Quick solution to water crisis
Want to save water? Greatly reduce the CAP water allocation to cotton farmers. Cotton requires a huge amount of water, that is why it has been grown primarily in the southern states that get lots of rain. The economic impact for Arizona would be minimal as the large cotton farms are operated mostly by machines, and their payrolls are small.
Can anyone explain to me why cotton farming is more important than having a reliable supply of drinking water?
John Almond
North side
Sending asylum seekers to D.C.
I see Gov. Doug Ducey, in all his wisdom, is now spending our Arizona tax dollars to send asylum-seeking volunteers to Washington, even though the federal government already pays to do that.
People are also reading…
We have $5 billion-plus surplus in state coffers, can’t support our schools, can’t pass a budget, and can’t keep up with road maintenance, etc. Yet, according to the governor’s aide, “It’s worth every penny” to make some phoney political point that gets Ducey some press like the Texas governor receives regularly. Great leadership, guys! I can’t wait for you to leave after November elections.
Steve Poe
Midtown
Gun safety
Going forward, I think all military weapons and guns owned by civilians must be kept locked up at police department gun ranges, and the war-gun owners must be made to only use these weapons at police gun ranges with police supervision. Are you listening, Joe Biden? Are you listening, senators and members of Congress? Are you listening, families of victims of renegade shooters? Are you listening, members of NRA? Only hunting weapons and small one-shot weapons should be allowed for home protection. We must change gun ownership to be sensible or our country, which is already in decline, will rapidly cease to be civilized.
Steven Peterson
Southeast side
School security
Much is being said as to how to prevent school shootings. Trump is pushing for arming teachers, which the NRA and gun dealers would love because of the increase in gun sales. Posting guards at school entrances? How many men would this take? Having good guys armed at every school means more guns to increase the risk factor. Perhaps the easy solution would be to install alarms at main points of entrance. Stores have alarms to prevent shoplifting. Schools could have alarms to detect incoming weapons. The alarm would alert students and staff who will then initiate safety drills. This would not take an act of Congress, where nothing gets done.
Roberto Martinez
Southwest side
Learn from gun laws in Australia
We are saddened by the recent tragedies in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas. Our hearts go out to those who lost a loved one. These incidents are occurring all too often. The time for action is now. One country we can look to as an example is Australia. After the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, former Prime Minister John Howard successfully initiated steps to reform Australia’s gun laws. These include the banning of automatic and semi-automatic weapons, firearm sales only by licensed dealers, a firearm registry, need for a legitimate reason to own a gun, a 28-day waiting period, and secure storage for firearms. If Australia can do it, why can’t we?
Jane Toubassi
East side
Good news, for a change
Re: the May 26 letter “Kudos to Cordileone.”
Kudos to Pope Francis, who has named Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego to the College of Cardinals and with this appointment has sent a strong message to certain culture war bishops among the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops who seek to weaponize the Eucharist. The May 26 letter is an example of the influence that culture war bishops have on the laity.
I found the news of this appointment very uplifting after a weeklong barrage of just plain awful news otherwise.
Bishops who have wondered if the faithful would return to the pews after COVID-19 was over would do well to spread this truly good news.
David Miehl
Northeast side
Mass shootings
Mostly all of us are horrified by the now common mass murder events. We, as a society, must come to the awareness that the solution to this problem is not arguing over gun control, but eliminating corporate money in our public elections. Public financing of public elections ensure public interests are abided. Just think of how many issues resolve themselves once Congress answers to the people and not the moneyed elite.
Richard Snyder
Midtown
A wonderful parade!
I’d like to express my appreciation to American Legion Post 102 and AMVETS Post 770 for sponsoring and organizing a wonderful Memorial Day parade and memorial service at Tucson Estates. The parade featured floats, classic cars, horses, motorcycles, clowns and much more. There was even a flyover by Air Force jets. The memorial service was a real tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you to all the workers who took the time and trouble to put together a lovely commemoration.
Lois Boehl
Southwest side
Real meaning lost
In our gunocracy, the real meaning of the Second Amendment has been lost. It has fallen to an ad campaign for gun manufacturers that states, “They are trying to take your guns,” meant to create fear and increase gun sales. Democrats are gun owners, too, not gun takers.
I think the NRA has no problem allowing our children to be killed. More guns is always the solution. The only place the NRA bans guns is at an NRA conference when Trump is speaking. It took the gunman with an automatic weapon in Uvalde just minutes to kill 19 and wound more. After Republicans let the ban on assault rifles expire in 2004, mass shootings increased. Our Founding Fathers wrote the Second Amendment out of fear of having a standing army, not to create private gun arsenals. “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Well regulated…
Nancy Kabat
Foothills
Gun control
Bring back the draft; no exemptions, male and female. Have an armed presence like the young soldiers strolling around Israel with rifles, at every school, place of worship, movie theaters and stores. What? Hate the idea? Then child-proof our country. Take assault weapons off the market. If another country did to us what happened in Uvalde or Buffalo, we would be at war.
Cindy Hansen
Foothills
Getting guns off the streets
The authors of our great Constitution and Bill of Rights had no idea that we would now have automatic firearms with high-capacity magazines when they enacted the Second Amendment. The “Constitutional rights” of game hunters, competitive marksmen, and citizens wishing to defend themselves and their homes can still be respected, while helping to prevent “massacres,” by simply making it a felony to buy, own or sell weaponry that no sane person can suggest is needed for anything except military and police purposes.
Getting automatic/semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines “off the streets” of America is long overdue. Legislators with integrity will make certain that is exactly what happens, without regard to political prejudice. This is a moral issue, far more fundamental to humanity than political preferences. (No, my voter registration is not “Democrat” — as if that should make any difference.)
Roger Butz MD MPH, BG (Ret) US Army
Northwest
Red light runners
Regarding recent discussion about reinstalling red-light cameras, one of the reasons this is happening is that drivers pulling this stunt are reasonably sure that there will be no consequences if/when they do this. If you are pole position (front of the line) at an intersection, you must make sure that no one is flying through their red light before proceeding after you have the green. It is hardly difficult to witness this occurring on an almost daily basis on Pima County roads. A better solution would be to enforce the traffic laws that already exist.
Tucson’s new police chief intends on making traffic enforcement a priority. Our Pima County Sheriff needs to do the same thing. Station motorcycle traffic enforcement on rotating corners in Pima County instead of fixed cameras. Cheaper and more efficient. Once drivers know that there will be consequences for running a red light and endangering responsible drivers, incidences of red light running should decrease.
Karl Appell
Northwest side
Gun violence
I am appalled and disgusted.
In America, the only thing easier to buy than a gun is a Republican senator.
Jerry Fay
SaddleBrooke
