Poll workers under attack
Poll workers, paid and volunteer, and all of the civil servants that work in the County Recorder’s Offices across the nation deserve our respect and gratitude, not the suspicion and derision that Trump and his cronies have cast upon them. According to the Brennan Center, since Trump denied the results of the 2020 Election and henchman Rudy Giuliani went to Georgia to terrorize election workers Freeman and Moss, 38% of election officials have experienced threats, harassment or abuse for doing their jobs. Such threats lead to workers quitting, thus creating another problem: having enough trained workers to do the job.
We know the 2020 Election was fair. The votes were tallied, audited and certified. Casting doubt on the validity of the process and threatening the workers needed to complete the task is a disservice to us all.
New laws have been passed, and new security procedures have been created to protect election workers and the process. Contact your Recorder’s Office to volunteer and help make a difference!
People are also reading…
Leadawn Anderton
Southwest side
Hudbay PR man claims a stake in Tucson’s future
Re: the Aug. 14 article “Economic study on Copper World Project is flawed.”
I was annoyed by Jerry Bustamante’s Opinion article claiming that the independent economic study on the Hudbay Copper Worlds Project was flawed. This report was done by Power Consulting Inc. and paid for by donations from some of the 3,000 local people who have formed Save The Scenic Santa Ritas Association. In his last paragraph, he refers to himself as a stakeholder in Tucson’s growth. I don’t think the Manager of Public Affairs for the foreign Hudbay Mineral Company can claim a stake in any aspect of Tucson.
Izetta Feeny
Northwest side
Immigrants and true patriotism
My father and his three brothers were sons of Ukrainian immigrants. They did not poison America’s blood. They served in our military in WWII. They did not run to some doctor to ask him to say they had bone spurs to avoid military service, as Donald Trump did to avoid Vietnam.
My father’s mechanized 14th Cavalry suffered heavy casualties in Hitler’s surprise Ardennes Offensive in December 1944, as it battled units like the 1st SS Panzer Division that is notorious for murdering 84 captured American soldiers at the Malmedy Massacre and 93 Belgian civilians at Stavelot. Trump sneered that our murdered soldiers and honored war dead are “losers and suckers.”
When Trump embraces the flag and spouts Nazi slogans about immigrants “poisoning the blood,” he proves the truth of English lexicographer Samuel Johnson’s quotation: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” Unlike many immigrants, Trump has never truly served our nation.
Ronald Pelech
Midtown
‘Unborn human being’
The court has ruled to allow “unborn human being” in the opposition wording to the abortion rights initiative, an unscientific phrase used to convince the reader to vote against it. When will those who approve this phrase acknowledge the actual “born human being,” the mother, and her rights over her own body? When will they acknowledge the “unborn human” when it’s actually born, allowing the help and care needed for it to thrive? When will they acknowledge that they are not doctors with medical certificates, have no understanding of women’s health, and should not have power over the decisions of doctors and their patients? In their views, women should have no right ever to an abortion, even if carrying the fetus is life-threatening. It seems that, in their opinion, pregnant women have absolutely no value except to give birth.
Jean Israel
SaddleBrooke
Franks’ Opinion on Harris
Re: the Aug. 16 article “America’s honeymoon with Kamala Harris is ending soon.”
In Gary Franks’ Opinion piece, he holds forth on how unqualified Kamala Harris is to be President and whines about the fact that she has not held a press conference or given an interview. It would appear that he would prefer Trump’s disjointed, rambling, nonsensical press briefings. Hannibal Lecter? Selling Bibles? He states that Trump has been “remarkably disciplined.” Compared to what? Trump is by word and deed the same ranting idiot he has been since 2016. To think and put forth that Trump is “more qualified” to be President is Franks’ usual lunacy. He, also, faults Ms. Harris for not “vetting” Tim Walz properly. His ire is misdirected, he has clearly confused himself about the more “qualified” Vice President candidate. Readers should not be fooled by Franks’ opinion pieces. I am sure that if, by some horrible error, Trump is elected, there will be a speechwriter place for Franks.
Jean Getek
Foothills
Robson’s credibility questionable
Re: the Aug. 16 article “Kamala Harris has a credibility crisis.”
It is rich that Karrin Taylor Robson is on her high horse telling us that Kamala Harris is utterly unqualified to be president. This wealthy white woman, Doug Ducey’s chosen one, lost to Kari Lake. That on its own should render her judgment questionable and highly suspect. It is humorous that she is trying to appeal to Arizona Democrats. Every Arizona Democrat I know believes that Kamala is extremely qualified and ready to be president. As the great Joe Biden recently said, Kamala will make a hell of a president.
I believe Karrin’s words will backfire and convince people that the Republican’s only playbook is to denigrate a woman of color instead of acknowledging her many accomplishments, elected Attorney General, Elected US Senator, and elected Vice President. When the millions of us voted for Joe Biden in the primaries we were also voting for Kamala Harris as well.
James Robinett
Southwest side
Fairness and capitalism can coexist
Re: the Aug. 19 article “When called a ‘communist,’ don’t propose price controls.”
Catherine Rampell’s op-ed got me thinking. I completely disagree that any effort to increase fairness in a capitalist economic system is by definition “communist.” Regulations that keep corporations from relentlessly pursuing their bottom lines without concern for workers and consumers are necessary.
The Harris/Walz “price-gouging” proposal Rampell quotes is focused on a necessity — food and groceries. Rampell lost her argument when she committed a reduction ad absurdum by extrapolating that specific focus to “government-enforced price controls across every industry, not only food.”
I am not a communist, but I do expect the government to ensure that all people have food and medicine, without which they will die. As Biden/Harris have done by lowering the cost of frequently prescribed prescription drugs, I expect our leaders to negotiate with food producers, food product manufacturers, and restaurant chains about how to meet employees’ and consumers’ needs while protecting some measure of their profits.
Judi Moreillon
Northeast side
March in change threatens innovation
The University of Arizona has left a tremendous mark on our country’s technology and innovation industries. Their work on the aerospace industry alone has been tremendous. I hope it will continue for generations to come, but to do so, we need leaders like Rep. Juan Ciscomani to continue to endorse and defend policies that have made it possible in the first place. A good place to start would be to ask the Biden Administration to stop their proposed changes to the Bayh-Dole Act. The Act allowed for universities to capitalize on their inventions by partnering their discoveries with private companies, startups, etc. The Biden Administration is looking to use a never-before-used loophole to march in and take back the IP if they deem the price too high for the product or invention. This is madness and industries across the board are opposed. I hope that Rep. Ciscomani takes note of this and works hard to defend the University of Arizona’s future innovation potential.
Andy Norton
Oro Valley
Biden farewell
Biden stepped down and was flooded by praise and sentiments, nothing else. His forlorn face told the pain of being forced out of his greatest political accomplishment. He defended his successes by directing hate towards his presidential predecessor. The country was left wondering what his Vice President would do to the policies he fought for. Will the campaign be something more than abortion and sowing fear of Trump. Perhaps he and the country will know soon.
Kenneth Smalley
Midtown
Tighten the belt
We have all heard the term “tighten the belt.” What does it mean, how do we do this? One way is to spend so much that we get fat, or bloated. Another way is to spend less, eat less, and we tighten our belt.
Trips to conventions require airline tickets, rental cars, hotel rooms, meals, entertainment, and the cost of the convention. Of the few hours actually spent on the content of the convention, the hourly cost can add up.
If you are paying for this and value is added to your company, this can be an investment. If this content can easily be obtained online or through printed material, this is an unnecessary expense. The belt tightens one way or another.
COVID taught us that Zoom meetings can achieve the same results as “in your face” meetings. How many government trips are taken by military junkets, legislative junkets, etc. Are these trips absolutely necessary or can zoom accomplish the desired result.
How does the belt tighten? Less is more.
Ed LeGendre
East side
Why does Trump lie?
Why does Trump lie? Some examples: He claimed that the crowds at a Harris rally were faked because they were not reflected in the airplane behind her. Airplanes are rounded and do not reflect like a mirror. We and all the press saw the crowds. He said his gag order at his trial prevented him from campaigning. No, the gag order meant he can’t threaten or slander court officials and witnesses. Tariffs are not paid by the country that exports to the US, as Trump claims, they are paid by the importing company or the customers, or both. Trump claimed in April of 2020 that COVID would just magically disappear. In February of 2020, he told Bob Woodward how dangerous this airborne disease was. It eventually killed over a million U.S. citizens. The Constitution clearly states, “The President of the Senate shall ... open all the certificates, and the Votes shall be counted.” It says nothing about changing the votes or the electors as Trump wanted Pence to do.
Don Ries
Southeast side
Fed up with Trump
I can’t wait for this election to be over. Trump’s constant lies and self-pity have me screaming at the television.
I believe there are two main types of MAGA voters. First there are the Trump cultists. They think Trump is a great man because he hates the same people they do. They are fine with authoritarians telling them what to do and think because that is easier than deciding for themselves.
The second type are the self-serving ones that look to Trump to improve their bottom lines with tax cuts, low minimum wages and fewer pesky regulations.
Please vote Kamala in and send Trump to jail where he belongs.
Robert McNeil
Midtown
Retention of Supreme Court Judges
With the recent AZ Supreme Court ruling overturning on appeal the wording on proposition 139 enshrining the right to an abortion as a woman’s constitutional right, it becomes imperative that justices Clint Bolick and Kathryn King not be retained for their consistently personal biases on law. Republican Governor D. Ducey added two additional seats to the court creating this partisan super majority. Voting these two out will enable Governor Hobbs to restore some semblance of balance to this compromised institution.
Connie Lauth
Northwest side
Land of opportunity
“If I’d stayed (in England), I’d have always been a green grocer’s son.” Those words came from my new British boss, a prominent BBC television producer, explaining why he’d uprooted his family and moved to Boston for a precarious short-term employment contract. His words imprinted on me how lucky I was to have grown up in the US.
This week, those words came back as I watched President Biden speak to DNC delegates — a kid with a stutter from Scranton, PA, who’d reached the highest position in our land. I saw Kamala Harris, daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, about to be named Democratic candidate for the Presidency. Next to her, Tim Walz, who’d worked his way from a family farm through military service, college, teaching and coaching before entering politics.
They reminded me of the unique land of opportunity that we live in, and how important our votes will be in November to preserve the democracy of this great nation of ours.
Thea Chalow
Oro Valley
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