Tucson Speaks Out: Oct. 15 letters of the day

Fry’s food ads

According to the TV ads, Fry’s shoppers get the same discounts whether ordering online for delivery or shopping in person. That is not true. I am 78 and have taken advantage of the 10% senior discount at Fry’s for many years. Due to circumstances, I now order groceries online to be delivered. I am denied the senior discount because I am not physically in the store even though my VIP card indicates “senior discount”.

Change your online/delivery rules or change your ads. Stop deceiving shoppers.

BTW, Safeway offers the discount for delivery.

Valerie Golembiewski

Southeast side

Ciscomani’s true colors

Re: the July 30 letter “Supporting strong energy policy.”

This letter was opining that Congressman Ciscomani supports clean energy. I looked at Ciscomani’s voting record. He has placed nine votes on matters directly affecting the environment, and he voted against the environment every time. The most egregious was his support for the so-called Lower Energy Costs Act. This Act would cost Americans money by taking away funding for cost-lowering clean energy legislation, and would appropriate funding for development of oil, gas, and mineral projects. In other words, have taxpayers subsidize big oil exploration and development. This giveaway occurred only three months after big oil doubled its profits in 2022 to $219 billion! The Act would also waive environmental review requirements, require increased leases of oil and gas projects on federal lands and waters and repeal charges on methane emissions. This vote shows a lack of interest in clean energy and a strong interest in misleading voters and courting big oil donations.

Kathryn Pensinger

Foothills

Increased salaries, higher expectations

Today a mailer came asking me to Vote Yes on Prop 413. This is the latest City of Tucson attempt to raise mayor/council salaries. I was pleased to see that there is an organized effort to remediate this long-time problem.

As a community advocate representing Tucson Residents for Responsive Government (TRRG) pre-COVID, I learned it took six weeks to meet individually with our seven elected officials. I understood why: many held other jobs in order to make a living. I have heard that getting appointments to meet all seven individually has become even more difficult post-COVID.

I urge voters to compensate mayor/council for making a full-time job commitment. With that comes the public expectation that they will be readily available to meet with constituents; if not, we need to vote them out.

Any way you look at it, Yes on Prop 413 is a win for us all.

Ruth Beeker

Midtown

Biden jeopardizing national security

I believe President Biden’s de facto open border policies have and continue to jeopardize our national security. Multiple sources within the U.S. Border Patrol have provided non-public released statistics showing that over the last two years, thousands of Special Interest Aliens (SIA) from the Middle East have been apprehended entering the country illegally. They have come from such countries as Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt, and Syria. For Fiscal Year 2023, the Border Patrol has thus far encountered over 160 people entering illegally who were on the FBI’s Terrorist Watch List, 60% more than in 2022. And, over the last two years, it is estimated that more than a million people have entered illegally circumventing Border Patrol apprehension, primary due to agents being overwhelmed and preoccupied with processing people. I think all of this is insane and preventable. I think President Biden cares more about increasing the future Democrat voter base than about our national security. How else can you explain this madness at the border?

Rory Smith

Marana

Value added tax

Re: the Oct. 10 article “America needs a national sales tax.”

I found the opinion of Fareed Zakaria interesting. I think sales tax is already complicated enough without adding another. Sellers throughout the country go to tremendous effort to determine sales tax for each state, county, and taxing district in the country. Not all sellers collect these taxes, making the Arizona buyers subject to Use Tax, which many people ignore. While sales tax is used to encourage some purchases (such as non-prepared food) and discourage other purchases, it does not seem to be worth the complexity. Sales and Use taxes are based upon where a person lives (though tourists also pay these taxes). It seems far simpler to handle this through a state or local income tax.

There is a tendency to add complexity instead of simplifying and broadening existing laws to handle “new” situations.

Harold Hallikainen

East side

Weak leadership

This nation desperately needs forceful leadership. It is not enough to wait 72 hours after a cherished ally has been brutally attacked to issue even basic acknowledgement that we decry the event. It is not enough to continually bleat “We stand with Israel” without showing strong evidence that we intend to do something organic and immediate to verify that intent. It is not enough to stand by and accept the repugnant tacit support by members of Congress of vile acts of anti-Semitic violence. It is not enough to allow without comment the insane approval and encouragement by our most prestigious academic organizations of student accusations that our Jewish friends have “brought all of this upon themselves.” Only tangible action, not mock-tough-guy whispers from the Oval Office, will convince the despicable mullahs of Iran that further sponsorship of atrocities will eventually result in their reduction to smoldering cinders.

Glenn Perry

Foothills

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Ciscomani votes like an extremist

In a recent quote from Representative Ciscomani referencing the near disaster of barely averting a government shutdown, he said “the house MUST swiftly pass full-year, fiscally responsible appropriations bills that rein in out-of-control spending.”

I find it interesting that he wants the House to pass “fiscally responsible appropriations bills.” Based on his votes, the “fiscally responsible appropriations bills” he voted for would have raised costs and slashed funding for critical programs for his constituents.

Do you depend on SNAP/WIC and want to make sure that you keep food on the table? Ciscomani voted to slash that funding. Are you low-income and need housing assistance? Ciscomani voted to cut funding for housing assistance programs. Want access to rural broadband? Ciscomani doesn’t want you to have it since he voted to cut funding for it.

Despite Ciscomani not acting like an extremist like Marjorie Taylor Greene, he sure does vote like one.

Margaret Scott

Midtown

Wishful sports headlines

Through the recent years, we see student athletes using the transfer portal to move to a college that may give them more recognition or playing time. The sports section of the Daily Star has big headlines and a substantial story about “300 pound Bubba Bigg transferring from the University of Panhandle Florida to join the UA football team” or “Left-hander Shirley Southpaw switching from Springtown College to fill a much-depleted pitching staff on the UA Softball team”. Just once it would be nice to see a headline that a STUDENT athlete was transferring to a UA sports team for academic advantages. Wouldn’t it be great to see a headline that “Sarah Bubbles, a 4-star swimmer, is transferring from Oregon Central College to the UA’s stellar program in Psychology and will also participate on the UA Swim Team”. As currently used, the transfer portal has nothing to do with academics which is the reason for colleges and universities.

Jay Gandolfi

Northeast side

Unconfirmed Ambassadors

While war rages in Israel and threatens to expand in the Middle East, the US Senate has failed to confirm the nominees for Ambassadors to Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait and Oman. Urge Arizona Senators Kelly and Sinema to do their jobs and get these people in place. Call their offices, send emails, use any influence you have to make them do their jobs. What a disgrace and failure in diplomacy.

Nancy Hummel

Northeast side

It’s a Proxy War

I invite us to keep our eyes on the ball.

When we follow the money and we’ll notice that we’re witnessing a proxy war throughout the Middle East instigated and financed by Iran.

They foot the bill and provide the missiles for Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, as well as insurgents in Yemen, in Syria, and in other regions.

Iran reaps the geopolitical benefits from instigating chaos, social trauma, and misery (even as they oppress their own women in Iran).

Iran provides the cash, Israelis and Palestinians do the dying.

Who will pay to cleanup the mess?

Not Iran.

Paul Zohav

East side

Answer to ageism

In answer to concerns about ageism, and the charges against President Biden, I offer a comparison by citing former president Trump’s record (lack) of stability and outrageous suggestions.

Trump is on record citing the genius of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and how he (Trump) would would end the war in 24 hours ‘by halting our aid’. He prized his love affair with Kim Jong-Un; he felt ‘shooting looters’ was a solution; he felt Mark Millie should ‘be hanged for treason’ (when he actually was saving our country from war); he mocked first the disabled and then ‘the beating of Nancy Pelosi’s husband’; and he finds Hezbollah ‘very smart.’

Who would you rather have at the controls, slow-taking statesman Joe, or unruly and unmanageable Don? My choice is Biden for stability and the security of our democracy.

Ted Morrison

Midtown