Democrats’ ruination of American society
I believe that Democrats and their policies have ruined American society. They have ruined free speech with political correctness. They have ruined public education, no longer focusing on reading writing and arithmetic, but indoctrination in the leftist agenda. School administrators believing they take precedence over parents. Progressive Democrat prosecutors have ruined the justice system, with their “restorative justice” wherein perpetrators get lighter sentences if they just apologize to the victim. Democrats have ruined the definition of life with their support of on demand abortion. Their social welfare policies have ruined the nuclear family, especially in the black community. The military has been ruined with service personnel being forced to undergo endless hours of “wokism” training. Recruitment is way down. Democrat spending has caused decades high inflation rates. Free markets and choice have been destroyed with the litany of coercive dictates coming from the Democrat controlled central government. Democrat support of transgenderism has ruined women’s sports. Democrat discriminatory DEI policies have ruined hiring practices. I think Democrats have ruined America society.
Bradford Davis
Northwest side
Groundwater rule changes
Proposals to update assured water supply rules are a great, albeit overdue step toward addressing Arizona’s water security issues in an era of drought, climate change and unbridled municipal and industrial water use. Excluding the public from participation in the process — be it through public education or policy proposals — is not a great idea.
While the “legend of the groundwater code” sounds romantic and glorifies smoke-filled, backroom deals, it also got us hydrologically incongruent AMA boundaries, and allowed mines to pump unlimited groundwater without paying a dime. This go around all Arizonans deserve a voice in the process.
Sheldon Clark
Vail
Sit on it
Dear Editor:
In reference to attorney Michael Cohen, the lawyers for Donald Trump stated “Here, Plaintiff’s (Michael Cohen) involvement arose and occurred because of his own initiative, and his own predicament, resulting from his own misconduct, and was undertaken for his own purposes.”
This sounds like projection and it sounds like Trump’s incessant whining about being a victim. He is the one who lies and who has brought this criminality on himself.
There is a fitting family saying here, Donald Trump, “you burn your butt, you sit on the blister.”
Jerry Weinert
Midtown
Shamed, never
How is it that the GOP claims voter fraud only when they lose? Even then, the party tries to steal the election by faking electors. A real party would be shamed by doing this, not the GOP. A degree of psychopathy has to reside in the party and supporters.
Jeff Rayner
SaddleBrooke
Dark money
OK, Warren Peterson and Ben Toma what are you hiding or afraid of?
In the same issue one of your cohorts, Tom Horne, is quoted as saying, “A voter-approved initiative cannot be touched by anyone.”
Just saying.
Janice Foiles
West side
Cheap energy
Look around you. Your wealth and lifestyle are due to two things, cheap energy and hydrocarbons. There is nothing capable of replacing either, regardless of what the bogus fact checkers may say. It is not technologically possible for solar and wind to make up the difference in cancelled nuclear and hydrocarbons. And, just because you have wealth and lifestyle now, does not mean you will have it without both cheap energy and hydrocarbons. So, look around you. See what you can do without, because most of it will disappear in a surprisingly short time.
William Werries
Marana
Afghanistan withdrawal
Regarding the 13 Marines lost in the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones. I lost friends in Viet Nam, the cold war, and Desert Storm and feel their pain. But placing blame on President Biden is misplaced. People have been lost through mistakes in every war throughout history. You can blame Biden’s military for poor execution or Trump’s diplomats for a poor deal but the real blame, I think, goes to George W. Bush for thinking he could force the primitive Afghan society into the modern world by force. The terrorists who attacked the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on 9/11 had already been kicked out of their training camps in Afghanistan before we invaded. Societies just don’t change very fast. Just look at the string of military coups across Africa in recent years. Invading Iraq and Afghanistan was the worst idea to come from any administration since WWII.
Dave Bertagnoli
West side
Follow the money, I agree and have
Re: the Aug. 13 letter “Biden money questions.”
The author suggests “follow-the-money”. Easy to do for President Biden, who has released his tax returns for the past 22 years, unlike Trump. No ability to follow-the-money there. All the foreign and political delegations who stayed in Trump hotels are well documented — what else? After a great salary as VP for eight years, Biden earned even more during the Trump presidency from speeches and book revenue — it is all there in black and white. Just Google it. George Bush, $150-$200k/speech; Alan Greenspan, $250k/speech; Arnold Schwarzenegger, $250k/speech; Ben Bernanke, $200-$400k/speech. President Obama earned $400k/yr as president, and ~$400k for each speech since then, no money mystery there. And what about Clarence Thomas and all the unreported trips he has taken, paid for by billionaires? So I agree, do the work and “follow-the-money” and do the math, don’t just spout accusations that have no backing.
Bruce Seligmann
Foothills
No blame, no shame, just flames
Re: the Aug. 14 letter “Climate change.”
This letter gave new insight into Trump’s claim some years back that he “loves the poorly educated”. This letter denied any link between raging global wildfires and climate change, and was a blanket disparaging of science and scientists. Shots were taken at Dr. Fauci, his fellow scientists, and the group Science Moms. Links between the fires and climate change were described as “baseless claims” and “only conjecture”. Totally false and most people know better. The letter writer said science should not point fingers but just focus on solutions. Translation — ignore and bury the facts (which will expose culpability); deny the science behind the causes. Exposing facts is NOT finger pointing! Solutions can only arise from addressing the causes via science. We saw the results of science denial during the pandemic. Many refused the vaccine and masking, and for some, the result was death. I’m surprised this science-trashing letter didn’t go further, by suggesting these climate catastrophes are some natural cycle, or maybe God’s will.
Deb Klumpp
Oro Valley
“Affordable” housing
Tucson Developers: If y’all would just get rid of zoning, safety, and density rules we would build more affordable housing.
Also Tucson developers: This roach infested 500 square foot studio apartment with the bathroom down the hall is a steal at just $850 a month!
In other words, If Tucson really wants to address the housing problem, Tucson needs to stop looking towards those that not only created out of control housing costs in the first place but have little to no incentive to really stop it.
David Reynolds
East side
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