Tucson Speaks Out: Feb. 8

Arizona needs more solar — not nuclear plant

The last thing that Arizona needs is another nuclear plant. Aside from the always present, massive, destructive danger potential and hazards involved in nuclear energy, and their immense cost of construction and maintenance, we are the sunniest U.S. state and should take advantage of it for our energy needs. This is becoming increasingly easy, more reliable and less expensive to do with new tech in solar energy storage.

I urge everyone reading this to contact Susan Gray, the CEO of Tucson Electric Power, and Ted Geisler, president of Arizona Public Service, to voice your displeasure on choosing nuclear over solar power.

TEP has long had a very affordable, flexible residential solar purchase option when paying monthly utility bills that I’ve used for many years. You can find info on it at: TEP.com/gosolarshares. Please support our sustainable future.

Renée Neumann

Green Valley

Don’t get taken again

Regarding the top headline of the February 6 Star edition: What a terrible idea to build more nuclear reactors in Arizona. This would tremendously increase our rates. The water usage of the Palo Verde nuclear plant already consumes the equivalent of about 80% of what Tucson Water uses. Nuclear reactors use a huge amount of water for cooling, which evaporates as it is cooled and then is lost to the winds. The CO2 of the nuclear fuel cycle is enormous, via mining, milling, conversion of the fuel to a gas, enrichment, re-conversion back to a solid, fabrication, running the plant with a lot of electricity, reactor decommissioning, waste steps with all of the above, and all the CO2 associated with the rebuilding after occasional meltdowns/accidents.

If you want electricity for about 30-50¢ per kilowatt-hour delivered to your home, instead of the current 14¢; if you want electricity that dries up the water resources of the state, nuclear energy is excellent at wasting money and water.

Russell Lowes

Midtown

Truth, not so social

No, Donald, you’re not in Kansas anymore.

And might not be welcome there if you don’t reverse the closure of USAID’s Food For Peace program.

You’ve forgotten, Donald, that Food for Peace was founded in Kansas. Not by an “evil, criminal lunatic.” It was founded by a patriotic American farmer named Peter O’Brien in 1953.

Farm production of basic grains, wheat, rice and soy, has grown astronomically since then, Donald. There’s a huge surplus — and until your Musky move, $2.1 billion of it was purchased by USAID. That’s more than 40% of all food aid. Which feeds the hungry in more than 100 countries.

Who are glad to get it — and notice the U.S. flag on the bags. And are less likely to look to China or other rivals for friendship.

A case of Make America a Great Ally.

That’s what Kansas is all about, Donald.

Come to think of it, that’s what America is all about, too.

Chuck Barrett

North side

Trump can serve as president again

There is a notion floating around social and news media that Trump cannot serve a third term as president citing the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution. The plain language of the amendment bars him from being elected a third time. The operative word in the amendment, however, is “elected”. It says nothing about someone becoming president in some other way than being elected to the office. If a Vance-Trump ticket were to be elected in 2028, Trump would become vice-president. If President Vance were to then claim incapacity (no justification is required), Trump would become president. Far-fetched? Hardly! As this would be uncharted constitutional ground, a colossal court battle most certainly would ensue, eventually landing with the Supreme Court.

Check it out.

Terry Plaza

North side

An idea for federal frugality

If Trump really cared about the foolish expenditure of our tax dollars he should forego the $100,000 White House decorating allocation. After all, it’s not like his family doesn’t already live in two mansions — one in NYC, one in Miami. And how about relieving the taxpayers of the burden of paying for and providing security to him and his family as they jet set up and down the coast whenever the mood strikes? And then there are the threats to take over other people’s land — paid for by us, of course. No, Gaza is not just another real estate developer’s opportunity to make more money. It has a history, a people, and clearing it to build luxury hotels for the filthy rich is obscene. Bill Clinton used the slogan “I feel your pain.” Trump says “I will cause you pain” but he will not feel a thing.

Sally Wasielewski

East side

Palestinian choice of war over peace

Mr. Tylutki’s letter of Feb 6th and his reference to the “disenfranchisement” of the Palestinian people in 1948 is concerning. Palestinians were offered their own country in 1948. Turning down the offer, they attacked Israel. Why his utter contempt for Israel and the Jewish people? With minimal research he would find that Israel is the most diverse country in the region; Muslims, Christians, Bedouins, and Druze comprise 27% of the population. Additionally the Israeli population includes black Ethiopians and Arab Jews who were expelled from neighboring Arab countries. Alternatively, the Palestinian territories are 98% Arab Sunni Muslim.

Mr. Tylutki might urge the Palestinian people to voice an ounce of regret for the massacre of Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists on Oct 7. The murder of Israelis of all faiths was the same as if Sierra Vista, AZ had been totally eliminated. Urge the Palestinians, just once, to voice their desire to live in peace with their neighbors.

Barbara Hurwitz

Green Valley

Breath of fresh air

DJT is a breath of fresh air. As he and DOGE dig into the “swamp” we’re learning there’s a sewer. Now we’re learning how USAID pumped immoralities of our left wing sewer into several vulnerable countries. It seems MAGA might actually “make the world great again”!

David Lundell

West side

Historical parallels

The situation in Weimar Germany changed rapidly in 1933 once Hitler had risen to power, appointed by President Hindenburg (not elected!). He made the police and paramilitary units into his personal tools to eliminate any enemies. He nationalized all media outlets, including newspapers and radio. He eliminated critical thinkers from the universities, legal courts, the Reichstag (Congress), social organizations, and opposition parties (they ended up in early concentration camps). With the help of executive orders, he streamlined the entire democratic apparatus into his own instrument of government. Any bureaucrat, legal expert, diplomat, administrator, teacher, journalist, or writer/artist who was not on Hitler’s side was quickly eliminated. Violence in the streets, direct attacks on individuals, boycotts of independent newspapers, threats against and vicious attacks of shops, factories, or companies not buckling under the Nazis became the order of the day. All this in the name of ‘Make Germany Great Again.’ The masses were frenzied and jubilated. Then came the Holocaust and WWII. Sounds all too familiar, does it not?

Albrecht Classen

Midtown

Cost of illegal migration

One of your readers stated that most illegal migrants are not supported by our taxes and either pay for their transportation themselves or are supported by NGOs. Unsurprisingly, most NGOs receive their funding from U.S. government grants. For the Biden Administration, this was the classic example of a shadow government and a convenient method to assist illegal migration without being politically responsible. And now, with the new administration, the NGOs are terrified that their gravy train will be halted. Moreover, the cost of this illegal migration is immense, not only for the federal government, but for communities large and small throughout the nation. And do not forget the cost of accelerated crime and massive fentanyl overdoses. For anyone to claim that the 10 million plus illegals who have been welcomed over the past four years do not present a massive financial burden is out of touch and naive to an embarrassing extent.

Loyal M Johnson Jr

Oro Valley

What’s going on!

Who is this creep, running our country? The richest man in the world, and he hates poor people. Wow, so much to unpack. You billionaires supporting this, OMG. Hopefully, one of the end results will be to knock income disparity down, where these guys reside. What I do know, is you pathetic Trump-Musk supporters, will never choose for us again. Our courts will hold, but as Mae West said, “Hold on to your hats it’s going to be a bumpy ride”.

Mary Bradley

Northeast side