Tucson’s Sun Link streetcar has been moving riders around Tucson for 10 years, including more than 1 million passengers last year.
Streetcar benefits are off the rails
Arthur Nelson might be an emeritus professor in urban planning, but simple math is obviously not his forte. His opinion piece about the benefits of free fares for the streetcar riders left me shaking my head in disbelief concerning all of the numbers that he cited — were these factual/traceable or someone’s best guess estimate derived from pulling them out from the seat of their pants? He lost my confidence at the point where he stated, “added hundreds of jobs with a quarter of a billion dollars in new wages.” Stating the latter point differently — $250 million in new wages. Here is the simple math part: 500 new jobs, each paying a $100,000 salary is only $50 million. You either had to create many times more than 500 jobs and/or pay much more than a $100,000 salary, which is already significantly above the median salary pay for Tucson employment, to get the quarter billion dollars new wages cited. What he’s selling, I’m not buying.
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Spike Horrigan
Northwest side
Choice of an unserious man
As Trump fills his clown car of an administration with ghouls and thugs, I think it’s good to remember that this is what narcissistic, delusional people do — they surround themselves with folks who won’t say no, whose loyalty is defined by their sycophancy, not their good ideas. This will be a Cabinet following Trump’s grievances and whims. If you think that formula will successfully deliver a healthy economy and healthy society, I’m quite sure you are wrong, and I suspect the evidence that formula is a failure will be readily apparent and decisively clear … sadly.
Ted Ranney
Foothills
No anti-vaxxer as HHS secretary
At 86 years of age, I can remember the summertime childhood fear of polio, the pictures of iron lungs. In the mid 1960’s my little family of three stood in a long line to receive Dr. Salk’s wonderful sugar pill of polio vaccine. When is the last time you saw a “quarantined” sign on a house because of rheumatic fever or some other illness? Probably never, unless you were alive in the 1950s. Measles was practically eradicated from the earth until people decided against vaccination. How many adults today have suffered from shingles as a result of childhood chicken pox? Now we have Shingrix vaccine!
I cried with joy and relief when I got my first COVID vaccine, and I have continued to get boosters, as well as pneumonia, flu and RSV shots. I believe vaccines are a large part of why so many of us are living healthy, active lives well into our 80s and 90s.
We don’t need an anti-vaxxer like RFK Jr. as HHS secretary.
Eleanor Arnold
Northeast side
Indefensible Gaza attacks
I am so disappointed with Biden’s response to the Israeli outrages in Gaza. A month ago Secretary Blinken issued an ultimatum demanding increased aid for Gaza under the threat of reduced U.S. military aid. Though any American would rightfully mourn the 1,200 innocent Israelis killed in the Hamas attack, the endless, disproportionate attacks on Gaza cannot be justified. UN estimates are that two-thirds of all Gaza’s structures have been destroyed or damaged, 43,000 of their residents killed and 103,000 injured. That is not proportionate.
So, how did Israel respond to the U.S. ultimatum? By reducing aid to the lowest point since the war began and banning the major UN relief agency, UNRWA. And today, we learned in a Washington Post report that the IDF is supporting criminal gangs in Gaza who are hijacking what little aid is entering!
Yet, with all the evidence that Israel has not met U.S. demands, Biden has blithely declared that everything is cool and U.S. military aid will continue. Disgusting.
Jack Evert
Oro Valley
Regarding genuine condolences
The writer feels disgusted that Vince Leach got the first words in expressing his condolences in the tragic death of John McLean by a 23-year-old driving recklessly and under the influence. I hope this person faces justice.
What disgusts me was this writer’s last paragraph; “It is interesting that his killer, Michael Martin Creel, is a Republican. Confirms my belief there are more Republican criminals than Democrat, as evidenced by the top of their ticket.”
Daily Star, do you not have any scruples? This nearly implies that Mr. McLean a Democrat had been hunted down by a Republican. How is his party affiliation public knowledge and used in your paper?
I was hoping that after the election, the words used by opinion writers would become a little more gracious in their defeat but I don’t see that happening. As an “uneducated white woman,” oh, and “deplorable” you can also add “Winner” to the list.
Robbi Justice
Northwest side
Thank you, Biden/Harris
I want to thank the president and VP for saving America from the four years of lying and cozying up to dictators. Thank you for the sanity you brought to our country. It’s so important to have leaders and not criminals in charge. It’s a testimony to your beliefs in the good of our country that got us through Covid and kept us from an impending recession. You clearly made Americans proud of our country again. Unfortunately for all of us who believe in democracy and don’t believe our country should be run by a sexual predator and convicted felon, we at least got a four-year view of what made America great. Now we’ll have to deal with worst prez ever getting a second chance to destroy our economy and our world standing again. Thanks to voters who don’t know the difference between good & evil.
John Bingham
Northwest side
The shakeup
The 2024 election illustrated clearly that the majority of the American public demands change. There has been a tremendous amount of gnashing and hand-wringing concerning the Trump Cabinet selections from the liberal media and sycophant Democratic Party members. Interestingly, this is the same group that devastated the country for the last four years. This Administration demonstrated they had no concern regarding the opinions and concerns of much of the electorate. The new Administration will dramatically accelerate desired changes. In a similar vein, Musk and Ramaswamy have been selected to identify inefficiencies in these Departments using DOGE. There is no doubt that various governmental Departments are bloated and their non-elected personnel set policy. DOGE will evaluate each Department and cut those unnecessary personnel. As taxpayers, we should demand efficiency and productivity from government agencies and these two are premier choices to accomplish that task. In a word, the new Administration has a mandate for change and no amount of whining will hinder the progression.
Loyal M Johnson Jr
Oro Valley
Election epilogue
It is comforting to note that we just experienced the cleanest election in our history. Thanks to the efforts of engineers and manufacturers, the flaws of the machines of 2020 were corrected and coupled with the alertness of Republican election workers a repetition of the previous “stolen” election was avoided. Even Kari Lake registered no complaints nor filed any lawsuits.
Also of interest are the apparent changes in the job description manual for top government positions.
Sexual prowess seems to have become a prerequisite for Attorney General and Defense Secretary; the Director of National Security must now display understanding and generosity to tyrants like Putin and Assad; and an adversarial attitude to established medical achievements is expected of the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
There are more “conceptual” developments in the offing, e.g. unprecedented mass deportations, the replacement by recess appointments of the Senate’s constitutional responsibilities of advice and consent; and potential court-martials for “disloyal” military officers.
Fasten your seatbelts for a bumpy four years!
Frederick Leinfest
Oro Valley
Elites
In response to the Nov. 16 letter “Election result”: Elites are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power.
Does the writer not think that Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Rupert Murdoch (Fox) (who are also all immigrants) are not elites? But they have managed to convince and rile up the working class that the Democratic Party is the party of Elites. These are the same billionaires who are poised to loot America and working to help create an autocratic society with the wealthy ruling.
Trump is also an “elite.” Does anyone ever remember seeing him roll up his sleeves and do blue-collar work, unless you count his stunt at McDonalds and as a garbage man?
Hard-working Americans have been conned and manipulated to vote for a convicted criminal for president. How can decent people justify that vote? Have moral compasses been so corrupted they don’t realize it? He will not fix anything, and he won’t save them.
Donna Allen
Green Valley
In the name of religion …
Kudos to the Arizona Daily Star for the series on the religious sect/cult “The Message.” Now we know why a woman will never be President of the USA. Having millions brainwashed, both men and women, to believe that women belong in the kitchen/bedroom, are obligated to always consent to sex in marriage, should be forbidden to work or be educated, should dress in a manner to prevent male lust, deserve and require physical abuse, are “filthy hogs … garbage,” this country will prefer any man — felon, rapist, authoritarian, demented — over one of these subhuman creatures: woman.
None of the abusive, controlling cults are headed by a woman. I am puzzled and deeply disturbed about what creates the types of men who want/need to subjugate women for their own purposes, be the all-powerful “prophet or God,” control with fear and abuse. Is it a desire and fantasy for unrestricted sex/rape/money? Are sexual and financial crimes — predominantly committed by men — perpetrated in the name of religion acceptable?
Sandra Katz, M.D., J.D.
Foothills
Trump’s presidency 2024-28
Borrowing from Charles Dickens, historians may well say that prior to Donald Trump’s term it was the age of wisdom, it was the epoch of belief, it was the season of light, it was the spring of hope but during Trump’s term it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of darkness, it was the of winter of despair.
Larry Gray
SaddleBrooke
H.R. 9495 — urgent
Please contact your Congressperson ASAP (mine is Ciscomani). Tell them to vote NO on H.R. 9495. This bill, if passed, would let Trump’s Treasury Secretary strip non-profits of their tax-exempt status by labeling them “terrorist-supporting organizations,” at Trump’s request. It could shut down the ACLU and other civil rights groups, news outlets, humanitarian aid groups, schools, and countless civil society groups. To silence, censor and criminalize Trump’s critics and political opponents is not the American way. Trump led a campaign of fear and continues to show how weak and fearful he is of any opposition, or ideology with which he disagrees.
Linda Schulman
Northeast side
They don’t have to vote for Trump
Now that the Donald is almost daily emitting buyer’s remorse pills perhaps the electors we voted for (remember, we didn’t vote for either Trump or Harris, but electors) can be persuaded to vote for Harris. Electors are not legally obligated to vote for a particular person. If we knew who they are we could talk to them, to remind them that if they cast their vote for Trump they also get M. Gaetz, S. Miller, P. Hegseth, E. Musk, and who knows what other Putin-like nominations. Because the voting is done, those who didn’t vote, those who can’t vote (who might have a bigger stake in who is president than those who didn’t vote), anyone affected by incompetent leadership, affected by prejudicial legislation and executive orders, has a legitimate ability and opportunity to voice his/her opinion. Having electors vote for Harris … that’s democracy acting.
Charles Larson
Green Valley
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Immigration
During the 2017 presidential election campaign, candidate Trump promised to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to keep illegal immigrants from entering the United States. He further said that the cost would be approximately $12 billion, and that Mexico would pay for it. He was then elected as president. For various reasons, his promise was never accomplished. During the more recent 2024 campaign, he promised (if elected) to declare a national emergency and use the military on U.S. soil to remove an estimated 11 million undocumented people currently in the United States. If this effort fails, will he find a way to abolish the Constitution and run once again with yet another promise?
Alan Roehl
Sahuarita
