Tucson Speaks Out: Aug. 13 letters of the day

Thanks to a kind lady

Re: the Aug. 3 article “The story of vaccines, polio and me.”

In a cruel anti-vax country, a polio survivor has the courage and compassion to remind mothers of the wisest decision they could possibly make: Protect children against those who would threaten them with pitiless lies about the dangers of vaccinations. All human bodies are different, and a tiny number will always react badly to medication whose availability has saved millions from misery and slow death. Stephan Crane, author of “The Red Badge of Courage”, deeply involved in the Civil War, the cruelest time in American history, wrote, “I accept fate; I fear opinion.” Take heart, mothers of America, and listen to this wonderful lady.

Robert Robak

East side

Good VPs assure us America will continue

The stupidity and arrogance of the MAGA Party presidential and vice presidential candidates are evident in their selfish comments, avoiding the fact that “The country comes first.”

There is no such phrase in the party’s lexicon. Both have inappropriately stated, “the VP choice is irrelevant.” When asked whether JD Vance would serve as vice president if they won November’s election, Trump replied, “It doesn’t matter.”

He’s unaware that many people consider Trump’s VP selection to be a reflection of his views on the future of the country. He isn’t immortal. The two-year political experience of Vance is an insult to all Americans. It won’t make any difference, says Vance.

In my memory, John F. Kennedy stands out. In a bloody pink suit, Jackie Kennedy witnessed Lyndon Johnson taking the oath of office on that plane. That made a difference. The country continued.

Remember, Biden was 78 years, 61 days old when inaugurated. Trump will be 78 years, 220 days if he wins. Just saying.

Sheldon Metz

Northeast side

The economics of beauty

Re: the Aug. 6 article “Copper World would hurt economy, study shows.”

Dr. Rob Peters makes plain the economic destructiveness of the Hudbay mining project. In 1968, Stewart Udall, an Arizona icon, suggested an alternative economics, the “economics of beauty.” “An increasing gross national product and most of the economists who are its keepers have no concern for the economics of beauty,” wrote Udall. “Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect man.”

To assert the economics of beauty, measured in tangible and intangible ways, is not to be a “crank.” It is to avoid what Robert Underwood Johnson, editor of Century magazine, called in 1913 a “race to the trough” by acknowledging the value of the beauty in nature that surrounds us. And prevent the earth from becoming, in the words of famed naturalist John Burroughs, a “sucked orange.”

Daniel White

Green Valley

Carbon debt/climate solutions

Re: the Aug. 4 article “Repaying our carbon debt” and the Aug. 7 article “Getting serious about global warming” and Aug. 10 article “Electric utilities increase your expenses, their profits.”

Mike Carran and Steven Lesh recently wrote about the rising amount of carbon in Earth’s atmosphere. Roger Revelle in the 1950s accurately predicted the consequences of this added carbon. The fossil fuel industry knew for decades what they were doing to the climate, then took the tobacco industry playbook and lied to everyone.

Terry Finefrock wrote about voting for candidates running for three seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC). We can continue the status quo or elect three Democrats willing to protect consumers. The choice is clear. Sadly, in 2020, there were hundreds of thousands of votes for the presidential race that did not go all the way down the ballot. The ACC vote is also a critical vote. Joe Manchin’s Weekly Energy Report shows that onshore wind and solar are the lowest-cost ways to generate electricity. Vote for the planet, for your wallet, and people running for office down the ballot working towards those ends.

William Jones

East side

Fair and equal coverage?

The editorial cartoon in the August 7 edition tells it all. The cartoon shows Harris and Walz happily barnstorming towards the White House. The Daily Star has said it is fair about opinions of conservative and liberal preferences. Where was a similar, happy cartoon when President Trump picked his running mate? The Daily Star shows over and over again that the media’s liberal bias is alive and strong and exists in the pages of the Daily Star. If Harris is elected in November we will continue on the same destructive path with government control of everything we do. Yes, socialism, or worse. The economy and the border will be a bigger disaster and traditional morals we live by will be erased. Babies will be killed in the name of “health care.” We need common sense to take over. Word salad Harris is a train wreck waiting to happen. She is a mistake we can’t afford to make.

Nate Baker

North side

Vance has no clue about children

VP pick Vance wants all women to bear children, and those who don’t he considers to be lesser humans. How many jobs held by middle- and low- income workers can support a family of four or more on one salary? That is why so many women work, and yet childcare eats up much of their earnings. Vance’s solution? He says no to help with childcare, no to raising the minimum wage, no to paid leave if a family member is sick, and no to increasing the child tax credit. People at his income level can afford as many children as they want, but most hourly workers cannot. His cry for women to have more babies would be less hypocritical if his policies supported families with children.

Don Ries

Southeast side

Trump and Project 2025

It is not surprising to me that Trump has disavowed any knowledge about Project 2025. A lot of establishment Republicans are expecting that once Trump gets back into the White House, he will follow their game plan outlined by the Heritage Foundation. I think they are mistaken.

While a lot of people write off Trump’s outrageous rhetoric, I think everyone needs to believe him when he talks about being a dictator on day one. So much of what he says, points to a man who has increasingly become unhinged and who will not listen to anyone. If he gets back into power, he will surround himself with loyalists who will do whatever he wants. This should scare Republicans.

I have been hopeful in seeing new groups like Republicans for Harris. We can only hope that more voters will wake up and realize how dangerous Mr. Trump is to our democracy.

Gail Schumacher

Southwest side

Experience counts

As an Independent Arizona voter, I have the advantage of considering all candidates running for each position. As a first step towards determining who is best qualified, I review the candidates’ personal and political experience to hold the particular office. For AZ’s current race for the U.S. Senate, it was a no brainer.

Congressman Ruben Gallego — Harvard graduate, Marine combat veteran, Arizona House of Representatives and U.S. congressman.

Kari Lake — Former news reader.

Carl Evertsbusch

Midtown

January 6, 2021

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American rioters attacked our nation’s capital on January 6, 2021. Those rioters used violence against U. S. citizens to prevent reading of 2000 presidential electoral votes as our constitution requires. This violence included injuring 140 Capitol police officers; killing one Capitol police officer; breaking, entering and occupying our Capitol; and delaying the reading of the electoral votes. Four police officers committed suicide after protecting our nation’s’ Capital.

Trump waited three hours after the violence began to ask the rioters to go home. Trump did not criticize them, he called them “very special” and proclaimed “We love you.”

We should not support presidents that love domestic terrorists. We should demand our presidents to be 100% committed to enforcing and complying with our laws and our constitution. Given the Supreme Court decision providing presidential immunity, we should double down on demanding a law-abiding president.

Remember January 6, 2021 before you vote.

Dan Smith

North side

The real sucker

How dare J.D. Vance criticize Tim Walz’s military record; how low can he go? Walz made one inaccurate statement years ago which the Master Sergeant has since acknowledged and corrected. But apparently the little corporal has no trouble in being labeled a loser and sucker by his boss who, yes, we know, and alas, suffers from stage III bone spurs and was much too ill to serve his country when the opportunity arose.

Vance makes a big deal about his being a marine but in his job in the military as a correspondent/journalist, it appears the only danger he may have faced is possibly tripping over his desk chair. This guy is a vicious little phony with a craven desire to sully the reputation of a fellow veteran. Despicable and shameless aren’t words strong enough to characterize this pathetic individual. If anybody is a loser and a sucker, it’s J.D. Vance.

William Muto, Vet, USAF

SaddleBrooke

GOP wants to end judicial term limits in AZ

The November ballot will have a proposition by the legislature that attempts to change the AZ constitution. They want to replace term limits for Arizona Court justices and court judges with terms of “good behavior.” Seriously? Supreme Court of the United States Justice and Arizonan Sandra Day O’Connor recognized that retention elections, where voters weigh in on judges every four or six years, would encourage judges to remain impartial. But if this Arizona Legislature proposition passes, it erases that public oversight. In addition, our votes of judge retention or rejection will be removed from the Nov. 5, 2024 election. Something smell funny?

Just so happens Associate Justice John R. Lopez IV and Associate Justice Clint Bolick, who voted to keep the 1864 abortion law, are now up for retention. If this proposition passes, our right to retain or not retain them will be taken away by this proposition.

Vote NO on Proposition 137. And vote NO on retention for Justice Lopez and Justice Bolick.

Cindy Doklan

Midtown

Book banning

If an adolescent is told you cannot read that book, what is the first thing that adolescent will do?

Donald Plummer

Northwest side

Tom Horne advertisements

I have really enjoyed watching the Olympics on TV but I still don’t understand the multiple ads by Tom Horne, the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Why is he talking about parents talking to their kids and their kids are homeless. What does he expect parents to do that have kids who are homeless? I’m sure they are not watching the Olympics. This is coming from someone who has lost millions of dollars in federal funding for AZ public schools. How much has he spent on these ads? Why has he been spending money when he lost $29 million in federal funds to assist underperforming students? This is after he failed to secure Title 1 funding for AZ public schools but spending $10 million for his ads for the unaccountable and unsustainable ESA program which is breaking the state’s budget. Tom Horne must go!

Christy Barreuther

Foothills

So proud

These last two weeks watching the worlds’ greatest athletes parading their flags in that beautiful Paris setting has given me a great sense of joy. The American athletes honored our flag with the class that reflects our great nation, and on the biggest stage of all, won the most medals, and showed the world that we know how to win and we know how to lose.

Those weeks are gone, and now we are back to the usual politics of anger, divisiveness and hate. Did we learn nothing from our athletes? They were magnificent, and the sportsmanship they showed, reflects well on all Americans and shows the world what we really are. Gracious whether we win or lose, and prideful and respectful to our beautiful flag. I am so proud of all of them and incredibly proud to be an American.

Dennis Rivera

Foothills

New columnist

I am really enjoying the two Washington Posts journalists to your editorial team. Eugene Robertson is a liberal journalist that has won a Pulitzer Prize and Kathleen Parker is an award-winning conservative journalist. These two give more balance to your group of journalists from across the spectrum.

Keep up the good work.

James Mclin

East side

Name calling

Re: the Aug. 11 letter “Weird: Label of the month.”

Dear letter writer, you are so right about name calling and bullying not being acceptable. As a retired school counselor, these were always issues. I do need to point out to you that you left out the same problems with the Trump/Vance ticket. As you know they call people fat, vermin, ugly, cat women and the beat goes on.

So, in my opinion, the ongoing barrage of ugly/nasty language by the Republican candidates far outweighs the one “weird” comment!

Arlene Kutoroff

East side

Weird?

Re: the Aug. 11 letter “Weird: Label of the month.”

I’ll wager I am not alone in thinking “weird” is a rather innocuous word compared to the rude, crude and disparaging words spewed by the Republican candidate — daily!

Emily Morrison

Midtown