Sedition by any other name is still Sedition …
To date, nine individuals have been successfully convicted of sedition resulting from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Including at least one individual who wasn’t even there. Yet, we’re frequently advised that it would be “very hard” to convict the “general” of this “army.” It wasn’t hard to convict the lesser folk involved in the Jan. 6 fiasco … but it would be just “too hard” to convict their “leader.”
Can one of you tell me the actual reasoning here? Could it be because Trump might call people names and they might risk their jobs and/or lives in any attempt? Or could it be that a former president of the USA is just too “important” to be convicted … in spite of the fact that “No one is above the law!” I personally believe that all 10 of those listed here should be convicted … and if that can’t be accomplished, then I believe that the first nine should be set free. Otherwise, our laws are an unfunny joke.
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Sue Thompson
SaddleBrooke
Stupidity vs intelligence
Which is more important, human lives or the 2nd Amendment? What will it take to stop these outrageous massacres? Kids are afraid to go to school, adults afraid to go shopping, opening a (wrong) car door or ringing someone’s front doorbell late at night, could get you killed.
What’s the common answer: GUNS and the refusal of our elected officials to get together and do something, and the three P’s: Power, Prestige and Perks (money from businesses and free trips).
Do the words “militia” and “arms” allow us the right to weapons of war and killing a stranger, friend or family member?
This should no longer be a political or selfish issue. We have had more mass killings than days in this year so far. Stop the killing now!
Peter Strauss
Marana
Cutting taxes
Recently there were two articles, one about how a hard debt ceiling would help America and the other about the GOP’s cutting taxes without reducing spending. While I don’t like paying taxes any more than Grover Norquist, one of the authors, what I don’t want even more is to live in the “Third World,” to use an old term.
Both articles’ suggestions would drive down spending on public goods, such as schools, roads and social services, in favor of “citizens keeping their hard-earned money.” Sounds great. But in practice means the rich get richer and the poor and middle class get left behind. Third world countries economies are set up to favor the rich at the expense of the many — is that what we want in America? In my opinion government should always focus on the poor and middle classes — the rich have always been able to take care of themselves as they have throughout history.
Dave Bertagnoli
West side
A cancer advocate’s plea to Congress: No cuts to care, no cuts to cures
As Congress and the president consider ways to address the looming debt limit, our nation’s progress against cancer should not be up for negotiation.
Capping federal funding will lead to cuts to cancer research and impact future innovation. Cancer research can’t be turned on and off like a light switch. We will lose progress, risk losing talented scientific expertise and compromise losing U.S. leadership in the cancer research space.
Setting up barriers to health insurance through Medicaid will compromise access to proven cancer care and lead to later-stage cancer diagnoses, when the disease is more expensive to treat, and survival is less likely. Furthermore, the evidence is clear: work requirements don’t work.
I’m deeply concerned about what these proposals mean in the fight against cancer. Cuts to care and cuts to cures threaten our goal to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. I urge Congress to oppose any cuts to cancer cures or cancer care in a final debt ceiling deal.
Lisa Reynolds
Southeast side
Failed to verify
Re: the May 20 article “Lake’s challenge heads to judge.”
Kari Lake’s attorney claimed in court that Maricopa County failed to verify ballot signatures, allegedly casting doubt on the election that Lake lost last year. His basis? Reviewers only spent three seconds evaluating each signature. Here’s a thought experiment: think back to the last time you made a retail purchase with a credit card and the clerk compared the signature on the card to the signature on the charge slip. Did you wait more than three seconds? Me neither.
Mike Tully
Foothills
Dysfunctional Congress
Much has been written about Artificial Intelligence (AI) including what jobs might be replaced by AI. One job I have not seen discussed is replacement of our dysfunctional Congress. Analysis of the data clearly shows that gun violence is closely related to the availability of guns. One of the major causes of our national debt is the large tax cuts which never yielded the increased revenue promised. To fix the problem of the national debt the revenue side of the equation must be included. There are over 1 million job openings in the USA. Hundreds of thousands of migrants are trying to get into the USA. Analysis of the data provides a pathway to help solve three major domestic problems.
Maybe we should replace our Congress with AI. Artificial Intelligence is clearly better than no intelligence. I’m still thinking about replacing the Supreme Court.
Neil Kochenour
Green Valley
Access to physical therapy vital for aging Arizonans
Physical therapy is a cost-effective, patient-preferred option to prevent and treat pain without medication. It is clinically proven to improve strength, function, and mobility, especially for seniors as they age. At a time when the U.S. is facing an epidemic of falls and a worsening opioid crisis, it’s important that access to PT is protected and expanded.
Unfortunately, many seniors find it harder to access PT amid financial instability and inadequate Medicare reimbursement, particularly in rural areas with fewer providers. We must better support the PT sector to increase access as a falls prevention tool and to decrease opioid misuse.
Thankfully, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and her team recognize the importance of these issues. Her constituent affairs representative recently visited our local Tucson practice to learn more about the problems we’re facing. I encourage Sen. Sinema to work with her colleagues in Washington to support policies that stabilize the physical therapy sector for older Arizonians who need access to this care.
Jennifer Allen,
Chief Clinical Officer
Bodycentral Physical Therapy
East side
Ciscomani wants us to default
The consequences of a potential federal default terrify me, and my congressman’s inaction and stonewalling are incredibly frustrating to see. Representative Juan Ciscomani is playing a political game and risking the lives and livelihoods of his constituents just to score points with his MAGA base.
Untold numbers of Arizonans could lose their jobs. People will be unable to buy homes, start businesses, or borrow money. The thousands of Tucson veterans relying on VA pensions may not get paid. People could end up on the streets because Ciscomani wants to default on paying the bills we owe, discrediting our government and putting the global economy in peril.
As a constituent, I want Ciscomani to negotiate in good faith and come to a deal to avert this crisis. He is OUR employee, and we elected him to represent our voices and interests. We expect him to fulfill this responsibility like any employee. He needs to stop using people’s livelihoods as a bargaining chip in a partisan game.
CM Whitley
Northeast side
Kids need our help
Re: the May 20 article “The real issues.”
As an educator, I want to say that I agree with the letter writer’s opinion raising concerns about what some members of Congress are proposing in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. They want to severely cut essential programs, such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (commonly known as “food stamps”), Medicaid, education, and housing assistance. These proposed cuts are particularly troubling for my students, who already face difficulties staying focused and achieving academic success. With limited access to food assistance and increased stress levels, their ability to thrive will be further compromised.
It is distressing to consider that people in Congress are contemplating actions that could cause such harm to any child. I think it’s time for all of us to raise our voices on behalf of the kids of America who need our support right now against those who want to see them go hungry and not have access to health care.
Sarah Miller
Northeast side
