Uppity
Re: the June 26 letter “Don’t beg for trouble.”
As a member of the LGBTQ community I wanted to express my appreciation for the letter writer who was okay with our being who we are as long as we kept it quiet. I have notified all of my LGBTQ friends that it might be better if we didn’t act so “uppity”!
Dan Nelson
Foothills
Road use tax for EVs
My car insurance company charges me based on the number of miles I drive. They know how many miles I’ve driven because an electronic device plugged into the computer port in my car tells them so. It doesn’t tell them where I drive or where I am. Only how far I have driven from the last stop. They total up the miles and bill me accordingly. Clean and simple.
People are also reading…
A tax on EVs based on mileage, ie: road use, obtained the same way would fairly makeup for the fuel tax now not paid by them. It only requires that all EVs be so equipped. No GPS involved, no government oversight of one’s driving, no noses need be out of joint. Clean and simple.
Dale Emmel
Southeast side
Disagree on EPA small particulates
Re: the June 27 letter “EPA proposal on small particulates.”
I respectfully disagree with Lea Marquez Peterson, Member of the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Fine particulate matter air pollution (PM 2.5) from fossil fuel combustion has been shown to contribute to nearly one in five deaths worldwide (Vohra et al. Environ. Res., 195 (2021), Article 110754). The worldwide annual death toll of 8 million people from PM 2.5 air pollution includes 350,000 premature deaths in the United States.
Our representative government, both at the federal level, including through the Environmental Protection Agency, and at the state level, should put the health and welfare of our citizens above the interests of the entities that emit hazardous amounts of PM 2.5 pollution. The externalities or indirect costs of PM 2.5 pollution, including higher health care costs and the economic costs of premature deaths, should be borne by the polluters and not by taxpayers and ratepayers.
Mark Peterson
Foothills
EPA versus NAM
Letters championing the National Association of Manufacturers study finding new EPA air quality rules would “devastate” our economy brought to mind battles between government scientists and the tobacco industry over the health risks of smoking that began in the 1960s and resurfaced with the introduction of e-cigarettes. Other battles between government scientists and those on industry payrolls have occurred over opioids, asbestos, lead, fracking and even sugar.
Since the 1970 Powell Memorandum, Chambers of Commerce and the Koch donor networks made concerted efforts to destroy public trust in our government to minimize regulations on corporations.
Hardly against profits, the Securities and Exchange Commission determined climate change is bad for the economy and responded to investor demands by requiring publicly traded companies to disclose ways the businesses assess, measure and manage climate-related risks.
To believe the NAM study over the EPA and SEC tells me the authors drank the Koch-funded Kool-Aid. That useless “sugar” is bad for us and bad for business.
Dee Maitland
Marana
The Ron-Speak continues
The latest fantasy comment by Ron DeSantis was immensely amusing. He chided a reporter who asked about his opinion of the Jan. 6 insurrection and said that we need not dwell on the past. Ok Ron, sounds good to me! Tell everybody that the Confederacy lost the war and their so-called heroes are guilty of treason, book banning doesn’t work, and all have rights under the constitution of the United States! Happy Independence Day!
Alan Barreuther
Foothills
Name-calling doesn’t accomplish anything
Re: the June 25 letter “Finger Rock buyouts.”
Whew, sorry that someone’s envy shows up in a Letter To The Editor, very interesting.
Without folks that have resources to afford houses in the Foothills many of our cultural establishments would not exist. Too, perhaps and not sure when you buy a house along the Finger Rock wash you weren’t aware of potential problems, perhaps you were and didn’t influence your buying there, perhaps.
Don’t refer to your fellow Tucsonans as “stupid,” what does that accomplish, absolutely nothing, don’t we tell our children not to name call, hope so.
Binky Luckhurst Woodward
Foothills
Ethics issues
It’s a sad day in the United States when our Supreme Court needs to have ethics standards written for them. All their rulings should now be in question.
Deb Childers
Northwest side
