Weary of fighting
I am weary. I am exhausted from "fighting." Now our candidates in Arizona say they are "fighting" for us. I don't want more fighting. I want candidates who ask, "What do you, the people, need, want?" I need to hear our candidates say, "I'm listening, I'm problem solving, I'm cooperating and want to work with all parties." Where is the representation of the people, for the people? Why do candidates not tell us about themselves and what they can do rather than attack the other party? Where is cooperation? Where is problem solving? Why do we hate those who have different opinions? Why are we blaming rather than solving? Please, I am so tired.
Ruth Hanon
East side
Read the Constitution
Re: the July 25 letter "Constitution is conservative."
People are also reading…
Of recent letters, this is one of the more ridiculous. Imagine telling Ben Franklin he was a “conservative” — a Tory. He signed the Declaration of Independence, one of the most un-conservative documents ever created, and the Constitution, which established a democratic republic, not another conservative monarchy so emblematic of the times.
I don’t know where the letter writer was indoctrinated in “American history” (Texassippi, maybe?) but here are some facts he may have missed:
The Constitution was created in 1787 behind closed doors because the Framers were involved in a revolution to replace the weak national government established by the “Articles of Confederation”— not a conservative act.
The Framers’ purpose was to create strong central government, which could act forcefully and nimbly to threats, and to quell interstate quarrels — their goal was to empower the union, not to conserve “states rights.”
The letter writer suggested we read the Constitution, but perhaps he’s the one who needs to do more reading.
Jim Christ
East side
COVID-19 still here
Right now, I know about a half-dozen friends or acquaintances that have or recently had COVID-19. I don’t recall knowing anyone during the height of the pandemic. It is, of course, because of how contagious Ba 5 is and hardly anyone now is wearing a mask. One friend is really sick and hoping she doesn’t have a rebound after she finishes Paxlovid. Another friend is in the throes of the rebound now. I even heard someone on NPR say we are post-pandemic. No, we are not, please keep wearing your mask.
Jan Mueller
Foothills
Climate activists fooling themselves
The narrative from climate activists is that we need drastic CO2 reduction to save the planet. President Joe Biden and Democrats are doing their best to get people into electric vehicles, that ironically use electricity mainly produced from fossil fuels. The Biden administration is spending billions of taxpayer money on their climate change agenda. I wonder if climate activists know that current CO2 levels will remain in the atmosphere for decades to centuries? China remains the world's No. 2 CO2 emitter and India is No. 3. Russia's primary source of income is their sale of oil and natural gas. Do you really think they will ever end that? China and India are buying millions of barrels of oil from Russia now, despite the Ukraine war. Few of the 193 countries that signed onto the UN Climate Change deal in 2015 have met their pledged CO2 reductions or monetary commitments. I think climate activists, who are mainly Democrats, are naïve in thinking their efforts will change the weather or "save the planet."
Boris Slovek
Green Valley
Affecting climate cycles
Re: the July 30 letter "Climate change."
The letter writers perspectives on inevitable, natural climate cycles are well presented but incomplete. They ignore the reality that populous technological societies can and do exacerbate such cycles — and even alter them, as would occur with nuclear winter.
Back when I worked at the University of Arizona Poetry Center and took extra classes (already had a master's in English Lit), I audited a course taught by "stellar" planetary scientist Brad Smith, in charge of planetary imaging for Voyager and with an armload of national and international awards. He was also a fantastic teacher.
When talking about first life on Earth, Smith remarked these simple organisms were all anaerobic, consuming carbon dioxide from the early atmosphere and spewing out oxygen, profoundly (and negatively) affecting their surface survival.
Dr. Smith added a polite warning, already manifest in the late 1980s — that this was the first case on Earth of an organism's poisoning its own atmosphere.
Thank you, Brad Smith.
Ila Abernathy
Midtown
Trump delusion
Apparently, Trump was recently in the state to stage a rally and people actually attended! This after the man has repeatedly shown us exactly what he is: a pathological liar, a woefully ignorant misogynist, indeed, a psychopath (see the seven signs — he addresses all of them). It continues to be frightening to think so many people are willfully allowing themselves to be deceived by this man. A man who nearly caused the downfall of the very country such folks supposedly want to make great again (ah, irony). And more astonishingly — these supporters send part of their wages to this self-proclaimed multimillionaire. Send him money! What a marvelous scam! It wouldn't matter if Trump were president and waved a wand and lowered gas prices to $2, or exorcised inflation, or cured cancer, he would yet remain the psychopath who would be king. Crown him again at your peril.
Gavin Kayner
Northwest side
Border Patrol
Good job, Border Patrol officers. I must be missing something because it seems the better job you do stopping drugs and undocumented the more criticism you get. Why is it that more arrests lead to comments that you are doing a lousy job? Why is it that more arrests lead to comments that more and more drugs and undocumented are getting into the country? I would think that more arrests actually mean you are doing a better and better job of stopping drug traffic and stopping illegal entry into the country, but I guess not. All I hear from the politicians is that you are doing a lousy job and just can't manage at all. What is it? How can it be that more arrests mean more getting though? It doesn't make sense to me.
Bette E Richards
Northwest side
Need water transparency
News reports on the Colorado River water crisis have revealed a predictable development: Talks between those with water rights are being held in secrecy. Sometimes there are reasons for keeping a lid on negotiations, but Arizonans' livelihoods are at stake and people deserve to know what's being done — or not being done — about the drought. The continued desiccation of Arizona will affect everything and everyone. The scope of hardship could reach beyond what people are imagining today. Business growth, land development, tax revenue, property values, standard of living — all are under threat. People need to be told what officials know in order to make decisions about their futures in this state. Delaying the truth only makes things worse.
Steve Gray
Foothills
