Tucson Speaks Out: Dec. 28 letters of the day

Raising the specter of public housing

Re: the Dec. 18 article “Plan seeks to tackle poverty, social ills.”

Steve Christy’s vote on Dec. 5 against Pima County’s Prosperity Initiative was not based solely on procedure. He elaborated during a Green Valley meeting on Dec. 13.

The following quote is easily decipherable: “I suppose most of my district could be characterized as low-poverty, high-opportunity neighborhoods, and my concern is by changing housing policies, i.e., planning and zoning regulations, many of my constituents — if this policy goes as planned — could very well wake up one day across the street and see a government housing complex going up in their neighborhoods.”

So ... Cabrini-Green springing up in Sahuarita! Christy would spare his voters the very sight of disfavored people. He may have forgotten that the FHA laid a foundation for today’s ills through its practice of redlining. Government policies created generations of disparity, but in Christy’s view it would be a “great overreach” for the government to do something about it.

Robert Laux-Bachand

Green Valley

Colorado Supreme Court decision

Many have criticized the Colorado Supreme Court opinion barring Trump from the state’s presidential primary on the grounds that voters should decide on presidential candidates, not a bunch of judges. That view misses the point. It is not the Colorado Supreme Court, but Trump’s own behavior which caused his ineligibility. While I would not expect the average citizen to be familiar with Section 3 of the 14th amendment, the same cannot be said of a man who served four years as president. Trump took an oath to uphold the constitution. Surely he read it before doing so. He must have known that his actions around the 2020 election could result in the action taken by the Colorado Supreme Court. He has only himself to blame.

Lynn Carey

Tubac

Warning labels on TEP bills

Surgeon General Cigarette Label: “WARNING: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and May Complicate Pregnancy”. Arizona should do the same on all Utility electric bills: “WARNING:: Fossil Fuels burned to provide your electricity cause Global Warming, are damaging to your health and safety, and significantly increase intensity of: wildfires, floods, heat stroke, kidney and heart disease, pregnancy complications, food and waterborne diarrheal disease, air pollution, allergens and pollen, vector diseases (malaria, etc.) mental health and stress related disorders; and reduce the nutritional value of the food you eat.”

In an August Arizona Corporation Commission hearing, Utility industry expert Roger Morin testified that utilities oppose customer-owned rooftop solar because they see it as cutting into their profits. Out of State shareholders are reaping dividends while TEP rapidly depletes our precious water resources. TEP’s gas/coal energy combination over its life cycle — uses 1,675 times the amount of water that solar uses to produce 1 megawatt -hour.

Shame on them for putting their profits above your health and safety.

Rick Rappaport

Oro Valley

Meeting future demand for mined products

A recent Arizona Daily Star editorial states extractive industries are relics of the past, which are no longer required to achieve our goal of a clean economy. However, it failed to acknowledge the simple fact that products of mining are not only essential for our modern lifestyle, but also help to insure America’s continued prosperity. We use products from mining in our homes, businesses and routine daily activities. This is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.

Those who demonize mining refuse to recognize industry’s efforts to resolve environmental issues resulting from historical mining activities as well as its development of new technologies and mining practices that minimize negative impacts from current and future operations.

Improvements can be made to further reduce many of its undesirable impacts. Today’s mining professionals are working hard to make this a reality. We welcome constructive advice from all stakeholders on how to responsibly meet our nation’s demand for mined products.

David Briggs

Northwest side

The end of our 247-year experiment?

Are we seeing the natural evolution of a failing governmental system?

This year our present congress is dysfunctional and has not done a thing for our country or its citizens. They understand the problems but do nothing. It seems to be trying to destroy our leadership position in the world. Are they international political Luddites?

We have little faith in SCOTUS, our legal system nor congress.

Will we see the slow devolution of our laws to the states and end up with 50 sets of laws with nothing in common as we grow further apart in our political silos?

There are many in congress that do not believe in medical science nor most other sciences.

And so it goes.

Donald Plummer

Northwest side

Abortion

The abortion question is quite simple when viewed against the standard of natural rights. We have the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. One cannot achieve a right at someone else’s expense. For example, we cannot kill another except in self defense. A woman has the right to life and liberty. A fetus survives by usurping these rights. A woman will usually get sick, become more and more incapacitated, and have a small but significant chance of death. A woman can choose to give up these rights for the fetus but the fetus cannot take them. It is clear that only the woman can make this choice. Government should have no place in the decision.

Al Westerfield

Southwest side