Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, center left, holds up her phone Thursday to snap a picture with Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., center right, as Republicans in the House celebrate final passage of President Donald Trump’s signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts.
Ciscomani squeezes working people
If you haven’t heard already, Ciscomani didn’t vote to release the Epstein files.
Instead, he is working for special interests and criminals in the $1 million campaign donation club.
Ciscomani has endorsed, by way of Trump, pardons for drug kingpins, tax cheats, dark web money launderers and healthcare scammers, including a nursing home exec.
One single scammer (Trevor Milton) milked you out of roughly $675 million. He and his wife bought a pardon and no restitution for $1.8M.
There is no ‘both sides’ on this either. The party in charge is running a scam and should be held accountable. The party in charge is using our government for crypto investment and billions in profits.
There is no "clutch pearl" moment because one can’t stand to hear the truth. The facts are documented. And yes, Ciscomani is knee-deep in this redistribution of wealth from the middle class and honest people to the criminals and billionaires.
Dan Hunt
Midtown
Wishes from scum
Wishing everyone a healthy, serene, and happy 2026. Yes, this includes the misguided who follow the mean spirited little man who takes credit for the accomplishments of others; who demeans or tries to destroy those who might — in defense of the Bill of Rights — dare to disagree or question; who stops FEMA payments to states that are run by Democrats; who ignores the rules of law (such as due process); who attacks families suffering with the loss of loved ones; who destroys public property without permission; who is obviously enamored by a dictator whose ruthless and unwarranted attacks continue despite the simpering smile. Yeah, Happy New Year to all of you, from someone DJT describes as scum.
Cynthia Schiesel
East side
Why I won’t join any new political parties
America has had third parties in power before, and the current parties have changed ideologies over time, but nothing has essentially changed except the degree of division in the country over time. The main reason is the underlying vote system is flawed. It only allows for positive choice, but oftentimes, voters have someone they despise capable of rising to power. This just increases the level of division. If voters could register both approval and disapproval with the voting system, then leaders who are revered, but not despised, could rise to power. I believe that the true preference point system that I’ve written about in an LTE before can solve this problem, and until a party is based on “process not platform,” I won’t be joining. The ranked choice system doesn't solve this problem, even though it is a step in the right direction.
Dan Pendergrass
West side
Billionaire buyout necessary for Daily Star
It is quite clear that local print news, and Lee Enterprises in particular, is not the financial powerhouse it once was. Loaded with huge volumes of debt and continuing to lose money each year, there is a real possibility that the Daily Star could no longer exist. This is despite growing digital edition revenue, showing that communities like Tucson still rely on local journalism.
The recent announcement of Billionaire David Hoffmann taking a controlling stake in Lee Enterprises will provide much-needed financial relief to the company. I am not a fan of another billionaire taking control of an important media organization, and I sincerely hope he does not exert too much influence on the content of published articles. However, without some major organizational shakeup, Lee Enterprises’ newspapers would likely see more journalist layoffs or even bankruptcy. Therefore, I am cautiously optimistic on the future of the Daily Star with him at the helm.
Sean Ginn
North side
The marionette
Trump follows Project 2025 to the letter. Two architects of this fascist doctrine are Russell Vought and Steven Miller. They are in the White House. Trump is the marionette. They tell him what policy to implement. He implements it and says it's his policy. Trump implements Project 2025 on tariffs, tax cuts, cutting government services, deporting working immigrants, military on our streets, and healthcare. When Trump feels his popularity slipping, he reverses Project 2025 initiatives. Trump won't follow Project 2025 policy if it costs him attention and adoration. Trump restored funding for rural health care, lowered furniture tariffs, and removed the National Guard from Democratic cities. The sad part is that the GOP Congress allows Trump to implement Project 2025. The marionette is manipulated by Vought and Miller and the GOP Congress sits quietly, enjoying the disastrous show. The only policy that is solely Trump's is naming stuff after himself.
Richard Bechtold
West side
The tide will turn
My Wa Bla letter seems to have hit a sore spot among certain people. We will now call these people “Mad Karens.” I see them on social media sites while watching golf videos.
Fear not, Karens, the midterms are 11 months away, and Donald Lame Duck will have dug the MAGA movement so far into the ground, that the sky will fall. The tide will turn.
The House and Senate will become Democratic, making the next two years moot as far as getting any meaningful governmental agenda to happen.
Even conservative readers like me are tired of the Duck and his Ducklings mucking up all over the place. We stand for the rule of law, but these rules have been stretched beyond our imagination.
We do not like families being separated, like slave families that were separated by selling off their children. We don’t like killing boat people indiscriminately. We do not like ICE agents acting like the Gestapo.
Please choose wisely, as the future will be ours.
Ed LeGendre
East side
Venezuela has nothing to do with drugs
If Donald was serious about drugs, he would be talking about treatment for addicts. If all drugs were stopped from Venezuela, it would do nothing about demand. Venezuela is all about gas and oil. We know one thing categorically about Donald, he only focuses on things that make him money. Drugs don't, but gas and oil could. Donald made the comment (and I am paraphrasing) "Venezuela stole our gas and oil rights and we want them back". Drugs are the pretext for regime change to install a government that will give Donald access to Venezuela's oil and gas reserves. On the plus side, Donald will bring illegal drug manufacturing back to America. Way to go, Donald.
David Berryhill
Sahuarita
Is there really bias?
In the 2024 general election, Kamala Harris won 56.7% of the Pima County voters. Observing the Star’s LTE history, at a minimum, 90% of the submissions are mildly to vehemently anti-Trump. We recognize the Star as liberal-leaning, but this may be a step too far in bias. Are there just few Republican submissions, and those that are submitted are from doltish Republicans who are unable to submit cogent thoughts? Or is the Editorial Board just plain biased, only printing liberal submission rants based primarily on character assassination instead of actual facts backed up by data? Why the refusal to offer both sides of any issue?
Loyal M. Johnson Jr.
Oro Valley
Donald the peacemaker
President Trump moaned, groaned and complained that he should have received the Nobel Peace Prize. As an aftermath he did receive the FIFA peace prize, and he proudly draped it around his neck. The FIFA prize, as I'm sure you know, is almost exactly equivalent in value to the prize you get from a box of Cracker Jacks. Since that point, Trump has orchestrated attacks on small boats off the coast of Venezuela, alleging that they were carrying drugs. Since all occupants were murdered and no evidence was found they could have just as easily be transporting watermelons. Later, our esteemed leader led the capture of two tankers filled with oil, thought they might have had drugs also, alas no evidence. Now he has directed strikes on ports, suggesting that drugs may have been shipped from there. For the self-described peaceful Trump, his actions suggest otherwise and are deplorable. Stay at home and take care of America's business.
Philip Reinecker
East side
Challenge the legislators
Stop wasting time condemning President Trump. He is a despicable human being and can’t change, plus he is a puppet of his handlers who script his daily rants.
We do need to question the limited actions of our federal Legislators. They have the power to challenge the atrocities in Trump Redux. Legislators MUST respond daily to each of Trump’s questionable tirades. The public is shocked at the President’s behavior but equally puzzled by the relative silence from our Legislative Branch. If our legislators are not ready to challenge the president and his puppet masters, then we must elect bolder representatives who can better rebalance the governing of this country.
Sadly, the Supreme Court is no longer a deliberative judicial unit and has become a political tool.
Finally, we must stop the media from fueling Trump’s dominance of the news. The more you cater to his addiction for attention, the more he will perform. Ignore all the diversionary spiels, and he will become frantic and implode.
Jay Gandolfi
Northeast side
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