Letters to the Editor: Jan. 15

President Biden finally decided to make an effort to find the Mexican border. Someone must have told him that his visit to Phoenix on Dec. 6 did not count as a border visit. He was justifiably confused because when he was first elected to public office in the 1850s, the border was in fact just outside of Phoenix prior to the Gadsden Purchase. It was an honest mistake: come on man, cut him some slack.

Gary Stoeger

Northwest side

Vouchers aren’t silver bullet

Re: The Jan. 13 article “School vouchers don’t solve the problem.”

This article should be required reading for any of our state officials that support education vouchers. Indiana’s experience is testament to the fact that the only thing that vouchers accomplish is to subsidize rich people that were going to send their kids to private school anyway! If we must have limited vouchers, target them to poor families with kids attending failing public schools. The remaining funds can go to shore up funding for our beleaguered public schools, which are far behind most other states in both performance and financing. School vouchers are not a silver bullet but a golden calf that too many in our state government wrongly worship.

Lee LaFrese

East side

RTA substantial problems

Re: the Jan. 11 article “Suggestions for a successful RTA.”

The writer outlines steps needed to be taken by the Regional Transportation Authority to garner more support for RTA Next when it comes before the voters in 2026. While these changes are desperately needed, they only nibble around the edges, are not major and will not save RTA Next at the polls.

As long as RTA, and by extension RTA Next, underrepresents residents of Tucson, giving them only the same voting power as Marana residents (just as an example), refuses to allow members of the Citizens Advisory Committee to openly voice their opinions, refuses to immediately make needed changes to Tucson projects, and fails to rein in the power of its executive director, RTA Next should and will fail at the polls.

As they say, without substantial changes, RTA may win this battle but lose the war.

Howard Strause

Foothills

Classified car garages?

Biden’s claim, “I take classified documents and material seriously.” No, Mr. President, you do not. Neither did your predecessor, a former Secretary of State, a gaggle of White House staff or your Corvette. It is evident none of you possess any concept of what safeguarding intelligence data entails or appreciate the very real damage caused if compromised. During 25 years in federal law enforcement, I held a Top Secret (TS) and Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance as well as being read-on to several Special Access Programs (SAP). The Star Wars-level technology and human collection efforts which produced this information was so glaring, the requirement for intense physical security of each document was evident to even the naivest. If I, or any other federal employee, had done what you and others mentioned did, we would have been summarily fired and I would be writing this from a prison cell.

Tom Hansen

North side

Immigration statistics

Re: the Dec. 18 letter “Illegal immigration.”

This letter is good example of how to lie with statistics. The letter writer blamed “2.76 million undocumented border crossings by October” on President Biden. An NBC news article on the subject said “for 12 months ending September 30, Customs and Border Protection stopped migrants more than 2,766,582 times.” They were stopped! CBP also said the number is inflated because it reflects “multiple border crossing attempts.” Many repeats were due to a policy instituted by former President Trump to instantly return border crossers to Mexico because of COVID restrictions. Many tried again. Google NBC report on record border crossings. In a related article, former CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said failing regimes in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua “have been driving new waves of migration.” Look up “Migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua producing shift in asylum seekers.”

Cindy Chojnacky

Foothills

Colorado River

I want to commend Tony Davis and Kelly Presnell for their series of articles and photos regarding the Colorado River.

I cannot imagine how much of their time and effort was spent on this in-depth look at the problems for the future of this great river and what we, the users, have to look forward to.

We all need to take heed and realize this is a problem that will not disappear, but only magnify as the population grows in this part of the country.

My thanks to Mr. Davis and Mr. Presnell for their outstanding work.

Marylee Peterson

East side

Ballot harvesting

Re: the Dec. 22 letter “How to win an election.”

The letter writer suggests Republicans follow the example of Democrats who he claims “devote most resources to hiring canvassers to go door-to-door to harvest ballots. These votes are legal,” he says.

This is a lie. Ballot harvesting is not legal in Arizona. HR 2023, enacted in 2016, makes ballot harvesting a class 6 felony. The validity of the statute was upheld by the Supreme Court in June 2021.

Russ Willis

Midtown

Lost election

Lake, Finchem and Hamadeh are sore losers. All three should join Trump under the rock that they came from. I can’t wait to see Trump in a jumpsuit that matches his hair. Just saying.

Armando G. Lopez

Vail

Water cost sleight of hand

Re: the Dec. 24 letter “Raise the price.”

I did not negotiate the water deal. But I have to believe all parties involved were negotiating in good faith. The recent letter to the editor suggests there is something nefarious about the money for water left in the source. I will not argue the numbers cited by the letter writer. They are probably exact. The problem is that he argues apples versus oranges. The water at the source requires purification and transportation to the users. Those costs are why there is a notable difference in the value of the two waters.

I believe it is a symptom of the aggrieved politics of today to throw rocks without doing the hard part, thinking. It is also too easy to believe they are crooks, rather than trying to understand why they are agreeing to this or that. There are good public servants and bad ones as well.

Jeff Rayner

SaddleBrooke

Migrant bussing

Here’s an idea. Why don’t the cities where the migrants are bussed to confiscate the buses and fine the owners an amount equal to the cost of replacing one with a new one of the same specifications. They must cost several hundred thousand dollars. Let’s see where that goes.

Phil Cohen

SaddleBrooke

The problem of the border

The solution to the problem at the border is not at the border. No wall, even if impassible, will stop refugees from coming here to escape their local violence. A truly impassable wall is not feasible given the length of the land border and its terrain. To demand we secure the (un-securable) border first is to demand that nothing useful be done ever. We have enough statutes. We do not have enough civil servants, courtrooms, and housing facilities to carry out the laws we have. It requires an Act of Congress for money to be spent on what is needed to clear the existing backlog. The laws themselves are a hodgepodge. It will take another Act of Congress to straighten that mess out. Wall First is a stupid program. Paying the refugees cash to stay home would be cheaper and probably more effective. The solution, really, is in Congress.

David P. Vernon

East side

Kari Lake

I’ve gotten calls from family and friends in other parts of the country asking “what the heck is going on with that Kari Lake business down there?” I can only respond “that’s Arizona.” How else to explain that a judge grants a hearing, but explicitly warns Lake’s lawyers to present only testimony and evidence of intentional misconduct sufficient to change election results, among other limited legal considerations? In a two-day trial they present absolutely none. Lake’s lawyers even call a pollster whose methodology got an “F” rating to preposterously testify that an unusually low number of call backs from voters some extrapolated to 40,000 fewer voters (skewing 70% for Lake) didn’t vote but should be counted and added to the totals, overcoming Hobb’s 17,115 vote lead! Sixth grade math? Twenty-eight thousand added to Lake’s total. Twelve thousand added to Hobb’s total, certifying her victory by 1,117 votes. Some lawyers! Judge won’t sanction for frivolous lawsuit. Arizona is a national laughingstock again.

Gary Susko

Midtown

Political theater

As I author this, the curtain has dropped on one of the worst political theater productions ever forced on the American audience. Fourteen rounds of voting for a Speaker of the House and Republicans can’t remember their role: “Serve the interests of our Nation.” America’s interests held hostage by a few opportunistic prima donnas.

How ironic that the poster child of the now vanishing Grand Old Party, Ronald Reagan and an actor by trade, would probably leave his theater seat in head shaking disgust.

Voters often have short memories but they will remember a bad performance.

Mike Cravens

Marana

Dog shows have higher standards than politics

Re: the Jan. 7 letter “Another dog and pony show.”

While I am not familiar with pony shows I do know a thing or two about dog shows and can assure readers that if abusive or inappropriate language was detected at a dog show there might very well be an immediate hearing. If the finding of the hearing was that the language was indeed abusive and/or inappropriate the offender might be immediately referred to the AKC for adjudication and possible fines or suspension. Even more severe consequences might be incurred if the offender misrepresented material facts regarding the dog in exhibition.

Oh, if only this was the case in the political arena...

Jo Quintenz

Midtown

Copper needed

Re: the Jan. 8 letter “Green energy needs copper.”

The author is right. Green energy needs copper. Copper that Southern Arizona has been providing for over a century and continues to do so.

What the letter writer fails to mention is that we already produce over 10% of the nation’s copper at the cost of millions of gallons of water a year, among other burdens. That’s just Pima County.

The new Copper World mine will pump million more gallons per year from its Sahuarita well alone. They argue that it’s hypocritical to support green energy and not their new mines but it’s not.

The copper we provide comes at a cost to us — scarce water, sinking water tables, cracked foundations, pollution and scarred mountains. It’s pathetic how an industry that’s been fighting environmentalists for decades is suddenly trying to paint itself green. Don’t be fooled. The people behind this only care about green energy as long as they can profit from it. They don’t live here and they don’t care about us.

Guy Rovella

Midtown

Laws of the country

By the people, for the people.

Since our elected officials of both parties, including appointed Supreme Court justices, will not work together or do what the majority of the people want, it is time for the people to demand that all major law decisions affecting the whole country, such as abortion, voting rights and immigration, be voted on by the people of the USA before being put into the permanent law of the land.

Hal Brown

Northeast side

Real royalty

After watching the Netflix six-part series “Harry and Meghan” I felt sad for the British people. They seem so petty and cruel. Their anger and resentment at the least infraction of the so-called “royal privilege” is unsettling. It is fed by a press good at hurling insults in the name of news, while riling up the least intelligent of their readers. This is promoted by the Royal Family and its haughty attitude. They appear to fear that their exalted position is threatened and dissolving. It is.

The real nobility rests with Harry and Meghan, and before that, Princess Diana; rebels for decency.

Ron Lancaster

North side

Name-calling

With the latest batch of Letters to the Editor I’ve noticed a lot of name-calling and the invocation of dictators past especially towards those who voted Republican. To all I offer this quote, “’It’s a universal law — intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility” — Solzhenitsyn, August 1914.

Mark Moral

East side