Tucson Speaks Out: August 12

Practicing medicine without a license

Two men with NO medical expertise make health care decisions:

RFK, Jr., Mr. anti-vax, has fired experienced CDC employees, and in 17 months, measles, Ebola, Cyclospora are rapidly spreading.

Secretary of Defense (now War), Pete Hegseth proposes testosterone for soldiers to increase their "manliness," making them more aggressive to fight wars.

Testosterone is not a benign hormone. Mayo, Harvard, other experts warn that it can cause cardiovascular disease, breast enlargement, infertility, aggression, irritability, skin diseases, shrink testicles, decrease sperm production, increase the growth of the prostate thus worsening prostate enlargement/cancer, worsen sleep apnea.

What an oxymoron that Hegseth refuses to give transgender people the hormones needed to transition, prescribed by medical professionals, but takes it upon himself to "treat" soldiers with a hormone he knows nothing about.

Suggestion: Hegseth and the insecure, super aggressive "he-men" in the Trump administration try female hormones to soothe their aggression and irritability. Maybe then we can return to a Department of Defense rather than a FOREVER WAR department.

VOTE THEM OUT!!

Sandra Katz, M.D., J.D.

Foothills

Fauci vs. Pope Rand Paul

Pope Formosus was Pope from 891-896. His successor, Pope Stephen VI , exhumed Formosus in 897 and put him on trial, dressed in papal vestments and seated on a throne. Stephen VI found Formosus guilty of being Pope because he was ineligible. The end of the outrage was that Stephan VI was later imprisoned and strangled. The Cadaver Synod probably smelled as bad as the Fauci Crucifixion.

Barbara Moore

East side

Ciscomani needs just $95M more

Three recent letters concern midterm choices for Congressional District 6, titled: Unwinnable War, Ciscomani supports law enforcement, and Affordability hoax?

The last, about cost of living, reckoned the price of food rose 18% and other necessities rose 31% from 2024 to 2026.

The war letter states we’ve used 80% of our missiles, putting us at serious risk from our adversaries.

Between is the letter about Ciscomani who voted for the Big Billionaires Bill, maybe wants to be one? He appears unconcerned with peoples’ financial struggles, or murdering children.

This war of choice was another manipulation of the news, leading directly to unaffordable prices and global danger. You will not be “safe” because you get a few cops and a new building.

Ciscomani did not serve in the military. His opponent, JoAnna Mendoza, did. Maybe we need someone trained and ready to make military decisions, not those who pander to constituents.

Gaye Adams

Midtown

Disappointing!

I found the "Editor's Note" about skipping days for LTEs and also pet adoptions very disappointing. Though the pet adoptions now appear on tucson.com, I find it hard to believe there were not enough submissions given the huge number of pets needing homes. If not a free service; it should be. It was a highlight of the print version. No doubt, fewer animals will now find homes — sad. As to the lack of "unique" letters, I'd rather read dull, repetitive, sometimes absurd letters than see two pages of real estate ads. Some of those letters provided me (and many others) with their daily laugh. By choosing not to print, you are depriving us of health-benefiting endorphins attributable to a good guffaw! Suggestions: print intelligent, thoughtful letters more than once a month. Or, if few "unique" letters available to print, as a community service fill the rest of the page with listings of untruths uttered by Trump. There are enough to fill the page for decades.

Deb Klumpp

Oro Valley

Higher tax saves you money

Right now, you might be paying about $500 a month for health insurance. We switch to Medicare for all and your taxes are raised $300 a month to pay for it. You saved $200 a month. Just because your taxes get raised to pay for health care does not mean your net income is raised. You get to switch payments from the insurance company that spends millions for its CEO, millions to avoid paying claims, and millions for profits. Instead, you pay your money to a non-profit organization - the government. We have hysterics about socialism, but we should think about the actual cost to us. Right now, your doctor pays millions for programs to send claims to numerous different insurance companies. Think of the savings with only one program needed to file a claim.

Bette Bunker Richards

Midtown

Republican round table in Casa Grande

So Juan Ciscomani, Mike Johnson and Scott Bessent held a closed-door roundtable in Casa Grande, which only business owners and managers were allowed to attend. They wouldn’t want those pesky constituents asking questions about Ciscomani’s vote to

• Reduce their healthcare

• Cut SNAP benefits

• Impose illegal tariffs which raise living costs

• Weaken or destroy government agencies which provide domestic support and foreign aid

• Start wars with no stated objective other than depleting our arsenal, making us less safe and contractors richer.

The list goes on well beyond my word limit.

I am voting for Joanna Mendoza because she has promised to work for her constituents, not big business.

Robert White

Foothills

Public education

Regarding the ballot measure on vouchers: To cut to the chase — to be for or against it is to be for or against public education. Ninety percent, I've read, of kids go to public schools, and the voucher system in its current form is starving public schools. So the voucher system as currently practiced needs serious reform. So back to my original question - are you for or against public education? Please review the positions of Hobbs and Biggs before voting in November. The Arizona economy depends on good public schools.

Dave Bertagnoli

West side

Trickle down corruption

Trump’s administration has become openly corrupt. His government officials have embraced oil market manipulation, rolled back business regulations, and sanctioned payouts to those who attacked our Capitol on January 6th and brutally injured police officers defending it.

Corruption trickles down if there is no accountability, eroding the rule of law underpinning our American values and way of life. Consider having to pay bribes to municipal workers to get documents like passports and licenses. Imagine having to pay the mechanic extra to finish repairing your car the same day you brought it in or having no recourse for illnesses caused by companies that pollute your drinking water supplies.

There are no first-world countries that openly tolerate corruption. Plenty of second- and third-world countries will tell you their problems start with corruption.

The American people have recourse to remedy this. It is time to stand up and get loud. Join a peaceful protest and VOTE for our system of checks and balances in November.

Gretchen Winters

Oro Valley