Tucson Speaks Out: February 7

RTA and water shortage

The RTA is financially supported by those who want to expand growth in Pima County at a time when we are facing severe water shortages. Over 40% money proposed to be spent on new roadway work is on the periphery of the greater Tucson area, where growth is occurring. 25% is proposed for the Vail area alone. Another 1.1% is proposed for a new interchange at I-10 and Moore Road, where Moore Road does not yet exist but is in a prime high-priced development area. We need infill, not sprawl.

The Vail area developed without proper infrastructure to accommodate that growth, and the rest of us are asked to bail them out while most of central Tucson gets no new money for roadway repairs after receiving little completed work from the last RTA.

Pima County has a high percentage of unincorporated areas that results in a loss of state roadway funds. We need to fix this problem and let each city and town pay its own way.

Kenneth Graham

West side

My immigrant friend

I am very much in favor of reasonable and controlled immigration.

I have a few reservations.

I want my friend to follow our laws and not keep the laws from their old country.

Muslim fathers beating their daughters is not to be allowed.

I want my immigrant friend to learn our language within a reasonable time, and to blend in and understand our history and way of life.

My friend should not be issued a driver’s license if he is not able to read our traffic signs.

I want my immigrant friend to join our workforce as soon as possible and not stay on welfare for years.

My friend should not be able to send billions of dollars of taxpayers' money to his home country.

I hope my immigrant friend does not have a criminal record in his country.

I believe these reservations are reasonable and fair.

I wish my friend the very best on his journey to become a productive and patriotic U.S. citizen.

Tom McGorray

Northwest side

Which way are we supposed to look?

Kudos to Kelley Benson for an insightful and non-partisan analysis of what’s causing our national dysfunction. Here are two suggestions to address these issues. First, support open primaries to counter extremist candidates on each end, so that political parties are only slightly pulled to the left or right by the total voting population, which is generally moral, ethical, centrist and, most importantly, reasonable. Second, take money out of politics, making candidates beholden only to their voting constituency and not to big business or the billionaire/millionaire class.

Joe Aguanno

West side

Women deserve coverage

Women’s basketball at the University of Arizona is a display of strength, discipline and talent that the sports-minded community ought to admire.

Yet because the Star doesn’t provide equal coverage for women’s sports, we miss out, as do the players and coaches who work as hard as the men.

The day after the UA women recorded a thrilling victory over Kansas State on Feb. 4, there was no story on the Star’s website about the game. Did you even send a reporter to McKale Center?

Consider providing equal coverage, or any coverage, please.

Shraddha Hilda Oropeza

West side

Arizona GOP stolen election

The stuff coming out of Prescott, where they held the Arizona Republican leadership meeting, is interesting and humorous. The new GOP state chair is Sergio Arellano. In 2021, he lost the election for state chair to Kelly Ward. His statement last week was that he actually won in 2021, but the election was “rigged.”

Dang, were there more ballots thrown in the Salt River or illegal aliens voting at the convention center in Prescott? Or could it have been the dreaded mail-in voting? Of course, it is hard to mail when they were all in the same building. Maybe they just put their heads down and raised their hands for the candidate they wanted, like we used to do in the 5th grade.

Whatever the case, it is apparent that the GOP leaders in Arizona even blame each other when they lose an election. They learn from their leaders. Maybe Mike the Pillow Guy can help out. And, where are those Epstein files?

Gary Haslett

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SaddleBrooke

Buck up, show your face

If ICE is truly arresting the worst of the worst, why are cars being stopped randomly, windows smashed and innocent U.S. citizens dragged out and thrown to the street? This has to end. We’re living in what used to be the great country of the USA, not Hermann Göring’s Gestapo of 1933. We need to wake up and get out on the street and make noise. My wife, her service dog, and I do as often as our old bodies will allow. I was born into a great country as WWII ended. I served this nation from 1967 to 1970 to help maintain its greatness. It angers me to see our freedoms crumble under this administration’s callous leader and his parasitic, sycophantic, boot-licking groupies. We, you, must get over the fears of showing your face and let the opposition know how you feel. If not, the nation we cherish and love, will be gone.

Warren Popa

Southwest side

No Midas touch

It is very evident that Mr. Trump does not possess the Midas touch. Just as he has declared bankruptcy six times, he can now add a seventh. With some effor,t he has managed to bankrupt the Kennedy Center. Now he wants to close it down and renovate it. Good luck. If the East Wing is any indication, we are all in trouble.

Fred DiNoto

Northwest side

Chemtrails are not contrails

Article in Feb. 2 Star calling attention to introduced legislation in AZ outlawing chemtrails is critical. Title of this LTE is from the book of the same name by Herndon and Whiteside with a subtitle “Face of Evil.” This book is must reading to understand how we are being poisoned, insects have declined over 75% worldwide, plants and the earth have been so compromised it will soon be impossible to grow enough food. Tucson residents have seen over the past month 24/7 chemtrails blotting out our skies. These patented poisons from the coal fly ash and embedded nanoparticles have been increasingly bombarding us for over 50 years. We must stop it.

Donna Byers

Northeast side

Fraud redux

One wonders if Mr. Dowdall's outrage over the alleged fraud in Minnesota is matched with equal outrage over the massive frauds perpetrated by corporate America over the last 20 years (eg, Enron to the tune of over $65 billion; WorldCom to the tune of $11 billion), both of which inflicted pain on both investors and taxpayers. Additionally, numerous Covid-related frauds, in the hundreds of billions of dollars and perpetrated by both transnational and domestic criminals, dwarf the situation in Minnesota. Is it possible that racism and anti-immigrant sentiment fuel Mr. Dowdall's fixation on the Somali community? Additionally, the notion that the "Communist Party USA" is behind the recent anti-ICE rallies is laughable; and, as stated repeatedly, Antifa is not a "group," but an anti-fascist ideology, much the same as pro-fascism may be Mr. Dowdall's ideology. I submit that Mr. Dowdall might "wake up" himself if he would just remove his tin-foil hat.

S. Ross Emmanuel

Southeast side

Prop 418 & 419, the fine print

The long-suffering commuters in the Vail area will require patience. The much-needed safety improvements to Mary Ann Cleveland Way and Colossal Cave Road are not scheduled until the 2nd and 3rd Construction Periods — FYs 2032-36 and FYs 2037-41, respectively. It’s gonna get worse before it gets better.

Sheldon Clark

Vail

Seriously, 'Funny Girl' is terrific

I recently attended a performance of "Funny Girl," the latest production of Arts Express Theatre, in Park Place Mall, 5870 E. Broadway #214. Kudos to everyone!

Based on chapters in the life (1891-1951) of entertainer Fannie Brice and made famous in both the musical and movie by Barbra Streisand, it is a story of enormous talent and heartbreak, with repartee added to the mix.

I loved the interchange between homespun Fannie and sophisticated future husband Nicky in a swanky restaurant.

Nicky orders in French, choosing "filet de boeuf et pommes de terre bordelaise." Fannie admits she would just as soon have roast beef and potatoes. Nicky responds that this is exactly what he ordered!

Julia Waters captivated the audience as Fannie. Her singing and acting, complete with NY accent, gave Babs a run for her money. Waters was supported by an accomplished cast and live orchestra.

If you need "People," especially in an outstanding musical, I recommend "Funny Girl." running through Feb. 15.

For tickets, call (520) 319-0400

Barbara Russek

North side

Irresponsible

Regarding the column in Thursday’s paper by Gerald Farrington: Good and Pretti had a constitutional right to speech and assembly, agreed, but not to impede law enforcement, disobey lawful commands, assault law enforcement officers, or resist arrest — which both clearly did. To equate what they did to the sacrifices made on the Normandy beaches is insane. In the case of Pretti, the "thugs" were there for a targeted arrest of an illegal alien with a violent criminal history — perhaps someone else we should glorify? By calling Good and Pretti martyrs, Farrington is egging on others to follow their example, which can only lead to more unnecessary death. Shame on you, Gerald!

Godfrey Trowbridge

Northeast side