Tucson Speaks Out: April 22

Ciscomani's vote

On April 16, Congress voted on the War Powers Resolution (H.Con.Res. 40), which would require President Trump to seek congressional authorization before further action in Iran. The vote failed: 213 for ... 214 against.

This Resolution would have directed the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.

If one Congressional Representative had chosen to vote "for" instead of "against", then Congress would have re-established its Constitutional responsibility in deciding our country's involvement in foreign wars.

CD-6 Representative Juan Ciscomani voted against the War Powers Resolution, as did the other five Arizona Republican Congressional Representatives.

Republican party-line votes, in both our Federal and Arizona state legislatures, have resulted in our current dysfunctional Republican-controlled governments. Thankfully, we have Gov. Hobbs and her veto stamp to counter the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Not much we non-right wing supporting voters can do other than vote in Democrats come next November's general election.

Randy Garmon

North side

Data centers, drought, electricity and change

The convergence on Sunday of Mike Carran’s opinion on data center energy use, Tony Davis’s Lake Powell water level article, and Wednesday’s Earth Day is terrific. We know the problem (pollution is creating a hotter, drier planet that will impact everyone without change). We know the solution (renewable energy). Now, we need the will to change. We need to demand better solutions from policymakers in Congress. Renewable energy with solar and battery storage is cheaper now than burning fossil fuels. It is better for humans and every living thing. We should make every day Earth Day and not just honor the planet on April 22.

Bill Jones

East side

Earth Day SOS

There’s no state more vulnerable to predator data centers than Arizona.

In honor of Earth Day, I implore politicians to declare a total Data Center Emergency Moratorium. Until we can measure and allot water resources. Until we enforce pollution regulations. Until we stop building dirty, cheap power and unreliable infrastructure. Until we have reliable air conditioning. If Maine can put forth a state-wide ban, so can we.

After high school, I worked as a diattacher making circuit boards under a microscope to use in "next generation" medical equipment, which helped our local university revolutionize cardiovascular medicine. Scholars, engineers, line workers, management — somehow, we achieved common goals without polluting, straining power grids, extracting absurd amounts of water, community-killing tax breaks, paying CEOs to pay locals to screw locals.

Now we accept: poorly put together power points that local politicians don’t question; citizens gagged; communities left footing bills; nefarious, questionable tech projects. Red flags.

Sacrifice of Earth shouldn't be a prerequisite for progress.

April LaLande

Northeast side

New word of the day

I saw this word in the letters to the editor and had to add it to my list of new words in my vocabulary, so I googled it.

Kakistocracy is a system of government led by the least qualified, most incompetent, or most unprincipled citizens. Derived from Greek roots meaning "rule by the worst," it represents a pejorative term for inept or corrupt leadership. Synonyms include incompetence, cronyism, or misrule, while usage examples often include regimes plagued by widespread scandal or unqualified political appointees.

Vicky Konecky

East side

Rec centers vital

As a way to balance the budget, the City is proposing to close Rec Centers, two fire stations and limit pool hours. There has to be a better way rather than harming the folks in the community who need these services the most. Many of these Rec Centers are the lifeblood of the communities they serve. I've been taking the Bookbike to the Armory Park Senior Center for over a decade, and I've seen people take multiple buses to get there or are driven down all the way from Marana because they have found a family and home there. These centers help folks physically with gyms and classes, socially and mentally with connections to others, cultural field trips and discussions, and that intangible sense of community. A quarterly pass for seniors is $35 — why not have a tiered system and those that can pay more do? There are a lot of smart folks in town — let's tap some creative ideas and figure out a better way to balance the budget.

Karen Greene

Downtown

Redeclare our pledge

It has become painfully obvious that we have lost our way. Perhaps we could refresh our Declaration:

“I hold to these fundamental truths that: all people are created equal; that they are endowed by their creation to have basic human rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to protect these rights, we establish our governments based on the power from the consent of the people, maintain them by the people, and for the benefit of the people.“

The world has moved on since Jefferson and Lincoln, but the truths we hold are still here. When we each say “I hold” to start the pledge it is as a single equal person, but when each say I hold while together we commit to each other and become we the people. As such, we then pledge to the truths themselves. We do not pledge to the government. We are the government.

Jerry Moser

Oro Valley

Republicans, please focus

The article “Lawmakers planning Trump trip” captures Arizona Republican legislators' efforts to curry favor from Donald Trump at taxpayers' expense. Rather than focus on finalizing the state budget, many Arizona Republican members of the House and Senate will participate in a three-day trip funded by legislative budgets generated by taxpayer monies. Trump's invitation to learn how his administration is “ushering in the Golden Age” will consist of a half-day conference to advance President Trump's agenda. Rather than negotiating the budgetary needs of our state, a majority of the 48 Republican members of both chambers will attend the meeting rather than participating virtually. Arizona voters should contact their House and Senate legislators at azleg.gov to voice their concerns and urge focus on topics like water needs and environmental destruction from yet another border wall.

Roger Shanley

East side

What I see

I’m trying to think of one thing that has been made better in the last year. Are more children being fed? Has education been funded and expanded? Is health care affordable and available to more people? Are more people safely housed? Have wages kept up with the standard of living? Is scientific research encouraged and respected? Is civic dialogue more civil and inclusive? Are contracts and treaties being honored, thus expanding trust in government? Is our Constitution and are our laws serving all people in America? Are we at peace with each other and the world? Is the Golden Rule in action? Is the Sermon on the Mount still the guiding tenet of Christianity? Are bullies and power mongers being put in their place?

All I see are oligarchs profiting off public assets, paying less taxes and gaining more power; violence and hate being championed and enjoyed; and trust in America declining across the world. We, the Ordinary People, can fix this together by being engaged and voting in November.

Dee Maitland

Marana

What's destroying America

America is not being destroyed by universal health care, free college, feeding the poor, housing the homeless, green energy, liberalism, DEI or wokenesss. It is being destroyed by greed, corruption, war, oil, racism, bigotry, conservative zealotry, billionaires buying politicians, and the inability of Congress to do its job to rein in a madman president who is shredding our Constitution.

Terry Louck

East side

What comes next

The war in Iran cannot be won militarily without a large loss of life. The war needs to end with a negotiated peace agreement. That requires three things.

1. People. Experienced negotiators plus technical experts to clearly define things like who does what and how it will be verified.

2. Time. It takes more than 21 hours to get an agreement. It would probably take several months.

3. Concessions. Both sides claim to have “all the cards,” so they are probably unwilling to compromise.

Since these three things are missing, any meetings seem doomed to fail. With no peace agreement, what comes next?

William Brandt

Oro Valley

Who comes first in Trump’s deals?

As the United States enters high-stakes negotiations with Iran (Persia), a basic question should worry every American: Is Donald Trump negotiating for the country or for himself? Trump’s business record gives us the answer. Across six corporate bankruptcies, lenders took losses, shareholders were wiped out, and workers were left behind. Trump protected his name, preserved his upside, and moved on.

That same pattern defines his presidency. Facts bend, positions shift, and yesterday’s promises disappear. Credibility, essential in global negotiations, is treated as expendable. This is not deal-making; it is self-dealing. Meanwhile, Americans face rising costs, economic anxiety, and an uncertain future. Yet Trump’s attention remains fixed on his image, his grievances, and his personal advantage.

The presidency is not an ego branding exercise or a profit center for one. It is a responsibility to 342 million people whose lives depend on steady judgment and honest negotiations. The conclusion is unavoidable: in Trump’s deals, “We the People” comes second.

Lawrence E. Mazin, Ed.D.

SaddleBrooke

Republican road trip

Arizona taxpayers should not have to pay for a trip for Republicans only to meet with Trump in what is probably a threat and coercion session just before budget hearings or at any other time. They have already fallen in line with this president and his many alleged violations of the Constitution, including voter suppression. Arizona Republicans have held the majority vote in both the state and Federal governments for most of the past 60 years, and this sounds more like a fun paid outing with taxpayers picking up the tab while public schools are drowning in debt.

B. Manderscheid

Northeast side

Anyone keeping score?

Pete Hegseth was recorded preaching from a Pulp Fiction movie script as his bible, and dismissed military disciplinary actions in favor of Kid Rock's opposition based on "his buddy in the White House;"

J.D. Vance assumes he has the background to admonish and instruct the pope on matters of theology;

In spite of presidential pardons issued to all of the criminally convicted January 6 insurrectionists, President Trump complains that the pope is weak on crime. While some GOP members of Congress, including Speaker Johnson, attempt to defend them, the silent GOP Congress keeps its head buried in the sand.

Ed Waymire

Midtown