Starbucks Workers United, the union representing Starbucks workers, holds a “Red Cup Rebellion” picket line outside the University Way location on Nov. 13, in Seattle. The union says the strike is now the longest in Starbucks history.
Our young union organizers
Last Saturday, I dove past a group of young people walking a picket line at the nearby Starbucks. When I stopped to talk, I learned they had organized to join a union and voted to go on strike when the company refused to negotiate a contract.
I was surprised and very impressed. These young adults put their jobs and paychecks on the line to fight for better pay, better working conditions and self-respect.
In the 1950s, union membership in the United States was approximately 35%. Today it is 9.9%. When one looks at the transfer of wealth to the upper 1% and the resultant reduction for the bottom 50% over the same time, the corporate destruction of unions is a major factor. How inspiring to see these young people taking action in the fight to make America great again for workers.
Bruce Hilpert
North side
History doesn't have to repeat itself
In a recent LTE, Donald Plummer seems to have a defeatist attitude about great empires doomed to failure. A quick look at those he listed I found a common thread: corruption, weak leadership, nationalistic arrogance, failure to help the poor which in some cases led to civil war. It all sounds too familiar, but we do not have to accept these things as our death knell. We will not be defeated. History does not have to repeat itself.
Sandie Stone
Green Valley
Benson on TDS
I nominate Kelley Benson's opinion piece on Trump Derangement Syndrome as the most insightful and useful observation on what passes nowadays for political discourse. No matter what your political identity, it calls for a long, hard look in the mirror at what we can do as individuals to correct the disastrous course we've charted. This piece should be widely circulated and taken to heart.
Chuck Nathan
West side
Dysfunctional American Christmas
The sounds of “Away in a Manger” drown out the cries of terrified children separated from their parents by masked ICE agents. The refrains of “Silent Night” repeat like the lethal nighttime attacks on fishing boats with no evidence. A redeemed Scrooge cries “Merry Christmas” while Scrooges in Congress cut funding for the most vulnerable to pay for more tax cuts for the rich -- donors over constituents. As prices rise and the economy shrinks the president screams a torrent of “alternative facts.” Even Santa, who can visit 8 billion people in one night, can’t cut drug prices by 500%.
Reactionary media continues brainwashing as legacy media sane-washes—this Dysfunctional American Christmas isn’t really happening.
Silently, angels unaware provide transportation and food for the least among us. Wise men, in the words of the “Hymn for the 81%” still find Jesus on the wrong side of walls built to divide us.
Ron Nason
Midtown
Wa Wa Bla Bla
Bla, bla, wa, wa, Trump. After a year of reading the aforementioned, I think the Star should have a special section for the Bla Wa Trump People.
We all get this. We read it often. Is it possible to filter all the Trump LTE tirades to a special section of its own? Readers who cannot remember from one day to the next, can go straight to this section and read what they might have forgotten.
This will save a lot of time to just “cut to the chase” and you will have all your Wa, Wa, Bla, Bla. You needn’t have to read through meaningful letters to find your favorites.
Shoot 5th Avenue people, 34 felonies, grab “you know what”, we all know. When he does something dumb again, then new Bla, Bla, Wa, Wa’s letters can be “in the front row”.
Trump is like a drunken uncle at Thanksgiving. He will be your drunken uncle for the next three years.
Deal with it.
Ed LeGendre
East side
Ukraine, Venezuela
This is our legacy?
They are invading their neighboring states, controlling elections and annexing territory. They are killing civilians and kidnapping children. Thousands are being killed. They are claiming historical hegemony — the Warsaw Pact.
We are sinking boats and killing their crews. We are claiming that we own their natural resources. We are boarding their ships and stealing cargo. Hundreds are dying. Thousands could die. We are claiming historical hegemony — the Monroe Doctrine.
Stop! This is centuries-old thinking — barbaric decision-making.
They are wrong.
We are wrong.
The parallels are frighteningly clear.
Stop. Stop now.
Shelly Fishman
Midtown
Spineless Scott and Heinz
Hey Tucson, Pima County — your Supes Christy, Scott and Heinz just sold you out. They said no to an environmental review and yes to giving your water and dirty energy to a server farm.
They traveled with the AZ Chamber of Commerce to DC to celebrate AI and data centers and a victory lap. Pictures fill the internet for the Chamber but not Scott or Heinz’s social media? Wonder why? Not a good look for spineless representatives?
They have shown us what leadership in the era of extraction and grift look like: narcissistic votes, lies, and dereliction of duty.
Let it be known, there is no penalty for anything Project Blue does as all the papers signed with the Supes are just ‘nice to haves’.
So, yes, billionaires got tax breaks, investment deductions for development and our water. At no penalty — we will pay for the roads and infrastructure.
Don’t let Heinz lie about that or Scott ignore your calls anymore. Time to recall.
Carissa Sipp
Midtown
City Council - tax and spend
In his column on Sunday, Dec. 21, Tim Steller referenced Ward 4 Councilwoman Nikki Lee, as she explained Tucson's General-Fund spending has gone from $550 million in fiscal 2019-20 to $830 million this year.
That is a whopping 51% increase in government spending in just five years.
Former British PM Margaret Thatcher is famously quoted as saying: "The problem with Socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."
Tucson's tax and spend "leadership" certainly proves Mrs. Thatcher to be correct.
Fortunately, at a 51% clip in five years, the council will surely run out of taxpayers' money.
Alan Kohl
West side
A brightening reason for hope
Trump appointed worm-brained RFK Jr. to lead the HHS department and destroy our country's worldwide supremacy in medical science and public health. Funding for scientific research has been withdrawn. Science is supplanted by conspiracy theories, superstition, snake-oil hucksterism, and disregard for authentic scientific knowledge.
But there is reason for hope that Trump and RFK Jr. will fail. California's Governor Newsom is hiring respected former leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to establish world-leading public health science in California, for California and for a growing consortium of other states. An emerging 15-state "Governors' Public Health Alliance" will provide guidance from actual scientific research on vaccines, medications, testing for dangerous new diseases, and response coordination to health threats. Becoming the first U.S. state to join the World Health Organization, California's Health Alliances will replace the MAGA-undermined CDC and may even rescue the USA from becoming a second-rate scientific has-been.
Bruce Joffe
South Tucson
Combat experience
Little Andy Biggs was 3 years old when I joined the US Marine Corps in 1961. I trained to become a combat Leader of Marines.
In 1965, America sent me to Vietnam with the Third Marine Division. For the next several months, I experienced a plethora of combat missions as a Marine Artillery Forward Observer. I knew who my enemy was. Little Andy was by now, a strapping 7-year-old. The enemies were the ones burying a bomb that blew up my truck of Marines. They were the ones that sniped at our Company of Marines. They were the ones that placed a double fish line of grenades across the path of our Marine Platoon. A wounded Marine, lying next to the first line, saved us from the second grenade line. He was the sniper who fired at our squad of Marines on an Observation Hill. Little Andy is not my enemy. With his lack of any combat experience, he will never be or never could be anyone’s enemy.
Bert Gustafson
Oro Valley
Is this discrimination?
I hope that the following is taken into consideration should this situation be presented in the Diocese of Tucson — as I understand that you have a new Bishop.
In certain Dioceses within the Catholic Church, kneelers are being banned - even though one can still receive kneeling and on the tongue. They would just have to receive kneeling on the floor. In respect to the elderly and disabled, how can they still exercise their right to kneel and receive on the tongue if there are no kneelers? How is this any different from a public building where all can enter — such as a library — but a ramp is not provided? There is no difference. If there is something that I am not aware of in this situation, I apologize. Otherwise, how was/is such little consideration given to the elderly and disabled in these decisions?
Monica Mohan
Economics of H2O
In Dec 23’s edition of the Arizona Daily Star, Aston Bloom’s LTE commented, “I agree totally that we must totally abandon the idea that growth is a good thing.”
Considering that the United States economy is based on capitalism, which does not work without growth, are we all riding in a runaway freight train approaching a massive brick wall?
Larry Robinson
Northwest side
Spirit of Tucson
My wife and I attended the Milagro en El Barrio and Ramon’s Miracle on 31st Christmas Party for less fortunate kids this weekend. These were so much more than Christmas celebrations with wonderful mixes of people of all colors, religions, and ethnic backgrounds. Music by Los Milagros del Hood, high school mariachi groups in spiffy uniforms, a wonderful Methodist church group with strong bilingual women singers, and a hot Mexican norteño band. We heard three versions of ‘La Yaquesita’! Free food. Car clubs proudly showed their lovingly restored old treasures. The delight of hundreds of children with their gifts was rewarding. For many of them, these were the only gifts they received. Moreover, it was important that someone cared about them and their families and welcomed them into our community. The sponsors, hosts and volunteers have roots in the Mexican-American culture, but reached out to all of us. Bravo to these Tucson heroes.
Tom Van Devender
North side
Re: Who is really responsible?
When submitting a letter to the Star, writers are first informed that "facts must be annotated by links shared in the "Notes" field". After suffering through Loyal Johnson's latest "contribution", I wondered if his claims "the Biden Administration opened the floodgates, inviting 10 million immigrants to enter the country", and the even more dubious, "significant number" "were (violent) criminals", were accompanied by any such links.
Ironically, Johnson's defense of the Trump Administration's actions in response and his description of Biden's "willfully ignoring" law, comes just after 60 Minutes' story about the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador. Trump ignored a Federal Judge's order and shipped hundreds of immigrants to that facility, using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
The vast majority of those sent to what has been described as a torture prison, had NO criminal records despite the administration's claims that they were gang members.
Glen Vann
West side
Kelly for President
I read with great interest Tim Steller's column on Mark Kelly running for president. I have to admit I never gave it any thought. I do admit that as a Democrat, I have been scouring the landscape for someone that I would actually hope might win a general election in 2026. I have come up empty until now, maybe. Kelly is obviously not afraid. I guess in these times, that is a quality that we need desperately in a cowering nation. Very unfortunatel,y the Democratic Party seems to be feckless and wildly wandering in circles — very discouraging and frightening at such a dangerous time in our nation's history. After reading Steller's piece, I realize that what I am looking for is courage. I believe I may have found it in Mark Kelly.
Diane Daniels
Northeast side
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