Tucson Speaks Out: Sept. 17 letters of the day

Rex Scott County Supervisor

My wife and I are proud to say that Rex Scott was the principal at Catalina Magnet High School when both our sons were students there. My observations of Mr. Scott’s leadership led me to understand and appreciate his sincere commitment to the students and the quality of education they deserve. His ability to see the broader aspects of an issue while maintaining focus on the details gave me confidence that while a decision might not make him popular, his decisions were always student-forward and absolutely not based on what would have been self-serving. His sincerity, integrity and commitment to public service and access to public education for our young population is outstanding. We are proud supporters of Mr. Rex Scott.

Chuck Kowalski

Midtown

Prop 134: Vote no!

Re: the Sept. 14 article “Prop 134: Ensuring every Arizonan has a voice.”

Mr. Smith with the Farm Bureau is being disingenuous claiming Prop 134 would “strengthen our democratic processes and make sure every Arizonan has a seat at the table.” This measure was placed on the ballot by 47 Republicans in the legislature. It assures that a minority can prevent any citizen initiative getting to voters. One rural congressional district of about 240,000 people could “veto” a citizen initiative that helps 4.8 million people in urban Phoenix from getting on the ballot.

If Prop 134 were in place, Proposition 139, the woman’s right to choose, would not be on the ballot. The will of the 47 Prop 134 Republicans could trump the will of the 800,000+ citizens who signed the 139 initiative and the majority of Arizonans who support abortion until viability.

All but two of the 13 Propositions on our November ballot were put there by these Republicans. Save us from minority sabotage. Vote “no” on all propositions except Prop 139.

Dee Maitland

Marana

Longer ballots may do Republicans in

Re: the Sept. 13 article “Longer AZ ballots could make for longer lines.”

The Daily Stars article about two-page ballots and Arizona election officials warning about delays in voting with the possibility of voting machine jam would make one wonder why the Republican party wouldn’t be warning all Republicans to switch to mail-in ballots. Seems the Republican Party has backed itself into a corner with no way out, other than to claim that the election was rigged against voting in person because of the long lines at the polling places instead of voting by mail. Now the only thing left for them is to claim the long lines waiting to vote was caused by election workers checking the eligibility of each voter to make sure no undocumented are trying to vote.

Clyde R. Steele

Oro Valley

Support Lea Márquez Peterson for the ACC

It’s clear after watching the recent Clean Elections debate for the Arizona Corporation Commission that we need an “all of the above approach” to energy in Arizona. I appreciated Commissioner Lea Márquez Peterson’s comments about her focus on energy reliability at the most affordable rates and the need for a balanced approach to our diverse energy portfolio.

She spoke about the need for many sources of energy to ensure energy reliability especially during our hot summers. Homes without electricity and air conditioning would be detrimental to public health.

Lea has served on the Commission since 2019 and is the only Commissioner based outside of the Phoenix area. I have known Lea since she served as President of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber. We need her continued leadership on protecting ratepayers and supporting policies so that we do not have rolling blackouts like California. I will be supporting Lea Marquez Peterson for re-election to the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Randy Hotchkiss

Midtown

Electricity and climate

As a 40+ year veteran of the electricity industry, I know nothing is easy when it comes to expanding electricity supply and delivery infrastructure. However, if the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) passes regulations which allow electric utilities to build, own, and manage solar PV, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and battery storage on residential and commercial buildings (just like they do our electricity metering equipment) and the ACC allows utilities to apply traditional regulated rate of return economics when investing in this equipment, Arizona could mitigate most of its carbon footprint attributed to electricity production within 10-20 years. We’d still need some fast-response natural-gas-fired units to keep the system balanced hour to hour but that could be limited to less than 10% of total system capacity and only a few hours a day. This approach would also allow the utility to properly integrate (in the design stage) and coordinate (in operation) all of these distributed assets to optimize the system.

Jason Makansi

Northeast side

Abolish the electoral college

We are supposed to live in a democracy. However, we don’t. As long as we use the electoral college to determine the final outcome, we give more weight to some states than others, which I guess makes us a republic instead of a democracy.

To make every vote count, we must abolish the electoral college.

Jean Nerenberg

Oro Valley

Scott street signs

While driving around town, I have noticed many, many signs claiming Rex Scott has “left” us with a tax bill or engages in deficit spending. These signs are anonymous. No surprise, since the county cannot conduct deficit spending. And the budget is balanced, so no tax bill is waiting for you.

The author of these signs proves to be politically uneducated at best and quite mean-spirited. Rex Scott has proven to be a responsible, intelligent and kind person, exactly what every county board needs as a member. Look at his record. And then please vote to reelect Rex Scott.

Paul Mercer

Oro Valley

Stale Sunday comics

Re: the Sept. 14 article “From the editor: New lineup of comics, puzzles debuts.”

Far from being “fresh,” your makeover of the Sunday comics is as stale as it gets. Most of what I saw looks like a throwback to the comics pages I read as a kid in the 1960s. Plus, you eliminated The Jumble, a puzzle I enjoyed weekly. This “new” comics collection and “Jumble-less” puzzle page earn an “F” from me. The only thing saving you from an “F-” is your inclusion of Mutts and Sally Forth.

Stephen Pender

Northwest side

Winning war in Ukraine

During the Trump/Harris debate the candidates were asked if they wanted Ukraine to win the war.

In order to answer the question one must first define Ukraine winning. Is winning when Ukraine’s troops march into Moscow and force Putin to surrender, or when Ukraine’s troops push all Russian troops out of Ukraine with promises never to return, or when Ukraine negotiates a ceasefire compromise. A ceasefire where hundreds of thousands people stop being killed from both sides, where there is an end of the devastation of Ukraine’s cities, and where billions of US tax payer money is no longer spent arming Ukraine.

The last option seems to be a win for both. Who would the American voters think would want to negotiate on the international stage the best deal for Ukraine, Trump or Harris, and who would be okay with the war continuing, Trump or Harris.

Trump or Harris?

Kenneth Smalley

Midtown

Missed the mark

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Re: the Sept. 14 article “From the editor: New lineup of comics, puzzles debuts.”

Dear Editor:

The revamp of cartoon strips has missed the mark in many ways. I have tried some of the new ones, but they do not come close to replacing Doonesbury in any respect other than fill the space. A few are totally insipid.

Please put Doonesbury back in and get us up to date with it as soon as possible. Or sooner!

Paul Massman

Oro Valley

Comics

Re: the Sept. 14 article “From the editor: New lineup of comics, puzzles debuts.”

This may seem trivial compared to all the issues we now face but I’m very bothered by the Stars’ changes in the comics. All my favorites have been eliminated. No more Closer to Home, no more The Argyle Sweater, no more Jumbles, no more LA Crossword, and no more Sunday Doonesberry. I don’t know whether my complaints will carry any weight but I needed to have my say.

Craig Wunderlich

West side

Board of Supervisors race

Re: the Sept./ 10 article “False and misleading campaign topics.”

To the editor, as a constituent in Rex Scott’s District 1, I was appalled to see several campaign signs accusing him of bankrupting Pima County. As Mr. Scott so eloquently explained in his op-ed, this was a complete distortion of the finances of the county. I assume the signs were placed by his opponent, who chose not to show up for a debate, so he wouldn’t have to answer questions about the signs, I consider our current Board excellent stewards of our financial resources as well as guardians of the public health. As a physician, I am aware that our county did better than most others in the state during the COVID epidemic due to Board and Health Department leadership. Mr. Scott is a man of great integrity and should be re-elected.

Eve Shapiro

Foothills

Negative political animus

I would like to see a stop to the hateful political rhetoric prevalent. Negative ads with cherry picked moments don’t help. We need an electorate who is informed. Please give me a reason to vote for a candidate, not smears.

Craig Miller

Northwest side

Proposition 139, the right to abortion initiative

As an orthodox Catholic I suggest voting “No” this Nov. 5 on Arizona Proposition 139, the Right to Abortion Initiative. It would enshrine a fundamental right to abortion in the Arizona Constitution. But the Proposition comes with a caveat. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Aug. 14 that an informational pamphlet for voters may refer to an embryo or fetus as “unborn human being.” Why is this important? Because the abortion industry prefers to imagine abortion as simply removing “products of conception,” as Planned Parenthood so callously labels the procedure.

After conception, the term “unborn human being” is scientifically accurate. Which simply means that a new human life has begun. Any embryology textbook will verify this. At the moment of conception, your physical characteristics are determined: Sex, hair color, eye color, race, etc. To purposely end the life of this “unborn human being” is considered murder by any orthodox Christian religion.

Daniel Pryor

West side

Have I got a proposition for you!

Arizona voters face a challenging ballot this November 5th. Many propositions, mostly from state MAGA legislators, aim to confuse voters and shift power away from citizens. These measures can be misleading, with “Yes” votes potentially meaning “No” and intended outcomes being reversed.

For those valuing personal freedom, only Proposition 139 deserves a “Yes” vote. This citizens’ initiative seeks to protect abortion access in Arizona’s Constitution. I recommend voting “No” on all other propositions.

Supporting John McLean and Kevin Volk in November will help ensure future propositions advance personal freedoms and address real Arizona issues. These candidates promise to earn your vote rather than overwhelm you with confusing ballot measures.

Make an informed choice. It’s a matter of trust.

Margaret Scott

Midtown

Fake news?

“What appears to be an attempted assassination” also appears to be another staged event by an increasingly desperate and deranged DonOld Trump. Inquiring minds would like to know.

Stanley Steik

Midtown

A good laugh

Since when do Trump supporters have any interest in the truth or any issue with telling lies? Regarding the “Debate”, fact checkers report that Trump lied more than 30 times, while Harris lied at least once. So much for your “evidence”, outrage and false equivalencies.

Stanley Steik

Midtown

List of lies

RE: the Sept. 16 letter “The debate”

The letter writer asks the Star why they didn’t print the lies that VP Harris made during the debate as they supposedly only pointed out the lies, that the “liar in chief” told. He said he’d produce them. I just check numerous websites both foreign and domestic, and they can’t seem to find the 11,780 lies the felon is still looking for. Please submit your list, since no credible website or credible authority can find them.

John Bingham

Northwest side

Catalina Foothills School Board

Supporting the trio of Jacquelyn Davoli, Eileen Jackson and Tom Logue is critical for continuing the excellence that characterizes education in the Catalina Foothills School District. The schools are a keystone of our community; the high school is routinely identified as a top non-selective high school in Arizona. I recently retired from Catalina Foothills High School after 13 years of teaching there. Critical thinking, meaning “how to think,” analyzing and interpreting data, engaging in argument from evidence, as well as obtaining, evaluating and communicating information are mainstays of what is done there. My children are successful alumni and I served as one of hundreds of active parents during their time there. The schools and students are high performers thanks to the informed and professional practices in place for all students. I do not want to see that diminished to serve someone’s personal agenda. Please join me in supporting this trio.

Terry Fortunato, Catalina Foothills resident and retired CFSD teacher

Foothills