Tucson Speaks Out: May 4

Change needed at PAG/RTA

For years, I've been writing columns and LTEs trying to convince the public that the RTA Executive Director and the RTA board are incompetent and mismanaging the RTA. Because of this, they can’t be trusted with our tax dollars for an RTA Next plan.

Nothing I could do or say would be as convincing of their incompetence as the recent actions of the RTA Board Chairman, Mayor Winfield of Oro Valley, and the Executive Director, Mr. Moghimi.

Over the past few weeks, Mayor Winfield has been using every trick in Mr. Moghimi’s playbook to delay the inevitable termination of Mr. Moghimi’s employment. By delaying a change in leadership and ignoring the will of the RTA board, nothing at PAG or RTA can move forward and time is running out for RTA Next.

Mr. Moghimi seems determined to take the RTA down with him, and Mayor Winfield is holding the region hostage to save Mr Moghimi. There’s no way I can trust them with my tax dollars.

Ruth Reiman

Midtown

Fight for public education

Where have all the teachers gone? To find careers that pay more, where people treat them like the professionals that they are. Jobs with reasonable workloads and less stressful work environments.

Public schools have been underfunded for decades, and now face greater threats than ever. Looming cuts at the state and federal levels, along with expansive voucher programs, are siphoning critical dollars away from our classrooms and handing them to private interests. Teachers feel like they are on a sinking ship — bailing water with broken buckets, while politicians poke more holes in the hull each day.

We need to honor the teachers and all public school workers who keep our schools, and by extension, our democracy, alive. Demand real investment in public education before it’s too late. If we allow our public schools to fail through neglect and deliberate defunding, we risk losing the very fabric of a free and equal society.

Chelsea Acree, teacher in the Marana Unified School District

Midtown

Better approach to DEI

The proper way to address diversity, equity, and inclusion is not to treat the symptoms, but the root cause, the tendency within the human condition to create "others" based on race, class, gender, etc.

American educational systems, K-12 through college, need to add inter-disciplinary courses and programs which acknowledge, assess, and ultimately mitigate this unfortunate, though in many ways unavoidable, way of discriminating against our fellow human beings. Only after the fundamental psychological, sociological, and biological concepts and forces at work in "othering" are understood would it be appropriate to study, come to terms with, and redress specific victim classes (African Americans, LGBTQ, Ethnic Americans, women, etc) through American history and in contemporary life.

Elevating one victim class over another creates more classes of those who feel aggrieved when special treatment is afforded to others. If, as in teaching reading, writing, and math, and other standard courses, students are inculcated in the fundamentals, everyone reaches a higher plane of understanding, empathy, and practical application in their daily lives.

Jason Makansi

North side

Legislation needed ASAP

The GOP/Trump tariff taxes: All products purchased that are subject to these taxes should be required immediately to show the exact tax on the receipt. American consumers deserve some truth. Hidden costs hurt both the consumer and the seller.

Dan Bannon

Midtown

Ciscomani's staff costs

Nice to see Ciscomani show up in Tucson. He didn’t speak, but he definitely supported the 15% reduction in our local VA. Why? I mean he himself in the span of three months spent over $300k in salary to his staff. He is on track to spend almost $1.5 million this year on salary alone to have him in Washington. He won’t support money to local and state for the people, so best bet is we all need to try to be his staff. As a southern AZ resident and a CD6 resident I want to know why this $1.5M is not waste, why we fire National Park Employees and cancer researchers but keep this albatross of a cost. How did Elon and DOGE not find this? They weren’t looking to cut or budget smart. They were allowed to break everything and Ciscomani supports it all. Next, Ciscomani is coming for Medicaid. Remember this in 2026.

Carissa Sipp

Midtown

May Day protest

How uplifting to see the sizable May Day Protest in front of Ciscomani's office. Such spirit and creativity in the face of wanton destructiveness in Washington. And the signs revealed compassion, intelligence, and humor — comedy in the face of tragedy. Go Tucson!

Robert Kafes

Midtown

Two dolls, not 30

I was appalled with one of the latest Trump announcements. Of all the problems of the country and the world that he is causing, he tells us to buckle up America and children be prepared for only two dolls at Christmas instead of 30. Since when does the average American child get 30 dolls or trucks? This does not address the effects of tariffs. We are talking about so much more than "dolls." We are talking about food, jobs and businesses. This speaks to Trump's absolute ignoring the needs of the American people and their families. Under this administration, it is definitely not a country "for the people" as Abraham Lincoln said. We need a change sooner rather than later.

Sharon Winderl

Midtown

The Cabinet meeting

On April 30, President Trump held a cabinet meeting attended by all cabinet members and a large contingent of the press. The meeting was broadcast to all who were interested with no censorship, fully open to the public and the press. Each department head, succinctly and clearly, outlined their progress and future plans in a concise manner. This was surprising to me considering the legacy press has claimed repeatedly that the majority of the department heads were incompetent and were only assigned due to their loyalty. Watching this meeting defies all accusations of incompetence and displays that this Administration is committed to a plan and resulting actions. Contrast this with the previous administration, where the president and vice president could not construct even one coherent sentence, and were moribund regarding addressing any serious issue. Although you may not agree with this Administration’s policies and actions, you must admit that it is refreshing to observe openness and full access for every flavor of news media and correspondent.

Loyal M Johnson Jr

Oro Valley

Russia victory parade

Since Putin has decided to hold a “victory” parade in Moscow on May 9, he will try to glorify the heroic success of the “Russian” soldier.

Historical records clearly tell a different story. During WWII, out of 8,668,400 total Soviet combat losses, 5,756,000 were Russian (66%). Ukrainians 1,377,400 losses (16%), Belarusians 252,900 (3%), Tatars 187,700 (2%), Jews 142,500 (1.6%), Kazakhs 125,500 (1.4%), Uzbeks 117,900 (1.4%)

The Ukrainian armies included: 27th Army (1943–44) (2nd Ukrainian Front); 38th Army (1943–44) (4th Ukrainian Front); 40th Army (1943–44) (2nd Ukrainian Front); 47th Army (1943-43) (2nd Belorussian Front); 60th Army (1943–44) (4th Ukrainian Front).

Will you, Mr. Putin, recognize on May 10, the brave Ukrainians and other nationalities who fought then to save you decaying country and the ones who are today fighting to preserve their sovereignty? Will you celebrate the Ribbentrop-Molotov agreement and your cooperation with the Nazi regime?

Ihor Kunasz

Northwest side

ESA vouchers

What’s Next? Blood transfusions?

A recent news article reported on a proposed bill that would allow private school students to participate on public schools’ sports teams. In 2024, the ESA voucher money going to private schools rerouted 500 million dollars away from public schools in Arizona. Consequently, public schools are closing; class sizes are increasing; there are fewer teachers, social workers, psychologists, and nurses to provide these vital services to our students. Public schools, the great equalizers, are suffering.

Grand Canyon Institute reported that in 2023, $173 million of voucher money went to private schools. Of that, $97 million went to religious schools of which 86% were Evangelical Christian and Catholic. Private schools are raking in millions while our public schools are starving.

Now, these parents want their kids on public school sports teams. What’s next? Will they want blood transfusions from public school kids, too?

It’s time to vote Democrats into our Legislature.

Steve Freeman

East side

I am inspired

I am inspired by the organizers of the awesome march at the Southside Presbyterian Church. They were great and well-organized. One man in particular has my utmost respect. He was in a green safety vest and wearing a Veterans for Peace shirt. As he was directing traffic a very aggressive driver tried to cut in front of this brave man and nearly ran over his foot. That man put his hand on the front of the car to stop the aggressive driver from going forward. I don't know his name, but I told him he handled himself in a very professional manner.

I am inspired by Mohsen Mandawi, the Columbia University student who was recently released from an ICE gulag. He looked at his supporters and told Trump and his cabinet that he is not afraid of them.

I am inspired by Jalen Hurts and the other Championship Eagles who refused to bend the knee. I wonder what the un-inspirational Tucson MAGA writing guild thinks.

James Robinett

Southwest side

Come back to reality

Letters to the editor remind me of detainees in a police drunk tank. A whole lot of complaining and no self-reflection.

The liberals still don’t realize they lost an election and have no power. They don’t understand that the Biden administration years have been a train wreck.

America is just coming back to the middle and our democratic republic is at work. Remember, there’s two sides to every story.

Louie Armendariz

Midtown

The coming genocide

Hamas attacked Israel and deserves what comes. But a much greater atrocity is now underway. Netanyahu recently proclaimed that he and Trump agree on "every issue," apparently including elimination of all Gazans from Gaza. Netanyahu's security minister, Itamar Ban-Gvir, met recently with Republicans at Mar-a Lago, and afterward proclaimed he received total Republican support for bombing Gaza's humanitarian first aid stations, murdering the people there, and starving the people of Gaza until all hostages are released. The attending Republicans have not disagreed with these proclamations. But starving two million occupied women, children, and other non-combatants is evil and is ethnic cleansing. It is genocide. And it will be a new holocaust, by Jewish Nazis this time, that the world will remember and feel shame for, forever. I am not against Jews; I am against murder and the murderers who commit them, be they Hamas or Israel — whoever.

Steve Cox

North side

Will we be able to overcome this?

Almost half the voters thought, Hey, I like a guy who lies all the time, tries to overthrow the country, has felony convictions, is guilty of sexual assault, filed bankruptcy 6 times, and never takes responsibility for anything. I want four more years of this!! Sadly, Joe Biden worked as hard as he could to make the country a better place, especially after the mess he inherited from the first Trump term. Trump swoops in and in 100 days does everything possible to ruin what was accomplished. Now we get to live with this and can only hope our democracy can survive.

Mary Zimmerman

SaddleBrooke