Tucson Speaks Out: February 17

Violation of citizen rights

Thanks to the Arizona Daily Star for the excellent article by AP writer Rebecca Boone. The October immigration raid in Idaho violated the constitutional rights of several hundred Latinos. An FBI raid on illegal gambling morphed into an immigration raid that included city, sheriff, state and several federal agencies and led by ICE's poorly trained and unrestrained heavily armed face-covered squads. They zip-tied and held men, women and children, mostly citizens and legal residents, for hours with no food, water or sanitary facilities. After proof of citizenship or legal status, they were grudgingly let go.

In Minnesota outraged Americans defended the rights of non-white citizens being harassed and brutalized by ICE. State and local law enforcement rightly refused to be part of unconstitutional activities. But not in red state Idaho.

Should we not all stand up for the constitutional rights of every citizen regardless of their skin color or heritage? I see no other way to correctly interpret our Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

David Bachman-Williams

Downtown

ICE shutdown worth it

Yes, the Democrats' efforts to shut down US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement will temporarily shut down FEMA, the Coast Guard and TSA funding.

If this concerns you, just remember that Trump wanted to eliminate FEMA totally in 2025. And if you are worried about problems at the airport, under his Big Beautiful Bill he has $75 billion in reserve to pay ICE and the Border Patrol. As the Executive, he can use those funds to pay TSA and Coast Guard employees as well.

If the airlines are shut down that is on Trump, not the Democrats!

Bruce Hilpert

North side

Mail-in voting

What nefarious deeds is the letter writer yesterday concerned about her address, phone number and signature being on the front of her ballot? Our addresses are on all mail, phone numbers are available on internet and in public records. USPS protects mail and ballots as does Pima County Recorder's Office. Banks are very diligent regarding signatures. There has never been a proven problem with either as to ballots. I am proud to report that in 1991, Republicans made Arizona one of the first mail-in ballot states. Last count is that 80% vote by mail in AZ. Could anyone possibly think there is someone in the busy postal service or during counting ballots that would take out one name and do what? Call her? You can just not answer or hang up. As to this issue, I have countless issues with the current regime that impact my life and millions of others that seems much more important. At least to me. Thanks USPS and Recorder's Office.

Sharon Winderl

Midtown

RTA Next vote

The RTA Next ballot format is totally unacceptable. The requirement that the voter place their signature on the outside of the return envelope exposes it so that it can be photographed and copied by anyone handling the envelope. This poses a totally inappropriate risk of identity theft for anyone who chooses to vote on this issue, and will discourage some people from voting. This is totally inappropriate. The vote should be rescheduled so that a secure means of voting can be provided. Beyond this, it is absolutely necessary that this format never be repeated in future elections, such as the election this coming November.

Wesley Green

Green Valley

Quick German language lesson

Try to drive East Grant, 6th Street, Kino Highway, soon, Glenn, soon, 22nd, and you’ll know how to vote on these propositions. There is a German verb that tells us all about the last 20 years and the proposed next 20 years: verschlimmbessern. It means: while you try to make things better, you really make them worse. Chaos, mismanagement, a battery of potholes, cracks everywhere, stalled constructions, traffic snarled, ruined neighborhoods, loss of houses, and a financial disaster. As I have described it before in another letter: Tucson Blaumilch Canal. Tucson is truly capable of making everything worse, verschlimmbessern!

Albrecht Classen

Midtown

A difficult 'Yes' vote for RTA Next

Living in Tucson the past 26 years has been wonderful but roads built for a sleepy Mexican town are crumbling under the weight of a population of 1 million — almost 50% higher than when we moved here. Traffic with few options must endure stop and go mobility that requires significant travel times and planning to go anywhere.  The RTA was organized to accommodate this growth.  Its original plan was really just the local projects demanded by our politically strong neighborhoods with a new cover sheet. As RTA evolved to offer regional solutions for safe, expeditious travel in all its forms, obstacles proliferated — urban, rural and political. Plans went unfinished, largely due to a pandemic and associated inflation. The moribund federal fuel tax and our limited tax base proved insufficient. Residents are rightly skeptical of another regional plan, but returning to the neighborhood disfunction that preceded it is doomed to failure. With the accountability and transparency recommended by this paper's endorsement, I will vote yes to Props 418 and 419.

Frank Hartline

Foothills

RTA corridor design unsafe for cyclists

Yesterday I nearly got killed biking across the HAWK crossing at Broadway and Treat. After the cyclist in front of me cleared the intersection, drivers assumed the coast was clear. By the sixth lane, a pickup floored it and only stopped inches from me.

Transportation safety research shows that HAWK beacons on very wide arterials often fail because drivers misunderstand flashing signals and create conflicts where one stopped vehicle hides another person crossing, exactly what happened here.

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This occurred on the RTA-funded Broadway corridor, sold as safer for cyclists, yet riders still cross six lanes, each controlled by blinking lights that invite confusion.

As a midtown Tucson resident who bikes to school, work, and social outings, I depend on this infrastructure daily. The proposed 20-year RTA Next plan continues arterial designs like this.

I will not vote to fund another 20 years of infrastructure that treats near-death experiences as acceptable collateral. I am voting no on Props 418 and 419.

Megan Leuzinger

Midtown

Voter security

I just marked my RTE Next ballot and, per the instructions, put it in the yellow envelope, entered my personal information (name, Signature, Phone Number)) on the outside of the envelope and then started looking for the mail-in envelope. Not there! I then realized that the yellow envelope, with my personal information on the outside, was also the mail-in envelope. I consider this a security risk as my information was exposed to anyone who handled this piece of mail.

In this day and age of identification theft, I do not appreciate the fact that I must tolerate this exposure. I will hand deliver my ballot directly to Ms. Cazares-Kelly's office along with a letter expressing my disappointment in her lack of respect for voters. This may save time (opening an extra envelope) and money (cost of an extra envelope) but this is not the budget item that should be cut.

Cindy Soffrin

Northeast side

Masterclass in doublespeak

To the Editor,

The Star’s endorsement of Propositions 418 and 419 is a masterclass in doublespeak. By attaching four "significant reservations" to their recommendation, the editorial board admits the RTA is failing, yet asks taxpayers to reward that failure with a 20-year blank check.

Listing these caveats as if they are enforceable conditions is misleading. Demanding accountability for the "slow-motion disaster" of Grant Road while rewarding the same agency is nonsensical. If the RTA hasn't prioritized transparency or small business protections in two decades, why would a "yes" vote — which removes all taxpayer leverage — suddenly inspire them to do so now?

We shouldn't have to vote "yes" and then hope for a miracle of transparency. Tucson deserves a regional transportation plan that works from day one, not one that requires a list of apologies to be palatable.

Vote No on 418 and 419.

Howard Weiss

Midtown

RTA beats alternative

I have closely followed the many letters and columns about the upcoming RTA election. I wonder whether those opposed realize if it doesn't pass, the city of Tucson will either have to try another tax increase OR increase our property taxes to fund road maintenance and repair?

I agree that the RTA isn't perfect but dread the loss of the things it does cover if the city isn't able to fund transportation issues.

I also agree with the recent letter from Michelle Lynn, but would extend the request for reconstruction on Silverbell from St Mary's to Grant. I haven't been able to figure out why they paved the section of Silverbell south of St Mary's and north of Grant Road but ignored the two blocks north of St Marys and south of Grant? They are in terrible shape. This is a highly traveled arterial road and as Michelle pointed out used by emergency services.

Jan Foiles

West side

Response to LTEs no votes on RTA proposal

The no-growth, Schubert Utopians, and Marxist crowd just don't get it and unfortunately never will. Most of their points are nonsense. Despite a few positives, Tucson/Pima County by most measurable standards is a mess, transportation being one of them.

If the above-mentioned crowd had not been so entrenched in their dogma during the 1980s and 90s, we would not be in the current predicament.

The reality is that the majority of people prefer to drive cars, not take public transit or ride bikes and this will continue to always be the case. No amount of government coercion will change this fact. We need a more expanded roadway system i.e. new and wider roads. Driven down Campbell or Orange Grove lately during peak traffic?

The proposed RTA plan needs to spend far more on road expansion. Send the plan back. Vote no on this boondoggle.

Robert Joyner

Midtown