Letters to the Editor: Jan. 13

Government agencies have banned the use of Tik Tok on their devices. That makes sense, but why stop there? They should ban all social media, especially Twitter and Facebook.

Seemingly a good idea, internet trolls have weaponized social media, converting it into a cesspool of hatred, lies, and conspiracies.

Not to be outdone, the hosts of these entities have turned the websites into intelligence gathering agencies that dwarf anything Orwell imagined in his book “1984”.

And given that these websites serve no useful purpose on government devices, the ban should be total and complete.

Rick Cohn

West side

Groups sue to thwart will of the peopleOutrageous, but not unexpected, that groups thriving on “dark money” are now suing to void Prop 211, passed by a whopping 75% of votes in the November election. The Arizona Free Enterprise Club and the vaguely named Center for Arizona Policy want to stop donors of over $5,000 to political campaigns (via nonprofit entities that deliberately blur their political goals) from having to reveal their names.

We, the people, are sick and tired of rich people and organizations corrupting our politics anonymously with their money. The U.S. Supreme Court contributed to this corruption by calling corporations “people” in Citizens United in 2010, but they specifically did not bar disclosure. Kudos to former Attorney General Terry Goddard for helping write and promote the initiative. Let the courts protect us from such flim-flam. These “legal” shenanigans show why, by a large margin, we the people no longer trust our government.

Suzanne Ferguson

Southeast side

Understanding economics

As I understand economics, prices inflate because the demand for things exceeds the supply. So, how to increase the supply of goods? Get investors to invest in more production and hire more workers. How to incentivize investors? Lower interest rates so they can borrow affordably.

Why is the Federal Reserve raising interest rates? Aren’t they doing the exact opposite to cure inflation? Some believe that lowering interest rates enables consumers to buy more stuff which increases demand over supply. So, lowering interest rates must be targeted exclusively to increasing production, not increasing consumption. Banks can do that, if they get directed to from the Federal Reserve. The Fed must tie lower interest rates to investments in farms, factories, and businesses.

If the Fed can’t do that, then Congress must step in. The interest rate hikes are leading us toward recession.

Bruce Joffe

South Tucson

Prosecuting Trump would be divisive?

Former VP Pence stated that Trump should not be prosecuted because it would have a “divisive” effect on our nation. Unbelievable! Has this obsequious blob of jelly lost all sense of pride and common sense?

After attempting to overthrow the government, the former resident of the White House has spent the last two years denying the validity of two national elections, claiming that he is above the rule of law and calling for his illegitimate re-installation as president.

There is only one person that is dividing the nation. Letting Trump evade the legal consequences of his seditious behavior would not only divide us, it would be one more blow against America’s flagging democratic institutions. Until he admits to his illegal behavior and apologizes to the American people, he deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Bruce Hilpert

North side

Come on Fani, come on

Fani Willis, a district attorney in Georgia, has the only real opportunity to ensure that our past president and his minions will be held accountable for their misdeeds. The Mar-a-Lago documents case, which was once apparently cut and dried, has been muddied and the January 6th special counsel feels like it’s still light years away from completion. So it’s all on you, Fani Willis, to bring justice and accountability to the transgressions that took place in your state. I hope the grand jury findings gave you the tools to get the job done.

Debbie Smith

North side

Dishonesty

Re: the Jan. 8 article “Our tolerance for dishonesty is corrosive.”

I loved the guest opinion by Julie Doll. But she missed a few. How about Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s lies about his service in Viet Nam. Or Adam Schiff’s announcements of proof of collusion with Russia by President Trump. Or President Biden’s lies about his status in law school, being arrested in South Africa, or never meeting with Hunter’s business partners, or the number of police officers killed on Jan 6. I could go on. But I’m limited to 125 words.

Bill Blaine

Marana

Black is black

The kettle calling the pot black, again. Donald Trump, Jr. has called President Zelenskyy a ‘welfare queen’ on Twitter. Oh, the hypocrisy! He failed to call out the corporate welfare queens. Real estate developers and investors take advantage of income tax loopholes to avoid paying ordinary income tax rates and/or defer taxation to later years. So, I ask, who’s the welfare queen? Junior and Daddy Trump!

James Abels

Midtown

Taliban’s fight against women continuesThe news is filled with hysterical reports about the Taliban’s decision to ban women from Afghanistan’s universities. The world is aghast about this attack against women and pleads with the Afghan government to rescind this order.

It is stunning, however, to observe, once again, the degree of (deliberate?) ignorance and lack of understanding of the actual conditions on the ground in that country. Even before the U.S. invaded in 2001, it was crystal-clear that the Taliban had a rock-solid chokehold on the local culture and mentality and that women lacked all freedom. No military operation can change people’s hearts and minds, which the U.S. finally acknowledged when they withdrew their forces in 2021. An arch-conservative Islamic society like Afghanistan regards women as chattel at best, so why this pretentious Western outcry and bitter complaints? Don’t many religious conservatives in the U.S. actually welcome the Taliban’s’ move? It is hypocritical to criticize the Taliban and to combat women’s rights in our own country!

Albrecht Classen

Midtown

Open to all or segregated?

Re: the Dec. 26 letter “Bakery or web designer choices.”

Individual rights should apply only to individuals. The individual, who works for the business entity, LLC, Corporation, Partnership, etc., has rights. The business entity does not have individual rights but for Citizens United. If the individual wants to discriminate against a class of people, the individual should set up the business as a proprietorship or, preferably, a non-profit. The point is, business entities are licensed under their jurisdictions to serve the general public. If the owner wants to discriminate, perhaps the business should be created as a members-only organization. Maybe a good name would be Birch Web Designs.

James Abels

Midtown

License to discriminate

Re: the Dec. 26 letter “Bakery or web designer choices.”

Should businesses open to the public have the freedom to pick their customers? This is the question before the Supreme Court. A web designer who opposes same-sex marriage and whose business is based in Colorado wants an exemption from the state’s Anti-Discrimination Act, which protects people from discrimination on the bases of race, sex, religion, disabilities, and sexual orientation.

If the web designer prevails, what’s to keep other businesses from refusing to provide their goods and services to people of color? The disabled? Jews? People in interracial marriages? I believe if a business is selling something to the general public then that means everyone without exception.

Karen Allison

Three Points

Designation of unequal

Re: the Dec. 26 letter “Bakery or web designer choices.”

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. A Catholic, Protestant and Jew walk into a bar. The bartender, being an avid atheist and finding their worldview objectionable, shows them the door. The absurdity of this turnabout tale accentuates precisely the nature of the Supreme Court case referenced in this letter.

No doubt the writer’s solution to the problem—simply go somewhere else—is convenient for the perpetrator of the offense while being decidedly inconvenient, if not degrading for the recipient. Every hard-won civil right started with someone taking a stand in the face of flagrant discrimination.

The notion of freedom of religion carries the balanced notion of freedom from religion. Selectively rejecting perfectly legal activities by claiming religious freedom under the First Amendment ignores the full scope of its intent by denying the same freedom to others. A free society cannot sanction religiously selective exclusions over secular preferences. The greater good cannot be served by designating them unequal. What is on trial here, as usual, is ignorance.

Robert Gavlak

Midtown

Taxpayers fund campaign stunts

It has been reported that Republican Gov. Doug Ducey’s use of shipping containers to block portions of the border cost Arizona taxpayers at least $95 million. In response to a federal lawsuit, he has now agreed to remove them.

Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich has used Arizona taxpayer resources to file at least four, tilting-at-windmills, campaign stunt lawsuits against the federal government. The suits contest federal actions on coronavirus mandates, attempted regulation of parts for untraceable “ghost guns,” student loan forgiveness, and alleged environmental impacts of illegal immigration. The cost to the taxpayers for these lawsuits and any resulting judgements against the state of Arizona is yet unknown.

Arizona’s funding for public education remains near the bottom of the nation, but these Republican officials do not hesitate to spend millions of taxpayer dollars for headline-grabbing campaign stunts.

Brooks Keenan

Oro Valley

Selling my hunting rifles revealing

I’m a little old for hunting so I took my two rifles to a large Tucson gun store to sell. They very politely told me there is little market for hunting guns. I looked around at the pistols and guns being displayed, most were intended to kill people, not animals. Mostly gone were the fine hunting rifles with wood stocks, precision scopes and limited shots.

They sent me to shop in a small brick building that turned out to also be a gun museum. They admired my rifles, gave me a good price and promised to find them a good home.

Apparently, guns are no longer valued for their workmanship and used in the yearly licensed hunt. Fathers and mothers no longer take their sons and daughters out to learn the fine points of hunting, to respect guns and use them safety. Now guns are marketed using fear of others who may also have guns, a much more lucrative marketing scheme for selling more guns.

Douglas Holland

Midtown

Railroad

Re: the Dec. 28 letter “Rail strike news coverage.”

This letter to the editor about railroad problems contains inaccuracies. Rail crews are limited to 12 hours by law, not 10. This has nothing to do with sick pay.

Railroad employees cannot schedule doctor’s appointments. There is no such thing as sick time. Railroads are increasingly refusing employees unscheduled time off no matter the reason. It is commonplace for workers to work sick. There is no provision for getting sick or taking time to recover from an illness. There are a limited number of personal leave days, but crews have to fight to get them. It is a rare occurrence for a crew member to call in sick from the train.

One of the problems with news coverage is railroad terminology is hard to translate. By the time reports make it to the public, the meaning of terms is easily misunderstood. The reason this sick leave problem, which seems like a no-brainer, has not been solved is very simple...the greed of the railroads.

Kathy Hurst, wife of retired railroad engineer

Northeast side

Hamlin

Someone chided the nation for being overly concerned over the fate of Damar Hamlin, who had suffered cardiac arrest on the football field. The implication was that as a collective we focused too much on him to the neglect of others. Hmm. Has someone used up all the sunshine because they are frolicking on the beach getting a suntan? Nonsense. There is more where that came from. Maybe your neighbor prays for a cause you don’t care about and vice versa. This is a good thing. None of us can donate or have the same level of concern for every need. But when we each do what we can do for what is heavy on our hearts, maybe all the bases will get covered.

Cindy Hansen

Foothills

Ode to election deniers

The circus has gone away.

The clowns no longer play.

But the tigers escaped their cage

And roam our state with rage.

Hayward McMullen

North side