Letters to the editor

Re: the Dec. 8 article “Sense of privilege weakens DPS director’s authority.”

With dumb recklessness (it was not just a little speeding), arrogance, immaturity and influence bullying, Col. Frank Milstead has clearly illustrated and reinforced why so many people disrespect law enforcement. His actions make it just that much more difficult for the many, many good cops to do their jobs. Oh, and thanks, Gov. Doug. Ducey, for trivializing and further enabling this garbage behavior.

Douglas Williams

Foothills

Impeachment amounts

to political advertising

At last we are nearing the end of the Democratic Party’s quest to impeach President Trump. They have called for impeachment since the day President Trump took office. The endless hearings put on by the Democrats represent the longest and best funded political advertising campaign in the history of the country. This campaign has been 100% funded by your tax dollars and the Democrat-heavy news media. All to impeach a president despised by most of the Democrats in Congress, the entrenched government elite, and in general all never-Trumpers. All to convince enough independents and Republicans to join the Democrats to show this is a bipartisan effort. Really?

Cal Rooker

Northwest side

Steller right

about Milstead

Re: the Dec. 8 article “Sense of privilege weakens DPS director’s authority.”

Steller writes that Col. Frank Milstead, who heads the Arizona Department of Public Safety, was pulled over after driving in excess of 90 miles per hour and weaving in and out of traffic. Steller rightly questions Col. Milstead’s moral authority to run the department. In response, the colonel says, “I am baffled that 15 over the posted speed limit, with complete contrition, everything I do to make this palatable, that it is still an incredible story.”

Complete contrition? Was he ticketed? Did he pay a fine? Was he treated like you or me would be? No. His statement underscores Steller’s point: his refusal to recognize that he abused his position of authority. If you can’t abide by the law yourself in your leadership position, how can you expect others to respect the law? Col. Milstead should resign and the governor should appoint Chris Magnus to replace him, an officer who has shown great integrity. Chief Magnus would be a loss to greater Tucson but a gain for our entire state.

James Tuthill

Oro Valley

Your country needs you, Sen. McSally

I know it has been written before, but I wanted to share an email I just sent to Sen. Martha McSally:

When I was enlisted, and later when I was commissioned, and at subsequent promotion ceremonies, I took the oath of office in which I swore “that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.” You did the same in your military career, and then when you became a member of Congress.

Please do not stand with your party, stand with your country.

Irene Silverman, CDR, USN, retired

Green Valley

Term limits exist: They’re called elections

Sigh. Yet another call for term limits.

First, we already have term limits. They are called elections. If an official is doing a bad job, a population that is actually paying attention will vote them out.

Second, term limits are a simplistic idea to a complex problem. That problem mainly being that the population is neither paying attention nor participating. In the last presidential election Did Not Vote won by a landslide.

Third, term limits as a fix abdicates personal responsibility. This nation does not have a politician problem, it has a voter problem, and any fix that ignores that fact will fail.

I will end with this thought: Both Barack Obama and Donald Trump were direct results of term limits, so no matter which side you are on arguably the worst president in history came to power thanks to term limits.

Still think term limits are the solution?

David Reynolds

East side

Who said abortion

is a religious issue?

Sure, those who hold Christian beliefs find abortion morally wrong. So do many atheists. A bit of introspection reveals the basis of such conscience for most is not dogmatic, rather humanitarian. The desire to protect all fellow humans from acts of violence hardly seems “un-American” as one writer contends. This same person claims science has established no standard as to when human life commences.

Not sure on what planet that person resides, but neonatal technology alone has definitively mapped the timing of each stage of human development in the womb from the moment the egg and sperm unite. Every one of us on the face of this earth, from every continent, from every race follows this same path on almost the identical gestation schedule. The end product of which is precisely and predictably consistent ... a fellow human. Whom I, for one, have no objection to protecting by this country’s laws.

Tom Hansen

North side

On diminished US role and the value of work

Two recent opinion articles have caught my attention. The first addressed our leadership in the world. The author decried our diminished role, but I say it’s about time. The United States has been the economic engine for the world. Other countries manufacture our goods. Our foreign aid props up their military and infrastructure. Our military defends their borders and protects their people. It’s time for others to step up to the plate and bear the burden that our taxpayers have been carrying.

The second article talked about the tragedy of reduced SNAP rolls. Everybody needs a purpose. There are 7 million available jobs in the U.S. If people are encouraged to gain training and fill many of those jobs, their lives will have purpose. We will all be better for it.

Bill Blaine

Marana

Use military as model for police, fire pensions

Re: the Dec. 11 article “Pima: OT covered by U.S. grant is bad deal for taxpayers.”

Operation Stonegarden funds are not the cause of increased retirement costs for sheriff’s deputies. They are the vehicle by which deputies are gaining so much overtime prior to retirement that it greatly increases how much they are paid in retirement. There is a very simple solution. Make those retirements exactly like that of the military: 50% at 20 years and an additional 2.5% for each year over 20 up to 75% at 30 years.

If that system is good enough for the military, it is good enough for police and fire.

Jon Hurtado

Northwest side