Tucson Speaks Out: Sept. 9 letters of the day

GOP legislation

To understand what Republicans legislate, one word comes up: cruelty. Their solution? Regulation of how we behave/believe. Punishment is characteristic. We cite: undermining women’s reproductive rights without consideration for rape, incest, health/age of the mother and prosecuting anyone assisting; banning books and rewriting history as taught in public schools; gerrymandering districts to remain in power; refusing to offer legislation on immigration (especially DACA) and removing children from their families to punish parents; holding legislation hostage to partisan points of view, e.g. the spending bill; limiting government spending yet expecting federal disaster relief; demanding harsh sentencing for others while blindly supporting a liar, cheat, and despot facing multiple felony charges; stopping entitlements of WIC, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; denying established science of vaccinations and global warming via conspiracy theories without factual basis; and anti LGBTQ legislation. They desire governance that places us as supplicants as opposed to free-thinking individuals. Missing is any sense of empathy or compassion.

Thomas and Marilyn Lindell

Foothills

Tariffs

Re: the Sept. 5 article "GOP and Dems fall for autarky false allure."

The national opinion piece completely missed the mark. Foreigners are not “bad and scary”, cheap slave labor is. She attacks Trump's tariffs as an attempt to show his strength. Cheap labor costs led US companies to shift manufacturing to these foreign countries thus decreasing their costs and enriching those executives and stockholders at the expense of the average American worker. The resulting loss of American jobs deprives US citizens the opportunity to earn a decent wage, buy a house, afford child care and enjoy the privileges of our country. One example; importing cheap Chinese steel flooded the market and forced the closure of Kaiser Aluminum plant in West Virginia in 2009 with the loss of 650 American jobs. Tariffs are good for America.

Full disclose: I voted for Donald Trump twice primarily because I supported his foreign policy. However, I now believe he belongs in jail or an institution.

Art Di Salvo

Northwest side

Abraham best for LD-17

Re: the July 21 article "LD17 needs representation that prioritizes voters."

Morgan Abraham’s editorial in the Arizona Daily Star illuminates why he is the best candidate to serve the citizens of Legislative District 17 in the house of representatives. Already a capable and effective legislator before he was gerrymandered out of his seat in 2022, the people of our district are fortunate to have the opportunity to vote for a person of such competence and character.

Abraham has proven that he is committed to serving the interests of ALL Arizonans and not just the ones who vote for him. Most importantly, he believes in the role of compromise as an essential ingredient to effective democracy.

He represents a much-needed change to the current crop of highly partisan, bitter individuals hell-bent on curtailing voting rights and imposing their radical social agenda on the populace, going so far as to propose jail sentences for those who disagree.

The 2014 election is 14 months away, but it is already crystal clear that Morgan Abraham is the answer!

Jim Lombardo

Oro Valley

Extremist 'Self-reliant' delusions

Re: the Sept. 1 article "Biden Administration's destructive policies."

This tedious article rehashes the usual Faux News and MAGA talking points about the alleged war on fossil fuels, climate change hoax and border hysteria. But his apparent self-description as a "self-reliant American" is interesting. I have to ask. Does he grow or produce his own food? Does he do his own home repairs? For transportation does he walk or ride a bike that he repairs with spare parts he made? Does his barter handicrafts or labor instead of using money? Does he doctor his own ailments?

Complete self-reliance is a delusion, as we are all in this society together. As poet John Donne said, "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main ...." All of Mr. Quigley's remarks should be viewed with the same skepticism as his mythical self-reliance. Climate change impacts us all.

Ronald Pelech

Midtown

Rediscovering our principles

The overriding premise of the writers of our Constitution was that the people were educated, industrious, religious and of high morals.

Samuel Williams in 1775 said “… A free government, which of all others is far the most preferable, cannot be supported without virtue.”

Madison in Federalist 55 said "Republican government presupposes the existence of these qualities in a higher degree than any other form."

John Adams made the point "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

In order to be free, citizens had to possess the virtue of self-reliance, take responsibility for the well-being of one’s life, family, and neighbors. The thought of formal welfare at the remote national level was unimaginable.

Ben Franklin said “I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading them out of it”.

Jack Walters

Northeast side

A second Trump term

Re: the Sept. 4 article "Conservatives have plan to dismantle US government."

For anyone who’s unclear what a second Trump term would mean, simply lookup this article. Unlike his disorganized first term, the right-wing Heritage Foundation has a 1000-page plan ready to destroy what the MAGA crowd calls the “deep state”. Reasonable people call this our government, which protects us from extremists.

They’ll overwhelm executive agencies with sycophants who'll do whatever their cult leader says. There’ll be little fear of breaking laws as they'll control the Justice department, possibly their most terrifying action.

They'll eradicate the Justice Department’s independence, even prohibiting the FBI from fighting misinformation. Controlling the narrative and suppressing the truth is essential to any autocratic cult.

Domination of NSA, DOD, etc. will also have disastrous consequences.

It’s not hyperbole to say that a second term will likely mean the beginning of the end of our democracy as we know it. Something to consider when voting.

Dan Gipple

Southeast side

Positives about Tucson Water

Re: the Sept. 1 letter "Tucson water."

A letter on this page was recently appeared wherein the writer opined that Tucson Water was the worst department in the City on par with the much maligned Street Department. He stated that he had problems with his bill and had been placed on hold for long time when he called the Department.

Tucson Water is the best department in the City of Tucson not worst.

It delivers water that is good, safe to drink and reasonably priced.

I am not aware of problems with respect to the wells, the pipes, the treatment facility, or its management. TCE problems are reported and resolved.

Tucson Water had the foresight to start a saving water in its aquifer knowing that shortages would occur. We now have enough water stored to last five or more years. Tucson Water is also storing water for other cities per an intergovernmental agreement.

A foundation be should formed to further support the department I believe.

Manuel Hernandez Garcia

Midtown