Tucson Speaks Out: Sept. 23 letters of the day

Tucson Unified School District

How is it that TUSD received $268 million in COVID relief money and now are asking for an additional $400 million for school improvements … huh? What happened to the $268 million? I do believe, we, the paying public need an explanation and accountability.

Carol Whiteaker

Southeast side

Five reasons of faulty thinking

Claims by Republican lawmakers that Democrats and their policies are the cause of the inflation during the Biden administration simply are faulty.

The 2017 Trump tax cut is considered by most economists as highly inflationary. It put money into the hands of the wealthy while forcing the government to borrow money for ever increasing natural disasters, COVID mitigation, and emergencies.

Republican legislatures, both state and national, have put off necessary infrastructure spending as “too expensive”. This has resulted in supply chain issues making it more difficult to get products from factories to store shelves increasing prices.

Corporate greed with very little government intervention has created a huge reliance on foreign products that should be manufactured in the United States. That would eliminate shipping costs, cut the use of carbon energy, and create American jobs.

Republican opposition to clean and renewable energy that ensures we are prisoners to international oil cartels.

Limiting our workforce by making it difficult for migrants to take jobs in agriculture and hospitality driving up prices.

Kalvin Smith

East side

2024 Presidential Election

A year ago Biden fell off his bicycle. Three months ago, he fell leaving a stage. On numerous occasions he fell walking up the stairs to Air Force One. On other occasions he was confused exiting a stage. Fortunately, he avoided injury on those occasions. Consider the opportunities for accidents and disaster occurring during the campaign. I shudder just thinking about it. It would leave us with Kamala Harris. She’d be rejected by the electorate resulting in a Republican victory, thus ending our American democracy.

If, somehow Biden avoids injury and is reelected, he must remain physically and mentally intact to perform the duties of the president. Even Mao and Franco were only 82 when they died, the age Biden would be starting his second term. Then consider flu, COVID, RSV …. Falling’s just one concern.

Overall, Biden has done a great job under horrible political, economic, and public health conditions. He’ll be remembered as an excellent President.

So, let’s say “thank you, sir” and move on to a younger generation.

Steven Meisel

Foothills

Bidenomics = $4 a gallon gasoline

President Biden has been touting his “Bidenomics” economy as being so great. However, most Americans disagree. In Tucson, we are back to $4+ a gallon for gasoline. Higher gasoline prices, higher food prices, higher credit card interest rates, etc. have cost me thousands under “Bidenomics.” Biden has had a war on petroleum since being in office. His administration just recently placed 16 million acres in Alaska off limits to natural gas and oil exploration, and reduced the Willow Project there from five to three leases. He has placed oil and gas restrictions on large swaths of the Gulf of Mexico. Biden’s EPA has placed new emission standards on commercial trucks to be effective in 2027 that will cost the trucking industry billions to comply with, and will likely be passed on to the public. Under Biden, we have had a 40 year high inflation rate. As for Biden’s much touted job creation, I think jobs have returned naturally from pre-COVID and Trump’s tax cuts are still in effect.

Gusher Adams

Midtown

Blindness and the enemy

While Giuliani gets money for his crimes, while the “cult” seeks alternatives to our Constitutional government, while Trump desperately seeks the office he needs to undo what protects us, while we continue to be fascinated with the apparition that is “Trump and his base”, we also seem to be working hard at blinding ourselves to what could result from all this … the demise of our democracy and our freedom!

Considering our nation’s current unemployment and inflation rates and his concentration on what is important to our nation’s welfare, Biden’s approval rate is inexpiable! But it seems equally mystifying how we free ourselves from this blindness we seem insistent on maintaining.

So far, our Constitution and the judiciary have been our saviors. But time moves on and we seem to learn nothing as we continue unappreciative of our government’s value and accomplishments and continue to be fascinated with Trump-depravity.

Will we suddenly discover there was no second chance? Have we really met the enemy, and is it still us?

Frank Parsons

Northeast side

Water rate increases

Re: the Sept. 17 article “Differential water rates ‘unreasonable’.”

The City of Tucson lost a court challenge on Sept. 15 brought by Pima County for making discriminatory rate increases that were not just and reasonable to residents of unincorporated Pima County, which includes the Tucson foothills. Arizona law requires fair rate structures based on cost that are justifiable and reasonable for water companies to charge. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge handed down the decision, basically stating the increase was not reasonable. The Tucson City Council, disregarding the recommendation of their citizen advisory committee, directed Tucson Water to increase rates for certain residents outside the city limits in 2021. Pima County brought an action on behalf of the residents challenging the increased rate and process.

Pima County unincorporated residents have no options of getting their water elsewhere, and have no representation from the City. Hopefully, Tucson Water can refund the money paid as quickly as it included in past water bills. And hopefully in the future, the Council can keep water rates out of Tucson politics.

Dave Locey

Foothills

Child poverty soars in the U.S.

The latest poverty data from the U.S. Census paints a grim picture for our nation’s children. Shockingly, over 5 million kids fell into poverty in 2022, more than doubling the child poverty rate. The culprit? Congress’ failure to act on the Child Tax Credit (CTC).

In a positive move during 2021, Congress expanded the CTC to provide financial support to families with low or no income, distributing it in monthly payments. This boost gave parents the means to meet their children’s basic needs, resulting in significant reduction in child poverty rates. However, a small group of politicians in Washington have blocked the extension of these monthly payments, leading to the heart-wrenching data we see now.

We were making progress in 2021, working towards ending child poverty. It’s now time to complete the task at hand. We implore our representatives and senators to step up, expand the CTC to help families with low incomes, and stand firm against any tax legislation that does not prioritize our children’s well-being.

Chloe Harris

Southeast side

A living cartoon character

Donald Trump, who holds to the crooked way as first-class in flim-flam, behaves with the etiquette of a bull moose, now adds an air of quackery with his goofy interviews.

With his promise of a more strident, freedom-lite America is to hear a good carnival barker at work. Trump’s base responds with chants and cheers. It is a spectacle that defies good sense.

Forbes Magazine claims Trump is a billionaire, with golf courses, hotels, a private jet, and a small army of his own private attorneys.

Despite such wealth, the wily one has devised a ruse to appear vicious in his smug shot and yet still whimpers for help. Easily fooled, his transfixed followers reach into their own wallets and cookie jars and foot that bandwagon of legal experts while he sits on his pile. Who knew he’d be the personification of the cartoon character Scrooge McDuck?

Atop this hill is our would-be king, a living cartoon character.

Ron Lancaster

North side

Time for a refund

On Dec. 15, 2006, the F-35 flew for the first time. On Sept. 18, 2023, almost 17 years later, another F-35 fell out of the sky.

This raises some questions: How is it that what is supposed to be the most advanced plane in the world can’t consistently perform the primary task of an airplane, which is controlled flight? This airplane has been in development for close to two decades now and it still isn’t right, what exactly are we paying for? Given that the F-35 has already colossally failed one of the primary missions of the JSF program, cost control, how do we get our money back?

Long term solution: lemon laws for military contractors. Short term solution: it is past time to cancel the F-35 program. The most advanced anything is worthless at any price if it doesn’t work.

David Reynolds

East side