Racial identity and votes
Trump says he didn’t know Kamala Harris was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black. Does this mean he is worried that she will get more votes than he does because she is Black? If so, maybe Trump should turn Black.
Alan Roehl
Sahuarita
Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump arrives Friday to speak at a campaign rally in Bozeman, Mont.
Time’s up for Trump
Editor,
Across the land and around the world, people have become exhausted and sick and tired of Donald Trump. On the other hand, people are excited by the prospect of President Kamala Harris and describe her as a breath of fresh air.
Trump’s continued bigotry and need to disparage women, people of color and those with disabilities has run its course. We have all learned to pronounce Melania and Ivanka correctly. Yet Mr. Trump continues to demonstrate his weird ignorance by mispronouncing Kamala’s name.
People are also reading…
Most people don’t like a bully who pushes others out of their way and is always putting other people down. I think time is finally up for Trump.
Dave Gallagher
Foothills
Judicial retention
Re: the Aug. 9 article “Judicial retention effort launched.”
In this recent article by Howard Fischer, he reports on the current struggle between judicial and legislative control in Arizona. Fisher cites comments from Randy Kendrick, a financial supporter of Proposition 137, as she laments the possible loss of the Arizona Supreme Court, as well as the Arizona Senate and House.
Ironically, Kendrick’s fear of Democratic control is the status Republicans held over the past eight years. Kendrick’s concern, I believe results from the extreme, illogical legislation ranging from abortion to voting rights.
Hopefully, Arizona voters will recognize this pattern and vote out both extreme legislators and the Supreme Court judges Clint Bolick and Kathryn King.
Roger Shanley
East side
Identity politics
Re: the Aug. 9 article “Identity politics don’t work for Black community.”
Arguing that identity politics unfairly misleads the Black community into affiliating predominantly with Democrats to vote against Republican values, Gary Franks feebly submits a list of Republican-affiliated counterexamples he feels demonstrates a solid commitment to Black equity. Surprisingly, this exploitative effort misses the opportunity to mention the Republican role in ending slavery.
As a self-appointed bellwether espousing the need for Blacks to break with identity politics and embrace Republican magnanimity, he commits, rather flagrantly, the same offense he condemns. Claiming neglect on the part of Democrats, he strives to redirect the allegiance of the Black community — as an identity group — toward the generosity of the ever-thoughtful Republicans. This deception, ostensibly a call for identity independence, is simply further exploitation of identity politics.
It is fitting that he mentions Senator Tim Scott, another Black Republican bellwether hellbent on steering the Black community — by virtue of being Black — toward a political identity that deems Trump — second only to Abraham Lincoln — the best thing that has ever happened to Blacks.
Robert Gavlak
Midtown
Harris is no moderate
I believe that Harris in not a moderate.
The media recently has done an excellent job of portraying Kamala as a moderate. Voters should not be fooled by the media’s efforts to make Harris look like a middle-of-the-road Democrat.
Her assignment to solve the border crisis was a complete failure.
She believes in Medicare for all.
She wants to defund the police by reducing their budgets in favor of social solutions.
She wants to eventually eliminate coal, oil, natural gas, and all fossil fuels.
She claims to be pro-Israel but continues to support Hamas protesters in the name of free speech.
She supports abortion, including late term abortions.
She wants to ban “assault weapons”
She supports the packing of the Supreme Court.
I believe Harris is the most extremist radical politician ever. She is un-American, anti-capitalist, anti-individual, and anti-Constitutional.
Biden promised us that he was a moderate and look what happened. Harris is trying to do the same.
Wake up America.
Tom McGorray
Northwest side
Presidency
Re: the Aug. 12 article “Having trouble paying your bills? Blame Washington.”
According to E.J Antoni’s National Opinion column, tight finances for the average American are the result of the Biden administration. Biden has approved 4.8 trillion of ten-year borrowing in his presidency. (This includes the “deceptively” named Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan Act.) Trump approved almost twice that or 8.4 trillion in ten-year borrowing during his presidency. Biden has approved 1.9 trillion dollars in debt reduction while in office. This is 4 times the debt reduction approved by Trump while in office. (Published by the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.) Maybe this “cost of living crisis” wasn’t created by the Biden administration! And, if Trump is elected again, finances will only get worse for the average American. Trump is proposing tax cuts of up to $400,000 for the wealthiest households and repealing the Affordable Care Act. Looks like middle-class Americans will pay dearly if Trump is elected again!
Kenneth Cohn
Northwest side
The Star’s bias Concerning the Supreme Court
In June the Star published an essay by Gerald Farrington, a member of the Star’s editorial advisory board, attacking the Court’s conservative members and its decisions. Then in July it published another essay battering the Court by Gil Shapiro calling for reform and using an obscene gesture — which I thought the Star prohibited.
In August it ran two more opinions criticizing the Court.
The Constitution established that the Court is not controlled by either the President or Congress. And most attorneys know that courts do not render decisions based on popular opinion.
What these reform advocates really want is to control the Court’s composition so it renders decisions favorable to their social and political views. Those are the roles of the President and Congress; not the Court. The reforms they advocate would destroy the Court’s true independence and its ability to serve as the final check on the power of the two other branches.
James Tuthill
Oro Valley
Correct: It is AI
The former president was incorrect. The crowd greeting Vice President Harris at the Detroit airport was over 15,000, according to multiple news sources. It was not created by Harris’ AI staff as the former president alleged. But the former president was absolutely correct about the presence of AI. His intelligence, as always, was clearly artificial.
Kenneth Haber
Northwest side
It is as I feared
A year ago the mainstream media was openly calling for the VP’s replacement. Fast forward to today and she’s Obama 2.0. I’m constantly seeing videos of voters proclaiming they will vote for Harris so that she will be the first female Black president. A question: if a one-armed presidential candidate came along should I vote for that person so they would become the first one-armed president? I think not. Remember vote record, not race or gender. Lastly, I was not aware that Nancy Pelosi had the power to negate the will of the primary voters.
Mark Moral
East side
First verbal lies, now, don’t believe your eyes!
It has been a long road of the last nine years listening to lie after lie after lie coming from the mouth of Trump. We are now being barraged by the audio “tapes” he plays at so-called rallies to less than capacity crowds that meander out of the facility before it ends. A fact check of the most recent gathering, NPR announced his record of 162 lies in 64 minutes! This would have qualified for a gold medal just last week in Paris! Now we are being told the live events for the Harris/Walz ticket are the result of artificial intelligence and there are no real people in attendance. Trump is a master of deceit and has utilized artificial intelligence for years, predating its new definition requiring computers. We won’t be fooled again!
Alan Barreuther
Foothills
Was pandemic, climate spending reckless?
Re: the Aug. 12 article “Having trouble paying your bills? Blame Washington.”
The opinion piece by the Heritage Foundation’s A.J. Antoni argues spending by the Biden administration is responsible for inflation. Mr. Antoni lacks a good short-term memory. What he terms as the “reckless spending” of The American Rescue Plan saved thousands of small business owners during the height of the pandemic when many of us were staying at home unemployed and worried that we might contract an often-fatal illness. He is equally dismissive of The Inflation Reduction Act’s spending on addressing climate change.
There are two costs to anything: the cost to address a problem and the cost not to address it. Combating the pandemic was expensive and addressing climate change will be expensive, but both were and will be a tiny fraction of what it will cost not to address it. Mr. Antoni reminds me of someone who rails about his water bill when the water is used to put out the fire that is consuming his home.
Mike Carran
Northeast side
Ciscomani and citizenship
Exactly how did his family come into the USA? He says they crossed at a port of entry. Was this without papers, thus an illegal entry? Did they claim refugee status? Was the family given a hearing date to examine their status? How long was their waiting period? Were they allowed to remain in the USA until their immigration hearing? Did they show up for the hearing? Did any family member work while awaiting their hearing? Was Juan the only one to seek citizenship?
These and other hard questions need to be asked and answers demanded!
Dominic (Don) Dutton
Northwest side
You have to be human to have humanity
Re: the Aug. 13 article “Pregnant women turned away from ERs.”
The article about the pregnant woman in Texas who was refused treatment, in an emergency room, even though she was bleeding is reprehensible. An emergency room is for just that, an emergency. Bleeding is an emergency. If you lose too much blood, you die. It’s not about abortion. It’s about humanity. Now, legislatures decide who lives and dies for religious and political reasons? Anybody, for any reason, who is in an emergency life threatening situation is entitled to treatment. To deny emergency treatment because of religiously motivated legislation is inhumane. I can’t wait to see how God sorts this one out. Tell God you let someone die because you were following the law you enacted for Him/Her.
Richard Bechtold
West side
Abortion issues
As a clinician who has practiced medicine, surgery, and emergency medicine in Arizona, I submit that decisions regarding termination of pregnancies should be made between the patient and her doctor. Certainly the issues of rape and incest are flagrant issues that are highly personal and should respect the right of the mother. Even in the last trimester when there is clear evidence that the products of conception cannot come out of the birth canal as a viable infant, the mother has a right to discuss options with her clinician and allowed to have the pregnancy terminated. Courts throughout our nation are ill advised in invading these areas where professional decision-making associated with conception is needed.
John Hughes
Northeast side
Bullies and liars
For almost nine years, we have been subjected to Donald Trump’s tirades, complaints, lies, bullying, intimidation tactics, racial bigotry and misogyny. I could go on and on. I am fed up and angry that this immature behavior has been allowed to continue unabated. What’s even worse, is the Trump lackeys who all follow their leader. There is no accountability for anything, by anyone ever and the beat goes on.
It’s time for those of us who want to reclaim our country and bring back civil discourse, to do so. We are the true patriots, we love America, we don’t denigrate it at every opportunity. As Kamala says, “the baton is in your hands.” Make the right choice, the only choice and put Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the White House with your votes in November.
Sally Mayersohn
Northwest side
Incompetent authoritarianism, not hatred
Re: the Aug. 13 article “Informing low-information voters.”
Shall we list Trump’s failures?
Average GDP growth for Trump’s first 3 years underperformed the average GDP growth, 1961-2016, by 19%.
Trump/Reagan trickle-down economics failed to work again for the middle and lower classes, but worked well for the wealthy, again.
Trump’s abysmal response to COVID. ‘Wearing a mask is not a good look.’ Failed to lead by example. The fast vaccine development was due to the basic science of genetic mapping. Money financed the science.
Trump has the confirmed record for the most lies of any U.S. President.
An authoritarian who has the best interests of all when making decisions, is a more efficient form of government. Communism works well until humans become involved. After all, ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely.’
A dictator on day one can declare it is always day one.
James Abels
Midtown
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