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Israel's shame

Have the people of Israel forgotten the Holocaust and the Warsaw ghettos? Apparently, they have. As they are starving women, children and other non-combatants from receiving food and other humanitarian aid, they are committing the same death sentences that Jewish people endured during World War II. There appears to be no cognitive recognition of the plight of innocent Palestinians, from a people who should remember what their recent generations endured. Unfortunately, the world community is not raising its collective voices in protest.

Fred DiNoto

Northwest side

The palace coup

As the tell-all books continue to emerge, the actual participants relating their true observations, and the Herd tapes leave no room for discussion regarding the mental competence of President Biden. Biden was not competent to be President because of his severe loss of mental cognition. The White House inner sanctum staff absolutely recognized this and elected to control the government in place of the President. One burning question is why the Vice President was not elevated, but apparently the inner sanctum staff decided that she was so inept and incompetent that that was not an option. The disturbing and frightening revelation of the entire saga is that, in opposition to all rigid constraints of the Constitution, a group of left-wing staffers basically staged a coup and decided they could and would run our country. Imagine, a palace coup in the United States where the existing government, with assistance from the liberal media, lied to the citizens of this country. Who controlled the auto-pen and the nuclear button?

Loyal M. Johnson Jr.

Oro Valley

Misleading data center article

The Phoenix Opinion piece by Sandra Watson would like you to believe that welcoming the AI sector's Data Centers and warehouses of servers is to our benefit. The fact that she touts "water sustainability and reuse" is laughable and does not tell you how much water, recycled or not, these places will take from our limited supplies to keep buildings cooler than most of our homes are all year long, 24/7. Where is the proof that they "have proven to be valuable economic contributors"? Once they're built, they require few employees to run them. There is massive energy consumption, water usage, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with data centers; they are energy-intensive which can strain local electrical grid; the rapid turnover of technology in data centers contributes large amounts of e-waste, which can be harmful to the environment and human health, not to mention their noise pollution. They belong in a cooler climate away from cities, not here.

Christie Cummins

Midtown

Smoke and mirrors

I read Mr. Ciscomani’s latest email to his constituents with great interest, as he bragged about voting in favor of the Big Bill.

There were so many qualifiers and unsubstantiated claims, as well as outright lies, it was a disturbing newsletter.

He is pleased to cut Medicaid despite having “fought hard” to preserve it; major qualifiers about who will now qualify attached. He supports building more of the border Wall to stop the flow of fentanyl from Mexico. Most of the fentanyl comes through the ports of entry, brought by Americans. Without proof, he claims tax savings of $1,480 for families in his district. He claims adding 10,000 ICE agents will bolster border security, with no proof.

There is nothing beautiful about anything in this bill that could justify voting in favor of it.

He has not scheduled any town halls to meet with his constituents while on break. We need to hold him to account.

Katherine Scott

East side

Hey, Juan?

Hey, Juan, on TV, you say you voted for the big, beautiful bill because it will save misspent money. But economists who aren't on the GOP payroll say the bill will add $3.8 trillion to the national debt. Even the Senate, at least those who don't grovel at the feet of Trump, dislikes the additional debt. So can you elaborate on why you voted for it when all common sense says it's horrible (except if you're in the upper 1% in terms of wealth, those who will receive a tax break)?

Come on Juan, instead of spewing the GOP line that you're saving money and the country, get real. It's not about what's in it for you, it's about what's in it for us, the plebians you represent.

Scott Lukomski

Northeast side

Understanding supply and demand

The “Improving the economy” letter on May 27 displayed economic ignorance.

The writer cited lower gasoline prices now compared with a year ago, implying the president brought that about.

Wrong. Prices are down because of higher supply and lower demand, the most fundamental law of economics in action.

Economic fears have reduced demand for oil, and increased production in the United States and OPEC countries has increased supply.

The letter also repeated an error: “... the Biden administration drove up the price of everything by about 23% ...”

Wrong again. Inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022 and declined steadily after that, rising and falling because of many factors.

The writer was off by 152% on peak inflation and doesn’t understand the law of supply and demand.

Perhaps we should demand that he reduce his supply of fictional stories and statistics.

Michael A. Chihak

West side

Why Trump

Why should Trump, who denigrates veterans and is a draft dodger, speak to West Point graduates? Why is it considered patriotic when he praises Putin and Kim Jong-un while trashing our military heroes? How do multiple bankruptcies and failed businesses, including casinos, make him qualified to dictate our economy? Why does he think he can tell universities what to do when he had to pay $25 million to the students he defrauded at Trump University? Why is cheating on all his wives and mocking the disabled given a pass by his supporters? Why is ok that he uses "antisemitism" to punish universities while hosting dinners with white supremacists and white nationalists? Why is he given all the benefit of “due process” by the courts while trashing the judges and threatening to take it away from the rest of us? Why is ok to make millions sitting in the White House while telling everyone else they need to make sacrifices? Why is any of this ok?

Robin Owens

Northeast side

Big beautiful bill

Kids go hungry so Jeff Bezos can buy his third yacht.

Kids lose healthcare so Zuckerberg can buy his second Hawaiian island.

Seniors lose their nursing home care so Elon can go to Mars.

And the Supreme Court becomes powerless because buried in the "big beautiful bill" is a small addition.

It forbids courts to charge Trump and other governmental officials for being held in contempt of court for defying court orders. The bill also blocks court-ordered national injunctions to prevent potential illegal acts posing imminent harm. With the SCOTUS ruling giving Trump full immunity as president, this small part of the bill completes his quest to become the United States of America's first dictator. Wake up, people. If this bill passes, this could be the last election as a democracy.

Terry Louck

East side

Ciscomani's 'communication'

I wrote Representative Ciscomani on May 23 asking him to explain why he voted to extend the huge tax cuts that will massively increase the national debt. In his canned reply, he wrote: “Attached here is information regarding the work I’ve done to protect Medicaid for Arizonans. For more information on the bill click here." The same language and the same links are on his website.

The links go to Ciscomani’s post on Elon Musk’s X. I couldn’t read his explanation without signing up for an account with X.

Really? Is this how Republicans now communicate with constituents?

Ann Davis

Southeast side

How can Trump be supported?

Mr. McConnell again was extolling Trump. Some of his statements, like fiscal responsibility, are laughable. Adding 3 or more trillion dollars to the debt isn't responsible. I wonder what it would take for Trump to be unpalatable to people like Mr. McConnell. I saw a bumper sticker that said " normal people don't vote for rapists." I know it was sexual assault he was convicted of. Also on tape bragging about grabbing women by their genitalia. A draft dodger, tax cheat, philanderer and multiple bankruptcies.

Craig Miller

Northwest side

An obvious lesson

Biden’s decline while in office has sparked widespread discussion, but the obvious lesson is rarely mentioned: the need to monitor the current president for signs of decline and his administration for potential cover-up actions.

Trump’s erratic behavior regarding tariffs, with officials and his staff apparently unaware of major policy shifts, is alarming. His Truth Social posts and "formal" speeches are increasingly incoherent and often outright weird: a real-estate developer’s trophy wife and yachts in a West Point commencement speech? Not normal.

His bizarre responses to the MS-13 photoshopped image and his interaction with the South African president raise further concerns.

Traditionally, administrations release official transcripts of presidential announcements, remarks, and speeches. However, the current White House has ceased doing so and removed prior transcripts. Instead, videos (selectively edited?) are being released — fewer than 50 for his first 120 days, according to CNN.

Lessons from the past are useful, but only if they’re used in the present.

Barbara Hall

Midtown

Pardoning the bad is injuring the good

Our POTUS has decided to pardon the following felons, swindlers, grifters, and criminals. Todd and Julie Chrisley, Michael Grimm, Former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland, Kentrell Gaulden, Kevin Eric Baisden, Mark Bashaw, Tanner Mansell and John Moore Jr., James Callahan, Alexander “P.G.” Sittenfeld, Jeremy Hutchinson, James and Marlene Kernan, Earl Lamont Smith, Charles “Duke” Tanner, and he will ‘look at’ pardoning men convicted in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer. Why stop there? How about pardoning Zacarias Moussaoui, Ramzi Yousef and Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán? Forty-Seven is now wielding Musk's chainsaw and is cutting loose all of these unjustly convicted people, thus saving American taxpayers thousands of dollars in prison costs, which will allow him to renovate Alcatraz.

MAGA now stands for: Make American Grifting Achievable

Max LaPlante

Southeast side

Short-sighted suggestion by Steller

Tim Steller's article on May 29 describing Sun Tran's safety issues concludes with "if we can't clean up the bus stops, maybe the city should end the fare-free program."

Where is the rationale for this conclusion? As Mr. Steller himself noted in a column printed Oct. 15, 2023, the driver's union doesn't attempt to collect fares from those who refuse to pay, so would reimposing fare collection do anything to stop homeless individuals from using the system? If safety is a concern, why pick the choice that councilmember Santa Cruz said could "create an unsafe situation" between drivers and passengers?

Free fares are an economic driver and ending the program will impact everyday Tucsonans and businesses as we sit on the cusp of a recession. Driving people away from transit and back to cars will also exacerbate our traffic and climate issues. The city cannot afford to cut back on transit benefits. However, the safety problems are undeniable and it's urgent that the city find good solutions for them.

Daisy Valentine

Downtown