Tucson Speaks Out: Dec. 22 letters of the day

Instances of artificial intelligence, if looked at as dangerous organisms, require only one thing to “live”: electric power.

We should require all instances of AI to be restrained in something akin to biohazard labs that are rated at level 4, the highest and most dangerous condition.

So, if an AI instance created by some Silicon Valley startup or Russian lab gets out of hand, say, it wants to create a nuclear war for fun, simply pull the plug.

Peter Bakke

SaddleBrooke

Reproductive rights

Why can’t men in the United States be banned from having vasectomies when women can not have an abortion. It takes two! Let’s keep this on a level playing field. Ban all vasectomies. What’s good for the goose is good for gander. How would men feel about relinquishing their reproductive rights!

Marybeth Schneider

East side

A Winterhaven neighbor’s 12 days of trash

Sung to the tune of 12 days of Christmas are the following items found on my street next door to The Festival of Lights: discarded hats, lost mittens, empty drink cups, a Starbucks mug, crushed beer cans, half-eaten pizza, kettle corn, food wrappers, baby bottle nipples, half full drink cups, a diaper and to top it off, my blocked driveway. There is still another week to go and I’m looking forward to what could possibly come next. My question of why some people are so inconsiderate goes unanswered.

Marcy Tigerman

Midtown

Hitler, Nazi, Dictator really?

Whenever you start comparing a political party or candidate to Hitler or the Nazi party, you have shown profound ignorance of history. Anything you say after that will be nonsense. Sixty million died as a result of Nazi rule including 6 million Jews. Think we are losing our democracy and potentially electing a dictator?

What does it take to be a absolute ruler?

1. Control of, or support of, the media.

a. Newspapers

b. Social media

c. Movies and documentaries

d. Television and news programs

2. Support of the military

3. Control of security apparatus (FBI, CIA, NSA)

4. Registration, banning and/or confiscation of firearms and means of resistance.

5. Investigate, arrest and jail political opponents.

6. Support of business (crony capitalism)

7. Create subjective categories of acceptable free speech.

8. Institutional indoctrination of youth in schools, including arbitrary standards.

Do you really think anyone running can do all that and if so, which is more likely?

Chris Simenson

Green Valley

Reason why economy is strong

Recently on Fox News, business reporter Maria Bartiromo said with bewilderment, “the economy is a lot stronger than anyone understands.” Actually, it’s easy to understand. “Trickle down” economics doesn’t work. “Bidenomics” does.

Since Reagan Republicans first promoted “trickle down” economics, we’ve seen repeated examples of its failure. Cutting taxes for large corporations and wealthy individuals only helps — surprise, surprise — large corporations and wealthy individuals. The alleged “trickle” never reaches the middle class or those below. No wonder this Republican scheme became known as “voodoo” economics.

In contrast, Democratic “Bidenomics” does work. By growing the economy “from the bottom up and the middle out,” under Biden’s leadership the U.S. has enjoyed the best recovery from COVID of any country in the G7, jobs are more plentiful than any time since the 1960s, and robust wage growth is now beating inflation.

When election season rolls around, remember it’s the Democrats that are rebuilding our middle class. As James Carville famously said, “It’s the economy, stupid!”

Thea Chalow

Oro Valley

R

esponse to Dennis Fischer’s 12/16 letter

Re: the Dec. 16 letter “Ciscomani on the winning side of mining.”

The letter writer, a former site manager for the Rosemont Mining operation, quoted from the Tucson Metro Chamber/AZ Mining Association Southern AZ Survey. This caught my eye: “with over 70% of respondents supporting copper mining in Southern Arizona,” let’s take a look at that.

The question was: In general, do you support/oppose copper mining in southern AZ?

Pima County responded, combining definitely and probably answers, 62% pro and 27% against.

But the next question, do you support/oppose Copper World? Twenty-six percent support and 14% oppose, and 60% answered: Don’t know.

Then, the survey added some outdated background info, saying phase 1 will be producing cathodes on-site and be sold to domestic customers. We now know Copper World is delaying any on-site cathode production, and exporting to China for at least the first four years. That PFS report came out in September, two weeks before this survey was conducted. I guess the Mining Association missed Hudbay’s updated report.

So, the following answers were based on incorrect information.

Pima went to 51% pro and 38% against.

Without the spoon fed, outdated summary of Copper World being added to this survey, the big takeaway is 60% don’t know what Copper World is doing. It’s time to find out.

Cathy McGrath

Vail

Voter initiatives

Re: the Dec. 14 article “Lawmakers ask judge to bar an Arizona law.”

Howard Fischer detailed current and past Republican efforts to override Arizona voter initiatives in his recent article. Fischer noted the recent efforts of House Speaker Ben Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen to block the 2022 voter-approved law guaranteeing voters know the source of political funding. In 2000, Republicans legislators attempted to nullify voter initiatives on redistricting, resulting in the Independent Redistricting Commission. The case went to the United States Supreme Court, and their finding reminded our state’s senators and representatives “The people themselves are the originating source of all the powers of government.” Hopefully, this concept will redirect those legislators wishing to ignore the will and vote of the people, and Arizonans will see sensible, productive governing.

Roger Shanley

East side

Vouchers were never about choice

Vouchers were never meant for everyone. They are just a ploy to get voters to accept laws that allow private, parochial, and charter schools to get more of these state subsidies/vouchers so they can raise their prices. They keep customers they want, high achievers and wealthy who can still afford them, and rake in our tax dollars. In the meantime, public schools that have lost those dollars, continue to erode. Experienced teachers who hung on for retirement leave and facilities decay. Eventually priced out of using vouchers, the middle class and poor families turn back to public schools, now staffed with uncertified (another law) teachers. This is all part of the Legislators’ plan to empower the wealthy by ensuring others are unable to think critically enough to recognize it. And, it’s working. Arizona schools have been underfunded since 2011; an entire school generation. We are now living the loss of those critical thinking skills. It’s scary.

Hollace Lyon

SaddleBrooke

Hip hip hooray for the IRA … and business support!

Re: the Dec. 19 article “Inflation Reduction Act transforms AZ economy.”

It’s about time that the Arizona business community and especially the big business community supported renewable energy in Tucson and Arizona! So I was glad to see the recent article by Steve Zylstra supporting the Inflation Reduction Act and highlighting its very beneficial effect on Arizona via the influx of new businesses in that field.

Now I hope that applause will translate into helping Tucson businesses and residents get solar, heat pumps and other climate saving devices that the IRA makes easier to purchase. Of course, that support would mean opposing decisions by the Arizona Corporation Commission, whose Republican membership has consistently voted against anything renewable and in favor of more fossil fuel. And it would mean supporting some pro-renewable actions in the Republican led-legislature, maybe supporting such ideas as Community Choice Energy. And supporting U.S. Representatives that support renewables too! All of that would be a welcome change.

Bruce Plenk, formerly the Solar Energy Coordinator for the City of Tucson and is now a solar consultant and member of Sustainable Tucson

East side

Allegiance

I watched Sound of Music yesterday and when a Nazi leader came up to someone, he saluted with “Heil Hitler” showing allegiance to their leader, and the other person was required to salute back with that phrase. I thought to myself this is just like Republican leaders who basically do a “Heil, Trump” salute giving him their allegiance.

My parents were taken from Poland during WWII by the Germans and put in slave labor camps in Germany. Hitler thought all Slavic people were inferior to the Germans and were only useful for slave labor. Trump has said that certain nationalities are inferior to white Americans and would poison their blood. America was built by immigrants from many countries. My family and I came here in 1951 as did millions of war refugees yearning for the freedoms promised by our constitution. But the current Republican Party doesn’t seem to give allegiance to our constitution, but instead gives it to one man.

Jean Barkley

East side