Biden’s current energy policy
The energy policy of the Biden administration is difficult to comprehend. First, President Joe Biden canceled the permit to complete the Keystone XL pipeline, harming Canada, who is one of our closest allies, and destroying the livelihoods of many pipeline workers.
He then suspended selected permits for drilling in Alaska. Next he allowed Russia to complete the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany. Seems nonsensical. He has done everything possible to destroy the U.S. fossil fuel industry which in part has raised gasoline prices at the pump. Now he is pleading with OPEC and Russia to increase oil production. We are on our way to once again being dependent on others for our energy needs.
Biden’s energy policy is almost as inexplicable as his border policies, which have allowed record numbers of immigrants to enter the country illegally. This foolish policy has been of great benefit to the Mexican cartels dealing in human and drug trafficking. The cartels and criminals seem to be running our immigration policy.
Jerry Bouwens
Northeast side
What our weather should be
Regarding Tim Steller’s opinion column on “whiplash weather,” I have some questions we should all think about. By what standard would we determine what the right number of hot days should be? How hot should they be? By what standard would we figure out how much rain over how long of a span should we have? Or maybe it’s possible that there is no “right” weather, and that nature will always pose dangers to us, as it always has.
One last question, perhaps the most important: How many people in Tucson have died from this “whiplash weather” this summer? These types of questions are not usually discussed when talking about climate change, but I believe they should be.
Benjamin Yingst
Southwest side
Rebellion
Trump backers storm the Capitol, refuse to wear masks or get vaccinated, and won’t accept election results. I long for the days when it was the left that was belligerent, anti-establishment and dangerous. Of course protesting for peace, social justice and clean air seems much more noble than fighting for the wounded ego of a deposed narcissist.
Craig Wunderlich
West side
Mexico and US cooperation
The U.S. should establish a new affiliation with Mexico. In light of experience with COVID-19, Afghanistan and the changing climate, now is the time to start exploration and management of new relationships. Mexico and the U.S. can lead the way to beneficial future for us all. Our future is together.
Consultations with Mexico among the two sets of legislators, bordering provinces and states, and executive agency counterparts in public health, security, environment, native peoples, social security, language, culture, education, borders, demographics and democratic representation is essential for public discussion going forward.
The presidents should report periodically to legislators on the status, insights and challenges in these consultations. Any structural change proposals should be deliberate and subject to repeated plebiscite votes in both current countries and ample opportunity for withdrawals as the process moves forward.
This is an important and deliberate process, and the resolution can only be beneficial to all of us. Mexico and the U.S. are one in the future.
Larry Spears
Sonoita
Ducey’s mixed-up priorities
Kudos to Gov. Ducey and his anti-mask crusade. Just think! Now whenever a child is admitted to the ICU or even dies from catching COVID-19 in school, he can stick his chest out with pride and proclaim, “At least I saved them from critical race theory.”
David R. Hoffman
Downtown
“Welfare queens” bow to Gov. Ducey
Remember how mad we got about “welfare queens,” the women Ronald Reagan claimed were using federal dollars for nefarious reasons instead of supporting their own children? Well, those gals have nothin’ on Doug Ducey!
Our governor wants to use taxpayer money, not to protect kids, but to enhance his appeal with the bottomless MAGA base. Instead of following guidelines, science or plain ol’ common sense to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in public schools, Ducey would rather kids attend schools where protective measures are NOT in place.
Why do we have elected officials who claim to be pro-education and pro-business, but then support the chaos and death that comes with a prolonged pandemic? Remember who’s actually “pro-life” when you next cast a ballot.
Leslie Kanberg
Downtown
Fitz is hitting a new low
Fitz has succeeded in hitting a new low, even for him, by making a joke of the Afghanistan tragedy. It defies any logic for him to continue to espouse division in this country, but it would seem that he thrives on it. Perhaps he might be able to find some topics for cartoons that might pull this country together, like shoring up our Southern border. Or perhaps a cartoon of a street cleaner washing blood off the streets in Chicago. Better yet, a cartoon showing Dr. Anthony Fauci killing beagle puppies after the NIH financed experimentation on docile, trusting dogs.
Instead of being divisionary and contentious he might try featuring subjects that the populace can agree needs to be addressed. Continually pandering to his base has made him just that. Base, adjective — meaning morally low and inferior.
Maryam Wade
Northeast side
US departure from Afghanistan
Well, here we are again with the, 20-20 hindsight-seers, and critics, when it comes to our final departure from Afganistan. I am sure that most of it will be coming from the Republicans in order to score partisan points. I salute the president for having the courage to accomplish something that the previous three presidents did not have the guts to do. Twenty years in a wasted war with 2,500 deaths and two trillion dollars spent has not been worth it.
Ostensibly the reason for going was to root out the perpetrators of 9/11 and my argument is that this could have been done in a smarter way. All in all, what we ended up with is a corrupt government and an Afghan army that did not have the will or the courage to fight. In the end all they did was just melt away and leave all our military equipment to the Taliban. The Afghan people were aware of the corruption in the government for years.
Joseph Malberg
Northwest side
Climate change is upon us
I completely agree with the guest opinion column on carbon pricing by Mike Carran and Rex Scott. Given the obvious impacts climate change has already had on Tucson, Arizona and the world, it’s hard to understand how anyone would be against anything like HR 2307.
This type of legislation has shown it works in other parts of the world and it provides the most impact with the least pain to citizens, particularly the less fortunate. I would certainly hope our congressman, Rep. Tom O’Halleran would co-sponsor this bill and that Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly, would support the Senate version of this bill. Given the wildfires, drought (notwithstanding the recent rains), record temperatures, storms, etc, we all should accept the fact that climate change is upon us now and if we don’t address it immediately, it is going to be too late.
James Wolf
Northwest side
Carbon pricing part of robust response
As a career energy economist I understand the importance of using the market system to steer the economy toward socially desirable results. It has become abundantly clear just from reading headlines from the recent past that climate change is damaging property, degrading the natural environment, endangering lives, causing health effects and raising health-care costs.
This science of attribution has made it clear that fossil fuels are the root cause of extreme weather events. Accordingly we need a strong combination of market solutions, together with regulatory and administrative policies to combat climate change.
The Biden administration is developing regulatory and administrative policies to address these issues. Carbon pricing in conjunction would make a robust policy response.
Verne Loose
SaddleBrooke
How to restore voter confidence
I’ve been reading about various elected officials in Arizona trying to justify their blatant voter suppression tactics as, “restoring confidence in the election system.” You know what would really restore a little confidence in our political system? If those elected officials would stop vilifying their opponents, lying to the public and insulting the intelligence of their constituents.
I remain doubtful that will happen, but I’d settle for them not purposefully trying to destroy democracy.
Rick Scifres
Green Valley
