Tucson Speaks Out: Aug. 14 letters of the day

To all the frustrated Republicans who say Democrats did not cast votes for Kamala Harris, yes, we did. That was the whole ticket on which we cast votes. But we didn’t vote for them, we voted for the delegates who will vote at the convention. Those delegates, when Biden dropped out, were quick to check their constituencies for directions on how to cast their votes, and they were almost unanimously directed to support Harris.

Thank you, Republicans, for your concern. For myself, I would vote for any Democrat before letting Trump and Project 2025 destroy our democracy.

E. Kathy Suagee

Benson

School funding

Re: the Aug. 6 article “Arizona’s Education Department loses millions.”

Superintendent Tom Horne is implicated in the loss of $29 million in federal funding intended for underperforming students. Arizona’s education system, generally rated poorly, would have greatly benefited from this federal aid. However, it appears that either negligence or preoccupation with ESA grants led to the oversight of the grant’s expiration date. The forfeiture of such a substantial sum is both egregious and lamentable. Horne has once again failed the taxpayers of Arizona and calls for accountability are mounting.

Edward Espinoza

Southwest side

Voting

Perhaps a way to discern which Presidential candidate to vote for is to focus on a characteristic that distinguishes we humans from the rest of the animal kingdom; our ability to reason (rationality). A qualification for President should require a high level of reasoning skills.

A way to measure a candidate’s use of reasoning skills is to maintain a log (rational vs. irrational) of each candidate’s statements. For example, a candidate who verbally attacks the other candidate or employs name-calling; “radical left lunatic,” would score in the irrational column vs. a candidate who addresses policy issues and would score in the rational column. The person with the most rational statements would be the preferred candidate.

Dale Gehring

Midtown

Wrong conclusions

Re: the Aug. 10 letter “Kudos to the Star.”

The letter writer engages in a classic political ploy of citing a fact or two and drawing the wrong conclusion. He states that “slavery and segregation were entirely controlled and promoted by the Solid Democrat South.” Of course, this is true — before WWII. Starting with Truman’s integration of the army the segregationist wing of the Democratic party fled to the Republican Party where they were warmly welcomed.

He also states that “Republicans were the heroes of desegregation!” This is false. Throughout the ‘50s and beyond Republicans adamantly opposed civil rights legislation and desegregation.

He also praises Mr. Frank’s piece which was a factual listing of a handful of benefits Republicans provided and ignores their many and continuing efforts to deny the benefits of citizenship to Americans of color.

Steven Brown

Midtown

Republicans and the Southern Strategy

It is really mind-boggling that there are so many people out there who have forgotten (or ignore) a little thing called the “Southern Strategy” when they try to tie the Democratic Party of today with the Democratic Party of the Civil War.

After the Democrats embraced the civil rights movement in the 1960s and Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, the party lost most of the white, conservative voters in the South, who resented losing their hierarchical place to the newly enfranchised Black voters.

When Nixon came along in 1968, he used this animosity to drive these white voters to the Republican Party, and the Republicans have been using the same playbook ever since. They definitely are NOT the same party as when Lincoln was president!

When I see the Republican Project 2025 and its chilling prospects for America and contrast that with the sane and positive future with the Democrats, it makes my choice in November very easy.

John Wheeler

Downtown

Help me understand

Re: the Aug. 11 letter ‘Weird: Label of the month.’

A recent letter writer is bothered by use of the word “weird” to describe Donald Trump and his cohorts. The concern is using this word is setting a bad example for children. They are watching! Really? The children were watching — are still watching — as Trump incessantly name-calls, denigrates, disparages, mocks peoples’ handicaps (stuttering, Michael J. Fox’s physical challenges) and of course the continual lying. How about the Big Lie? Do kids buy that one? He comes up with snarky, disparaging names for anyone he doesn’t like. He denigrates people of color and insulted Native Americans at an event honoring the Navajo Code Talkers. He denigrates women — recall his “Grab ‘em by the ...” remark. The kids hear and see it all. He’s ramping up the hateful, nasty diatribe since Kamala became his opponent. What a great target for him — female and Black/Asian. And we should be worried about the word “weird?” Though accurate, it’s actually far too kind a word considering who its being applied to.

Deb Klumpp

Oro Valley

Dishonoring veterans’ service

Mine is a family of veterans. My father served in WWII and was a proud member of the American Legion and Disabled American Veterans. Like Senator John McCain, he held strong political opinions. However, both adhered to an axiom: never denigrate another veteran’s honorable service record. What Republicans are doing now is the opposite. Theirs is a strategy used before, shamelessly “swift-boating” John Kerry’s service record during his run for President. VP candidate, Governor Tim Walz, served 24 years in the Army Guard, retiring to run for Congress months before his unit was ordered to be deployed overseas. In Congress, he served his country on the Veterans Affairs and Armed Services Committees, advocating for veterans’ causes, including suicide prevention, PTSD and expanding GI benefits. Republican hypocrisy is evident when their own presidential nominee is a draft dodger who obtained a bogus medical exemption, called Americans who gave their lives for their country “losers” and “suckers” and vilified Senator McCain’s heroism.

H. Eugene Hoyme, MD

Foothills

Who’s to blame for inflation?

Re: the Aug. 12 article “Having trouble paying your bills? Blame Washington.”

I realize you have to be “fair and balanced,” but the Op Ed by E.J. Antoni really must be rebuked. Mr. Antoni is a “public finance economist at the Heritage Foundation.” The Foundation used to be a reputable conservative think tank, but under its current president, Kevin Roberts, it has become an unabashed propaganda machine for the American far right.

Our national debt was increased by trillions by the Trump tax cut that benefited only the very rich and the very big corporations. Our spending power has decreased due to pandemic-caused inflation that has now been tamed by the Federal Reserve — without a recession. The Biden Harris spending has benefited infrastructure, public health, child care, and a beginning to addressing the peril of global warming.

Antoni’s piece should be considered basic “pull-the-wool-over-their eyes” political advertising.

Suzanne Ferguson

Southeast side

Thought experiment

In J.D. Vance’s interview with Jonathan Karl last Sunday, Vance referred to his policy decisions as a “thought experiment.” George Carlin posthumously has another one for his euphemisms. Crazy, undemocratic notions, including Project 2025, are now guised as thought experiments.

The blathering MAGA presidential candidate and his running mate are a twisted thought experiment. A true embodiment of Chauncey Gardner, Trump has managed to dodge substantive and rational policy issues in favor of juvenile, clownish and disparaging remarks. The American public deserves better.

I pine for the day for meaningful political discourse. I’ve been cheated by big money that buys inane phrases translating to votes. By nominating the ex-President, the MAGA Party is showcasing an old horse, pumped with air under the skin, as a thoroughbred. It is bewildering how Trump has cajoled his base to lap up his People’s Temple-like conspiracy concoctions.

The Republican Party has nominated a thoroughbred — a thoroughbred thought experiment that occupies our collective brain as a dead worm.

Arne Maki

Green Valley

If Hamas attacked America

A perspective I have not seen yet and a question I would really appreciate responses to. If the percent of casualties suffered per capita by Israel by Hamas would have happened to the USA, here’s what the numbers would have been: 41,000+ American deaths, 8,700 Americans taken captive, 3,800 American captives still held captive to this day (the other 4,900 died during their captivity).

What would the USA response have been?

Shane Lindstrom

North side

Happy Birthday to Medicare!

The 59th birthday of Medicare was celebrated at the Armory Park Senior Center July 30th. I attended along with about 40 others who were enjoying a meal at the Center. A Medicare recipient for 15 years, I learned much from the speakers — Marlene Bluestein, MD, Physicians for A National Health Program and Linda Khumalo, Medicare Coordinator, Pima Council on Aging (PCOA). Not all Medicare programs are the same —/ Original Medicare and privatized Medicare Advantage programs are different. And within each there are many options. It is a complex issue. Go to the Physicians for a National Health Program for more information about Medicare Advantage. For a local resource call the Pima Council on Aging at 520-546-2111 to speak to or make an appointment to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of different programs. Not doing so can be harmful to your health.

Kay Davis

Southwest side

Average interest rates

Re: the Aug. 12 article “Having trouble paying your bills? Blame Washington.”

In the first paragraph, he makes the outrageous claims that June’s average savings account interest rate of 3.4% was “less than half the pre-pandemic rate and almost two-thirds below the long-run average of about 8.5%”. What world was he living in? A quick search online shows that savings interest rates haven’t been as high as 8% since the 1980s, which contributed to a number of banks failing, and that only lasted a few years, falling to 4 to 5% in the 1990s. Forbes Advisor says that between 2018 and 2021 “national average savings rates fluctuated between 0.01% to 0.10%”. That’s what I remember. And today you can get between 4.5 and 5% from online accounts with no minimum deposit and FDIC insurance. When you start with that kind of big lie, I can’t believe anything else you say.

Stephen Thomas

Foothills

The real answer to high drug prices

It’s election time, which means we are seeing plenty of ads talking about lowering drug prices. It’s a good thing for an ad, but much harder to do in reality. A simple way to start would be to focus on the troubled pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) industry. This industry has enjoyed record profits while seniors continue to struggle paying at the pharmacy. There’s a reason why legislators of both parties, as well as the FTC, have started to look at overhauling this industry. I think they know that it is just plain wrong for an industry’s profits to be directly tied to a drug’s costs, which is the case with PBMs. I know many seniors who often make difficult decisions on whether they can afford their medications. That should never be the case, and I am hopeful that our Senators Kelly and Sinema, as well as Rep. Ciscomani do more than just talk about lowering drug prices. I hope they actually do it.

Regina Christianson

East side

Children listening

Re: the Aug. 11 letter ‘Weird: Label of the month.’

A recent writer stated she was dismayed that Trump and Vance are described as weird. It might upset the children. One is a convicted felon who brags about grabbing women by the genitalia, cheated on all his wives, the other dresses in drag, changed his name multiple times, etc. That classifies as weird. Her upset is disingenuous given Trump’s penchant for calling everyone names. Low energy Jeb Bush, little Marco Rubio, women are horse face, calling vets losers. He is morally and psychologically unfit. I would hope she raises her children to have higher expectations for President or just people in general than pathological liar, sexual predator, multiple bankruptcies, failed businessman. Everyone is listening, please raise the bar for your children.

Craig Miller

Northwest side

Hard-to-recycle plastics

I recently took some hard-to-recycle plastics to the Ward 6 collection point, near the Ward 6 offices on First Street just east of Country Club. While I was there, another person came in and tossed a not-orange bag of plastics into one of the orange roll-offs.

I approached them and asked whether they knew that only the orange Hefty ReNew bags were being accepted. They did not and asked where orange bags could be purchased. After some looking around, we found a smallish sign on the side of the roll-off with this information.

I believe this small sign is insufficient. I think a large (3x5 feet or even 4x6 feet) sign should be placed in a conspicuous position at each collection point clearly stating that ONLY orange Hefty ReNew bags are accepted and saying where they can be bought.

Hey Tucson, can we make this a priority?

Dave Peterson

Midtown