Traffics flows steadily early afternoon at the intersection on 22nd St and Alvernon Way, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2023. The city of Tucson agreed to reduce funding for a future project that would enhance this road corridor in the RTA Next plan.
Why do some oppose
cleaner air standards?
Re: the July 19 letter “EPA Proposed Environmental Regulations.”
Why do some Republican politicians write to oppose the EPA’s proposal to tighten the primary (health-based) annual fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) air standard? The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to base decisions for primary standards on health considerations only; economic factors cannot be considered (EPA Regulatory Impact Analysis).
PM 2.5 can deeply enter the lungs and then the bloodstream. The many PM 2.5 health risks include heart attacks and strokes, aggravation of other heart and lung diseases, lung cancer, low birth weight, and premature deaths. Much PM 2.5 air pollution is from burning fossil fuels.
So why do some politicians oppose this health issue? Is it because the National Association of Manufacturers has been a major lobby for the fossil fuel industry? Are these politicians funded by the fossil fuel industry?
Our politicians should put their constituents’ health above the harm imposed upon all of us by pollution from the fossil fuel industry.
Mark Peterson, MD
Foothills
Failure to see
Once again, the former president has been indicted on serious charges that we all witnessed in real time. This assumes that all were paying attention. This assumption is not true. I have a good friend that has not and will never watch any video of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
I have read and listened to the entire indictment against Donald Trump. In it, are details that I did not know about the election scams/frauds that the former guy led. His followers will deny any fact that correctly imperils his freedom. They will choose to block out all facts and reasons as to why he should be incarcerated. Further, they will continue to send him their money to pay for legal defense and campaign costs. All of which will be wasted. He will never again be elected to the White House. There are too many of us that do see him and his crimes.
Jeff Rayner
SaddleBrooke
Rose Bowl out?
Cotton Bowl in?
Reminds me of the guy who's working on his 2nd million; gave up on his 1st million.
Joe Sanchez
Marana
Advocates push for
Abortion initiative
Bravo for the Coalition's push!
If passed to put the right to abortion in the Arizona constitution, then it will include the right to kill a human being. Is that what Arizona will stand for?
Ihor Kunasz
Northwest side
Common courtesy
I just returned from a trip to a local store. My first encounter was with an employee who snarled at me when I asked if he had a price checker. I then went to an aisle and was totally blocked by a shopper who didn't seem to plan on moving out of the way. When I politely said excuse me, he glared at me, reluctantly moved his cart, and made some unkind comments. When I finally reached the checkout, it was obvious that there was no one warm and fuzzy there. On my way to my car, I noticed an employee rounding up carts; so I asked him if he would like mine, and he didn't bother to reply. No exchanges, no thanks, no nothing.
What has happened to civility? A smile, a thank you, even a nod of recognition would be something. We could all make each other’s lives so much better with a few simple friendly gestures and some courtesy. It isn't hard, and it doesn't even hurt!
Norma Guest
East side
Regional Transportation Authority
Re: the Aug. 13 article "Costs, infighting hamper road plan."
Recently publicized challenges with advancing the Regional Transportation Authority Plan to conclusion must be resolved because loss of this financial capacity to respond to our transportation needs is not acceptable.
During the original RTA development, I was a technical resource (Technical Management Committee) for that Plan development and was directly engaged with the Citizen Advisory Committee not distinguished as a separate advisory group. Frustration with lack of respect for CAC input resulted from the lack of interaction between the two advisory groups.
The RTA Board has given much-needed guidance on the total financial resources available for the new Plan. The advisory committees need to focus on specifying the contents (projects and programs) of the Plan. Most importantly, the benefits to the community of the proposed investments (increased safety, social equity, etc. — CAC guiding principles) must be conveyed to the public soon.
A rushed public information/education effort in time for the needed vote on the Plan and the Tax will be doomed for failure.
John Bernal, RTA TMC member
West side
Abortion and
sexual culture
Re: the Aug. 13 article "To change abortion, change sexual culture."
Tucson pastor Tom Hruska probably didn't write the headline for his Op-ed in Sunday's Star — but that headline provides the medium for me to rebut Hruska's laughably naive pro-life beliefs, which is: We don't change the culture, the culture changes us.
Steve Gray
Foothills
Do developers want
affordable housing?
Re: the Aug. 13 article "New fight for affordable apartments launches."
The headline for Sunday's article was misleading. The article only gave the perspective of two developers of market-rate or above-market properties (both placed in neighborhoods with high levels of poverty). A real part of our housing problem is that wealthy developers have sat on vacant parcels for years waiting for (or creating?) this shortage. To portray them as victims of The Man is laughable.
The article's author did not interview any of the homeowners who opposed the developments, but she printed the developer's statement that they were "NIMBY'." Maybe they wanted AFFORDABLE housing instead of fancy enclaves? We won't know from reading this article. The author also did not define "affordable" or talk about public-private programs that actually create affordable housing for working folks. And she didn't talk with families who can't afford the Bafford or the Benedictine.
It seems there was an obvious agenda in choosing this headline for such a pro-developer article.
Sara Vazquez
Midtown
Needs another look
I attended Roman Catholic schools from kindergarten to fourth grade. I had their catechism drilled into my head. "Who is my father." "God is my father." "Who made me." "God made me.". A LOT of time was spent on indoctrination, but you know I never did a book report. In fifth grade, I was tasked with doing a book report. I had no idea how to do it, so I did it in an outline form. The teacher didn't know what to do with my "book report" and gave me a C followed by (????).
Looking back on it, it is kind of shocking, being in fifth grade and not knowing how to do a book report. I have firsthand knowledge that private schools do not offer a better education than public schools. Thinking your children will receive a better education in private schools needs to be looked at again.
James Galvin
Sahuarita
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