In my guest column of January 29, 2026, I thought I had typed ".3%" and not "3%" for the ratio of Pima County's population of about 1.1 million to the US population of about 350 million. But my tariff totals were correct.
I found $383 billion as a total cost of President Trump's tariffs the past year. But even at a lower estimate of $240 billion, the total absorbed from Pima County would be about $.7 billion. And if the Supreme Court votes against the tariffs, we won't see a refund.
My future inflation estimate should be higher than 3% due to Trump's attempts to lower the value of the dollar. A more probable 4% average interest leaves only about $1.2 billion of the $2.6 billion available for RTA Next 20-year plan in 2026 dollars.
Water is more important than roads. Astronauts in orbit have been drinking recycled water for 60 years. Recycled water is a viable technology for drinking.
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Matt Somers
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
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