Harris is absolutely wrong
Re: the Oct. 25 guest opinion “Engel is absolutely wrong about defunding the police.”
Justin Harris proclaims Kirsten Engel “absolutely wrong” about defunding the police, but it’s he who’s wrong. Defunding the police doesn’t mean cutting the budget without reducing the workload. Defunding the police means no longer asking them to be social workers, and allocating funds to agencies trained to handle the 8-9 out of 10 calls for service that are for non-violent encounters.
Any call to disband a force — as Camden, N.J., did — is also a call to rebuild it with revised training and requirements (including less complex, more effective reporting procedures). No plan to “defund” the police is meant to abolish anything but overwork and misdirected energy. It’s not a radical idea, it’s sensible and productive. Methinks the president of the Arizona Police Association doth protest too much.
Ashleen O’Gaea
Northwest side
On with the show
Why is it comedians, musical talents and performers want to charge an arm-and-a-leg to see them do their thing on stage? Yes, I know they lost a year or two because of the pandemic, but my gosh, do they have to charge $50 or $100 for a seat? If I go to see something/somebody, I don’t want to pay for the whole row. I just want one seat.
The Fox, Centennial Hall, The Rialto and TCC have many events now and starting prices are sometimes mentioned online or in the paper. Starting prices are fine, but I want to know the ending prices. I don’t want to sit in the front row because my neck will hurt, looking up a lot. And I couldn’t/wouldn’t pay those front-row prices anyway.
Maybe these entertainers visiting Tucson think they can make up all money lost during the shut-down(s)?
Kenneth Unwin
East side
A vote for Kelly is a vote for Biden’s devastating agenda
Mark Kelly’s actions in the Senate have been devastating to Arizona: skyrocketing food prices, out of control energy costs, hyper-inflation, wide open southern border with millions of undocumented and tons of illegal drugs pouring into the country are just some of the epic disasters resulting from Biden’s policies, policies that are destroying Arizona. Kelly could have voted in favor of Arizona by opposing the Biden agenda, and stopped it in its tracks. However, Kelly ignored the needs of Arizona and voted in favor of the Biden agenda. Kelly’s loyalty is demonstrably to Biden and not to the people of Arizona.
In politics, past performance is always an indicator of future performance. If you like high food prices, high energy prices, hyper-inflation, a border that is not secure, then you want to vote for Kelly, because Biden’s agenda is Kelly’s agenda, and will continue to be going forward.
Rick Cunnington
Oro Valley
Vigilante poll watchers
Why isn’t Gov. Ducey as aggressive and outspoken about stopping partisan vigilante poll watchers at ballot drop boxes as he is at putting up barriers at our border? These partisan poll watchers – armed with guns – are in violation of federal laws and should be immediately stopped and prosecuted. Harassing and intimidating Arizona citizens who are legally casting their ballots is as an egregious action as you can get in a democratic society. These actions are the norm in dictatorial regimes. Arizona officials and so-called GOP “leaders” promoting these illegal actions should also be held responsible and prosecuted.
Kathy Krucker
Midtown
Alive is not a life
Re: the Oct. 3 letter “Lying about abortion.”
I am writing to educate the letter writer on “scientific” matters. There is a difference between “alive” and “a life.” If one were to remove a kidney from a person, the organ would soon die. Why? Because, although it was “alive,” it was not “a life.” They are not the same. An ectopic pregnancy is a conception, but it has no hope of development, it is doomed, it is not a life.
A fetus is a growth on the mother’s uterus, a part of her body. Only she has the right to say what is done with her own body. Unique DNA structure has nothing to do with “life-hood.” At around six months, the fetus has matured enough to live independently. It is now “a life.” Ascribing “life” to an immature fetus is a religious belief. Potential does not equal actuality. See Constitution, Article I. Please don’t legislate your religious beliefs on the rest of us. A woman has sole responsibility of choosing what to do with her own body.
James Torrey
West side
Extreme candidates
Here’s an example of what our elections have come to in Arizona. In Congressional District 6, the Republicans nominate a candidate, Juan Ciscomani, with no legislative experience but with extreme views prohibiting women from exercising control over their own reproductive health. They then dump a ton of special interest money into his campaign to attack his opponent, Kirsten Engel, a well-qualified candidate with legislative experience who has genuine expertise as a professor of environmental law with critical issues like water. In other words, the Arizona Republican Party would create a parallel political universe where up is down, qualifications are meaningless and knowledge is suspect.
Peter Gruenstein
Foothills
Road safety
Being that I am a pedestrian in Tucson, I am more likely to be killed than if I lived in most other cities in the U.S. Tucson is the 13th deadliest city for pedestrians with an average of 3.12 deaths per 100,000 people, according to Smart Growth America. On Sept. 12, KGUN reported that TPD had been dispatched to 29 pedestrian deaths related to motor vehicle accidents so far this year.
To address this growing concern, Tucson needs to increase the rate at which we redesign our roadways to be in alignment with the Complete Street Design Guide that was approved by Mayor and Council last year. Grant Road from I-10 to Euclid is one of the most dangerous stretches of streets for pedestrians and cyclists and much of that was redone from 2013-2018, costing roughly $21 million.
We need to ensure that the money that we invest creates streets that can be used by all.
Jessica Janecek
Midtown
Look for gasoline prices to increase, again
The slowing economy and technical recession helped drive down the demand for oil, thus lowering gasoline prices at the pump. But today, OPEC+, including Russia, announced it would cut its oil production by 2 million barrels a day. In response, Biden announced the release of 10 million barrels of oil from our Strategic Oil Reserves, already at a 40-year low. That 10 million will be consumed in a few days. From the get-go, Biden has been hostile to the petroleum industry accusing them of price fixing, ending the Key Stone pipeline, putting ANWR off limits to exploration, and freezing new oil and gas leases on federal lands. Biden made us once again energy dependent on foreign dictators and authoritarian governments. His panhandling for more oil trip to Saudi Arabia was a bust. His scheme of all electric vehicles will take years to do, if ever. Meanwhile, we will pay higher prices for gasoline and heating oil this winter and beyond. Caused by Biden’s disastrous green energy policy.
Tom Galloway
North side
Immigrants vs. asylum seekers
With all the fuss about migrants coming across the border there appears to be no effort to separate immigrants from asylum seekers.
What is the difference? Immigrants come to the United States to become United States citizens. They leave their home country behind to find a better life.
An asylum seeker leaves their home country due to oppression. They don’t necessarily want to become citizens. They just want a place of refuge.
By international law, asylum seekers are entitled to food, shelter, health care, financial stipends and education. Immigrants have no entitlements.
Asylum seekers go through quite a few countries before they get to the United States. If they were true asylum seekers they would accept hospitality in the first country they come to.
In my opinion, we need more immigrants and fewer asylum seekers.
Thomas Wenzel
East side
Alex Jones, Donald Trump and the Arizona GOP
A Connecticut jury recently ordered conspiracy bombast Alex Jones to pay close to $1 billion in damages to victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting for spreading, and profiting from, false claims that the shooting was faked. The verdict applies to both Jones and his Info Wars website. Truth prevailed.
Hopefully, former President Trump, his social media platform Truth Social, Kari Lake, Mark Finchem, Kelli Ward, and the lawyers who enable them have taken note of the verdict. Regardless of their adherence to alternative facts, novel and dubious legal theories, and outright mendacity, there are consequences for peddling falsehoods. Truth prevails.
Sheldon Clark
Vail
Mistaken priorities
While walking the dogs on Ft. Lowell by Winterhaven, I noticed that the city has installed two new signs by the HAWK crosswalk. They read “Bike Blvd.” to direct cyclists. At the base of both signs (and I am not making this up) were: one crushed beer can, one Big Gulp lid and straw, one plastic water bottle and one flattened cardboard box. Makes me wonder where the city’s priorities are.
Marcy Tigerman
Midtown
Laws on abortion
No choice for men.
I cannot help but imagine what an invasion of a man’s choice related to reproductive health and wellness would be like if that choice were taken away.
In the name of fairness, so-called religious legislators should do their duty and pass comparable laws concerning the reproductive rights for men.
In keeping with “God’s plan” for a man’s ability to procreate, condoms, vasectomies, and other procedures such as medical treatment for testicular cancer should be outlawed, regardless of age and health concerns.
Like their female counterparts who have no choice, men who cause pregnancies should face long-term consequences of their actions, which would include the garnishment of wages and transfer of assets, in perpetuity, to the women they impregnate and their offspring.
If such laws were passed, our extremist legislators would immediately be voted out of office. Good idea.
Daniel Sharpe
Northwest side
Supreme Court integrity
Among the blizzard of revelations of Mr. Trump’s outrageously corrupt behavior detailed by the Jan. 6 Committee’s recent televised hearing, one particularly troubling piece of testimony seems to have been overlooked. Witnesses described Trump in an absolute rage upon learning his Supreme Court appeal had been denied on Dec. 11, 2021. One said he berated Mark Meadows, saying “We should have made more calls.”
Stop and think about that for one minute, no more was made of it at the hearing, but the natural question follows. More calls to whom? And who received the first calls and what exactly was said? Ginny and Clarence Thomas, or Coney Barret, who have demonstrated complete lack of integrity? Maybe Chief Justice John Roberts has answers. You know; the guy who assured us the Supreme Court was beyond any possible outside influencers and unassailably non-political. If anything needs investigating, those calls and additional calls contemplated, sure do!
Gary Susko
Midtown
Governor’s election
So Kari Lake wants to be Arizona’s next governor and campaigns on the denial of the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election. William Barr, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney General and Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader for the Republicans, say it was legitimate. Plus 63 lawsuits that were filed to contest the results were unsuccessful because of a lack of evidence, with many dismissed by judges that were Trump appointees. Also, recounts in several states, including a hand recount in Arizona, confirmed the results. I am reminded of the words of the author James Lee Burke “...there are people who are not only uneducable but take pride in their ignorance and their potential for violence.” Willful ignorance is not a trait I want in the governor for our state.
Dan Strausbaugh
Tubac
PCC Board Election
Re: the Oct. 16 article “PCC an essential community and economic partner.”
Reading Sharon Bronson’s penned guest opinion supporting Mr. Clinco, it seemed obvious the opinion was written for her signature. I suspect Bronson’s knowledge of PCC’s issues is limited and as did other mainstream local Democrats who donated to Clinco’s campaign reflects their shortsighted loyalty.
It’s time for a change and Theresa Riel is the right choice for the PCC Board.
Jerry Anderson
West side
