Tucson Speaks Out: October 3

Come December, the Cold War will have ended 35 years ago. Numerous Western and Southwestern peer cities fell into a hole, and only recently have ones like El Paso, Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, etc. managed to climb their way out. But not Tucson; it got comfortable down in the crater, enjoying its crime, squalor, retired indulgences, flaky social consciousness, lack of planning, university sinecures, etc. Well, bad news, folks, those salad days are ending. No more “Urban Stockholm Syndrome” ahead. And yet, Tucson is still beset with problems it should have solved decades ago. Maybe it’s time to end all the toxic politeness saddled to the city’s obvious cancel culture, should you violate. The first step in solving any problem is to admit you got one, then look clearly and transparently at its obvious root cause(s), and stop deluding yourselves. Enough toxic politeness; it’s rotting our brains.

Bill Sellers

Oro Valley

Candidate integrity

When deciding who to vote for in the election, one of the critical items should always be integrity. Everyone realizes that each candidate says what will make them look like the best choice in the eyes of the voters; however, isn't there an expectation that the commercials don't present false images? The recent commercials from Gov. Katie Hobbs seem to leave integrity in the distant past. The commercials state that Andy Biggs is pushing for a 23% increase in taxes, however, the truth is that Andy Biggs proposed a 23% tax that would replace the existing income tax, and he has always tried to make that clear. Did anyone else notice that so many of Hobbs' accomplishments were left over from the previous administration? Andy Biggs may not be perfect, but trust is high on the list.

Loran Hancock

Northwest side

Why I’m voting no on Prop 421

TEP is a privately held entity. That is a fact so many don’t realize. They do not care about us, only their shareholders. They can give us all the greenwashing, e-bike rebates, and freebies in the mail and events they want, but in the end they double down on data centers and rate hikes. They do not care that they could make power unaffordable and refuse to underground transmission lines because that would hurt their profit margins. If 421 passes, Tucson will become a lifeless husk in a few decades, and the only ones who will win are 2,200 miles away in Canada. It is time to tame this out-of-control rattlesnake, and put our power back in public hands and away from corporate greed.

Ryland Plassmann

Midtown

Tucson homeless response

Rural SW Virginia new transplant Tim F.’s letter to the editor complained about the homeless here. This isn't just a Tucson problem; it’s a countrywide problem. Comparing rural vs. urban bus stops is a whole different apple vs. orange. Our metro population is over 1 million; estimated 2,200 being homeless. Yes, homelessness is visible here. Tucson has programs and partnerships with charitable organizations for food and shelter, work and support programs. There are drug rehabs that will accommodate the homeless, but when even celebrities with all life’s advantages succumb to drugs, people will do what they do. No doubt the City can do better, but what will you do to help?

Jeff Albiniak

Midtown

Misleading ads

Ads against JoAnna Mendoza are deliberately misleading. Supposedly she wants to raise all our taxes. No. She is talking about billionaires. Republicans, including Juan Ciscomani, have cut funding for services to veterans, Medicaid and SNAP, all to fund tax cuts to the wealthy. When Mendoza said no more tax cuts or sales tax exemptions, she was talking about billionaires, not us. Also, when she said everyone must pay. She wants to protect us and the services our loved ones rely on.

Nancy Ward

Northeast side

Congress, where are you?

Now we have Senator John Kennedy claiming the President’s new ads, “paid for by the government,” are not appropriate, maybe even illegal. Congress, we are here because you haven’t done your job. McCain/Feingold was a good start on campaign reform, yet the Supreme Court gutted it with Citizens United. Where have you been since Congress? Did you address it – no. We have a political system dominated by dark money, unidentified contributors, etc. Loopholes are exploited by both sides of the aisle. If we want to let citizens regain control of the political process, Congress needs to step up now. Or, maybe having access to corporate largesse is easier!

Norman Patten

Midtown

Follow the money

Researching the immigration system, our tax dollars are going towards other countries who happily accept those who are being forced out of our country. Immigrants who are detained waiting for deportation are put into detention centers waiting for deportation. Following the recent arrest record by ICE, the only one who is profiting from deportation is owners of detention centers, third-world countries accepting immigrants ... we, in turn, are losing because many immigrants are no longer paying taxes, performing jobs which many citizens don’t care to do … Need to stop this madness. Vote for reclaiming our country. Stop the illegal war.

David Valenzuela

East side

Definitely NO on 421

Regarding the Sept. 27 letter to the editor “No on 421?” Yes, I will vote no on 421.

The physical infrastructure, front-line employees, foremen, middle managers and vendors are in place. Few of those people will relocate. So that is straightforward.

If upper management incentives are based on system reliability and minimizing rate hikes, which are not mutually exclusive goals, it should not be difficult to retain or replace upper management.

Fortis will have to accept a reasonable price and financing conditions. If not, would eminent domain be an effective tool to force Fortis’ hand?

Oversimplification or opportunity?

James Abels

Midtown

Ravens-Cowboys game

Man, talk about an exciting finish for the man who won that game in Rio de Janeiro on Sept. 27: The UA’s Tyler Loop! Take that, doubters from last year’s not-so-good season.

Benito Whatley

South side

Militant chaos come election time

President Trump has announced the beginning of militant chaos in the political world. In a new TV ad, he calls his disciples to make holy war on the upcoming election, much like he did on Jan. 6, 2021.

He makes clear reference to the decisive Armageddon battle between good and evil promised in the Bible’s Book of Revelations: “This is the final battle.” Trump wants all manner of election interference to push back against the blue wave of Democrat sentiment roiling across the country.

He says the enemy today is “communists, Marxists and fascists,” clearly projecting his own political lifestyle onto the opposing party. He is the one using Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist purges of government officials, exile of innocents to far-away Siberia-like places, and illegal militarism turned against his own neighbors in big cities. He is the far-right fascist propagandist he says his opponents are.

He wants the focus on consolidation of his own illicit power rather than Jesus’ return to construct a humanitarian world.

Kimball Shinkoskey

Downtown

Why 'Yes' on Prop 425?

Ask yourself if you value Pima College, good roads, safety, health, public audits. That's what 425 is about. Go for it.

Ford Burkhart

Midtown

Saving archaeological sites

Since it sued the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CPB) in June, the Tohono O’odham Nation has physically protested the construction of a second 30-foot border wall on their land, along 23 miles of the national wildlife refuge west of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Armed border agents guard the construction site, keeping the protesters a significant distance away to watch the destruction of cultural and sacred sites. Last week, professional archaeologists joined the protest after the threat to a desert spring in the Monument and the destruction of petroglyphs and an intaglio scraped into the dark soil by humans 6,500 years ago. CPB claims it solicited public comment last year during the planning of this second barrier. But now CPB is magnanimously open to public comment again, until Oct. 12. Please email your opposition to the loss of these irreplaceable sites to TucsonComments@cpb.dhs.gov with the subject line “Tucson Sector Secondary Barrier System Construction” today! Thank you!

Stephanie Cady

Northeast side

Midterms at risk

Trump continues to talk about dealing with Iran “after the elections.” Here’s my fear: There will be no midterm elections. Trump will find a pretext to invoke the Insurrection Act, then federalize the National Guard and deploy it, along with the FBI and ICE, to block access to the polls. Then, with the backing of the current compliant Congress, he will prevent voters from replacing his allies and retain his power.

Glenn Kjos

East side

Fontes deserves our thanks

In an ongoing battle over Trump’s illegal demands to turn over voters' protected information, Adrian Fontes was steadfast in protecting our mail-in ballots used by over 80% of Arizonans. After repeatedly refusing to relinquish Arizonans’ private data, he won against the Trump Administration in court. Fontes again argued repeatedly in multi-state lawsuits against Trump’s order to restrict the US Postal Service’s delivery of mail-in ballots, which was ultimately blocked by the Supreme Court.

Fontes is fully committed to ensuring free and fair elections using well-established voter identification laws and keeping Arizona’s voter rolls up to date. He has established an Election Security Advisory Committee to protect against AI threats. His leadership in election administration and security has earned him national awards of excellence.

Whether you vote by mail or in person, Fontes has done everything in his power to ensure your ballot is safe and secure. Thank him with your vote.

Karen D. Grinfeld

Oro Valley

Ciscomani not worthy of a vote

The gazillions of uncontrolled spending and an unending purse for Trump is on Juan Ciscomani. A U.S. Representative serves as the direct link between their local community and the federal government, balancing legislative work in Washington, D.C. with representation and services back home. Getting money for JTED is but one of the many things Ciscomani "should" be doing for us (it's his job) and pointing out one goodie is not making me think he is doing his job well at all. The "Big Bad Bill," that's on Juan. DT is out of control, and Juan is supporting him hook, line, and sinker, not us. He is prioritizing Trump interests over local economic needs. Economy, healthcare, gas prices, Medicare, Medicaid, world status, safety, "war," Social Security, environment, USPS, voting. All failures, with Ciscomani's unfettered support. Sliced are necessary government programs that may help pay for food, housing, medical and other basic living expenses.

Peter Bisschop

East side