Tucson Speaks Out: June 25 letters of the day (2024)

Silence of Al Mawasi

Hamas attacked Israel Oct. 7. That means war. During WWI, we bombed Germany, and many civilians died. During WWII, we bombed Germany and Japan, and many civilians died. Now we have Israel fighting Hamas, and many civilians are dying. Israel in not at war with civilians, they are at war with Hamas. Approximately three weeks after Oct 7, Israel proposed a safe zone for civilians, Al Mawasi, a territory of Gaza. Al Mawasi was proposed to UN, UNRWA, WHO, Etc.

It could have been a coordinated effort, it would take some time, but it would allow food, water, medicine, sanitary and Red Cross humanitarian organizations. It could not happen unilaterally, so Al Mawasi is not a safe zone. UNRWA and the UN turned it down. Too difficult, I guess. Without civilians in the war zone, the war would be over. Why did they say no? Draw your own conclusions.

Valentine Ferraris

Northeast side

Need a copper mine if you want EVs

A normal Honda Accord needs about 40 pounds of copper. The same battery electric Honda Accord needs almost 200 pounds of copper. Onshore wind turbines require about 10 tons of copper, and in offshore wind turbines, that amount can more than double. The researchers found that between 2018 and 2050, the world will need to mine 115% more copper than has been mined in all of human history up until 2018 just to meet “business as usual.” This would meet our current copper needs and support the developing world without considering the green energy transition.” Note: These are from a report by the University Of Michigan — Copper can’t be mined fast enough. Raul Grijalva and his supporters are against a copper mine in the Santa Rita mountains. But they want everyone to buy an electric car (or two cars for a couple). Can’t have it both ways.

Gary Erickson

Benson

Traffic signal at First & River

I applaud the city planners for implementing red arrows on turn signals in the Catalina Foothills area, especially at First and River. In my opinion, the red arrow needs to be used at all hours. I just had a near miss at that intersection at 8:55 p.m. due to the flashing yellow. The flashing yellow encourages drivers to take chances which is why there are so many collisions. Those of us who prefer to not to turn left on a flashing yellow are pressured by drivers behind to move into the intersection and are subject to horns honking and angry drivers. The far right turn lane cannot see oncoming traffic due to the double turn lane of opposing traffic. This is a dangerous precedent that needs to stop! The city needs a standard for all traffic lights and be consistent throughout the city. Isn’t safety more important than the approval of drivers?

Lisa Williams

Foothills

Where does AZ’s agricultural water go?

Re: the June 16 article “Farm subsidy programs discourage water savings.”

The recent report on Arizona’s award of crop insurance focuses on the program’s priority on subsidizing drought resistant crops over water-thirsty alfalfa. A farmer of 7,500 acres emphasized the need for drilling more wells and subsidies for alfalfa, stating “You can’t have reasonably priced products in grocery stores without alfalfa.”

An important question ignored in this report is who we are feeding with our water. A report by AgEcon Search estimates 10% of Arizona’s alfalfa output is exported to countries such as China and Japan, accounting for about 202,000 acre feet or 8.6 billion cubic feet of our precious underground water.

Do we really need to subsidize farmers to feed cattle in China and Japan? Arizona’s water is too valuable a resource to be shipped overseas.

Bruce Hilpert

North side

Great economy?

Some people claim that Bidenomics has produced a great economy, but Joe’s inflation has made many rich and famous people look for a second job to pay their bills. Barack Obama has been forced to supplement his income by going back to work. Perhaps you saw him on TV recently at the fundraiser for Biden. Obama’s new job was helping Biden off of the stage, as Joe tends to have difficulty doing that by himself. “Visiting Angels” was very pleased with Barack’s performance on his first night’s work for their company. Jill also called to thank Barak for his help, as she was exhausted from doing that job by herself.

Jack Hingstrum

Marana

Kudos to Click

Late last year, I won the second prize in the Jim Click Millions for Tucson raffle. I won two first-class tickets to almost anywhere in the world. We are fortunate to live in an altruistic community that even though donations are down nationwide to non-profit organizations, a local businessman steps up to help boost the coffers of Southern Arizona’s 501 (c )(3) organizations. Kudos to Click! 2024 is the 15th year of his car raffle generosity. Go ahead and buy some tickets which help so many good causes. You have better odds than the Arizona Lottery and please consider my favorite charity — Southern Arizona Greyhound Adoption (SA Greys). Good luck.

Karyn Zoldan

Midtown

Response to letters and local opinions

Since the AZ Star only allows one letter submission per month, at least for conservative writers, I will touch on a few recent letters and local opinions. A letter writer stated that President Biden is taking us in the right direction on climate change, using more carrots than sticks, and that CO2 emissions are slowing and climate scientists are optimistic. Well, the NOAA just reported that 2023 saw no slowing in CO2 emissions, and many climate scientists say we are past the 2C mark is rising temperatures. Biden has imposed all kinds of punitive CO2 emissions dictates, aka “sticks,” on small appliances, manufacturing and vehicles. A local opinion writer essentially stated that Trump supporters are ignorant because they do not watch or read the mainstream media. Maybe that is because the MSM, i.e., ABC, CBS, NBC, WaPo, NY Times, AZDS, are liberal Democrat biased. Another opinion from the Pima County School Superintendent lauded DEI. Does he know that DEI is inherently racist against white straight males? Geez!

Tom Galloway

Midtown

Pima County Attorney’s race

I’m concerned about Mike Jette’s candidacy for County Attorney. His switch to the Democratic Party appears to be just a practicality, but his conservative background says otherwise.

We have been witnessing an effort to reshape our legal system that favors authoritarianism at the expense of true justice. The Federalist Society, et al., are championing this cause, as indicated in “Project 2025.”

Jette appears to reflect this agenda. His prior appearances on right-wing media, conservative donors, and an insincere shift to the Democratic Party raise significant red flags.

Subsequently, Mr. Jette spoke at a luncheon. When the topic of the AZ AG’s election came up, Mr. Jette revealed that he “supported the other guy”, meaning the Trump endorsed, Abe Hamadeh, the Republican AG candidate. This was startling and contradicts Jette’s Democratic affiliation.

Therefore, please scrutinize Mr. Jette and his supposed Democratic platform. It’s crucial, to elect a County Attorney who represents justice and not someone who uses political expediency as a cover for a conservative agenda.

Matthew Capalby

Northwest side

A Fourth of July without fireworks? Yes, please!

The city of Lawrence, Kansas, recently announced it will put on a drone show instead of traditional fireworks this Fourth of July. They’re making the change because firework explosions can be triggering for war veterans, pets and others. And Lawrence isn’t the only one. Flagstaff, Denver and Salt Lake City have all adopted drone or laser light shows over fireworks in recent years. Salt Lake City made the change for environmental reasons: to avoid air pollution and wildfire threats that come with fireworks.

As someone who lives near downtown Tucson, I dread the city’s fireworks because they frighten companion animals and wildlife, including my dog, Herman. Pima Animal Care Center reminds people each year to keep their animals contained during the fireworks event, and yet the shelter is inundated for days afterward with strays who fled their homes in fear.

I desperately hope Tucson will consider adopting a more humane and environmentally friendly approach to its Fourth of July celebration like Lawrence and other cities have.

Kim Flaherty

Downtown

Stay hydrated and keep your cool

Due to the current economic hardships that many, if not most, are experiencing, I imagine that many drivers cannot afford to repair their vehicles’ air conditioning. Being overheated and dehydrated can cause drivers to act out and even pass out while in vehicles that are well over 100 degrees. Many of these vehicles are carrying those who are more susceptible to overheating because they cannot regulate their body heat: the elderly, people with disabilities, and children. I have seen overheated dogs traveling in the backs of open trucks. Beware that dogs might jump out to try to save themselves from their situation. Being overheated can cause headaches and cause people to act irrationally. There are overheated and dehydrated people waiting at Tucson’s bus stops, walking, traveling in wheelchairs, and on bikes and motorcycles.

Drivers need to yield to those who are overheated, for whatever reason, in order to keep everyone safe.

Cheryl Kelli

Downtown

Housing prices

Re: the June 22 article “Why home prices have gone through the roof.”

We can always count on the Heritage Foundation to blame the government for private sector greed. Their piece on rising housing prices is a great example. They point to the government manipulating interest rates when the real culprit is rich people using the housing market as an investment vehicle.

In a seller’s market, it only takes a few home sales at inflated rates to raise prices across the board, especially when cash offers above the asking price dominate. Only the rich have the liquidity to pay cash, so prices keep rising, rich people keep buying, and the masses get priced out.

Legislation barring the rich from speculating in the housing market could lower prices, but the Republicans would never support that. Instead, they offer up a scapegoat to distract from their own culpability in this grift. Between enabling institutional investors, union busting and blocking minimum wage hikes, the Republicans have succeeded in decimating the working class while blaming it on Biden. Apparently, they think we’re all stupid.

Duncan Stitt

Midtown

Water rates

We live in an unincorporated area of Pima County that received illegal water rate increases by Tucson City Water, imposed by the Tucson City Council. About 70,000 of us have paid millions in increased water bills, because of this illegal increase. Pima County sued the city on our behalf, with Supervisor Rex Scott playing a significant role. Residents of the foothills should be supportive of Pima County and Supervisor Scott for his efforts in getting our money returned. It is important to give credit when it is due, and it is due for Supervisor Scott and the Pima County Board.

Dave and Ann Locey

Foothills

Unrestrained growth is short-term thinking

Re: the June 21 article “Adopt sane sustainable policies.”

I wholeheartedly support the editorial published in the Star by Jon Dorschner. Dorschner has directly addressed the critical problem that others have chosen to ignore, that of unrestrained growth and that such growth is necessary to produce wealth. The prevailing attitude of most businesses seems to be, “I’ll make as much money as I can now and never mind about the future.” As a result, we see unrestrained building of houses and related infrastructure, sprawling endlessly across the desert. No thought is given to the limited resources — most especially water — available to sustain this growth. This short-term greed results in painful pollution and congestion, as Dorschner observes. The long-term welfare of the many is being forfeited to the short-term greed of the few.

Eldon Braun

Foothills

Thank you, Gov. Hobbs, for your vetos

I applaud Gov. Hobbs’ decision to veto five water bills passed by the Legislature. These bills would not have addressed Arizona’s housing crisis and would have put Arizona’s groundbreaking 1980 Groundwater Management Act in jeopardy. Some have claimed that the bills were “good for housing.” However, building out more new housing will not address housing issues in our state. According to the Arizona Department of Economic Security, Arizona has 14,000 unhoused people. Yet, there are over 16,000 unsold homes listed in the Phoenix, Mesa and Scottsdale area alone, according to the Federal Reserve Bank. Simply adding to that inventory, without additional policy changes, won’t solve any problems. The state legislature should do more to address water issues in our state than pass bills that primarily benefit property developers.

Garrett Weaver

East side