Where is America’s heart?
The JFK Jr./Trump duo — with plenty of help from Christian Nationalists — are setting the stage for a humanitarian crisis in Africa and elsewhere with soaring deaths from infectious diseases like ebola, cholera, vector-borne, HIV-AIDS and more. Poverty, famine and disease outbreaks are issues commonly addressed by USAID which funds vaccines, infectious disease research and assistance in stopping worldwide spread of deadly contagions. Who cares? Maybe you should. Isn’t this what America should be? Aren’t we a country with the resources to do something that shows our grace? USAID was a whopping 0.4% of the Federal budget. It’s cruel and inhumane to act this way. “Let them eat cake” comes to mind.
Pass the bleach and the paper towels.
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Marian Fish
Oro Valley
Yes on 414
Until 2019, I lived in Los Angeles. For decades, the problem of homelessness got worse while voters rejected one proposal after another. They finally passed measures to build shelters and housing to start helping people get off the streets. They finally stopped opposing everything that wasn’t enough to deal with the enormity of the problem.
Right now, people are advocating that we reject 414 because it doesn’t solve the lack of affordable housing. That’s just like what Los Angeles did for decades. Any proposal that wasn’t a full solution was rejected.
Thankfully, they stopped doing that and got new shelters and new housing. Did the measures solve the problems? No. However, they stopped simply letting things get worse. Is 414 the solution? No, but it keeps things from getting worse while we look for one.
Fredrick Bertz
North side
Digital coupons
A lady wrote a letter recently complaining about grocery stores making you download an app in order to take advantage of digital coupons in the store ads. She is certainly not the only one upset by this. A customer usually already has a store discount card and has to enter their phone number when making a purchase. That is all they should have to do to get any discount that is available. I have been in line waiting until someone finally finds the digital coupon on their phone. It holds up everyone. Some folks, like me, are not tech savvy. That shouldn’t prevent me from getting any discount available. The newspaper ads already say they are going to go digital someday. That’s going to make the problem worse.
Jeff Britt
East side
Prop 414: Bronson opinion
This was an excellent article, thoughtful, insightful, discussing larger effects of the proposed tax increase on Tucsonans and surrounding communities. She is right about the highest tax rate in the state. And I say we have the lowest standard of living in the state, outside of the nation. I have lived in Tucson over 50 years. I now live on a fixed income, trying my best to stay afloat with the horrible inflation we have been facing the past few years. It is my opinion you have to be insane to vote for an increase in your taxes.
Susan Whittemore
Midtown
Climbing the Lemmon
I enjoyed the letter about Mt. Lemmon speeders. I agree with just about all of it except suggesting the racers go at night. Not only is it more hazardous then but that’s pretty much the empty road or quiet time when deer and other animals “think” it’s okay to browse along or on the road. This makes for a horrible situation for human and animal alike and being a frequent driver on the mountain I have seen too many sad cases, day AND night of drivers or animals being removed from the road or the walls. These are probably excellent young drivers but there’s no winning when an animal steps out in front of your car. So, no, I do not agree that racing on a two-lane mountain road, actually day OR night, is a wise idea.
Linda Rothchild
East side
Halftime travesty
So the super bowl is over and though I pulled for the Chiefs I reluctantly admit that they were vastly overmatched by the Eagles. So it goes. The only thing, in my estimation, more pitiful than the Chiefs performance was the halftime execution. Some guy, whose name I do not remember, sauntered around the stage shouting such things as squabba do squabba do, whatever that may mean. He was accompanied by 30 robots whose only jobs seemed to be to circle around with no particular destination in mind. I am old and realize that giants such as Perry Como, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, who could enthrall you with voice and song, are largely passe now. But if what I witnessed today is what now passes for music I am saddened. I love you folks but this hooey is one step away from a musical ice age.
Philip Reinecker
East side
Trump’s chopping block
The Department of Education, the 1979 brainchild of President Jimmy Carter and the National Education Association, the largest labor union in the country is now on the chopping block. Trump has challenged Linda McMahon, his designated Secretary of Education, to work herself out of her job by abolishing it which requires Congressional legislation.
This is huge for Arizona. We would receive a yearly federally funded block grant with only one string attached — a robust school-choice program which we already have.
Pima County could have local control empowering us to educate our children as we chose. Gone forever is the charade of TUSD’s desegregation order that we slow-rolled from 1978 to 2024 just to stay aboard the $63M annual federal gravy train. The best education is closest to the home, not on the Potomac River.
We can’t eliminate the corrupt NEA which has a foreign policy that cares more about Palestinian children than American children; we can only make them inconsequential.
Jeffrey McConnell
West side
Chinese and Panama Canal
The piece “Has China taken over the Panama Canal” is informative. It appeared to give both sides of the issue fair play.
Whenever I read how China is/has helped various countries develop infrastructure I think about the book “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” and how the U.S. “helped” other countries in the WWII post-war era to establish political influence in whatever country assisted.
The U.S. is not helping itself when recent actions are considered. It appears that China will be the next big superpower and the era of America as a superpower is fading. It’s not helpful when humanitarian foreign aid is suddenly cut off by an influential political ally with questionable motives. (What of American farmers hurt when crop contracts are canceled on such short notice?)
This plus the fact that our President has a well-deserved reputation of lying to such an extent that his credibility is nil. That is an important part of this to be considered.
Armando Bernal
West side
On eggs and chickens
There may be a shortage of eggs in the country now, but we have plenty of chickens in Washington. Every Republican who does not cluck to the command of the head turkey faces the chopping block. This is no paper turkey either. This one’s as mean as can be and loves the ax.
Surely, this assemblage of foul fowl who are in line to besmirch our lovely planet and bring gloom and grief to its people, should be wary. The grime they carry from their dirty deeds will not come off and never be pardoned.
Ron Lancaster
North side
Thanks for your effort
As a customer for over 30 years, I greatly appreciate your efforts during this challenging time. In fact, this new version I find better and with more relevant articles. Eliminating the things that are published elsewhere only demonstrates the talent of your staff. I have been enjoying the local subject matter more than ever before. Thank you again.
Robert Wallace
Northeast side
About Proposition 414
I’m voting no on Proposition 414 for these reasons. Trump recently announced that “Americans could feel ‘some pain’ from the emerging trade war triggered by his tariffs…” (read price increases). The price increases combined with the proposed sales tax increase will especially impact the pocketbooks of the poor who depend on community services for survival, and the elderly who depend on their Social Security income. While I respect our City Council’s request to increase taxes to support the fire and police departments, build more housing for the houseless and meet many other important needs, timing is not yet right for a tax increase. It seems to me we can expect increases in the cost of groceries and other consumer goods. Let’s have a look at the City’s tax increase proposal in another four years when we know more about how the Trump economic policies impact our pocketbooks.
Alison Hughes
Midtown
R.I.P. USA
I was born into this Great Democracy in 1942 and WWII. I grew up bathed in patriotism and pride for my country. I sometimes let politics slide as I wended my way through life. Always knowing I was a free American. As I retired, it felt like the Great America would never end. It was a given. Then along comes Jan.6, 2021 and I watched in horror a President ordering a crowd to attack our Congress; and they did, all live on TV! That’s when I burned my Republican voter registration. Now comes 2025 and January 20 where we enthroned the perpetrator of Jan. 6 first as President, soon to be emperor for life. It pains me to have lived long enough to watch the end of the Great American experiment.
Thad Appelman
Northwest side
Education for life as a human
Finally, someone came out of the woodwork possessing a life experience and decided to teach. No surprise — It was a public school teacher. It takes both story-teller and one who agrees, before we have the answer. it’s called learning.
I knew two families who went through similar trials. I knew because they allowed me to know. Amazing that this prejudice remains.
I complained to mom when I met classmates in the “girl’s room,” petrified because they didn’t know about menstruation. Then, the “PG” condition surfaced. Parents failed to explain basic “birds and bees.” Yet, God forbid that such a topic would surface in school.
Today, I’m 93 and still wonder why we have this same ignorance of human life. Safe bet that parents don’t know about “this,” won’t discuss it. Precise biology (sex education) is discouraged in public schools. Parents don’t teach, won’t know biological news, don’t want schools to teach it. Yet we wonder why “problems” remain.
Some things never change but must change.
Elaine Cummings
Northwest side
