Tucson Speaks Out: December 14

Trump's pile of rubble

Trump tearing down the East Wing of the White House is really indicative of what he's done to the country. Just like what he's done to our democracy, he destroyed a national treasure that he does not own. Like the pile of rubble that's sitting next to the White House, he's giving us a failed tariff policy, a disastrous immigration policy, and an idiotic foreign policy. He tore down the East Wing with no clear plan which is exactly like he runs the country — destruction, no preparation, and complete chaos.

Mary Zimmerman

SaddleBrooke

Hooray for opinion piece

As a longtime voter in LD 20, all that can be said about Rocque Perez's December 11th opinion piece on the Hernandez sisters — "Representation should match values" — is Amen.

David Devine

Midtown

Affordable housing

As Tucson struggles with housing burden on many of its residents, the realities of housing, including middle housing policy changes being proposed, should be examined.

Barriers like restrictive zoning and high construction costs limit the creation of affordable housing, leaving lower-income households underserved. Units vacated by people renting new construction are often upgraded or repurposed for wealthier households, leading to a “trickle-up” effect rather than trickle-down. Wealthier households outbid poorer ones for existing housing stock when supply is constrained, often displacing lower-income groups. Vacated housing rarely meets the size, quality, or location needs of lower-income households, making it untenable.

Given this complex picture, the city should reduce the proposed Middle Housing Zone to the smallest state allowed area and make only minimum code changes. The city should take time to work out known and unknown problems with this ordinance before risking a large area of the city.

Donald Ijams

Midtown

A job well done

Thank you to the city of Tucson Department of Transportation and its contractors for completing the Menlo Park/Sentinel Peak neighborhood street repaving project.

The streets in Menlo Park south of West Congress Street and west of South Grande Avenue, plus Sentinel Peak Road to the gates of the park, were stripped of their old asphalt and got smooth, new paving, all in a little more than two weeks’ time. Workers earlier installed concrete ramps to accommodate wheelchairs at every intersection.

The inconvenience of driving into and out of our neighborhood during the work was minimal, and the crews were most helpful in guiding residents to get through safely.

We all like to complain about government when we think it’s not providing appropriate service. Our neighborhood experience has been a good one. Job well done!

Shraddha Hilda Oropeza

West side

It's past time for red-light cameras

In Wednesday's paper, Mr. Johnson talked about putting back the red-light cameras among other things. He is absolutely right about the cameras. All 10 plus 10 more should installed at major intersections. Maybe some time later 10 more. Yes, I do worry about my safety as well as the safety of others. It seems like traffic here resembles Phoenix or Los Angeles. It's like the runners think they have a right to run those lights. Well, they don't.

Tucson has some of the best cops in the country, but they can't seem to get control of the situation. Putting those cameras back will give them back some of that control. Letting the voters vote the cameras out was a very dumb thing to do.

As for the ICE raids, maybe ICE is going a little bit overboard. Actually check a person's citizenship before arresting them.

Steven Barker

East side

Now is the time to act

On a rainy foggy night on an Oregon rural highway, I saw a car dangerously off the road, blinking lights on and obviously disabled, as we drove past. “Don’t bother, someone else has probably phoned it in,” my friend answered when I said let’s get help. I called 911 anyway. It turned out no one else had.

Look over there to the side of the highway. That’s your America run off the road and disabled. She’s precariously teetering on her side. Will you pass her by thinking surely someone else will come to her rescue? Folks, America’s dismemberment is all there in writing in the Project 2025 manifesto that fuels Trump’s every action and his disgusting vulgarity.

These groups and individuals are fighting back. Help them: Earth Justice; Center for Biological Diversity; Third Act; Indivisible.org; Senators Mark Kelly and Jeff Merkley, and your very own courageous Attorney General Kris Mayes.

Do something. Don’t drive on by.

Rick Rappaport

Oro Valley

Letter about Israel

No mention of Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran or Qatar, no mention of October 7th, no explanation for the failure of Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords before October 7th. What were they waiting for? No mention of the hostages. For me, the depravity and barbarity of Hamas are justification for what Israel has done to Gaza since October 7th. Destroying Hamas was a worthwhile goal. Clearly, millions disagree with us.

Was it genocide when we retaliated in WW2? Genocide is ethnic cleansing. When you go to church, do you need armed guards, or guards to any event? Israel has had enough of Iran and Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel is not a perfect democracy, neither are we, but they are a democracy, you should visit. Where is the outcry of Sudan and Nigeria where it is really ethnic cleansing? Oh, I know it does not involve the Jewish state of Israel. People globally support Hamas, I cannot understand the why.

God help us.

Andrew Kunsberg

East side

Piece plan

Spelled correctly, Trump's "piece plan" makes complete sense as a "What's in it for me?" plan. It's a mindset that appears to apply to every consideration that crosses the Resolute Desk and beyond. So let it be boldly engraved on his coveted Piece Prize: "Ask not what the President can do for you - ask what you can do for the President." (In Fools Gold, of course).

Ed Waymire

Midtown

Data centers

What most is missing in the controversy over data centers is the supply of water. Where will the area get its water when the CAP canal runs dry? Sometime in the near future the Colorado River allocations will be finalized. AZ and other states will lose shares and will reduce the amount for CAP. At the same time, population will be increasing the demand for water. The centers must be required to recycle water and be charged at a much higher rate. And one cannot take them at their word on this. Authorities must vigorously examine plans and monitor and enforce recycling.

Chuck Butts

West side

If you don’t like ICE, join us on Sunday

At the Reid Park Bandshell, those of us who have been in the streets protesting Trump’s unconstitutional drive to authoritarianism, will come together for a "Winter Fair of Resistance and Community Care.” We have formed a coalition “Defend Tucson ¡Tucson Se Defiende! with 29 organizational members and more waiting to join us. Finally-sworn-in Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva will tell the tale of her assault by ICE agents. Local groups providing more direct resistance to Trump will describe their projects, including rapid response to document ICE’s excesses, accompaniment of immigrants to Court appearances and just accompaniment getting groceries and going to school. The acts of everyday life have now become hazardous. We are gathering staple food goods for those impacted, especially immigrants and federal workers. Please join us in celebrating the season and resisting authoritarianism. Sunday, 10-1 pm, Reid Park Bandshell. Please join us and show Trump that Tucson is not with him.

Jim Driscoll

Midtown

Make an offer

The Trump administration has approved the sale of Nvidia’s advanced AI chips to China in exchange for a 25% cut of the revenue. These chips represent a major U.S. technological advantage, and sales to China had previously been prohibited for national security reasons — but profit apparently outweighed those concerns.

Trump argues that tariffs are essential for boosting the economy and restoring US manufacturing, despite economists’ objections. Yet he reduced tariffs for countries that facilitated rapid development of Trump Organization projects. Qatar received a NATO-like security guarantee after Trump received a $400 million plane and his company got a luxury resort deal.

Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff reportedly discussed development deals with Russia as part of a proposed Ukraine “peace” agreement, with Witkoff advising Russian contacts on how to shape offers to gain Trump’s favor and support for their position. In these discussions, Ukraine’s security appeared to be a secondary consideration.

In this administration, U.S. foreign policy is seemingly determined by the highest bidder — kleptocracy at its finest.

Barbara Hall

Midtown