Hope wins
in the end
In the midtown neighborhood where I walk my dogs, I’ve been watching two homes for the last several weeks. One had a “Trump 2020” flag displayed and right across the street, the other home had a “Biden/Harris” flag flying. A week after the election they were still there. Today both flags had been taken down and in their place, both families had replaced them with the American flag. I think that says it all. Looks like hope won.
Marcy Tigerman
Midtown
Letters to the Editor
reliably amuse
Reaching the midpoint of my seventh decade, I do not always understand the humor found in today’s comic sections. However, I have noticed more and more that I am amused by what I find in the Letters to the Editor. On Nov. 12, I found one letter from someone who thinks it is the Democrats who want a return to Middle Ages of politics, not the current incumbent of the White House who refuses to believe that he has lost the support (if he ever had it) of the majority of the people in the country.
People are also reading…
I saw another letter by someone who accused Democrats of not liking low unemployment and a booming economy; not realizing that much of the opposition to the great, orange-haired leader was based on his lack of moral character. A third letter says it is now the Trumpers’ turn to resist, forgetting John Boehner’s vow to make Barack Obama a one-term president. The humor is out there; you just need to look for it.
Brian Johnson
West side
Socialism is good, actually
Socialism, the nefarious term many cringe at. But should they? Examples of socialistic programs include the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, police, fire, sheriff, Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Drug Administration. They all exist for the benefit of everyone and rely on government funding.
Imagine being billed every month by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, police, fire and sheriff’s departments because they were run by private industry?
Years ago, fire departments relied on property owners paying a monthly fee. When fire departments started letting homes burn down because owners were not current on their bill, cities and towns reasoned there had to be a better way, so they paid the fire department directly, which solved the problem. America relies far more on socialism than many are willing to admit, yet the term is cast in a negative way.
Jim Dreis
East side
Time for Trump, GOP to put America first
More than 170,000 a day are being diagnosed on average with COVID-19 and over 2,000 die per day, yet Donald Trump throws lawsuit after lawsuit against the wall hoping something sticks! He is still president and he still has an obligation to all Americans, meaning leadership to stem the rise of COVID-19 in the USA. Republican leaders, reread your oath of office, get this government working for the greater good of all Americans and quit this distraction of attacking the election on the margin!
It’s time to put America first and not your petty political position. Trump, Republican leaders, be the people we need you to be and accept Joe Biden as President-elect and do your jobs of leading us through this pandemic.
Norman Patten
Midtown
Demagoguery
takes a hit
So, Trumpers, in 2016 your minority chose a bull in a ‘China’ shop (pun intended) and that’s just what you got. I really don’t care that now a huge bunch of dupes have voted with you. Fact alert, you lost, and Joe Biden got the most votes in history.
Man up, Trumpers; it’s time to become true conservatives. Stand down, Republican elites, especially the Senate majority leader. The Republicans may eventually learn that they are really two parties: the tea party (remember them? They’re Trumpism incarnate), and true conservatives, who don’t mind an intelligent conversation about policy.
Now, there might be reasonable people that see in this moment an opening for a more competent demagogue to emerge because Trump is making the glorious USA look like an underdeveloped country. Don’t bet on it. We won’t be fooled again. Vote anti-Trumpism forever.
Philip Jaskoski
Midtown
Cowardice defines
GOP leadership
In 1956, John F. Kennedy, when he was a senator from Massachusetts, wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Profiles in Courage.” President Kennedy’s book described the courageous acts of eight U.S. senators throughout our history. If President Kennedy would write this book about the Republican senators of today the title would have to be changed to “Profiles in Cowardice.”
Sandy Salz
Oro Valley
Senate is a mess because of one man
Mitch McConnell has no business deciding what goes through and what doesn’t. No one man should have that authority in a democracy. He has overstepped his boundary and has been in the Senate too long and is simply ignoring the will of the people.
I have never seen the Senate in such a mess.
Allen Stephens
West side
Putin’s success
is no conspiracy
Russian President Vladimir Putin must be celebrating the state of the United States these days. First, by nefarious means, he helped get his choice elected president in 2016. Donald Trump then actively disunited us, weakened our European alliances, reduced our influence in the Middle East, allowed Iran to ramp up nuclear production and permitted Russia to partner with Iran in a military intervention against the Syrian population.
All of this furthered the Russian objective to weaken the U.S. domestically and worldwide.
Now Trump and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who is known to have consorted with a Russian agent, are trying to undermine the sanctity of our election, a basic pillar of our democracy, with false accusations of cheating.
Russia has no need to send operatives here. Putin has already cultivated this field. The facts are clear there is no need for any conspiracy theory.
John Kuisti
West side
Accomplishments
by Trump are many
He rebuilt the military and destroyed the IS caliphate, which was initially holding about a third of Iraq.
He built 400 miles of border wall to stop drugs and undocumented immigrants crossing our border.
He lowered taxes for all Americans and made it uneconomical for corporations to move out of the USA.
His tariffs on China for steel, aluminum and other imports allowed many steel and aluminum mills to reopen.
A lot of manufacturing has moved back to the USA.
He replaced NAFTA with the USMCA, which is better for jobs and trade for the USA.
During his first three years, wage rates increased faster for lower paid jobs.
His economic changes created jobs, and minority unemployment reached historic lows and unemployment was at its lowest since WWII.
His administration has negotiated three historic peace deals in the Middle East.
He made the USA energy-independent. He got the crime bill passed.
He arranged for permanent funding for historically Black colleges.
He helped with rapid COVID-19 vaccine development.
He put conservative judges on the courts.
Robert Baker
East side
Touch screens have germs, too
Touch screens are a perfect way to spread all germs. Please wash or sanitize your hands after using any touch-screen. Make sure to sanitize your smartphone, tablet, personal computer, or any other device, regularly.
Victor Panizzon
Northwest side
Subject candidates
to psychological test
I propose that the U.S. Constitution be amended to add two additional qualifications to be elected president, vice president, senator or congressional representative. Candidates must first release a minimum of their last five years of federal tax returns and second, take a mental capacity test.
The test would be developed, administered and evaluated by a three-member panel, whose members are in good standing with the American Psychological Association or comparable organization. From a minimum of 12 proposed panel members willing to serve, submitted by the association to the RNC and DNC, the candidate will select one, the opposition party will select the second and those two will select the third panelist.
The test evaluation and the tax returns must be released to the public at least 60 days prior to a candidate’s name appearing on any ballot. Some state constitutions may require amending.
Dave Glicksman
Northwest side
Christy’s ‘no’ vote
the act of a toady
Steve Christy does not deserve to be in elected office. His recent vote to not certify the canvass of the vote for Pima County is reprehensible and lacks rational thought. He found no fault with any procedure of the voting in Pima County, but voted no because, he feels, without proof, there might be problems elsewhere. Elsewhere! That’s code for “My fearless leader says there is fraud, so there must be. As a blind follower, I will do anything I can to discredit the election. Facts be damned.”
Jon Hurst
Northeast side
Good, not greedy
Re: the Nov. 23 article “Bosses say they’ll cut pay to reflect remote workers’ costs.”
There was an article in the paper about bosses cutting remote workers pay to reflect their decrease in expenses. OK, that sounds logical. What about the decrease in the bosses’ expenses?
They don’t have to supply a million-dollar office building, employee parking lot, cafeteria and so on. Please focus on being good not greedy.
James Galvin
Sahuarita
