Tucson Speaks Out: May 1 letters of the day

Doesn’t 412 just come down to a rate hike by another name? Without Corporation Commission review. Aren’t the replacement of old equipment and compliance with municipal regulations (like burying cables in certain areas) just costs of doing business? TEP already has a request before the Commission for a 12% rate increase — not to mention the last increase in 2021. I certainly can’t judge the reasonableness of the request. That’s the Commission’s job. So is this.

If having a community resilience fund and a Community Resilience Committee are good ideas, then they should be considered. By the city. And be under the authority of the city, not a shared authority with TEP. Further, there isn’t even a binding commitment or timetable in this for TEP to reduce its carbon emissions.

What are Tucson residents really getting? What is TEP really giving? And why the rush to commit us to this until 2048?

Carolyn Wessels

Midtown

No on Prop 412 causes no harm

People who are currently in favor of Proposition 412 seem to be concerned about costs and not about consequences. That’s shortsighted and unfortunate for our progeny because catastrophic weather events are rapidly increasing in intensity and frequency.

Before voting on Proposition 412, please consider that the current franchise agreement has two years left. That means that if 412 is voted down, there is still time in which to negotiate a (hopefully) better deal. Therefore, voting “NO” on 412 causes no harm. Voting “YES” on 412 ends the discussion and burdens our descendants with frequent dramatically harmful situations that were enabled to occur when they were not old enough to vote.

Rick Cohn

West side

Prevent destructive I-11

Still, many residents in Southern Arizona don’t know about I-11, which will be a senseless, destructive new interstate ripping through precious open desert, and indigenous homelands, and will destroy the lives of countless wildlife and plants and have a great impact on human life. Doesn’t it speak volumes that the City of Tucson, Pima County, Town of Sahuarita, and Tribal Councils oppose this West Option through Avra and Altar Valleys? Shouldn’t we prevent this?

Learn more: Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, alongside other conservation orgs that filed a federal lawsuit.

Emily Rockey

West side

Individual responsibility

Re: the April 18 article “Gun-related school bills vetoed by Gov. Hobbs.”

Katie Hobbs demonstrates an excellent response to proposed Arizona legislation involving guns. One obvious point I would make is that freedom of speech and gun possession and use is only contingent on the individual’s responsibility for any related activity that causes a problem. In many of the incidents involving the misuse of guns, the responsible party is often not accountable. The second point is ownership/possession of a weapon is contingent on the maturity and judgment of that individual. Therein lies the problem. Mental health seems to be an increasing problem within our population. Authorities have to develop a means of recognizing the potential problems that any individual may have, which constitutes a threat to civil society. The NRA has missed the opportunity to support the kinds of control which would not only help prevent the misuse of guns but also make a stand for the responsible support of laws and processes which identify and prevent individuals whose mental behavior endangers others.

Michael Nelson

Benson

Blaming Biden

It always amuses me when I read letters to the editor blaming President Joe Biden for everything under the sun, especially as it relates to inflation, gas prices and the stock market. Yes, inflation is high, but nearly half as high as Europe and most of the world (10% in Europe). Nobody likes to pay $4.50 (or more) per gallon of gas, but it is about $7.50 per gallon in Europe. A recent letter blamed Biden for his retirement account going down under Biden, but the DJIA has increased by 9% since he took office. Inflation and gasoline prices are global problems caused by a myriad of global issues unrelated to President Biden.

Michael Malone

East side

Price of gasoline

A recent letter-writer accused President Joe Biden for increasing gasoline prices. All over the world? Man, he really has influence. Last month some of the oil-producing countries said they would cut back production. A day later, the Shell station in SaddleBrooke bumped the price 50 cents per gallon. Those countries said their cutbacks would begin in the summer. A recent short article in the AZ Daily Star, entitled “Oil Prices increase cost of gasoline,” mentioned the price of gasoline in various parts of Tucson, but the article did not mention the price of oil. Strange that the price of oil was not mentioned in the article that was about the price of oil causing the price of gasoline to jump. Actually, the price of oil has only increased from $80 to $82 per barrel in the last two months. Follow the money. Don’t blame Joe.

Jerry Lujan

SaddleBrooke

No water in 2050

Tucson in the year 2050: After many years of warnings, people are moving out of Arizona, and water rationing is in effect. Water is turned off at midnight, pools are emptied and housing values are at an all-time low. People are leaving their homes at an all-time high. Many homes in Tucson are empty; a $300,000 home is selling for $50,000 or less, or just vacated. The Fascist Republican Party is blaming the Democrats, even though the GOP has controlled the state for years, denying there was no water shortage. Oh, by the way, gas is $11 per gallon! This is not the Twilight Zone. This could happen if the world doesn’t nuke each other by then.

David E Leon

Vail

412: Yes or no?

What is TEP’s commitment to a cleaner Tucson? We decided to take our electric car and plug it into the charging station at TEP headquarters while dining at a restaurant downtown. My ChargePoint app said TEP had 12 charging locations at their headquarters. There were two stations with four cords. Neither station was functioning. We walked up to the TEP office, where an employee said, “those don’t work, we are going to remove them.” I asked where the other charging stations were, and he said, “those are the only two, we are not going to put anymore in, they have been so much trouble.”

Robert Quiroz

West side

Legislature swings and misses

Re: the April 24 article “Legislation would limit removal of social media.”

The Arizona Legislature is missing the ball on social media. Rather than passing a law to prevent social media companies from restricting the content of candidates, the legislature should be passing a law requiring candidates and anyone endorsing a candidate or viewpoint to document facts and not state anything that they themselves could not prove in a court of law. If there is no longer blatant lying and distortion in our political elections, we will all win.

Fix what is broken, legislature: Expect more of our candidates for office. Physician, heal thyself.

Mike Oliver

Foothills

Flood waters

How to solve the water shortage(s): Stop letting floodwaters flow directly into the ocean. Use Eminent Domain (as it is intended) to build collection and redistribution systems to replenish our reservoirs.

Dennis Briels

Oracle