Tucson Speaks Out: March 15 letters of the day

Possible additional UA cash flow?

A few years ago, the Arizona Legislature found itself in a financial bind and sold, then leased back, the Arizona Capitol Building. The Legislature then repaid the lease in full when the state’s coffers allowed it.

Why couldn’t the UA sell, then lease back the new building being built just north of the McKale Center Parking Garage and near the Optical Sciences building? While it would be more expensive in the long run, the short run funding would save the jobs of those at the UA who did not have anything to do with the budgeting problems of the UA.

Also, understanding the need for following the guidelines of Title IX, I suggest the cutting of the Triathlon program, and both men’s and women’s cross country and tennis programs. After all, the UA Athletic Department had to cut the wrestling program years ago and even the synchronized swimming program that won a national championship.

We can’t afford everyone’s favorite program.

Matt Somers

Midtown

UA advisory committee

The recent story noting the creation of a University Advisory Council by UA President Robbins seemed to suggest that this Council would in some way satisfy the call for ‘shared governance.’ Hand-picked, meeting once a month, and incorporating faculty, staff and community members, all limited to providing advice on a specific set of issues. This is NOT shared governance. The President, of course, should hear as many voices as possible, so this Council is fine — but it is NOT a substitute for working with the elected officers of faculty governance. Faculty at the UA are distressed and indeed angry at the mess our administrators have created for us with decisions we had little or no part in and will not be put off by performative actions that change nothing.

My four years as Chair of the Faculty at the UA proved to me that good and productive interactions can exist between faculty and the president. We all need to get back to that kind of collaboration.

Lynn Nadel

Midtown

Alexei Navalny

In a salute to President Putin, the Russians have terminated one man, Alexei Navalny, while in his prison cell, sick and helpless. No doubt it took some bravado, but it needed to be done because Navalny unsettled Putin, who lives in a mausoleum. Now, this Dracula of the North can feel comfortable enough to keep to what he likes best, causing roiling misery. History is dotted with men who have done the like with bloody intent. Now, he stands tall with this frigid-hearted sort who specializes in hurt.

We have a candidate who fits that mold. Donald Trump has been waiting for the opportunity to be part of that craven lot. We think he’s got what it takes: arrogance, greed, narcissism and a goodly mean streak. Trump marks himself as a bottom-of-the-barrel degenerate. If given the chance, he is sure he can prove he is worthy of the worst.

Ron Lancaster

North side

Stop plutocracy

Superior Court Judge Scott McCoy rejected the second challenge to voter-approved Proposition 211 that requires disclosure of names of human large-dollar donors to political campaigns. Voters approved this measure known as Voters’ Right to Know by a 3 to 1 margin. The same two organizations suing this time successfully banned from the ballot voters’ previous attempt to “outlaw dirty money.”

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club and the Center for Arizona Policy argue that the law might lead to “harassment or retaliation” towards their donors for supporting unpopular positions. They were only able to provide the judge with a few emails showing “name-calling, offensive comments and criticism.” Nothing as egregious as the threats received daily by public servants performing election or judicial roles that displease these organizations or their endorsed candidates like Lake, Finchem, Horn, Biggs, Gosar and Ciscomani.

Before their well-funded appeal gets to the Supreme Court, we need to encourage Democrats to do something: impeach Justices Thomas and Alito or expand the Court. Stop plutocracy!

Dee Maitland

Marana

Good reasons, not conspiracy theory

ReL the March 2 letter “Letters to the editor.”

Good reasons explain the concerning letters to the editor regarding Ciscomani. This letter to the editor suggested that “a concerted effort to undermine Representative Juan Ciscomani” explained the numerous, almost daily “negative” letters and opinion pieces regarding Ciscomani.

The letter counted the many “negative” letters and opinions but failed to mention any of the reasons given for concern. Reasons like Ciscomani’s votes against adequately funding the IRS so that it could properly audit tax cheats. Or votes against continued funding for public education, while advocating for taxpayer funding of private schools. Or Ciscomani’s lack of support for women’s reproductive rights.

A recent Ciscomani survey asked which of the following statements about funding “Ukraine’s war against Russia” did we identify with. I chose “Other” and wrote that I support funding for Ukraine’s defense against Putin’s barbaric invasion.

Good reasons, not a conspiracy theory, explains concern for Juan Ciscomani.

Dave Gallagher

Foothills

SCOTUS slaps down Democrats

On March 4, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously, by a 9-0 ruling, slapped down the several Democrat-run states that have decided to remove Trump from the ballot in upcoming primaries and the general election in November. All Justices, including the four far left-wing ones, ruled with the majority. Democrat-run states like Colorado had the audacity to remove Trump from the voting ballot, claiming insurrection and citing the 13th Amendment. Well, first, Trump has not been charged with insurrection, much less convicted of it. The Justices saw this attempt as dangerous and an undermining of our election process (by Democrats). They correctly inferred that states could do this to anybody running for political office that they disagreed with, a weapon to go after political opponents. That has already happened with our state and federal justice systems. I would argue that Democrats, not Republicans, are now the real threat to our election process and to our Democracy. Trump was amateurish compared to what Democrats have done.

Gusher Adams

Midtown

Unbelievable

President Biden gave his State of the Union speech. He stated that all border problems can be resolved simply by passing the Senate border bill. This is a giant load of hogwash. The President currently has the authority to swarm Border Patrol agents to the border, has the authority to swarm asylum evaluators to the border, and has the authority to swarm asylum judges to the border. But he will not. WHY? What is the ulterior motive? In his speech, he noted that by taxing the rich at a higher level, think of the money available for various social services. In the same vein, if we were not supporting millions of lawbreaking newcomers, think of the billions of dollars that would be available for social services for our own citizens. The President and his Administration are a joke! A vote for Trump at least offers hope, while a vote for Biden will only continue and accelerate the pain this country is currently enduring.

Loyal M. Johnson Jr.

Oro Valley

Republicans, you need to choose

Republicans need to choose if they want democracy or if they are willing to give it away by following Trump down a very dark rabbit hole. Trump and his followers like to paint a dark picture of a country in decline that can only be saved by installing a strong-man type of government. While Joe Biden was giving his wonderful State of the Union speech, Trump was hosting Viktor Orban, the autocratic leader of Hungary, the type of leader Trump would like to be.

After Jan. 6, Mitch McConnell made sure Trump would not be impeached and barred from holding office. It’s clear the courts will not save us. The only thing that can ensure our democracy will prevail is the voters this November.

Republicans and Democrats can disagree on a lot of things, but we all need to agree that we don’t want to lose our form of government and our freedom. Once it’s gone, we won’t get it back.

Mary Zimmerman

SaddleBrooke

Hypocrites

Congresswoman Greene blundered again. She made herself look stupid! This woman claimed Sandy Hook never happened. Yet, she was worried about the woman killed in Georgia by an undocumented immigrant. Yet called Sandy Hook a ploy by Democrats against bearing arms. She agreed that child actors were used. How sad the whole world saw this clown behave at the State of the Union address. Greene claims to be a graduate of U of Georgia. Her major idiotic lies! My Vietnam buddy in Australia watched her “performance” that night via laptop.

David E. Leon

Vail

Middle East conflict

Neil Norton expressed my concerns about the Hamas-Israel war perfectly. I only would add that the Palestinians have endured some oppression by Israel before the events of Oct. 7. Hamas needs to surrender and return the hostages. Hamas doesn’t care about the suffering of children. If it did, it would stop its bloody terror. It would do the right thing for its own people.

Maria Kross

Foothills

Kamala Harris V.P.

In some presidential election years, the V.P. nominee is very important. The 2024 election is one of these years. So was the 1944 election. Henry Wallace was FDR’s V.P. from 1940-44, but he was so far to the left and a communist sympathizer that FDR dropped him in favor of Harry Truman. If Wallace had been on the 1944 ticket, and then president on FDR’s death, there would have been no Marshall Plan, no NATO, no Truman Doctrine and no Berlin Air Lift. Kamala Harris has had a very low approval rating and a staff with high turnovers. She sought the presidential nomination for 2020 in January 2019, but she had so little support that she had to withdraw in December 2019, well before the primaries. Joe Biden is old and failing physically and mentally; and the unpopularity of Harris could cost the ticket up to two million votes. Can Biden afford Harris?

Douglas R. Holm

East side

Ciscomani takes advantage of renters

HSL Properties, one of Arizona’s nine major residential apartment landlords, is being sued by AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes for unduly raising rents for hundreds of thousands of Arizona renters in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.

By raising rents on their tenants, HSL Properties can now support an elected official who actively votes to gut funding for rental assistance programs and Section 8 housing. This elected official recently voted for a Republican spending bill that would cut support for direct housing loans by 30%.

Who is that elected official? Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District.

According to OpenSecrets, members and employees from HSL Properties donated over $40,000 to Ciscomani’s campaign in 2022 and $46,000 for his 2024 re-election.

Instead of providing lower costs for their tenants, HSL Properties is overcharging them. And Ciscomani is taking advantage of hard-working Arizonans by helping them.

Rep. Ciscomani votes against Arizonans who need his help.

Bobbi Zimmer

Midtown

Biden disclosed classified info

Special Counsel Robert Hur testified before Congress and was asked what motivated Joe Biden to willfully retain classified documents in different locations. He said the motivations were money and pride. Biden purposely kept classified documents as part of his plan to write a memoir for $8 million. After learning of a Special Counsel being appointed to investigate Biden, his book ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer attempted to delete audio files of conversations with Biden containing classified information. Hur’s report said that Biden risked “serious damage” to America’s national security when he shared the classified information with Zwonitzer. Biden started meeting with him as Vice President. Remember how General Petraeus pleaded guilty to Mishandling Classified Materials for sharing his personal notebooks with his biographer mistress? Hur stated that no charges were brought against Biden because of not being able to show “intent.” Well, is earning $8 million from a memoir not proof of intent? Hur’s inexcusable and twisted rationale for not charging Biden further perpetuates beliefs of a two-tiered justice system.

Dorothy Monroe

Sierra Vista