President Donald Trump records a video statement Jan. 7, 2021, at the White House that was played by the House select committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump’s own fault
Donald Trump did this to himself, and his own words will be his downfall. He could have saved all these problems by just negotiating a settlement. He deserves all the negative attention. Very sad for the Republicans in the upcoming election. They have no one to really come forward that isn’t in Trump’s sphere.
Mary Beth Schneider
East side
Bike or bus today?
I still see many yellow TUGO, TEP bicycles parked, and locked, of course, at Ronstadt Center downtown. Who in their right mind is going to “rent” a bicycle when it is 105 degrees in the shade? Signs at Ronstadt try to discourage misfits, the houseless and petty criminals from congregating there, but since Sun Tran rides are free all year, that allows anyone to sit, stand or walk at that bus “gathering” place! Signs there say, “THIS AREA IS FOR BUS PATRONS ONLY,” “NO TRESPASSING ARS-13-1502” and: “NO LOITERING. ARS-13-2905.” But are these Statute (ARS) numbers only suggestions here and not really enforceable?
There are Rent-A-Cops, or even real Tucson Police patrolling Ronstadt on occasion. One night I even saw a TPD squad drive through at 5 mph. That will definitely stop crime, for the moment.
Kenneth Unwin Jr.
East side
Motor Vehicle Division
After our monthly breakfast, one of our 31 members brought up a subject that caught us by surprise. It seems the State Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) no longer sends out notices for license tab renewals. He happened to look down at his vehicle license plate and saw that his license tab was expired (March 2023). He immediately contacted MVD on South Broadmont Drive and was notified that it is the car owner’s responsibility to keep their license tab up to date. He renewed his license tab in addition to paying a fine for being late. The clerk attending to him said the same thing happened to her. Several of our members reported they too were past due on their tabs and didn’t recall being sent renewal notices. Our question is did the MVD ever send out a notice via any newspaper or public media source to inform the general public of this policy change? Why is there a late fee if no notice was issued regarding the policy change?
David Quiroz
Northeast side
Global warming is here
It’s pretty clear to anyone with eyes that global warming is here and getting worse. The time for self-deception about something so dangerous is over. Something to consider: With catastrophic heating, it’s not just human comfort at risk. A rancher living off-grid during a deadly heat wave may possibly be able to hunker down inside and wait out the heat, but his herd of cattle can’t. Nor can his neighbor’s cornfield or orchard. The effects of global warming will affect everyone, except perhaps a few billionaires tucked comfortably away in their doomsday bunkers. The rest of us are in trouble.
Marian Weaver
Bisbee
Coronavirus and petsEarly in the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I read that dogs and cats are common carriers of various coronaviruses. As a health care provider and dog owner, I was concerned about the implications this might have for my family and millions of pet owners. This information posed many questions: Are these animals susceptible to harboring the COVID-19 virus? Can they be infected by it? Can they spread it to humans? If not, why not? Is the human immune system invigorated against coronavirus by constant exposure to household pets? Does this translate into decreased susceptibility to COVID-19? Are any researchers comparing the frequency/severity of COVID-19 infections in pet owners vs. non-owners? I doubt if any one person has definitive answers to all these questions. Veterinarians, virologists and epidemiologists could provide pieces of knowledge to this puzzle. I would appreciate a response from any of you with special knowledge that could help create a clearer picture of these issues before another viral epidemic comes along.
Robert Perkin
Foothills
The evening news
The daily national news on TV has become the daily global warming news. Lester Holt now leads off with heat domes, fires, record-high temperatures of both air and oceans, and tornadoes. And soon enough, we will see reporters covering the devastation from giant hurricanes.
Denial of the science is getting harder for Republicans, who even complained that President Joe Biden wasn’t confrontative enough with China’s leaders on their increasing coal-fired plants. They still fear that the issue is a ploy to increase the size of government. Yikes, the big government mayor of Phoenix convincingly wants federal disaster aid for relentless heat waves.
Yet we all keep adding millions of tons of carbon from fossil fuels, knowing that this will only bake in centuries of even greater heat and more deaths.
It is time for a tax on carbon! It is the single best legislation to take on global warming.
Roger Wolf, member of the Citizens Climate Lobby
Foothills
Stop the salt
Re: the July 26 article “’Girl dinner’ is much more than a social media fad.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes on reading this one. A resurgence of salty snacks? Most processed food is already loaded with excessive sodium. Just a few points on the dangers.
The health risks of excessive sodium intake include:
High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, osteoporosis, stomach cancer
The average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day, well above the recommended daily intake of 2,300 milligrams for adults.
Most of our sodium intake comes from processed foods and salty snacks.
Girl dinner can be a major source of excess sodium, especially if it is done on a regular basis.
Is this another war on women’s (and children’s) health? Instead of blindly adopting the latest Tik-Tok fad and thinking of it as a new norm, we would do well to find out who is pushing eating lots more salty snacks.
And don’t get me started on all the sugar in everything we eat.
Klara Cserny
Southwest side
We already know Ciscomani’s story
Re: the July 25 article “Ciscomani embraces bipartisan approach.”
After reading this article, I had to wonder if the editor who budgeted this fawning piece had accepted a payoff. Seriously: It read as a handout from the congressman’s office or as a naive recitation of campaign talking points on the part of an out-of-town writer unaware of the controversies surrounding Juan Ciscomani’s election and service in the House.
Ciscomani is an astute politician who took advantage of a gerrymander and an inept Democratic opponent in 2022. He will be difficult to dislodge as long as he can keep the focus on his biography and not on the divisive issues that preoccupy his party. Instead, he serves up a pablum of seven bills. Three are inherently bipartisan: veterans services, stiffer penalties for cartel “spotters.” Three are regional housekeeping measures. Only one, aiming to boost copper mining, has the potential to spark debate. On the important issues of the day, and on Ciscomani’s voting record, the writer drew a blank.
Robert Laux-Bachand
Green Valley
Mitigate summer high temperatures
For the first summer in 51 years, a flock of sparrows takes refuge in my patio starting at noon. The early morning lows have been above 80 degrees. This in spite of my property having many mature trees. Midtown Tucson has a climate change problem.
Climate experts confirm that additional buildings/paving absorb additional heat, especially raising night-time lows; trees, green space, and specific building practices are some deterrents to that heat island effect.
I am a realist. I know the majority of our elected officials equate growth to economic well-being. But I would hope that even they, and those who profit from new development, would support inclusion of specific temperature mitigation measures to any new density/project development proposals or amendments to the land use code.
I can think of no more critical long-term goal than addressing livable day and night-time summer temperatures in our Tucson area. Does anyone really want to compete with Phoenix for worst summer temperature gain?
Ruth Beeker
Midtown
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