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Policy of pain

Elon Musk’s claim that no one has died since he and his DOGE team dismantled the US Agency for International Development is a blatant lie. This “rapid unscheduled disassembly” of this humanitarian agency, to borrow the phrase he uses when one of his rockets blows up, is causing incredible pain, suffering, and death among some of the world’s poorest people. Malnourished children are starving to death in South Sudan, and AIDS orphans who rely on ongoing medications through the PEPFAR program are being left on their own to die of opportunistic infections. The cost of first-line HIV medications to keep a person alive is less than 12 cents a day. Mothers are dying in childbirth because the maternity clinics are closed. Vaccination programs have been shuttered. TB, polio, and malaria outbreaks are on the horizon.

America spends just 0.24% of gross national income on humanitarian aid. Under Trump/Musk this country has lost its moral compass. We must stand together to restore it.

Barbara Liguori

Northeast side

Where are you?

The Democratic Party has, as a block voted against keeping biological males from crushing girls in sports. I always thought the Democratic Party supported Title IX’s support for women’s sports.

Seriously, your hatred for Trump & Musk has led to serious crime & destruction. You resist saving taxpayer dollars just to resist. Look at Doge findings.

Democrats who totally supported electric vehicles are now burning them to the ground and destroying EV chargers.

Now Dem judges support keeping vicious illegal gang-members in our country. They now have more rights than you do.

For the last eight years Trump Derangement Syndrome has directed your energy.

I believe you are lost in the wilderness with no one to lead you.

Maybe you should think about where you went wrong.

Richard Barnes

East side

Flag display

Nick Kupper, state representative from HD25 and sponsor of HB 2113 regarding flag display on public buildings, is quoted by Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services as stating, “My bill also bans the Confederate, Nazi and Soviet flags.” A word of caution, Nick: If you ban the Soviet flag you are going to get on the wrong side of Trump.

Sandy Salz

Oro Valley

Easy cost savings for Tucson

Following the recent crushing defeat of Proposition 414, Mayor Romero asked for public input about how she and the City Council could reduce municipal spending. Let’s start with a really easy one. The Council should place on November’s ballot a charter amendment to reduce by one-half their annual salaries. After all, the mayor now makes almost $10,000 more an year than Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. If approved by the voters, this move would save more than $550,000 a year; not much, but a start. After all, to help provide needed funds for public safety, in tough economic times like these, the salary increase voters approved in 2023 should be able to be reduced in 2025. But bet it won’t make the ballot.

David Devine

Midtown

The emperor’s new clothes

A political commentator noted that President Trump, on occasion, asks the right questions, but he doesn’t come up with the right answers. Trump’s myopic outlook has caused the current bedlam in which America finds itself. His latest appearances with only selected news sources and reporters reflect his need to limit inquiry. Still, reports on objective news sources like PBS and 60 Minutes give me hope that the public will realize the emperor has no clothes.

Roger Shanley

East side

Private property rights threatened

As a private landowner in Arizona, I am writing to express my strong opposition to Senate Bill 1068. This bill threatens my property rights and poses a potential economic setback to the future value of my land, as well as that of neighboring properties.

In simple terms, this bill would require me to get approval from the state of Arizona before selling or donating my land to the federal government. While Arizona expresses concern about “big brother” and hypothetical federal land grabs, this bill is essentially an attempt to replace that “big brother” with a “little sister” — a government overreach at the state level, infringing on my rights as a landowner.

Furthermore, by restricting my ability to sell my land, SB1068 removes the largest potential buyer, who might offer the highest price.

Does this mean I have intentions of selling my land? No. However, that shouldn’t be for the state to decide. The decision of what is right for me and my properties is best left up to me.

Eric Kowal

South Tucson

Looking in all the wrong places

A recent article in Huffington Post said recent trips by Trump to his golf courses in Florida are reported to have cost the taxpayers $18 million setting him on a path to exceed the $151.5 million he spent in his first term. The New York Times reported on that ICE wasted $16M on Guantanamo Bay operation as all migrants returned to US. That’s a total of just for these two of $34 million. I would suggest DOGE propose a 50% cut in office staff for all congressmen and senators. Next a 50% cut in staff at the White House. This includes all employees. Finally, since Trump is gone from Friday to Monday close down the White House to all but central employees. I’m positive if DOGE (Musk) would try this that would be the end of DOGE. I think this is fair. Why should DOGE cut the real working class and not overhead as well?

Clyde R. Steele

Oro Valley

DOGE or DOPEY?

A reasonable person understands some level of fraud/waste exists in the government. However, DOGE’s wrecking-ball actions to rapidly and irresponsibly root it out redefines “Government Efficiency” as “Presidential Excess, Y’all” (DOPEY). It would behoove me to lose 10-15% of my body weight, but the DOGE plan would farcically suggest I cut off one leg, rather than using diet and exercise. The DOGE plan for home improvement would employ a bulldozer, rather than planning and budgeting responsibly. It takes time to properly downsize a government, and that’s not the Trump/Musk way — chaos is. It helps divert attention from failed campaign promises of lowering food prices, creating a bustling economy and ending wars on Day 1. Meanwhile, measles, once nearly eradicated, now festers, and farmers, veterans, union workers, and the lower/middle class suffer while billionaires get richer. I just hope responsible voters remember these feelings in 2026, and are not apathetic, when a true opportunity arises for a partial reboot.

Gary Simons

Oro Valley

Patience is a virtue

Before rushing to judgment about Chuck Schumer’s choice to vote for a noxious bill to avoid a United States Government shutdown, perhaps it’s smart to consider that “good things come to those who wait.”

Esther Blumenfeld

Foothills

Managing healthcare costs

As a small business owner, one of my top priorities is to provide quality health benefits to my employees while keeping costs manageable. Rising health care costs are the last thing working families need to worry about, including increases at the pharmacy counter. That’s why I’m writing to thank Senate President Warren Petersen for keeping the lid on mandates that could negatively affect small businesses and Arizonans.

Small businesses already express concerns over their ability to provide affordable, quality coverage to their employees. To better manage this challenge, small businesses rely on flexible health benefit options that allow them to address the unique needs of their company. Unnecessary government overreach into our health care system would undermine the way businesses provide lower-cost prescription drug options to their employees.

Thank you for continuing to protect businesses, employees and their families from higher health care costs.

Carlos Ruiz

East side

Carry a big stick but ...

Teddy Roosevelt urged “carry a big stick” to exemplify American might. Trump seems to be invoking TR’s motto but both Trump and TR didn’t reckon with something stronger than a “big stick”: ideology. History and experience are replete with examples that war (“big stick”) solves nothing if ideas are unaffected. It’s education and information like what the Voice of America in all of its metamorphoses did for promoting new ideas and education to populations from Europe to Latin America to Asia and Africa. When will we learn that you can bully people with a “big stick,” but you can’t kill an ideology without information and education!

Barbara Benjamin

Foothills

Faith vs. critical thinking

Like a disease, infecting generation after generation thru indoctrination, faith’s symptoms always cause problems. Not one religion would exist without the act of faith, nor would astrology, racism, bigotry, cults, or any associated fanatical acts. All of these things are symptoms of faith. In effect, without faith, no belief would be accepted as fact. We’re the only species with the ability to think critically and faith is a barrier to the consistent use of that ability. Critical thinking skills teach us how to reason and be reasonable. If critical thinking skills were taught to children, instead of indoctrinating them to accept beliefs as fact, our history of repeating the same old unreasoned acts would finally end. With that being said, consider this.

Faith is a choice, and choosing to accept any belief as absolute fact is, and will always be an imprudent, unwise and unreasonable choice. Always.

Michael Rice

Midtown

NCAA basketball tournament

The NCAA basketball tournament (AKA The big dance) is the most unforgiving spectacle in the sports world. To be successful all you need do is win 6 consecutive games against teams of increasing proficiency Unfortunately the tourney only allows a loss of one game before you are disqualified and must go home. 64 of the nation’s top teams begin and one by one fall by the wayside. To a basketball aficionado like myself it is the ultimate. Crazy but wonderful.

Philip Reinecker

East side

Homelessness

President Trump’s wondrously thoughtless cuts of affordable housing, Medicaid and SNAP will be the last straw for many who are just getting by. If you think the homeless folks are a problem now, just wait.

Ken Newman

East side