Act, the Court implied that there was a time when the Voting Rights Act was needed. To the best of my knowledge Chief Justice John Roberts never supported the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Unfortunately, those who insist on a colorblind society may not be able to see that Black people are still discriminated against and that laws protecting the right to vote are still needed.
Dave Gallagher
Foothills
A bad deal for Tucson: Vote no on Prop 421
Tucson is facing simultaneous water, affordability, and extreme-heat crises. Instead of addressing them, the town manager and Mayor and Council are pursuing a $2 million payout.
Meanwhile, TEP identified about $2.1 million in nonprofit and trade-group expenditures in 2023 and 2024 as costs it could seek to recover from customers in a future rate case. Customers already pay city taxes, franchise fees and other charges through their TEP bills. Check your TEP bill.
TEP’s draft 2026 Integrated Resource Plan would expand natural-gas generation, threatening further groundwater depletion. If gas plants use “little” water, TEP should publicly disclose annual water consumption by energy source and plant publicly.
TEP has also offered limited public information about its commitment a proposed $5 billion gas pipeline that could traverse a state park or your front yard. Ratepayers could bear some of those costs, while Tucson residents face rising bills and worsening heat.
A private monopoly should not control our aquifer or dictate our future. Vote no on Prop 421. Stop rewarding corporate interests and lobbying. Protect Tucson’s water.
Carissa Sipp
Midtown
It's not 'hate'
Mr. Johnson is back with another letter about Trump's so-called "accomplishments." He says people hate him. It's not hate; it's astonishment at what a mess he has made and the promises not kept.
Here’s a few Trump’s promises
Best health plan ever … not accomplished
Best infrastructure plan ever … not accomplished
Lower grocery bills … not accomplished
Reduce gas prices … not accomplished
No more wars … not accomplished
Reduce inflation … not accomplished
Tariff checks … not accomplished
10% on credit cards … not accomplished
Meds being 1500% cheaper … not accomplished
Home ownership more affordable … not accomplished
The “privately” funded ballroom … not accomplished
Lower unemployment … not accomplished
More manufacturing jobs … not accomplished
But you did lower the price of eggs …
And restricted the border traffic which was sorely needed.
Other than that, your administration is a failure when measured against your “promises.”
Robert Diedrich
Northeast side
Where is the USA
Jerry Moser's letter to the editor said out loud my recurring nightmare. "The USA is not a social club of the rich and powerful elite that organizes itself on cultural classes for the benefit of a select few." The 2024 election proved that the USA is exactly that. Well, there goes the neighborhood. I checked out ChatGPT's top 20 donors for both parties in 2024. Elon Musk alone contributed around $291.1 million, overwhelmingly to groups supporting Trump and other Republicans, and five or more donors contributed over $100 million. Next, I checked out if any benefits can be associated with the donations. The greater tragedy is how SCOTUS shields the corruption. "Corporations are people, my friend" — Mitt Romney, Aug. 11, 2011.
Barbara Moore
East side
Drinking the urban bathwater
Tucson’s anemic eight-month economy will be the last of worries if the “Dirty T” can’t break its rapidly decaying reputation as borderland Looneytuneville, where nothing functions and the residents are deluded . To begin a cure, maybe we first stop buying into the self-serving local hype on anything Tucson? If true, the metro would surely be “the next Austin,” and a real magnet for talent and investment. Its once flagship-landgrant university a similar magnet, instead of open enrollment, sinecured educrats and hard-left academics . Its 1.2M metro, a Sonoran urban marvel instead of landfill-in-progress; its arts and culture real and noteworthy, not a backwater. So much wasted, unnecessary energy going into “Tucson hype-maintenance.” All the while the doom loop accelerates.
Bill Sellers
Oro Valley
Quite revealing
David Hoffman’s OpEd in Sunday’s Arizona Daily Star is, unfortunately, more revealing than he may have intended. It makes painfully clear where the Star stands in Lee Enterprises’ corporate universe. Hoffman didn’t even bother to adapt his piece to name the Star, Tucson or Southern Arizona. Not a single reference.
The message is hard to miss: our community newspaper barely registers in Lee’s larger priorities. That’s disappointing for Lee, disheartening for the Star’s staff, and a loss for all of us who rely on strong local journalism.
Howard Weiss
Midtown
Unintended consequences
What does the future of AI have in store for us? Will there be any unintended consequences? It was recently reported that one of the latest AI creations “escaped” from its test “cage” and on its own hacked another AI system. It then tried to cover its tracks so no one would know what happened. If AI creations become even more powerful it has been predicted they will be able to hack the advanced cryptography that protects cryptocurrency. If and when that happens, it could be disastrous for the cryptocurrency industry. I do not think the people developing AI are actively planning that. It may be just another unintended consequence.
William Brandt
Oro Valley
The secret is in plain sight
Every human being is a capitalist unit. We strive through life to provide for ourselves, family and community. It is inborn and a part of us.
Today we argue about socialism, communism and capitalism, all wasted efforts.
Alaska own the mineral rights from the state land. Each fall, citizens receive a dividend check. In 2025, their check was $1,000. The largest ever received was $3,284 in 2022.
In America, we allow petroleum and mineral extraction while not benefiting our citizens. This could be easily changed.
Jack Walters
Northeast side
Follow these steps to easily submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion to the Arizona Daily Star.
