Afternoon traffic fills the intersection of East 22nd Street and South Alvernon way in August. Tucson seems ready to try to go solo in longterm transportation planning instead of the usual regional approach with other cities and towns in the region.
RTA: Get on board or get out of the way
Supervisor Rex Scott wants consensus on RTA Next.
The RTA Board does need to find consensus, and that consensus is to support the City of Tucson. Since Mr. Scott speaks in depth about economic issues, I will as well.
The City of Tucson is the economic engine of the entire region. The county and the suburbs would have no economic base whatsoever without the powerhouse that is the city.
The city knows how to bring in jobs and how to maintain an economic base. We in the city sustain the entire region. The city wants public transit and other non-roadway infrastructure and knows it needs these things for its economy. The other constituents, those that don’t have the economic firepower that the city does, oppose this. That’s fine. The other constituents can tax themselves and do what they want.
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But for the region, the non-city constituents should get on board (literally) or get out of the way.
Rachel Wilson
Downtown
For UA president, look for an Arizonan
As a three-generation University of Arizona family, I have a vested interest in the University. The present selection process will only give the University more of the problems that exist now. Conducting a nationwide search sounds like it will choose from the best in the country, but in reality, it is selecting someone who wants to leave where they are.
Companies that promote from within have better earnings because there is less time spent learning about the company. The University of Arizona needs a leader that knows Arizona and wants to be in Tucson. The selection committee needs to search for a new president from the faculty of the University and from alumni of the U of A who may be teaching in other Universities and want to return to the U of A.
This is a pool of talented unique people. The person chosen can support and develop the colleges and research that are unique to Arizona and the Southwest.
Rosemary Bolza
Midtown
University of Arizona
In the early 1970s, I attended the University of Arizona and received a wonderful education at a reasonable cost. The U of A is the Land Grant university in AZ and one of the mandates of a Land Grant University is to provide education at a reasonable cost. The recent administration and mostly the Board of Regents, whose mandate is to watch the costs for students. The cost of the University today is out of reach for many AZ residents. The campus today is a Gucci environment with a bloated administration. In the 1970s, we did not need overpaid vice presidents, we had deans. Biden’s attempt to forgive student loans makes the problem worse by taking all the pressure off the University to reduce costs. We really need new Regents who care about the cost of education today and an administration who can run the university like the business it is.
Doug Shumway
Green Valley
Israel and Palestine
The tragedy in Gaza is being interpreted as Israel against Palestine. Politics aside, the tragedy is the killing of innocent Israelis and innocent Palestinians. It is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue. To address the killing of Palestinian innocent men, women and children and Hamas’ killing of innocent men, women and children the issue is simple. If a murderer were holding a woman and a child hostage with a gun to their head, would you shoot the woman and child to kill the murderer? Americans and the world should not make this an Israel vs Palestine issue. The Middle East has been in conflict and war for hundreds of years. The Gaza situation is not unexpected. The issue is humanitarian. The issue is the killing of innocent people on both sides. If either side is trying to further their cause by killing innocent non-combatants, they are both wrong.
Richard Bechtold
West side
Policy vs. politics
I can’t take credit for the following, as it was written by a national columnist elsewhere. But his analysis holds true: Democrats tend to put policy before politics while Republicans do the opposite. The example he cited is abortion and immigration.
Democrats in Arizona chose to work hard to get five Republicans in our legislature the help to repeal the 1864 abortion ban, even though having the law on the books in November would have made it even easier to pass a proposition making abortion rights part of the state Constitution. Hopefully, it will pass in a landslide anyway!
On the other hand, our state’s GOP national representatives and senators voted lockstep with the rest of their party to defeat a bipartisan immigration bill — even though they say they want immigration reform. That’s because, of course, Donald Trump wants the border to be one of his top issues in November, and he directed his minions to vote “no.”
Karen Schickedanz
SaddleBrooke
Sage advice for student protesters
Simple. I recommend that all current student protestors read the Opinion piece in the May 2 New York Times by Nicholas Kristoff, “How Protestors Can Actually Help Palestinians”.
His advice comes from a long history of observation and activism in humanitarian issues around the globe. Please read it and think!
Donald Jeck
Foothills
Hate Trump club
It disappoints me to see such hate in letters regarding President Trump. Whether you’re a senior who’s done learning anything new or someone who sees every Republican as “privileged,” your hate for Trump and his followers is overwhelming and obvious. Hate clouds judgment. It behooves me to point the finger right back at those who criticize him. Can you see the truth? Can you see the democracy of our country crumbling before our eyes? Rising inflation, a crisis at the border, wars in foreign countries and violent protests on college campuses. Need I remind you, Trump hasn’t been in office in 3½ years. Before you hate, look at the facts. The four years Trump was in office, we had a strong economy, low unemployment, peace with foreign enemies, energy independence and exporting, and opportunities for people to thrive in their lives. Be sure to ask this question before you vote in November: Is our country better off now than it was four years ago?
Jaime Marie Spicker
East side
AZ at the bottom, as usual
On May 2, the Daily Star had two major reports about AZ ranking virtually at the bottom of all U.S. states regarding mental health and public schools. Unfortunately, those data statistics only confirm what we have known already for many years. But the situation we are facing is not the outcome of a natural condition; it is human-made, the result of deliberate actions by our Republican legislators. I am, of course, not the first to criticize them, but at some point enough is enough. Add to this the absurd, “brain-dead” decision to reactivate the abortion law from 1864. Maybe, there is a correlation we have not yet considered. When a state cuts funding for our schools and does not care about mental health, the result could be (wink wink) that more people with little education and mental problems enter politics and work toward the goal of keeping Arizona downtrodden, ignorant, and simply mean toward those in need. AZ is facing massive problems, but stone-age policies won’t work.
Albrecht Classen
Midtown
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1864 Arizona law
The 1864 Arizona law concerning abortions has been called “stone age” and “archaic,” but the real reason is it’s a strong anti-abortion law and the pro-choice people detest it. So, they claim old is bad and that’s why it should be repealed. But how about the U. S. Constitution, which had been in effect for almost 80 years prior to the 1864 law? Under the old-is-bad thinking, maybe we need a new Constitution that’s up to date with proper pronouns, safe spaces, transpeople’s rights and reparations for contemporary Black citizens. I think not!
Douglas R. Holm
East side
