Let’s be practical across the board
Re: the July 10 article “Let’s find a practical fix to water crisis.”
Mike Carran’s article grabbed my interest not only because it really begs the Arizona Legislature to look at practical solutions to the eminent water crisis, but also because it points out the preciousness of water and that no matter what, Arizonans will be paying more for it. The question is how much.
“Paying more for it” is happening right now with gas. These unpredictable costly increases hurt all but the wealthiest.
With water we can plan ahead to make it less costly with practical measures. With gas we have a practical pathway, too. Put a price on carbon with dividends going to households. We can stop the rising temperatures that are causing this water crisis. We can be practical and plan a green transition that’s affordable to those 66% of us not amongst the wealthy. We would see a healthier climate and affordability of fossil fuels from those dividends during the transition to green. Planning and practicality.
Linda Karl
Northeast side
My vote won’t matter
It’s finally happened. I know my vote won’t matter. I’ve read the candidate statements for District 16, of which I’m now a resident thanks to redistricting. I’d need to live in Casa Grande or Maricopa to have any representation. I doubt the candidates care or even know they have constituents in Tucson. And don’t get me started on one statement which starts with “The Republican Party platform is exceptional because it is biblical.” I thought it was bad enough being in the district “represented “ by Mark Finchem and Vince Leach but who knew it could get worse. Thanks, redistricting committee, for taking a 70-year-resident of Tucson out of her community.
Dee Ann Barber
West side
Roe’s woes
Re: the June 29 article “Roe v. Wade was overturned by religious extremists.”
This article is no less than a wanton, ad hominem attack on six US Supreme Court justices.
The statement that the opinion is “devoid of logic, history, ... compassion” etc. clearly demonstrates a lack of reading the Dobbs decision.
This decision was carefully and tightly reasoned, and, unlike the op-ed, did not conflate the issue of Roe/Casey’s creation of a whole-cloth “right” with returning of a political issue to the states, where it belongs. Projection of ugly sentiments does not belong in the Star. Gil Shapiro’s polemic does not provide a needed civil path through a long-standing, contentious moral issue.
Myron Smith
Northwest side
Bowers, Pence not heroes
A hero in face of danger has ingenuity and courage. You’re not a hero by doing what you are required to do. Neither one could have legally changed the 2020 election. So why are they called a hero? Speaker Rusty Bowers spoke at the House Select Committee about what part his faith played in his decision not to overturn the election. If Bowers and Mike Pence are good Christians, why hasn’t either one of them ever criticized Donald Trump during his four years in office? His “grab them by the ... ” I’m sure is not in any Christian Bible. Pence has not once spoken out about Trump while vice president. Bowers rejecting that the election was rigged also said he would still vote for Trump again. It’s hard to take both Bowers and Pence as true heroes after the fact. And no matter what Trump said or did, both would probably vote for him again.
Clyde R. Steele
Oro Valley
Hernandez and Jan. 8
Re: the July 3 article “Political use of shooting is stale.”
As a direct witness and near victim of the Jan. 8 shooting, I would like to respond. I was at the Safeway that morning standing outside at her table directly in front of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords when she was shot. As I walked through the aftermath moments later, I saw Daniel Hernandez sitting on the ground close beside her prone figure, cradling her bleeding head at an angle (so she wouldn’t aspirate the flowing blood) and saw that he was speaking softly in her ear, comforting and reassuring her. Years later, I remain deeply impressed that a 20-year-old intern had the presence of mind and compassion to care for her in this way in the midst of the chaotic scene and I have supported Hernandez ever since.
I feel his campaign’s reference to his role that day is appropriate and unlikely to trigger or upset victims; we mostly choose to move past it. I will always carry that powerful memory of him.
Steven Rayle, M.D.
Northeast side
TEP power lines
Re: the July 14 article “Massive power lines approved.”
Our backwards-thinking city council and mayor have done it again. They were unsatisfied that the city has allowed our scenic right of ways to be freely violated by Tucson Electric Power for the past 50 years. They have now passed ordinance amendments that will assure TEP will not be required to underground its obsolete (and dangerous) system for the next 50 years.
Not knowing what to do, the mayor and council has yielded to TEP and has given their thumbs up approval to desecrate our scenic roadways with electric spaghetti and huge metal robots. Enjoy the future years of TEP’s blights that the council could have prevented or at least mitigated. Let’s remember what they did when we are in the voting booth.
Howard and
Annette Baldwin
West side
Educator, advocate and leader
Re: the July 7 Tucson Opinion “All options needed during pregnancy” by Priya Sundareshan.
When speaking to voters about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, Sundareshan says she hears a common refrain: shock, anger, and fear. When talking with my friends and relatives, I hear the same thing — and additionally, with urgency, they ask, “What is going to be done about it?”
I tell them they need to vote — and I am recommending Sundareshan for Senate in Legislative District 18. I have attended several forums where she appeared with other candidates. Smart, talented and an excellent communicator, she stands head and shoulders above her competitor. An attorney, she teaches natural resources law at the University of Arizona and holds an engineering degree from MIT. She advocates for reproductive rights and other key issues facing Arizonans: water security, renewable energy, climate change, voting rights, and public education.
I will be voting for Sundareshan for state Senate, Legislative District 18.
Patricia Wiedhopf
Northeast side
What about adoption?
Abortion is all over the media. What about plan B, adoption? For a young woman who finds herself pregnant for any of the many possible reasons, there is another choice: adoption. There are many adoption agencies in Arizona. One is the adoptionchoicesofarizona.org. If you cannot support a baby in your life, for any reason, these people will provide a birth mother counselor, plus financial, emotional and other needed support. This is before, during and after birth. They want to provide help, without judgement, to you during your crisis. Most important, however, is that they want to save the life of the baby, your baby. There are many childless couples that want to give your baby a secure and loving home and life. Think about it, a win-win!
We have many adopted relatives in our greater family, and they did win.
Thomas Bohan
Foothills
Amendment arguments
Re: the July 10 letter “States decide.”
The letter writer claims that the Dobbs decision is a “carefully worded opinion from the court that Roe v. Wade was in fact a bad decision legally.” In fact, the opinion is a poorly worded screed that gives states the right to ignore the constitution. The letter writer claims that the Constitution does not mention abortion. This is irrelevant.
First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …
The belief that life begins at conception is a religious belief. Laws restricting abortion clearly prohibit the free exercise of religions that don’t share this belief. Roe was perfectly decided in saying that the state has no say until the fetus is viable.
Thirteenth Amendment: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, … shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Forcing a woman to carry a fetus to term against her will is clearly involuntary servitude.
Steven Brown
Midtown
Trump’s priority for next term
Word on the street and back alleys says Donald Trump has the following as his top priority should he win the presidency again: the construction of the world’s first coal-powered car. This would prove the technological prowess of the U.S. and put us far ahead of the rest of the world. Trump has proven global warming and climate change are hoaxes, so there is no downside. Sen. Joe Manchin has agreed to resign as senator and head the Department of Energy, which will fund the project. MAGA.
Charles McDonald
Northeast side
Mosquito bites
Re: the July 10 article “How to ease the itch of mosquito bites.”
In addition to the excellent advice sponsored by TMC, I have used toothpaste on mosquito bites, bee stings, and pimples for the past 70-some-odd years. It’s always handy and works like a charm. It stops the itching almost immediately and stays on pretty well and tends to dry up the problem.
Janet C. Pipes
Northwest side
Electric vehicles
The unintended consequences of a massive switch to electric vehicles are not being taken into consideration. Things such as the mining impact on the environment, to say nothing of the costs and availability of the minerals required for a massive conversion to electric power. What countries will we become dependent upon for their source? How about the cost and impact of the disposal and storage of spent batteries, windmill blades, etc. The cost of constructing charging stations, and the availability of, and acquisition of land for them is also an issue that hasn’t been addressed, as is the loss of fuel taxes designed to maintain our highways. What energy source powers the mining equipment, and the manufacturing of all this? How about the infrastructure to support all this additional electric load? Some areas are already experiencing or planning for rolling blackouts. None of this is being considered, or at least publicized, in the push toward electric vehicles
William Johnson
Northwest side
Jan. 6 hearings
Have you been watching the Jan. 6 hearings? Are you paying attention? Maybe those candidates in this upcoming election who claim to be loyal Donald Trump supporters would like to re-think their allegiance. Maybe those voters who are considering voting for these candidates should reconsider their choices.
Cynthia Herron
Northwest side
Keep Opinion section
I hope you don’t discontinue the Opinion section. It’s my favorite part of the paper. When did it become acceptable, the “norm,” to only be exposed to opinions you agree with? That’s oppressive. It’s frightening.
Lorraine Whalen
Vail
Truth muddies lies
Lest the devotees of our former president become infected with the extraordinary facts and truth emanating from the Jan. 6 committee hearings on the Capitol insurrection, Donald Trump is ratcheting up his threats to run again in 2024. My guess is he just can’t bear the cooling of constant adulation and needs to act quickly to keep his fans in a frenzy of chaos and lies in fear that they will fall into a dark rabbit hole of truth and give him a swift kick down a muddy road.
Pamela Aronson
Northeast side
Horton’s Op-Ed on COVID
Re: the July 10 article “All ages need the vaccine, because COVID is far worse.”
Thank you, Renee Schafer Horton, for writing about your family’s experience related to COVID. There is a serious surge of BA.5 Omicron variant going on worldwide and has now become the most transmitted form of COVID here in the U.S. Horton’s article chronicles her and her family’s COVID experience from small children to adults both vaccinated and unvaccinated. It provides some simple evidence about how we are transmitting this to one another and how vaccinations, boosters and situational mask wearing are steps that can help mitigate the spread of what is being called the worst variant yet. While this variant may not be as deadly, I expect that hospital emergency rooms will become overcrowded since we have succumbed to the social and political pressures not to get tested or wear a mask. The recent COVID accounts of fellow Tucsonans’ letters to the Star allude to the very tip of this surge’s iceberg. Ms. Horton’s Op-Ed piece is a reality check and worth reading.
Richard Harper
Northeast side
