Tucson Speaks Out: Sept. 12 letters of the day

Global warming danger

We have experienced the irrefutable evidence of the catastrophic effect that global warming has on our planet with the increase of wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. A recent study cited in The Lancet Neurology Volume 23, Issue 6, June 2024, shows that global warming also causes brain damage.

We must support the Democrat party and its efforts to combat the cause of global warming by eliminating energy production from natural fuels and confiscating all natural gas appliances. We also should further follow the science and eliminate other forms of toxic carbon dioxide such as all soft drink dispensers and all brewers of fermented beverages. We must prohibit bakeries from producing any leavened bread products. Only by taking these steps and voting Democrat can we save our planet from destruction.

Larry Foutz

Marana

What does Trump offer us

I look at the Trump signs and flags in Saddlebrooke, and wonder how generally affluent and educated voters can support that man. I guess mass deportations that in his words, “will be bloody,” unleashing the military on our citizens, jailing those who disagree with him, replacing civil servants with sycophants, and dismantling a free press are all appealing to his supporters. The end of Roe and affirmative action by a travesty of a Supreme Court, the attack on voting rights, the deep divisions even among families, and his admiration of autocrats should give us a hint of what another Trump term would look like.

Mary Zimmerman

SaddleBrooke

Spain’s misleading attacks

Re: the Sept. 10 article “False and misleading campaign topics.”

Shame on Republican District 1 Supervisor candidate Steve Spain for failing to appear at a recent debate with incumbent Rex Scott. Spain apparently felt it more important to put up false, misleading campaign signs about Scott’s record instead. The so-called spending spree he claimed Scott endorsed involved federal pandemic monies spent for legitimate expenses to get the county through the crisis. The county is not bankrupt. Scott and the other supervisors uphold the laws requiring the county to remain solvent. Spain’s lies and underhanded tactics demonstrate his desperation and lack of ideas. Scott is by far the better choice.

Mary Beth Livingston

Oro Valley

Grateful for Grijalva

Re: the Sept. 9 article “CD7: Where Grijalva, Butierez stand on issues.”

Thank you for printing the candidate’s responses for Congressional District 7.

Raul Grijalva’s answers were impressive. His background and experience, his work on behalf of the people, and his solutions for the several problems of Arizona show how caring, intelligent, and deeply committed he is to all the people he represents.

The politician opposing him could only offer tired cliches, thin ideas and has some plans which he did not share with us.

I feel very, very fortunate to live in Raul’s district.

Catalina Hall

Picture Rocks

The worm that is eating Ciscomani’s brain

Congressman Juan Ciscomani sold our water to farms from Saudi Arabia, works to slash Social Security, privatize Medicare, wants to restrict access to abortions, and opposed the bipartisan border security bill.

What is driving Ciscomani’s anti-Arizona worldview?

The worm eating Ciscomani’s brain is his Christian Nationalist group called the Patriot Academy, which he founded and directed for 14 years.

Christian Nationalism demands that America become a white Christian nation, excluding all other religions and races. They want Christian propaganda to be taught in schools, to roll back women’s rights and abortion access and to deport immigrants.

On top of that, the Patriot Academy trains grade-school kids to use guns to kill. “I can wholeheartedly say that nothing in my life has given me a clearer direction for my life than Patriot Academy,” Ciscomani confessed.

Do you feel that Ciscomani represents you? I don’t. I’m voting for Kirsten Engel!

Larry Bodine

Foothills

Cash upfront for Trump visit

Republican Candidate Trump is planning a rally at the Tucson Music Hall today (Sept. 12). His campaign stop will require police escorts and security, music hall personnel and trash collection once he departs. All of that costs money. However, Trump still owes $82,000 to the City of Tucson / Pima County for his campaign stop here in 2020. Like other obligations he has failed to live up to (refer to the numerous bankruptcies of Trump companies and his stiffing of his own attorneys), he owes many cities for previous stops (e.g., Mesa AZ). For this visit to Tucson, Trump’s campaign should be required to pay cash up front for the costs of city and county services his stop will incur, including his delinquencies from 2020. If not, we should not allow this deadbeat within our borders.

Ira Adler

Foothills

Misleading signs about Prop 139

There are a number of very large signs around town that seem to be deliberately misleading. They say “Protect Women’s Health, vote No on Proposition 139.” Proposition 139 is the Arizona Right to Abortion Initiative 2024. This will protect a woman’s health if she has access to safe, legal abortions. Interesting that the signs don’t mention what this proposition is. So don’t be misled, vote yes on proposition 139 to protect women’s rights to make medical choices about their own bodies and healthcare.

Ellen Marshall

Oro Valley

Ways to use less water

Re: the Sept. 8 article “A priority that’s not optional is water.”

On Sunday Mort Rosenblum wrote an Opinion piece about water and how Arizona is running out of it. Rosenblum followed the story of alfalfa ending up in Saudi Arabia, following vast depletion of aquifers in Arizona and draining dangerous amounts from the Colorado River.

This alfalfa — grown in California’s Central Valley as well — is shipped to other countries, most notably China, where it is then fed to factory farmed animals.

This is a travesty. We face three issues here. Obesity and poor health is on the rise. The environment is being irreparably damaged with animal agriculture’s pollution of water and air, and aquifers are running dry.

If we only grew food for people to eat, not to feed to animals that we then slaughter and eat, we could feed more people, decrease pollution, help people lead a healthier life and use way less water.

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Eleanor Thomas

Northeast side

Misinterpreted fear

Re: the Sept. 10 letter “Worldwide fear of Trump.”

Although I applaud your volunteering at the Paris Olympics, I feel that you have misinterpreted the world-wide fear of a Trump second presidency.

On the Hungarian concerns of Orban. What does that have to do with Trump?

On the Frenchman misunderstanding of gun culture in America. What does that have to do with Trump?

On the Chinese fear of a Trump presidency. That’s great that our enemies fear a return of Trump.

On Republican accusations of flip-flops, sexual encounters, etc.

Project 2025 is not a product of Republican policy. Trump has disavowed any connection to Project 2025.

The felony charges are bogus and will undoubtedly be overturned on appeal.

Harris is famous for her “word salads” since she refuses to confront the press and answer for her changes in policy.

Americans should be in fear of four more years of Biden/Harris policies which have led to record inflation and the presence of 10 million foreign nationals in our country. The country begs for change.

Richard Solsten

Foothills

Eating pets

Immigrants are not eating our pets. It’s coyotes. Coyotes are eating our pets. Keep your pets safe from urban coyotes. And Heaven keep us safe from Donald Trump!

Kendall Kroesen

North side

Today was a good day

I was treated to meet with three candidates for local offices, Patrick Melvin, John McLean and Kevin Volk. All three impressed me as solid citizens, running for offices to better the conditions for the public. I have never had the impression their opponents are interested in us at all. This theme was reinforced by the debate in which Harris dealt Trump his due in the POTUS debate. It was clear Trump was not interested in our well being.

I did not get the opportunity to meet with the other candidate, Kirsten Engel, who spoke with a clear and direct voice on many issues affecting our lives.

It is not often in my life that a day like today occurs. Trump can say that our country has failed. I remember his inauguration speech, in 2017, in which he declared the U.S., a mess.

The candidates I saw today will have a positive effect on our future. Vote for Patrick Melvin, John Mclean, Kevin Volk and Kirsten Engel.

Jeff Rayner

SaddleBrooke

VP Harris was presidential

To the Editor:

I just finished watching the debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump and the contrast could not have been clearer. Vice President Harris was presidential, presented cogent policy ideas, and did not resort to racist dog-whistles. The former President, on the other hand, ranted and raved and at times made little to no sense. It is more evident than ever to me that Mr. Trump does not care about the average American. His campaign for the White House is neither motivated by the greater good nor a sense of commitment to the American people.

This November we have a choice to move our country forward; to embrace our core values of decency, empathy, and honor or we can choose the path of bigotry, hate, and division. The choice could not be clearer. I will be voting for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Rahul Sivaprasad

Northwest side

Never an autocrat in democracy

As a young observer of events in WWII, I was pondering how the 2024 presidential election would turn out if our forebears, known as the “greatest generation”, could vote. Do you suppose they would vote for a potential authoritarian after four plus years of sacrifices in WWII to defeat authoritarian regimes in Europe and Asia? And now I’m wondering if our vote will honor their sacrifices for us and preserve our democratic freedoms for the next generation?

Please vote and let the voice of past patriots be heard through us!

Adrian A. Poynter

Arivaca

Who pays for tariffs?

Surprise! We consumers pay the tariffs. You could consider it a hidden “tax” on us!

How so? Say our government charges 10% the price of the import. The exporting country tacks that 10% onto the price of the goods. (10% inflation, right there.)

That’s if we buy the inflated goods. If we decide they’re not worth the price, sales go down, local sales tax revenues go down (reducing local community revenues), the exporter sells elsewhere.

When are tariffs a good thing? When they are selective, to protect U.S. industries. When we’re not flooded with cheap Chinese electric cars or solar panels, but our industries have a chance to ramp production up to scale and sell at lower prices here. Yes, we pay more, but in the end we are developing our own economy.

Suzanne Ferguson

Southeast side