Tucson Speaks Out: July 9 letters of the day

Help, stop that thief!

If a thief stole your wallet with $100, would you call the police? I would.

So who do we call when we’ve been robbed by our former Republican Governor and AZ Republican-controlled legislature? They took $194 million dollars of our tax dollars to build — and then remove — an ill-conceived container wall at our southern border.

This wasteful wall cost each and every one of Arizona’s 7.3 million residents more than $26. For a family of four, that’s $106 that could have bought 20-plus rotisserie chickens or Happy Meals.

Angry your money was used for a political stunt? Want to avoid getting ripped off in the future? Then vote! Make sure everyone you know is registered to vote and casts their ballots in the next election. We only need to oust one MAGA-mayhem-Republican from the AZ Legislature to end their control. Vote to stop wasting our tax dollars on culture wars and political theater.

Thea Chalow

Oro Valley

Land of the free and home of the brave?

The path to my comfortable retirement with quality healthcare is paved with opportunities given me by favorable circumstances and helpful individuals, known and unknown, at critical points since my birth. Hard work is indeed necessary but never sufficient. “Love your neighbor as yourself” compels me to join others to help those facing systemic obstacles in fulfilling their dreams, be they descendants of Black slaves, immigrants arrived in childhood, student-loan debtors, the homeless, refugees or members of LGBQT.

Our wishes are hampered by legislators and justices who lack the courage to face the historical facts of slavery and existing racism and to free those struggling to live, but enslaved by the super-rich and false beliefs against nature.

Let’s celebrate our 247th birthday by nominating and electing candidates who can help us to make our country truly “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Ke Chiang Hsieh

Midtown

Woke?

‘Woke’ is defined as a gift to persons of different complicated matters that when transcribed into the local pedigree of those of a system that is not full of a computation of elements affecting the underlying commitment to bringing about that which is paramount within the psyche to conflagrate those into an aberration of ones self-realization to covet that which when realized is pointed out to be that which can be remitted in a near feeling of being ones’ own self which when projected will allow others to find their true wokeness.

David ben Avram

Marana

Solution to the housing crisis

Stop telling people that there’s a hundred-year guaranteed water supply! Sorta solves that water crisis for ya too, might even solve your urban sprawl and heat island problems. Or are we too afraid of big bad real estate. Or are they makin’ water out of wine now?

Cynthia Duncan

Midtown

Colorblindness not the solution

Editor,

Most people delight in seeing colors. The Supreme Court, 6-3, prefers colorblindness.

Being colorblind might allow someone not to notice that there are very few or no students or faculty of color in their school. We might not notice that people of color have worse health care outcomes and die earlier than white people in the United States. And those who prefer to be colorblind might not see the income and wealth disparity that exists between white people and people of color.

I had the privilege of hearing Native American Rubin Snake give a keynote address. It was entitled “The Re-browning of America.” The Supreme Court should know that people of color have been here from the beginning and that the first slave ship from Africa arrived in 1619.

Creating a more perfect union includes all of us. Including all of us is best achieved not by colorblindness but by seeing and accommodating all of us.

Dave Gallagher

Foothills

Solutions needed

Re: the June 30 article “Our ‘Justice’ System: A Paradox of errors and innocence.”

In her op-ed, Yolanda Slan argues, that too many innocent people are sentenced to prison and that this represents “systemic errors,” but she gives no possible solutions to the problem. Secondly, she argues that there is “systemic racism” in our justice system. While it’s true that Blacks are arrested and convicted out of all proportion to their numbers in our country, there are reasons for this that do not involve systemic racism. For example, although Blacks represent 13% of the general population, sadly, they commit over 50% of all homicides in this country. They also commit other crimes far above their 13% population percentage. Perhaps Slan can offer us some solutions on how to reduce Black crime in order to reduce the Black crime rate and keep more Blacks out of prison.

David Pearse

Foothills

Comparing presidents

Re: the July 1 letter “Trump vs George Washington.”

The writer claims that George Washington “chose not to run for a second term even though requested to do so by his colleagues and the country at large, and he went peacefully and happily back to a quiet life ...” This is false; Washington served as President for two full terms-eight years. He then returned to Mount Vernon and died a little under three years later. Maybe the writer let her OMB (Orange Man Bad) syndrome get the best of her in her effort to argue that there should not be any attempts whatsoever to compare the two presidents.

Douglas R. Holm

East side

And while we’re at it

Re: the July 3 article “Political parties should be abolished”

Let’s also trim legislatures. Every year, federal and state legislatures pass many new laws. Try telling your kids, “We have 79,000 rules in this house, most of which you can’t understand, and any violation will be punished”. No? Well, we have 30,000 federal and 49,000 Arizona laws to live by. Two dysfunctional political parties and 80,000 laws. It doesn’t work. Wipe the law books clean, replaced by plain English simple laws. And eliminate Lawyers, the most divisive liars ever born. A true government by the people for the people. And a lot cheaper, too.

Thad Appelman

Northwest side

Hostile UA

The best place to enjoy fireworks celebrating our nation’s birthday used to be the top floor of the University of Arizona parking garages. That ended last year when the University posted signs at the entrance to the garages forbidding the viewing of fireworks on July 4. Similar signs were in place this year. Threatening signs were also posted inside the garages containing the ARS citation for Trespassing on the top floor, a not-too-subtle reminder of the power of the University to have a citizen arrested and jailed for noncompliance. I am expecting a self-serving response, citing public safety and fear of crime. But clearly, the University is not a good neighbor. It heralds its star athletes and stellar Cancer Center, but the bottom line is it remains hostile to the public. Banning citizens from a tax-supported facility to celebrate our nation’s birthday is not justified.

Carl Formby

Northwest side

Ciscomani vs. Engel in 2024

Re: the July 3 article “Dems bet abortion can topple Ciscomani.”

If the Democrats hope to unseat Rep. Juan Ciscomani, they have to do a better job with their candidate. The last time Kirsten Engel ran, she was too low profile and had others speaking for her on TV ads: former Rep. Gabby Giffords and Sen. Mark Kelly. She needs to speak for herself, forcefully and clearly in presenting her position on the issues important to CD6. She should also mention her opponent’s voting record on issues affecting the District. Finally, in addition to air time, she needs to post lots of signs throughout the District announcing her candidacy.

Raymond Silverstein

Midtown

Intolerance

Re: the July 3 article “Intolerance creating dangerous atmosphere.”

Mr. Sheldon Metz has proven his own point about intolerance with his opinion piece. He has demonstrated his intolerance against those who disagree with him.

I disagree and support a different point of view; I believe in my God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. God gave me those rights, not the government or the bureaucracy in Washington D.C.

Thank you for proving your point of intolerance.

Richard Barnes

East side

Smartphones are not so smart

I believe that smartphones are a problem, especially for our teenagers.

Smartphones can have negative effects on teenagers. They can lead to addiction, causing social isolation, poor academic performance, and mental health problems.

They can also lead to sleep deprivation which can lead to fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.

They can lead to cyberbullying online or through text messaging. They can have a serious negative impact on teenagers’ mental health and, in some cases, lead to depression and suicide.

They can lead to distractions in school and other settings. This can cause poor academic performance.

Parents and educators should be aware of the risks associated with smartphone use. They should set limits on screen time.

I believe that smartphones should be banned in the classroom completely.

I believe that excessive use of the smartphone is not really a smart idea.

Thomas McGorray

Northwest side