Tucson Speaks Out: June 11

Time to listen to the young voters

As a member of the so-called Boomer Generation, I am fully disgusted with how we, as a generation, have let our precious country fall this far. We had these altruistic goals of a perfect country, and somewhere we totally lost sight of that. We became more interested in the pursuit of wealth than we let others make our choices of government. I sincerely apologize to the generation we brought into this disaster we leave them to fix. I have been guilty of voting for the "old white career politician" and we have seen only more of the same. Nothing changed except for the worst. I vow to listen to the younger people who have become disenfranchised by our voices, and they just give up because we don't listen to them. This coming world will belong to them and what's the difference between a dictator or a socialist. It's their choice, and I stand with them.

Daniel Poryanda

Southeast side

No data centers

In a June 5 opinion piece, Rep. Justin Wilmeth shares his short-sighted vision for the future of our state. Wilmeth — whose third-top donor as of 2024 is Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, the investor-owned electric utility holding company that owns Arizona Public Service (APS) — defends data centers in the face of massive public opposition. Let me assure the Wilmeths of the world: I oppose new data centers not because they’re “easy to demonize,” nor because of the $39 million check I unfortunately never received from the Chinese government, but from a belief that communities are entitled to our water resources. It seems Wilmeth would rather waste them on the incessant consumption of the tech industry. Let’s instead look towards a future where we value human creativity and expression over generative AI’s tragic attempts to emulate genuine emotion and prioritize the needs of the common person over the pathological greed of the ultra-wealthy.

Paige Humphrey

Midtown

Congress finally 'repeals' Obamacare

After 15 years of trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Republican Congress has finally achieved that without even holding a vote on the act itself. The elimination of ACA subsidies in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and the greed of the insurance companies has resulted in huge numbers of people dropping their ACA coverage (Daily Star, June 8, p.1) because it is no longer “affordable.” The problem Obamacare was designed to address, the large number of Americans without adequate health care, is once again front and center. Will Congress do anything about it?

Suzanne Ferguson

East side

Help me understand

Why are Christian Nationalists so concerned with what happens in other people's bedrooms? They don't seem concerned with the mistreatment of other people or the removal of food from hungry children or the blatant verbal attacks on anyone who disagrees or the removal of historical documents and signage or the overriding or ignoring of laws or the down and out lies or any of the precepts of the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes. Just what does Christian Nationalism entail? Just curious.

Cynthia Schiesel

East side

News media

I know! It's like beating a dead horse, but I think that it is funny (ironic) that anything that goes against his perceptions is "fake news" or rigged, but on the other hand, if it's something that he agrees with or satisfies his ideas, well not a peep about impropriety. This is only my opinion, but I feel that the last presidential election was rigged in his favor and more to come in the midterms if he has his way. Now what is that old adage? "If you tell a lie often enough ..."

Fred Thompson

East side

Grad season brings hope

I recently attended my grandson’s high school graduation ceremony. The hall was filled with 200 excited seniors and their friends and family.

The student speakers were articulate, thoughtful, and delivered warm messages. But one speaker was different. He talked of the challenges the graduates face moving forward — atrocities in the Middle East, Sudan, the Congo, Haiti and more. He talked about global warming, disease, the lack of education for girls and the 670 million people struggling with hunger.

Then he talked about the U.S. He spoke of rampant discrimination, barriers to education, increased corruption and the lack of moral leadership. He spoke with determination and called for everyone to advocate for human rights and dignity. He said, “No one in the U.S. should be denied opportunity in the land of opportunity.”

Young people are smarter and more determined than we realize. They want a better world, and I believe they will create one.

Carla Andrews OHara

Oro Valley

St. Joseph's Hospital

I had the unfortunate experience of having a loved one hospitalized for three weeks at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tucson. While there were many dedicated professionals working at the hospital, the coordination of care can only be described as repugnant. There was nothing patient-centered about the “care” and communication was nonexistent.

Our family could not make informed decisions because we could not obtain information no matter how we tried. Monumental decisions about us were made without our input, showcasing their “doctor knows best” insouciant attitude towards what mattered to us. The hospital embodied everything medicine should not be.

One of the most deeply disturbing examples is that the hospital tried to “hot potato” my loved one to a long-term care facility without our consent when they knew — but we did not — that he was medically unrecoverable. Fortunately, I learned later, insurance would not approve the move. It was only after that denial that the hospitalist appeared, like a used car salesman, offering palliative care.

Beware!

Melissa Schmit

East side

Thank you, Ciscomani

Efforts to sell off or privatize our public land seem to be coming at us from all sides lately. As a passionate fly fisherman and member of Trout Unlimited, I’ve fought back against each one and worked hard to keep my community informed. That’s why I applaud Representative Ciscomani (R-AZ) for cosponsoring the Public Lands Integrity Act after Representative Vasquez (D-NM) introduced it. This bill would put a stop to the sale or transfer of federal public lands through the budget reconciliation process in Congress. Decisions about selling off lands should be made through a transparent public process. This bill will help safeguard our public land and ensure the public knows what’s happening with our shared lands.

I was also impressed to see two representatives from the Southwest coming together across party lines, showing that bipartisanship is still an option, and that keeping public land in public hands is a priority for most of us, regardless of what party we vote for.

Robert Rees

North side

Small nukes for Arizona are bad

The Arizona Legislature passes many birdbrained bills, but the one promoting small nuclear plants takes the cake. Nukes require huge amounts of water to cool them. Do we have any water to spare? Nukes often pollute the groundwater with deadly radioactivity. The now-closed plant in Vermont leaked radioactive tritium into the ground, polluting the water source for the local elementary school. There is no safe place to put high-level nuclear waste. According to the National Academy of Sciences, such waste is deadly to humans for one million years. Yucca Mountain, the place the government once designated for this stuff, is a former volcano. Even assuming it were "safe," how could one possibly warn humans to avoid it for that period of time? Human history goes back only 5,000 years. Languages change; signs wear away. Arizona has an inexhaustible power source: the sun. That's the only rational answer.

Stephen Saltonstall

East side

Mike Vrabel photo controversy

Really, who cares? This is a private matter between Mr. Vrabel, his wife, and Dianna Russini. All we learn is that the New York Post is good at hounding people and running down a scandal — it's what they do best. Leave the families alone to sort it out among themselves.

Joel Yelland

Northwest side