Rep. Juan Ciscomani.
What’s the end game?
Representative Ciscomani appears to be a full supporter of the anti-American antics in Washington D.C., as he voted for the draconian Republican House budget which provides tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while severing a lifeline for many Americans. The new budget makes drastic cuts to Medicaid and SNAP programs. What is the end game here? Have the consequences of these decisions been considered? People who have received Medicaid will still need to see doctors, even when their funding is cut. Hospitals will end up bearing the burden of treating people without any reimbursement. Our already tenuous healthcare system will be stressed beyond its limits. What about the elderly whose nursing home stays are funded by Medicaid? Will they all be pushed out onto the street to fend for themselves? Will family members have to quit their jobs to care for their elderly relatives? How will they make ends meet? Are we making America great or just making America cruel?
Gina Chorover
Foothills
The war on women continues
Admiral Lisa Franchetti, highest-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy, was fired by Trump. Of the thousands of federal employees fired by Musk (many not on early probation), the majority in most departments were women. Locally, Tucson Rep. Rachel Keshel has proposed HR 2058, to overturn Prop 139 passed affirmatively by over 60% of Arizona voters in November, giving women a “fundamental right to abortion.” I assure Ms. Keshel that we were not “misled,” as she claims. We knew exactly what we were voting for. But somehow, we can’t convince Republicans that women have brains, can manage employees, do efficient work, run our households, emigrate to safety, and make appropriate choices about our lives, our bodies and our nation without government oppression. The pendulum will swing back; women will again begin to gain the power and respect they deserve. But: Who will lead us to equality? And the existential question: Can we ever forgive those who’ve so strategically taken it away?
Stephanie Cady
SaddleBrooke
Funding shortfall puts AZ disabled at risk
Are you aware of the funding shortfall in AZ putting DDD funding and programs at risk?
The Division of Developmental Disabilities is facing a severe budget shortfall, and without immediate legislative action, funding for all services could run out by May 2025.
Raising Voices Coalition provides an overview of the issues and provides sample templates you can use to write to Arizona state leaders.
Now is the time to make your voice heard. The decisions being made in the coming weeks will shape the future of disability services in Arizona, and your advocacy can make a real difference. By reaching out to state leaders, sharing your experiences, and raising awareness, we can help ensure that individuals with disabilities continue to receive the essential care they need.
As a concerned citizen and employment instructor for DDD members I implore you to encourage your members to help advocate for these important services by completing the call to action. Thank you.
Patricia Garza
Northwest side
UA’s despicable abandonment of DEI
I have resigned my position as a member of the Board of Visitors of the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona due to the University’s shameful and despicable abandonment of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. I no longer wish to have my name associated with that institution. I urge other members of the UA Law School’s Board of Visitors to do the same.
Amelia Cramer
Downtown
No comment
At least 95% of your LTEs are anti-Trump and his policies. What is odd is that these submitters are mute on several obvious problems but focus only on bashing and character assentation. There are no comments regarding removing criminal illegal immigrants. No comments on the cost of sustaining 10 million-plus immigrants. No comments on simply enforcing our laws results in the current trickle of illegals. No comments on the published list of unbelievable, wasteful, idiotic and self-serving government spending, that in many cases may be fraudulent. No comments on mediocre trans men winning women’s sports championships. No comments on the need to curb federal spending to avoid financial collapse. No comments on the dire predictions of near-term world destruction due to climate warming. No comments on the wisdom of our current green energy policy, which has enriched those involved with no discernible positive results.
Loyal M Johnson Jr
Oro Valley
He would be king
Re: Feb. 24 letter This is how a coup starts”
Recently, a picture of Donald Trump wearing a crown was posted. It was framed to look like a Time magazine cover and included the words “long live the king.” Trump has already hinted that he wants a third presidential term.
Helen Murphy
Sierra Vista
Americans, wake up
Are we going to allow Trump and Musk to continue to ride roughshod over our Constitution, Congress and the law of the land?
Both are causing great hurt to the people. Republican or Democrat, it is time to call your Congressman and Senators to stand up and stop the carnage and vote for the people and not just their party.
Hal Brown
East side
Parasites
Musk, unelected, unaccountable and unrestrained, claims that those collecting from Social Security (for which we have all paid) and Medicare (for which we have all paid) and other social programs are parasites. But we’ve all paid our taxes. He and his cronies don’t pay taxes while we support the country. Moreover, major corporations, which also fail to pay taxes, receive major subsidies from the government. Who are the real parasites?
Barbara Benjamin
Foothills
Cabinet diversity
Trump just held the first cabinet meeting for his second term. His Cabinet members appeared to all be white. Only 60% of American citizens are white. Wouldn’t Trump do a better job if he were to appoint persons for his cabinet who better represent the American population?
Alan Roehl, P.E.
Green Valley
5 bullet points to ponder
1. What did you do regarding our elected (and unelected) Presidential team last week?
2. What can you do?
3. What will you do?
4. When will you do it?
5. What will you do to mitigate the damage?
It is unconscionable that the American people remain hostage to the whims and delusions of the current president, elected by a historically narrow plurality. The flurry of blatantly unconstitutional and outright illegal executive orders that continue to undermine our federal workforce and responsibility towards public lands, health, and safety must be decisively condemned by those elected to represent our collective best interests, and effective actions undertaken immediately to end this rampage against institutional knowledge.
All elected officials must be held accountable for allowing the ideology of the few to chaotically disrupt so many innocent lives. The consequential costs associated with the subsequent lawsuits and ongoing court battles to overturn these inept ideas should not be paid by the American public, but by those who have remained complicit in their implementation.
Camille Kershner
East side
Who is to blame?
You know the trade agreement Trump is complaining about — the one that supposedly gives Canada and Mexico better benefits than the United States receives? Well, it was signed into law by Donald Trump when he was president in 2020. Biden never touched it in the four years he was president. Just a reminder.
Cynthia Schiesel
East side
Intolerance in today’s society
I am amazed at the reaction to the bigotry displayed by a group of young people at McKale Center towards the BYU basketball team. Our children are merely a reflection of us. Welcome to the “Not So Brave World” of intolerance and fear that we have created. It is a real shame that the “World’s Greatest Generation” was followed by one of the worst, a mass of spoiled brats who were incessantly catered to and indulged, a generation who has used gender, race and religion to divide a nation in order to make sure that “I get mine.” How can you tell if you are a sheep in the fold? Take a simple test. A national brand of mattresses has been running ads since last November, you know the one, “How well do you sleep at night” — I changed this a bit as not to infringe on any copyright regulations. If you find these ads witty and “spot on” you are part of the problem!
Allen West
Oro Valley
All that glitters
Trump is promoting a gold (green) card for $5 million, with a path to citizenship. Says the proceeds will be used to pay off the $36 trillion debt. So, he seeks to invite 7,200,000 immigrants into the United States. Fortunately, if they have $5 million per person, they won’t be taking our wage-slave jobs.
Who is willing to pay for this Gold Card? Not most businesspeople. The U.S. taxes global income, wherever it’s earned. Most other countries tax territorial income, income earned in country only. So, who wants to pay more taxes?
However, criminals and crooked politicians might see this as a favorable option. They could see the US as a safe haven considering our Bill of Rights.
Again, Trump is playing checkers on a chessboard!
James Abels
East side
DEI is dead
The postgame chant from the Arizona student section at the UA BYU basketball game was ‘F — the Mormons’ between rhythmic claps. This is a disgrace for our university and our community.
Yet we read in the Star that 1,500 students, faculty and others have signed their names to a petition calling on UA to reinstate diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in face of Trump administration pressure.
With the UA in the midst of budget crisis do you 1,500 petitioners believe that the annual $1.6M DEI expenditures from the university’s general operating budget are producing any tangible results? I think not.
Trump is right.
Jeffrey McConnell
West side
Legislators do not represent all Arizonans
So we climate activists were thinking that a town hall by a Republican legislator could produce some meaningful face-to-face frank talk, so that legislator could see firsthand his constituents’ outrage at the climate horror show in Washington DC — coming faster than you can imagine to your doorstep and monthly utility bills.
That was wishful thinking — not that a town hall was out of the question — but that any constituent objections to White House climate actions would mean anything. An Arizona Public Media morning radio show interview with an Arizona legislator floated that town hall idea and the response? Paraphrasing, “it’s the Democrats that will show up to the town hall and their vote doesn’t mean anything to us, so sure we’ll have a town hall.”
Yeah it’s no real surprise but it’s plainly not what a legislator is there to do —represent all constituents. There’s no listening, no weighing, no nothing if it’s a Democrat. Your vote, your voice, your feeling, they mean nothing. Winner take all.
Rick Rappaport
Oro Valley
U of A basketball chant
U of A students chanted anti-Morman insults following the basketball game with BYU recently. U of A fans, BYU fans, members of the LDS Church and others denounced the display of rude and vile chanting by some in the U of A student section. Everyone agreed that it was a terrible thing to witness, but not one letter to the Star asked the obvious question, “Why would the students do such a thing?”
The reason for the behavior is racism in the scripture of the LDS Church and the application of that racism in the early athletic programs at BYU. It wasn’t until 1978 that LDS scripture finally reversed the belief that black people were cursed by God and thus not equal to whites within the Church. Black men were not eligible for admission to the priesthood due to the curse. That fact bled into BYU athletics prior to and after 1978.
University students are notoriously less forgiving about subjects such as racism, and students are much less likely to forgive and move on.
James Gilbert
Green Valley
An open letter to Rep. Ciscomani
By 50.0% vs. 47.3% margin, you were elected Arizona’s 6th Congressional District’s representative. You voted for the GOP budget plan. Based on your statement on the need to defend and even grow the safety nets for our citizens, I take you to be a person of integrity, i.e. you to have a clear mind to follow truths instead of lies and a courageous heart to fight for justice and mercy. Hence, I ask:
1) Will you vote in favor of those whose lives would be robbed by the cutting of the safety nets such as Medicare, Medicaid, and USAID? 2) Will you expose and resist publicly all governmental violations of our Constitution, e.g., the legitimacy of Elon Musk? 3) Will you hold regular town hall meetings to listen to your constituents?
Your words and deeds will be your judge (Matthew 25:32-45). I pray for your soul, even if you might have already sold it for a price, for I believe in repentance.
Ke Chiang Hsieh
Midtown
Burning down our homes
HB2201 sponsored by Republican Gail Griffin will exempt utilities from litigation as long as they have a wildfire mitigation “plan.” Further: “a failure to comply with an approved Plan does not constitute negligence per se.” Our precious homes are losing all protections: 1) a utility with a “plan” cannot be sued for damages even if they cause them; 2) Trump and his Muskrats are doing away with agencies such as FEMA which could offer remediation; 3) tax cuts will make it difficult for governments to assist with restoration; 4) insurance companies in disaster prone areas can leave or charge exorbitant rates; and 5) our Corporation Commission overseeing utilities is majority Republican.
Republican mega-donors are using our elected officials to protect themselves from liability for bad actions; and to protect their profits from oversight and taxes. Please take action. Call, write, RTS, picket and/or donate to assure Republicans voting in lock step with billionaires are called to account and the bill doesn’t pass the AZ Senate. Thank you!
Dee Maitland
Marana
Voter’s remorse response
Regarding Feb. 26 LTEs from Bruce Kaplan and neighbor Deb Klumpp: I generally agree with what they said in response to John Taylor’s LTE about his MAGA voter’s remorse. The Star has published my own letters predicting what Trump would do if he won re-election — address his retribution issues and demanded loyalty first, before the important issues noted by voters (inflation, economy, support for Ukraine, climate change awareness, etc). Even I did not predict DOGE or pardons for Jan. 6 criminals. I cannot grasp how so many Americans were oblivious to his stated and predictable behavior once left to his own devices with GOP-oriented Legislative and Judicial branches no longer acting as a check/balance.
That aside, I respect Mr. Taylor admitting his voter’s remorse knowing the pending backlash he would receive in this forum. I would pray our state and federal political representatives would have the backbone to admit their mistakes and grow from them. Our president sure won’t.
Gary Simons
Oro Valley
Sequel to trickle down in production now
Regardless of policy changes in other areas, tax cuts for corporations and the rich are always on the Republican agenda. To make this palatable to the non-rich, “trickle-down theory” has been invoked since the Reagan presidency. Basic idea: giving more money to these folks will lead to major economic growth, more jobs and eventually higher wages. Although this may sound plausible, research shows that it doesn’t work.
Generally, income inequality increases, the deficit increases if cuts are financed by debt, and demand, which drives GDP growth, is reduced if cuts are financed by cutting programs that benefit the middle and lower classes. In addition, detailed study shows that any money that “trickles” down overwhelmingly benefits upper-tier corporate employees.
If Trump’s tax cuts are extended, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that modest growth would offset 6% of the 4-trillion-dollar cost, but the added cost to service the increase in debt would be three times as large.
Barbara Hall
Midtown
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