Letters to the editor - Saturday, Nov. 18

Re: the Nov. 14 letter to the editor “Tucson election system unfair to ward residents.”

I beg to differ with the letter writer who claimed Arizona is “primarily Republican.” Only 34 percent of voters are registered as Republican, 34 percent are independent, 30 percent are Democrats, with Libertarian/other at 2 percent.

Gail Barnhill

 East side

Donald Trump pledges to make America great again, at least so say his Chinese-made hats. Wouldn’t it make more sense for him to bring that manufacturing back here and create American jobs? Trump recently applied for work visas for an additional 70 foreign workers at his lavish resort, Mar-a-Lago. It’s logical to assume that his other properties have such workers. I would ask him to remember that his unbelievably expensive border wall is to prevent foreigners from taking American jobs.

Now he says that by giving the uber wealthy huge tax cuts, they’ll start new jobs here. Why should we think that these billionaires will use that money to create new jobs from the top down when Trump doesn’t? Ronald Reagan’s trickle-down economics didn’t work when he tried it; it probably won’t work now.

Don Vandine

Sierra Vista‘

I sometimes wonder why Rep. Martha McSally joined the armed forces and what she thought her mandate was in “protecting America.” “Dreamers” are people who have been here basically all of their lives. As a group, they have given back far more to our country than many so-called native-born Americans.

Thousands have served in the very same armed forces that McSally did. Why should there be more barriers to education, public-service and work requirements than there are to Americans who are citizens by virtue of having been born here? As an older American, I have very few role models that I would wish for my children to emulate — Rep. McSally included — but those I would include are the young Dreamers who are

giving much to make America a better country.

Thomas Borin

Foothills

Re: the Nov. 11 column “The most incredible Veterans Day address ever.”

David Fitzsimmons is very capable of writing warm, touching commentary. He really missed the boat on his Veterans’ Day column. He chose to use this day, set aside to honor our nation’s veterans, with a disrespectful “satire” of our president. Fitz should be embarrassed. Keep that kind of “journalism” for another day. He even missed an opportunity to do an editorial cartoon that might honor our veterans. It’s not like he had no prep time. Veterans Day is always 11/11.

Georgianna Murphy

Foothills

Doing away with the estate tax will increase the already steep disparity between rich and poor and further encourage the creation of a class of wealthy and privileged families. In other words, an aristocracy — something that the Founders sought to avoid as they formed our democracy.

The tax now falls on only a few families — estates of couples worth more than $10.98 million, and only on the portion that exceeds that amount. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, “99.8% of estates owe no tax at all.” Repeal would give a windfall for the top 0.2 percent, ranging from $3 million to more than $20 million.

How does this help working families? It doesn’t. Republicans in Congress must hear from those of us who understand, and thus oppose, this travesty.

Ginny Sherman

Southeast side

Re: Nov. 13 column “As Ina bridge comes down, new home readied for bats.”

With all the disheartening decisions being made by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior, it is refreshing to read a positive story of how local planners and builders collaborated to relocate the Mexican free-tailed bats living at the site of the Ina Road bridge project. Our local ecology will benefit from insect control and plant pollination, and we all benefit from awareness that progress does not have to come at the cost of environmental degradation.

Randall S. Smith

Midtown

Re: the Nov. 15 letter to the editor “Who are we talking about?”

The term “misogyny” is appearing often in the Star these days. I see the word in news, columns and letters to the editor. It seems to have taken on a meaning that is the exact opposite of the dictionary definition, which is “hatred of women.” Now it seems to be used to describe men in positions of power and fame who, in my mind, like women a little too much.

Jeffrey McConnell

Northwest side