Tucson Speaks Out: Feb. 7

What more can we ask?

It is incomprehensible to imagine the thought processes behind the new law proposal from Rep. Selina Bliss (R) for Arizona teachers to carry guns in school. How much more do we think is appropriate to direct toward poorly treated and paid teachers in our state? In Uvalde, TX, 376 officers of the 400 who responded to emergency calls missed the opportunity to intervene in the standoff with the shooter. These full-time, properly trained officers made the decision not to go up against a shooter with more firepower that they had. Why would we expect our teachers to intervene in a situation where they were not fully trained or armed to do any good? This is not a logical or viable plan.

Alan Barreuther

Foothills

Republicans cave to Trump

How disappointing that the one doctor, Rep. Bill Cassidy, we thought would stand up against the nomination of RFK, Jr., caved. Apparently, his fealty to and fear of Trump and gang, and his self-interest in being re-elected, take precedence over the Hippocratic Oath he took as a doctor to first “do no harm.” Cassidy is well aware of the harm RFK can cause to the health and well-being of Americans, as evidenced in his questioning during the confirmation hearings. Therefore, for Cassidy to defend his support of RFK nomination by saying he believes a proven pathological liar when he says that: 1) he won’t do away with childhood vaccines; 2) he won’t make changes to existing vaccination recommendations; 3) he won’t disband the CDC; (Centers for Disease Control); and 4) he would consult Cassidy (how can we trust Cassidy?) on new hires to the department of Health and Human Services, is either 1) naivete/stupidity or 2) blatant self-interest. I think it’s the second.

Sandra Katz

Foothills

President Musk

The Dems were crucified by their own party for not holding primaries and just allowing Kamala Harris to become the Democratic nominee. That was probably the difference in the election. Most Dems complained that they didn’t have a voice in the selection process. However, now we have a president that was never on the ballot, wasn’t born in this country and is now running the government. After reading Stuart Goldfine’s LTE you’d think that the prez is doing a great job. However, Musk isn’t president. We didn’t elect him. He couldn’t be elected due to him not being born in this country. But it’s Musk that’s running the government, not the felon. What happened to the campaign trail promises that 47 was going to bring prices down? He’s done nothing, that’s because Elon has set his sights on “taking” over the government and hasn’t told 47 about his plan.

John Bingham

Northwest side

414 propaganda

Yesterday, I received my Official Voter Info packet in the mail. It looks just like the ones we get before November elections. However, this one is deceptive. For starters, there is only one issue involved as opposed to the many in a normal election. Then, most of the first half is dedicated to an outlandish number of positive explanations of the proposition. As expected, there then comes the letters in support. I looked forward to the letters against. Surprise, surprise! There was only one. In sum, the whole packet is propaganda. I wonder how much it cost the city to print it? I will be a definite no vote on this one.

John Morgan

Midtown

What are they thinking now?

I wonder about the many Arab Americans who were disgruntled with Biden’s Middle East policies and opted to vote for Trump. What are they thinking now that he wants to take over Gaza and displace 1.8 million Palestinians to establish a Middle Eastern Riviera? How are they feeling now about the vote they cast for a wannabe king who made no bones about his fascist ideas?

Janet Sabb

Northeast side

Unelected and unaccountable

Who might have imagined that someone not daring enough to risk election would rise to a position of power without accountability in the United States! Elon Musk, unelected and unaccountable, is decimating governmental agencies under the guise of eliminating waste. Yet he takes no notice of the biggest waste inspiring acts of all — billionaire write-offs. What’s more, he is ending the careers of federal employees in the civil service system who achieved their positions through merit. So, we are witnessing the elimination of crucial agencies and the end of meritocracy and replacing all of that with brainless inefficiency. And all of this is being done without any restraints.

Barbara Benjamin

Foothills

Laura Conover

I was fortunate enough to be invited to Laura Conover’s swearing-in ceremony and party at the Old Town Artisans on Jan. 15.

What a treat! Many of her friends and co-workers were there to celebrate her and her renewed efforts to bring civility and sanity to a historically hard-nosed County Prosecutor’s Office. It was a joyful time; a time to remember.

Laura deserves such celebrations. She is beloved in Pima County. Her huge margin of victory in the election was a high stamp of approval. Her community efforts and her personal warmth can move anyone to experience why she is cherished.

I have been a fan of Laura’s from afar for many years, and she has never disappointed.

Ron Lancaster

North side

Proposition 414

As a native Tucsonan and elementary teacher for the last three decades, I am in favor of Proposition 414. I realize the importance of a more vibrant and safer Tucson. The half-cent sales tax for the next 10 years supports the worthy cause. The breakdown of how the money is to be spent is all explained at the link tucsonaz.gov. We all want a better Tucson.

I love Tucson and the Sonoran Desert. I am a Tucson product. I attended St. Ambrose, Tucson High School and the University of Arizona. Even the Chapman University and NAU degrees were done in Tucson. My brothers and sisters have lived in different states, but all of them came back to work and retire in Tucson. I believe in this town. It is worthy of a half-cent tax. We are here temporarily, and I believe in leaving something special for the next generation. Please support Proposition 414. Thank you.

Adrian Garcia

Northeast side

Make America Great Again

I tend to be a little impatient. So, I’m now preparing for how great America will be again by shopping for a Hummer, since gasoline prices will soon plummet, avoiding any further vaccine shots, hoarding toilet paper just in case of another outbreak, freezing a lot of avocados, and loading up on eggs when they’re on sale. Even though I don’t have a dog, some dog food on hand would be good, just in case of … inflation?

Tim O’Connor

West side

Should newspapers be apolitical?

Stuart Goldfine writes “A reasonable approach is a newspaper should be apolitical and simply report the news of the world.” This is, of course, nonsense — as is the rest of his letter. Want proof? Google “William Randolph Hearst”. And no, I am not paid to correct your errors.

Steven Brown

Midtown

A coup by any other name

What we are witnessing is a coup — the hostile takeover of our government by a rogue president/dictator wannabe and the unelected billionaire who bought and paid for his election, aided and abetted by a compliant Republican-led Congress willing to abdicate its constitutional responsibilities.

In the 2 1/2 weeks since the inauguration, the orange felon has issued a barrage of outrageous lies and illegal, unconstitutional, and reckless executive orders, illegally fired 17 independent Inspectors General, along with top military, FBI and DOJ officials, attempted to oust millions of federal employees, and, in the largest security breach in history, gave a handful of unvetted, extra-governmental “Department” of Government Efficiency (DOGE) engineers unauthorized access to the OMB, Treasury Department, NOAA, USAID, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, threatening the sensitive data of every American.

Americans, regardless of party, should be outraged, marching in the streets, and demanding that Congress and the courts put an end to this madness.

Celeste Rogers

East side

Will we give Gaza to Israel?

Trump is delusional. He always talks grand bargains, but it is always smoke and mirrors.

Turning Gaza into a seaside resort? The Riviera of the Mideast. Who would feel comfortable going there? Not Israelis, Americans, Europeans, Palestinians or people from any part of the world. It would be a good target for terrorists from many groups.

Would our citizens be willing to support our troops as an occupation force and into a guerrilla war? Remember Afghanistan and Iraq. We would end up turning it over to Israel.

Israel destroyed Gaza infrastructure for one reason, hoping the people would not want to go back and they would have it.

Israel has opposed a 2-state solution for 75 years in hopes of occupation of the area. If Trump thinks he can bring lasting peace, he does not know its history.

Donald Plummer

Northwest side

Presidents Washington and Trump

A recent book mentioned Washington’s original 73-page address to Congress. He was persuaded to give a much shorter version, but he mentioned one thing that really stands out, “Corruption.” President Washington could not miss the opportunity to put everyone on notice that patronage and nepotism had no place in his administration and all appointments would be on merit. “In all our appointments of persons to fill domestic and foreign office let us be careful to select only such as are distinguished for morals and abilities. Attention should be paid to the distribution of office to people on different parts of the Union.” Washington even turned down a gift of 23,000 acres for winning the Revolutionary War, stating, “I do not wish to make a profit of it.” To the distribution of office, he said, “We should seek to find men who are best qualified to fill office but never give consent to the creation of Office to accommodate men.”

Clyde .R. Steele

Oro Valley

A solution with no Trump Towers

As long as Trump is looking for creative solutions to the destruction of Gaza and the resettlement of its people, here is one to consider:

Remove the 500,000+ illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank and allow Gazan refugees to occupy these housing complexes. Given their current situations, these 2 million refugees would welcome even such cramped quarters. This would also advance Israel’s compliance with the long-ignored 1978 UN Resolution 3236 that “reaffirms the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people in Palestine, including ... the right to national independence and sovereignty” and the “inalienable right of the Palestinians to return to their homes and property from which they have been displaced.”

Bruce Hilpert

North side

Super Bowl no-show

Boycott the Super Bowl i.e., don’t watch. Have the party without the show. Trump is going, but who has fun at a game standing in a bulletproof cage? That certainly won’t upstage Taylor Swift.

More importantly, you know what the spin will be, “it was the most watched Super Bowl in the history of the Universe.”

But the more who don’t watch lowers viewership ratings, which will hit his billionaire buddies whose companies pay $20 million for a 30-second spot, right in the chops. For example, 25% less viewers than, say 60 million, equals 12.5 million fewer potential buyers, customers. Sounds like a small chip, but let it fall.

Jim Keeton

Tubac

Tucson bike, pedestrian safety

Yesterday, five bike riders, me included, successfully evaded a red-light runner at Treat and Speedway. Today, I was walking when two riders barely avoided another red-light runner at 3rd and Country Club.

Proposition 414 promises more money for the police. The police union says yeah. But, from where I walk and ride, I don’t see it curtailing the prolific light running and excessive speeding that plagues us. I’d prefer to see red light cameras and computerized speed monitoring followed by prolific automatic ticketing. Worried about surveillance? Ditch the cell phone. Driving is a privilege, not a right.

Then, there’s the Community Corridors Tool. It proposes pedestrian and bike-friendly development. I’m old. I’ll ride almost anywhere. But I know 30-year olds-who won’t ride bikes in this city due to the reckless nature of far too many drivers.

So, good luck, Tucson. Both initiatives might come to be. Whether either improves anything of real meaning in this town, well, we’ll see.

Betsy Lubis

Midtown

Challengers

To those worried about a primary challenge if you oppose any of the Trump concepts, random thoughts, nominees, appointees, or “wild hairs”. Consider you shan’t need worry about a challenge. Worry instead if anyone other than “blind mice” would ever vote for you again. You took an oath to put the Constitution first. If you don’t, you may not last.

Spencer Elliott

Oro Valley

Steller’s Feb 5 column

Tim Steller is right on. The Star should invite each of those officeholders to hold a town hall in Tucson to take questions about the subject of the column.

Thomas Karrenberg

Oro Valley

Arming teachers

The idea that arming our school teachers will make schools safer makes about as much sense as believing that more nuclear weapons will make the world safer.

Aston Bloom

East side

Garza resurrection

At this time, Garza is inhabited but uninhabitable — a land of broken concrete, unexploded bombs and decaying bodies; but it may also be the site of a great experiment — a recovered area where various populations can come together and learn to work together. Israel contains populations of Jewish, Arab and non-Jewish or Arab peoples that seem to co-exist within the state, at least existing in peaceful cooperation, if not friendship. President Trump could finally accomplish something that is worthy of his high office and would be considered a great achievement in world peace and earn significant praise from fellow world leaders. Other governments who support a country for Palestinians could aid in this experiment by providing funds, equipment and experts to help create such a country. Even if this goal meets with failure, it is better than clearing the population of Gaza, preparing the land for tourists and establishing a resort town where resorts, casinos and the iconic Trump Tower exist in stark contrast to the extreme poverty.

Richard Rebl

East side

Democracy is threatened, Jeffrey

Re: Your recent brief letter (“When Democrats say that Republicans are a threat to our fragile democracy, what they really mean is that we are a threat to their bloated bureaucracy.”) I respectfully disagree. Democracy is threatened when the administration refuses to release funds appropriated by Congress. If a president is allowed to simply refuse to spend money for programs he does not like, then our Constitution is a dead letter, and the president becomes a dictator. If Republicans wish to shrink the bureaucracy, they can. Since they control both Congress and the executive branch, it should be easy. But what Trump is doing now (with USAID, for example) has thrown us into a Constitutional crisis. If you are cheering him on for usurping powers he does not have, then you do not really believe in the Constitution.

Donald Reese

Southeast side

Replace deportees with Gazans

So now Trump wants the U.S. to take over Gaza, move Palestinians out and rebuild it, no doubt using Trump construction labor. So here’s a win-win solution to this problem. Relocate the displaced Gazans to the U.S. with temporary work visas to replace the deported migrants whose jobs have been abandoned. Even without prior experience, I’m sure that with a little training by the few remaining illegals they can quickly learn to make beds, pick fruit or operate a leaf blower.

Jeff Aronson

Northeast side

Act to Help Neediest Population

It is time to act. Donald Trump and his billionaire henchmen want to freeze funds going to programs such as school breakfasts and lunches, supplemental nutrition for mothers and children, Head Start, and other programs that directly impact our poorest people.

This country will be irrevocably harmed when the children who need these organizations grow up without them. They will be malnourished and lacking in education, which will impact us all.

Our current “leaders” care only about themselves. We must insist they show compassion for constituents who will suffer most under their selfish, bigoted reign.

It is time to act. Write, email, or call our congressmen to demand they vote against this administration’s blatant attempts to scapegoat and harm our neediest neighbors.

April and John Hoffman

Oro Valley

Sens. Kelly, Gallego unreachable by phone

I attempted to call our U.S. Senators from Arizona to urge them to support the Elon Musk Act after Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI) announced he would introduce a bill to create this act which would ban federal contracts for special government employees, similar to the bans for members of Congress and other federal employees. Senator Mark Kelly’s office allowed my call to go to voicemail during office hours, and his voicemail box was full. Senator Ruben Gallego’s office phone number was removed from his official U.S. Senate website. Shame on our U.S. Senators that they have blocked their constituents’ ability to contact them by phone. (I have sent emails to both of them.) I fear for our constitutional democracy. Sadly, this is one more step towards its demise.

Amelia Cramer

Downtown