Tucson Speaks Out: Sept. 1 letters of the day

Republican ruination

of American lives

Re: the Aug. 17 letter "Democrats' ruination of American society."

None of the letter writers accusations against Democrats result in death. His party, however, can justly be accused of policies that do. Americans died because of Republican opposition to masking and vaccinating during COVID. Forty thousand Americans die a year from Republican fealty to the NRA. American deaths can be attributed to Republican billionaires' demand for unregulated capitalism: asthma deaths due to polluted air; poisoned water as in Flint; deaths of despair due to wages insufficient to support life (with guns and Big Pharma drugs easily available for suicide). Americans die because of Republican opposition to universal health care and reducing drug prices. Americans die from weather related fires and floods due to Republican climate change denial preventing mitigations. Americans die from at-risk pregnancies due to the Republican stand on abortion. Republican leaders’ hate-filled vitriol results in the deaths of Americans who are not white, male, Christian or heterosexual. And then there’s Jan. 6 ...

Democrat policies don’t kill people or jeopardize our Democracy.

Dee Maitland

Marana

Pandering

Dear news media:

In the richest country in the world, disasters are rampant. People need water resources, heat, wildfires, food insecurity is a problem, education in this country is being subverted, housing for citizens is non-existent, education is upside-down, and all you can "report" is that 45 has returned to spilling misogynistic, vicious, divisive, white supremacy garbage on Twitter, or whatever it's currently called.

This is not news, nor is it helpful to any human being alive today.

When is the media going to get that you are feeding the ego of the aforementioned misogynistic vicious, divisive, white supremacist with the "HEADLINES" about whatever he does. I expect soon you'll report when the misogynistic, vicious, divisive, white supremacist takes a shower. After all, you are responsible for the shower head "News."

Would it be too much for those in the media to actually report on, oh, I don't know, the shelter that the Maui residents are able to find? The water situation in Canada's wildfires? ANYTHING important?

Virginia Gethmann

Northeast side

Tucson water

Getting service from Tucson Water, especially when one is not in Tucson, is a challenge. Trying to contact the Water Department about their billing problem is a big problem. Think waiting on the phone for over an hour with multiple tries. Even Yelp indicates they are bad! We received two "Turn-Off” notice letters for our declined utility bill payments when they had the correct card number for autopay. Notice for auto pay specifically says don’t pay.

To have an administrative problem and not provide a good means of cure is not acceptable. My cure is to send water management to Pima County, where it belonged in the first place, and hopefully to an entity that might run it effectively. The city seems to run the water department like it takes care of streets. And they want annexation of more area so they can share the experience.

Dave Locey

Foothills

Tax Scam 2.0

A revamped version of Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Scam, the GOP’s new Tax Scam 2.0, once again gives lofty tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy, leaving the rest of us with an increased tax burden.

It is shameful that House Republicans are still pulling these dangerous stunts shortly after holding our economy hostage during their manufactured debt crisis. It’s disappointing they’re still beating the same “let’s make the rich richer” drum instead of doing something good for their constituents.

With his vote to undermine the Inflation Reduction Act, Congressman Juan Ciscomani chose to pander to the wealthy and disregard our many needs.

When the House of Representatives returns from its August recess, Tax Scam 2.0 will be voted on, and Ciscomani will have an opportunity to work for us or continue to be a corporate pawn.

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As constituents, we need to demand better of our congressman. Call Ciscomani’s office and urge him to vote NO on GOP Tax Scam 2.0!

Beth Smith

Oro Valley

Race-restricted

neighborhoods

Re: the Aug. 27 article "Researchers map Tucson's history of race-restricted neighborhoods."

What a gut punch from Henry Brean's well-researched article. Between 1953-69, fourth grade through the University of Arizona and three years on the Tucson Police Department, I lived in Broadmoor Subdivision, near Broadway Village. Until Henry's story, I was clueless that: "...(not) sold, rented ... leased to any person of African or Asiatic descent, or to any person not of White or Caucasian race ... (nor) used, or occupied ... except such persons as may be employed or domestic servants of African or Asiatic descent ..." My best friends then were yellow, Brown, and Black — two of three could never be my neighbor. I am ashamed of Tucson, sickened by the City Fathers and developers that dictated these CC & R's. Tucson has a lot to be proud of but emphatically, this is not one of them. Many thanks to the researchers in the Mapping Racist Covenants Project for spotlighting this ugly chapter in Tucson's past.

Butch Farabee

Northwest side

Solar canopies

Solar canopies are becoming more commonly seen in Tucson in parking lots and some school grounds. To me, it makes more sense to use solar canopies throughout the community to provide shade and a local source of electrical power instead of following the current Million Trees Initiative. This approach would provide the desired shade with the bonus of distributed local electrical power. Planting, watering, and maintaining a million trees will take quite some time to grow into good shade. In addition, these trees will use potable water (even if the plan is to use stormwater or gray water) to grow into healthy shade trees. Who knows, maybe the solar canopies can even support the government-funded charging stations throughout the community. So why not provide shade, improve our electrical supply options and not add another drain on potable water.

Cal Rooker

Northwest side

Election lies

German playwright Bertolt Brecht said it best: “Who does not know the truth, is simply a fool ... yet who knows the truth and calls it a lie, is a criminal.”

Mr. Trump knows the truth but continues to lie about the 2020 election. GOP “leaders” and TV/radio pundits know the truth yet continue to promote election lies. Trump and pundits are raking in millions from those who either believe the lies or just don’t care about them.

These lies are dangerous. They have destroyed people’s lives, allowed hate groups to thrive, and are responsible for the extreme polarization in our country. Those who willfully condone election lies, conspiracies, disgusting rhetoric, political violence, and criminality do not hold the democratic values and ethics that our democracy requires. Those who believe what they want to believe do not make their beliefs true. Truth and facts matter.

Deciphering the fools and criminals in today’s political madness is not that hard to figure out.

Kathy Krucker

Midtown

Election 2024

A couple observations on 2024. I constantly see Letters to the Editor insisting that Donald Trump is a threat to democracy. So with the vast majority of Americans not wanting Joe Biden to run for re-election why is he still in the race? Doesn't sound very democratic to me. Also, many writers declare the GOP is chock full of racists. So why are some Republican candidates people of color?

Mark Moral

East side