Letters to the Editor July 29

I-11 makes sense

Re: the July 25 article “Interstate 11 just won’t die.”

Planning, development and construction of I-11 is underway between Wickenburg north through Nevada. The increase in our current commercial traffic (primarily trucks) is coming whether we want it or not. So, do we choose to add to the traffic, accidents, and certain deaths associated with the increased commercial traffic by increasing traffic on I-19 and I-10 or build a new interstate?

If you have ever travelled between Tucson and Phoenix you have seen many, if not the majority of vehicles with Texas, California, and other state plates and lots of commercial vehicles. You have also experienced the traffic slow-downs, accidents leading to deaths and stoppages on the four-lane section north of the Casa Grande rest area. Routing this current and planned traffic off existing interstates to a new I-11 will save lives and negate the need to expand existing interstates. I-11 makes sense to me. How many hundreds of thousands of acres of desert land do we need to protect anyway?

Cal Rooker

Northwest side

Trump’s miscreants are not patriots

Let there be no doubt, like their leader, those loyal to Donald Trump are not “patriots.” Far from it. They are terrorists, anarchists, fascists, insurrectionists, white supremacists or worse. But, patriots? Never. These individuals are the worse America has to offer, those who would see America fail for a megalomaniac’s ego. How dare you call yourselves patriots!

Patriots believe in the Constitution, rule of law, democracy, not totalitarianism. Patriots believe that America supports the people first, not the pockets of the already wealthy. Patriots believe in free and fair elections, the right to vote for everyone and an amicable change of power.

If those on the far right cannot see this, that says more about you and your inabilities to reason and think for yourself. A patriot loves, supports and defends their country and its interests with devotion.

Sheldon Metz

Northeast side

Padres for Ward 3

I support Juan Padres and urge Tucson voters to elect him to serve Ward 3 and the city of Tucson. Juan’s top priority of mitigating poverty in Tucson is critical to our whole community as very few people understand the severity and impact it has on us. Twenty-seven percent of Ward 3 residents (more than 1 of 4) are below poverty. The median household income in Tucson is $41,625, which is 34% more than Ward 3’s mere $31,100, according to the city of Tucson’s Poverty and Urban Stress, 2020 Report.

Juan’s experience as a business owner, city of Tucson employee and graduate of the University of Arizona Eller College of Management will well serve Tucsonans. I am a Ward 3 resident, have 56 years professional experience in the accounting, tax and consulting business and, over the past five years, my Tucson nonprofit has been working to mitigate poverty in Pima County.

Dennis Melin

Northeast side

Testimony of Capitol Police officers

My eyes teared up as I listened to the heroic Capitol security officers testify about their experiences on Jan. 6. I then thought about what I would say if the committee asked me about my feelings.

I would say that I try to have empathy for the people who stormed the building. There will always be people who are vulnerable to extreme and manipulative messages. I also try to accept that because of his severe problem with compulsive narcissistic behavior, the president was probably not capable of acting differently.

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What makes me so sad is that rational and clear-thinking senators also chose to attack our democracy. They voted in support of the big lie that the election was rigged. It was this lie which led to the attempted coup on Jan. 6. They know the truth. I am just so sad and I plead with these senators to change their minds, honor their oath and start to defend democracy.

Jonpaul Barrabee

Oro Valley

Vaccination mandates

Here we go, the people who choose to be unvaccinated are causing us all to go backward. What to do about all these ignorant selfish people? You make a federal vaccine mandate. Don’t let their supposed rights cloud the situation. Normal people want to move forward. Normal people care about the greater good. These anti-vaccine individuals are some of the same people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. What was said in that hearing yesterday was these insurrectionists don’t care about this country, or the rest of us in it. Make a vaccine mandate, the hell with these absolute fools. When there’s a mad dog outside, we take care of it, no questions asked.

Mary Bradley

Northeast side

Voter suppression

I find it rather interesting that the Republicans did not have any problems with the way elections were conducted until they lost the 2020 election. Now they want to change the rules by suppressing some votes and using gerrymandering to move even more votes to their favor. And this is even after 60-plus appeals and court cases did not find any voter fraud or irregularities. And I thought we lived in a democratic country.

Joseph Malberg

Northwest side

Jan. 6 insurrection

Watching the testimony of the Capitol Police officers and the videos from Jan. 6 have caused me to reflect how extraordinarily lucky we are. In the 58 previous presidential elections that have occurred, the losing side has always accepted the will of the people, and the democracy has been preserved. The losing candidates have never lied to their followers and told them they had actually won, and urged them to overthrow the government — until now. All prior losing presidential candidates — even in the contested 1860 election — accepted the tenets of democracy. Democracy is fragile. I would again urge that our Republican brethren pause to consider the implications of the dark road down which Donald Trump is leading them.

Abraham R. Byrd III

North side

Take responsibility for your actions

I am willing to take full responsibility for my actions, but are the people who choose to remain unvaccinated for reasons other than a health condition or age restriction really willing to do the same? One of the tropes that conservatives love to spout: Everyone should have the freedom to do whatever they want, and they will take responsibility for their actions. What should that mean? Vaccinations are now easily available for anyone over 12, so if a person chooses to remain unvaccinated and gets COVID, their health insurer (or government program or hospital) should not have to pay for treatment necessary for that person’s recovery.

You spent a month on a ventilator? You better have a lot of money saved up for that hospital bill. If insurers/governments/hospitals could refuse coverage to people who choose not to get vaccinated, the free market would prevail and individuals could prove that they are truly willing to take full responsibility for their actions.

Karen Carson

Downtown