Matt Gaetz talks with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. before President-elect Donald Trump speaks Thursday during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.
Trump’s latest appointment
Nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Secretary of Health and Human Services is like nominating George Metesky, the “Mad Bomber” of the 1940s and ’50s, to be the fire chief.
Robert Finn
West side
Our only hope
Trump is giving cabinet positions to unqualified loyalists. None of these people have any experience or expertise in the positions he is offering. Here is our only Hope. The Senate must approve these appointments. Trump is done in four years. He cannot threaten legislators with political retribution. But Congress needs to be reelected after he is gone. The Senate can show Trump he is not king and must put the best people to run the departments of government. The Senate can reel in Trump’s ego and remind him that the representatives of our country run the country Trump needs to know he cannot reward his sycophants at the cost of betraying the American people. His picks for important positions such as the Department of Defense, Health and Human Services, National Security, Attorney General (Gaetz, really?) and other positions will destroy everything in our government. The Senate needs to save us.
Richard Bechtold
West side
Re: Hobbs’ decision
I am a Democrat and voted for Hobbs. I’m afraid I have to disagree with her stance against joining an alliance with the other Democratic governors. This is a typical Democratic move and one of the reasons we lost the election. We need to stop being sheep. We are up against people who have no morals, will say, do, or promise anything to get elected, and do not care about the American people at all. She is leaving Arizonians unprotected and weak. I will not vote to re-elect her.
Arlene Waters
Downtown
RE: “the auspicious sign” letter
I’ve been pretty gloomy since the election results, but that changed a bit with the imaginings expressed in the LTE “the auspicious sign” printed 11/12/24.
First the writer posits that Mike Pompeo won’t be reemployed on some principled grounds. Truth is Trump never got over Pompeo calling him “so full of s—t.”
Next he believes Trump will be “honor bound” to keep his stated commitments to working people (hard hats: work boots: callused hands: blah, blah, blah.) That stuff was good for a hearty belly laugh. If you really believe Trump and his oligarch billionaire tech bros care any more about you than something that got stuck to the Most amusing stuff sir!
Gary Susko
Midtown
Election result
The election for federal positions in the Tucson area boiled down to the working class against the elites. The Democrats used to represent the working class and that has flipped. Trump and Ciscomani won with support from us working class voters. We really got tired of all the Trump hate letters in the Star from North Tucson, Oro Valley and SaddleBrooke. The real losers in this Election are the mainstream media and the Daily Star. The press continued their progressive bias in their reporting and as the election results show a lot of voters did not buy the fake news. The LA Times was rescued from bankruptcy caused by their extreme liberal bias. The Arizona Daily Star is on the road to the same fate.
Douglas Shumway
Green Valley
He will bypass the Senate
Trump wants the next Majority Leader to support recess appointments – why? Could it be that those he wants in his Cabinet are so radical, even “traditional “Republicans wouldn’t vote to confirm them. I think so. Just look: Matt Gaetz as AG, Tulsi Gabbard as DNI, Kennedy as HHS, Hegseth as Pentagon director. Trump is so obsessed with doing things his way. He won’t risk his clown cabinet being identified as such, ergo, recess appointments. Unless the incoming Majority Leader, John Thune, resists that move, we will be stuck with these unqualified folks for two years. More than enough time for him to implement “loyalty boards” for senior military leaders, deport folks (including U.S. citizens), alienate our allies and leave Ukraine hanging. Look at his business and personal record, and know he is the true con artist and we, Americans, will be fodder for his ego.
Norman Patten
Midtown
President Trump’s election
To those who voted for Mr. Trump as the best choice for president, thank you for voting; those who voted for Mr. Trump out of spite, to punish the Democratic Party or did not vote at all, you will have to live with the choice of president because there are no “do-overs” or change of voting choice(s). Since the declaration of Mr. Trump as the clear winner, many changes are already occurring; i.e., Israel will enjoy unlimited support of the Trump Administration, a deportation of illegal entrants is in the works, Ukraine will probably enjoy limited support and Russia may be allowed to keep what it has already stolen.
As for personal freedoms, looking at other autocratically run countries may give you some ideas of what may happen in the United States, as will reading Project 2025. Elections have consequences and the freedoms we enjoyed were bought and paid for with the blood of patriots – do not squander it.
Richard Rebl
East side
You are correct
Many of your readers have expressed doubt that our Constitution, the rule of law, and the checks and balances so wisely established by the founders will continue to protect us under the Trump Administration. I believe that they may be partially correct. The Biden Administration in the last 4 years has ignored the Constitution. They have persecuted those who disagree, for example an elderly woman protesting peacefully in front of an abortion clinic. They have also persecuted those parents objecting to the way the school system is educating their children. They flaunted the Supreme Court, think student loan forgiveness. They ignored established law, allowing millions to enter the southern border illegally. Many were banned from social media due to pressure from the Administration. Basically, the current Administration has set the precedent for ignoring the Constitution. Our only hope is that the Republican Administration actually believes and adheres to the Constitutional precepts and individual rights and does not follow the example of the previous Administration.
Loyal M Johnson Jr
Oro Valley
Sure, things always change
But really? Matt Gaetz? RFK Jr.? Tulsi Gabbard? A Fox News host? The pendulum has swung completely off its axis.
Alan Doan
SaddleBrooke
Red-light cameras
Ms. Sherry Kay wants us to emulate Phoenix and return traffic cameras. She added that in 2015, 53,000 Tucson voters eliminated cameras, while 27,000 voters wanted to keep them. Phoenix also has noticeably higher temperatures, intolerable traffic, and the Sun Devils! Does the decision of legally registered voters mean nothing to Ms. Kay?
Traffic cameras increased rear-end collisions, enforcement issues, and a tyrannical atmosphere. We could bring back driver education. As a high school driving instructor, I stressed safety, compliance, and accountability. We could encourage our mayor and council to properly fund TPD, thus providing needed officers to ensure the safe flow of traffic.
Scott Thompson
East side
Kate’s bench
Today I went for a walk along the Rillito to sit on a memorial bench in memory of my late wife. I was shocked and hurt to see that the bench had been vandalized.
These bench memorials along the River Walk bring comfort to family members and provide a place of solitude and rest for all to enjoy. It is so disrespectful and hurtful for those of us who come to remember and honor our loved ones. Why someone or some group does this is beyond my comprehension. I understand that I’m not the only one that this has happened to, and I have no way of knowing who did this. But it creates a burning desire to do all that I can to find out who the culprit is — an irrational possibility, I know.
I share this with the public to make them aware of the pain that such defacing has on families.
Kudos to Pima County which is offering to repair the damage.
Frank Flasch
North side
Harassment continues
My letter regarding an ugly post-election incident appeared in last Saturday’s Star. The harassment of my neighbors continues. We live in the vicinity of Tanque Verde and Wentworth roads. A male, driving a black SUV, now drives by their house, honking loudly, yelling “Trump, Trump, Trump!” He also drove into their driveway and shone his lights into their living room windows. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has been helpful, but his license plate cannot be determined in the video my friend took. I cannot imagine the violence he’d impose had Trump lost. I urge decent Republicans and their leadership to take it down a notch. Be gracious, your guy won. I’ve never witnessed such despicable behavior in my 72 years. My Republican father and grandfather are rolling in their graves at Evergreen Cemetery. If anyone knows this person, please report it to the Pima County Sheriff.
Anne Lane
Northeast side
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