Petulant pair doing no good
House of Representative members Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs continue to embarrass Arizona while casting their bizarre votes. An article in the Arizona Republic detailed the duo’s most recent votes.
Each representative opposed giving the Congressional Medal of Honor to all law enforcement members during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Next, both politicians voted against making Juneteenth a new federal holiday in recognition of the informal end of slavery.
Biggs stated he disliked the bill’s title and declared that Democrats “weaponized this bill like they weaponized everything else.” Labeled by some as “constitutional contrarians,” a better label for the pair is “clownish clucks,” looking for any opportunity to gain attention by engendering prejudice and narrow-mindedness.
Roger Shanley
East side
Liberal horde may save us yet
Re: the June 17 letter “Water depleted by liberal horde.”
I just wanted to let the letter writer know that I am one of the proud liberals that are now infesting her state. The Spanish brought Christianity to Arizona, decimating the Indigenous population in the process; the Mexicans took over from the Spanish followed by the Americans, of which I assume you are a proud conservative descendant.
Be careful about asking us liberals to stop taking your water and leave. It could cause the Mexicans to ask for the land and water you violently stole from them, or maybe the Indigenous peoples to demand some sort of compensation themselves!
I am so grateful that we liberals are now slowly infesting your desert: hopefully it will drive the QAnon Shaman followers and the other right-wingers to go elsewhere so there will be plenty of water for us to build a decent, inclusive and progressive society.
Michael Perdue
Vail
RTA veto power cuts both ways
Re: the June 17 article “Openness and compromise required for next RTA plan.”
In his opinion piece on the RTA, Board of Supervisors member Rex Scott complains that proportional representation would give Tucson with its 52% of the population veto power over any proposals, but apparently he is perfectly happy with the current arrangement which in fact gives representatives of less than 30% of the population that same veto power he claims to be so concerned about. Despite his claims, there is a real problem here and I fully understand Tucson’s concerns about continuing on the current terms.
Wesley Green
Green Valley
Cyberattack list is unfathomable
During the recent summit in Europe, President Joe Biden presented the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, a list of 16 critical infrastructures off limits for cyberattacks. Does that suggest that American interests, not on the list of 16, are OK to undermine or destroy? I simply cannot understand how anyone with an ounce of common sense would even consider what Biden did. All American interest should be secured from foreign interests and interference. Incidentally, I have not seen many comments from your readers applauding Biden on the wonderful performance of our president since taking office. Come on, guys, pump him up. He was your choice. Be proud!
William Davis
Green Valley
Arizona recount is embarrassing
I am appalled and dismayed by the madness of Arizona’s recounting election ballots based on certain Republican legislators’ delusions that are based on an ex-president’s delusions and being the ultimate sore loser. Having a group calling themselves “‘Cyber Ninjas” headed by a man who believes in conspiracy theories rather than reality has made Arizona a laughingstock of the nation.
Donald Trump and these Arizona legislators are deliberately undermining our democracy by creating a false narrative and feeding a myth, an untruth. Democrats got out the vote and won in Arizona. Pursuing anti-voting and anti-election measures serve nothing but the creation of ill-will and paranoia. This was a waste of taxpayer’s money and of our state’s reputation.
Carolyn Wayland
Tubac
Sinema proves a disappointment
Dear Krysten Sinema,
I am one of your constituents. I voted for you, encouraged my friends to vote for you and contributed to your campaign. I believed that you would be a good senator and represent my concerns. You presented yourself as a centrist Democrat but deceived the voters.
I am profoundly disappointed by your performance in the Senate. You are unresponsive on the matters important to those who voted for you. You are contributing to the failure of important legislation. You won national media attention, causing those who travel outside of our borders to hang our heads in shame as we did in the time of Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
If I had wished to vote for a Republican I would have done so. It’s not too late to turn it around and listen to your voters. Otherwise, I will work to see that we have a better choice in the next election.
Jacqueline Wohl
Midtown
Aid abroad makes us more secure
Foreign aid is a bit of a controversial topic perhaps because it is misunderstood. Congress allocates money for the world’s impoverished through the International Affairs Budget.
For starters, this budget is less than 1% of the entire U.S. federal budget. However, it has the ability to fight terrorism and facilitate job creation. Millions of people are expected to starve given the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding is needed to prevent future pandemics and improve the U.S.’s national security and job market.
As Americans, we are responsible for making our voices heard when we find an issue in the world. I urge all readers to call and email your Congress members through the Borgen Project’s Action Center to ask for more funding for the International Affairs Budget. Foreign issues are our issues as well as we are interconnected.
Bita Mosallai
Oro Valley
CRT not history; it’s propaganda
Contrary to the National Education Association president, teaching critical race theory is not teaching history. It is a gross distortion of history more accurately labeled propaganda. Parents should be staunch in their opposition to schools pushing what is an essentially racist narrative. The “1619 Project” which expounds on this theory has been thoroughly debunked by multiple well thought of historians. Shame on the largest national teachers union for promoting this deception.
Helen Moulton
Foothills
People love their Trump
In the aftermath of the Trump presidency, it’s becoming increasingly clear that a large minority of Americans, maybe as many as 40%, would rather live under a fascist strongman than in a democracy. I never would have believed it, but that’s our reality.
Christopher McIlroy
Northwest side
