Tucson Speaks Out: June 23

Adelita Grijalva is ready to represent

I’m a volunteer in Adelita Grijalva’s campaign to win the current primary election to be our next representative in Congress for District 7. She’s the most qualified candidate to serve the needs of the people of Southern Arizona.

As the past chair of the TUSD governing board and the Pima County Board of Supervisors, Adelita has the experience to work effectively to undo the disastrous Trump agenda. She is not beholden to corporate PAC donations. Thus, she will work to lower prices on groceries and housing, to restore cuts to Medicare and Medicaid — and to protect our water and environment.

Many of us have the highest regard for former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and Sen. Mark Kelly. They each know what it takes to be an effective member of Congress. They are endorsing Adelita Grijalva in this election because she “has it.”

Vote for Adelita Grijalva by mail now or in person July 15.

Frank Sotomayor

West side

TEP and Tucson’s well-being

Daniel Dempsey’s opinion piece on TEP is right on! TEP’s ridiculous 14% increase is par for the course for a foreign-owned utility whose primary goal is to increase profits for its investors. TEP bills itself as a hometown partner by donating to various local causes and plastering their name on anything and everything. They think that by providing free nightlights and led bulbs that Tucsonans will be OK with endless ridiculous increases and accept placement of above-ground transmission lines in our most sensitive areas. In the end, all they care about is their bottom line. It’s time to seriously start planning for a public-owned utility in order to control our future growth and mitigate these crazy increases in the name of profits. We cannot and should not depend on the ACC to look out for our interests. They have proven time and again that they are shills for the utilities with a rubber stamp at the ready for any increase, no matter how outrageous.

Alexis Raptis

West side

Data center

In a state suffering drought much of the time and attempts to conserve water are endless, why on earth would a big data center be a good idea? I do not think the case has been made. We should never believe anyone who tells us water rates will not increase. The same for electricity. The data centers use lots of both, and we don’t have excesses of either. The details of usage, replenishing, and cost to residential consumers are not forthcoming. Just after approval of the land sale by supervisors, TEP announces another rate increase. They say it’s not related to the data center proposal, but who believes that? It’s not hard to find states where data centers have moved in and electricity rates increase 15-50%. This is a very bad idea for Tucson; we will all pay dearly for.

Denise Walker

Midtown

Citizens stand with immigrants

How about people who are U.S. citizens start to congregate with immigrants at a Home Depot or another likely spot where these poor people gather to try and earn a living? This will cause ICE to delay some arrests if they are arresting anyone in that crowd. It might even give them pause if enough Americans are rounded up illegally.

Mike Dai

Midtown

Health care for ‘those people’

“Do you support the idea of the government paying for the medical care of illegal immigrants?” Seems like most Americans answer “no” to that question. But let’s ask the question this way: “Do you support the idea of the government paying for adequate hospital services for the general population?” Maybe now the answer is “yes.”

Remember that when we “give” people money (poor people, people from far away) to pay for their health care in this country, we aren’t handing them a fistful of cash. They never personally see a dime. The cash goes directly to hospitals and providers, which in almost all our communities are dangerously underfunded and can use the money.

And these are the same care facilities that you will have to go to one of these days, my friend.

George Timson

Midtown

Good bomb vs. bad bomb

Who makes the distinction between a good atomic bomb and a bad bomb? If one is not informed, one would think that only Iran is a threat of making an atomic bomb.

Also, who makes the distinction between what country is allowed to have it, or what religion? Argentina, between 1963 and 1966, sold about 90 tons of yellowcake that were allegedly shipped to Israel from Argentina in secret. In the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Prime Minister Golda Meir authorized a nuclear alert and ordered 13 atomic bombs to be ready. Israel also is not a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. If a Muslim bomb is bad, why isn’t Pakistan, a Muslim country with the bomb (1998) threatened? Why is Iran called out for perhaps having the ability to make a bomb, but with Israel, no questions are ever asked?

Clyde R. Steele

Oro Valley

Education, taxes, tariffs

Americans’ understanding of finance and society is woefully lacking. A pervasive unwillingness to recognize the lifeblood of our society abounds. We balk at the idea of paying taxes. Claims flourish that taxes are theft, not an expression of shared responsibility. Money grows on bountiful credit cards.

Our politicians have mollified our ignorance. They cut our civic contributions (taxes) to make everyone feel good. No more sending money directly to governing bodies. Yet the foundation (and schools, roads, police, fire, etc.) cracks without our collective contributions. Solution – tariffs. In our interdependent global economy, everyone buying anything pays the tariff. The top governing body collects all the tariff money. We ignorantly enjoy our tax breaks, and governing bodies have money to do the things we take for granted. We all stealthily, obliviously share the cost. We whine about increased prices, we pay, and we get the benefits of civilization without the annoying taxes for society’s upkeep. Magic!

Spencer Elliott

Oro Valley

RE: Local public lands could be sold

After a professional life spent in promoting a high-end restaurant group and hotel lodgings, I am shocked to learn that the Senate is actually considering selling away all rights to God-given natural features of our land, including Sabino Canyon, Mt. Lemmon, and Madera Canyon. These areas are both tourist attractions and provide recreational opportunities for local residents and families.

These state and federal lands are used as prime promotion attractions by all types of tourism businesses. Call our senators today and insist they vote against this irreversible tragedy that is buried in a humongous, ugly bill.

Bob Moreillon

East side

TWT

Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, tries to explain the erratic shenanigans of President Donald Trump. From the yo-yo nature of Trump’s tariffs to the conflicting messages promising wealthy supporters he would postpone work and farm ICE activities to allow more wealth acquisition, Leavitt “spins” these fiascoes to make them sound planned and sensible. Recently, President Trump has returned to his pattern of TWT, or “Two Week Trump,” as he proclaimed he will wait two weeks to make a decision about America’s role in the Israel/Iran conflict. Trump established his TWT pattern while dealing with Vladimir Putin’s trust factor, as well as dealing with ISIS, health care policies, opening of coal mines, all put on the two-week solution pattern. I suggest Leavitt have a slick sign created with TWT embossed on it as a more efficient response to questions about Trump’s absence of taking responsibility for the chaos he has created in national and international issues.

Roger Shanley

East side

Good for the goose; good for the gander?

I find it curious that a story about Iran’s bombing an Israeli hospital is featured on the front page of the Star, right under the masthead, when stories about Israel’s bombing hospitals in Gaza — a not unusual occurrence — are printed with little fanfare in the daily story that features how many Palestinian civilians Israel killed yesterday.

Jim Rapp

Southeast side

Help to understand

Obviously, the plea to Democrats to help simple-minded fascists understand your actions is rhetorical. You Democrats have failed to respond to our simple questions. As usual, you counter with name-calling and character assassination, but no reply. Simply justify the following with reason. Why is allowing 10 million-plus unvetted, illegal aliens to enter the country and not removing known illegal criminal border crossers who are terrorizing our communities acceptable? Why is it bad to prevent demonstrators from attacking law enforcement, burning property, and looting? Why does Israel have no right to defend itself from annihilation? Why should Iran be allowed to have a nuclear bomb? Why should biological men compete unfairly in competitive women’s sports? Why should genital mutilation of children and teenagers be allowed? Why should we, the taxpayers, pay for sex-change operations for incarcerated prisoners? By failing to address rationally and honestly the above questions, you demonstrate that your entire mindset is left-wing political dogma that cares little for American citizens.

Loyal M. Johnson Jr.

Oro Valley

16.5 megawatt array at DM gone

I will admit I might have missed the announcement. With the current discussion of the TEP rate increase and the City of Tucson franchise, I’d really like to know what genius thought it would be a good idea to order the 16.5-megawatt solar farm at DM along Golf Links Road to be dismantled.

Ted Frohling

Northeast side

Project Blue is a very bad idea

Our water use already exceeds the amount of rain and CAP water. To bring in a company that requires huge amounts of water will hasten the inevitable water shortage we face.

Project Blue can’t honestly say it will “replenish 100 percent of consumptive water losses in partnership with Tucson Water.” That defies the laws of physics. Water “consumed” has to be replaced by water from CAP and our aquifer.

The proposed open-air “recreational” catchment will be subject to a massive rate of evaporation in the extreme heat and low humidity of our desert.

This contract must be walked back. It’s a disaster. And when our water is gone, the out-of-state investor/owners will have the company declare bankruptcy, leaving us holding an empty aquifer and unemployed workers.

Plus, TEP will have to build infrastructure to accommodate the Center. Those costs will definitely be passed on to all Pima County residents.

Lee Stanfield

East side