ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV

Neville Chamberlain lives

Neville Chamberlain is reincarnated and living in the White House and the State Department. For those who don't recall, Chamberlain, England's Prime Minister, sold out to Hitler. Our "Nevilles" (Trump, Rubio, Witkoff, et al) have sold Ukraine out to Putin by acceding to all of Putin's demands: ceding Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions to Russia, forbidding NATO forces from being based in Ukraine, capping the Ukrainian military at 600,000 troops, and barring Ukraine from possessing long-range weapons that could reach Russia. All this without admitting that Russia invaded Ukraine, committing wartime atrocities like stealing Ukrainian children who were not even mentioned in the proposed "deal". It's true that $100 billion in frozen Russian assets would be put toward US efforts to rebuild and invest in Ukraine, but the U.S. would receive 50% of the profits from the investment. What a deal. It didn't even allow Ukrainian participation.

Barbara Benjamin

Foothills

A false peace in Ukraine

Trump should be ashamed of himself. He seems far more interested in claiming credit for a Chamberlain-like peace, a peace that will reward Russia for invading a sovereign neighbor and allow him to claim credit and lobby for the Nobel Prize. He has no idea of history, no idea of the Munich lesson that appeasement simply does not work with bullies. Remember Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as “one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.� Give Putin a victory, and the Baltic States and Moldova will be next. Then he will be demanding the nonalignment of Finland and Poland. We should be very grateful for the courage and bravery of the Ukrainian people and their President for fighting what is essentially our fight against the dictatorial bully.

Alan Newell

Northeast side

Constitution and 'Mob Boss' Trump

Mob bosses use car trunks to settle scores with enemies. Capo dei capi Trump, the “boss of all bosses,� the Godfather of the powerful Trump family, employs Consigliere (Pam Bondi), his individually chosen capos, and underbosses at the Department of Justice to traffic his organization’s influence and business interests. Like a crime lord, Don Donald wields significant personal and financial power over Americans. Our Constitution is incapable of challenging a president as corrupt as “mob boss� Trump.

Jerry Wilkerson

SaddleBrooke

Smart move by U of A

I'll admit to curious timing when the U of A changed the name of Arizona Stadium to Casino Del Sol Stadium. Now I realize that all credit has to go to Arizona's athletic director. When this football season is over, even if the U of A loses to Arizona State {perish the thought}, Brent Brennan's contract will be null and void and he'll be given a substantial raise. The same would hold true if Tommy Llovd reaches the Final Four. Chances are, the $3 million will be split between Lloyd and Brennan in an attempt to keep them from leaving.

Charles Schultz

Northeast side

Norman's TEP opinion

Chris Norman is VP for Public Policy at TEP. In his guest opinion last Sunday, he provided useful and (we hope) accurate information on some vital decision-making parameters that drive TEP's commitment to renewable energy decisions. Agree or not with these policy outcomes, it was good to see them explained, plainly and in non-technical language.

But then, this public policy officer couldn't help himself, and he devoted the last paragraph to public shaming and name-calling of those who don't support or concur with TEP decision-making in this critical area. That's unfortunate. And it's in part why TEP pronouncements are often greeted with such skepticism. As a public utility, TEP has an obligation to be respectful and responsive. When utilities forget that they exist to serve constituents, they forfeit the right to our continuing trust.

Shelly Fishman

Midtown

Ciscomani walks healthcare tightrope

CD 6 Congressman Ciscomani is walking the healthcare tightrope — again. Last time he talked a good line about his concern for constituents' interests, particularly Southern Arizona's financially stressed rural hospitals. But alas, he caved and voted for the Big Billionaire Bill. Healthcare is on the table again as the GOP seeks to kill or revise the ACA, and Ciscomani is again professing concern for his constituents. Will he put his constituents' interest first and risk a split with the Trump/Johnson cabal? Or, will his political self-preservation trump (pun not intended) constituent concerns? The threat of losing a Trump endorsement, or a primary challenge must weigh heavily on the Congressman, particularly after Trump's spat with Marjorie Taylor Greene. His future vote on healthcare legislation, assuming one occurs, will be telling. It’s his vote that will count, not his scripted talking points.

Sheldon Clark

Vail

Governor Hobbs' tax cuts

Governor Hobbs wants to cut taxes, and that is great. Here are two ideas that should be done. The first is to double the Arizona State tax credit to $2000 for installing consumer rooftop solar. There are two reasons for this. That tax credit has never increased since being enacted and the federal budget passed recently has eliminated the tax credits for renewable energy at that level. Arizona must lead the nation in solar energy, given 360 days of sunshine annually.

The second is to change the tax credit for public schools to match that of private school tuition organization ($1308). The traditional school $400 (joint filing) tax credit has never increased since being enacted. The funding going to charter schools is the same as traditional public schools. Private school vouchers are much greater than expected, and those same families sending their children to a private school can donate much more as a tax credit. School choice might become a greater option with this change.

Bill Jones

East side

Security detail

Apparently, FBI Director Kash Patel has assigned a security detail to watch after his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins. Not only are they FBI agents, but they are also from the FBI's elite SWAT team. Patel and Wilkins are not married, do not live together, nor do they live in the same town. A spokesman for the FBI answered that Miss Wilkins has received death threats and needs protection. My gosh, do you realize that hundreds of people in this country receive, at one time or another, a threat of death? I doubt the FBI can be counted on to watch over them. Just another example of an unqualified but high-ranking government official using his position for purposes it was never meant for.

Philip Reinecker

East side

Friend or foe?

Let me get this straight. Putin's Russia invades Ukraine, kills thousands of citizens, destroys billions of dollars' worth of schools, hospitals, power plants, apartments and infrastructure. Now, Trump is saying to Putin, have everything you want? Putin gets one-fifth of eastern Ukraine, including territory his forces have not conquered, Ukraine can never join NATO, must cut its military in half or less, and is supposed to thank the dear leader? With that kind of deal, Putin will soon be ready for the rest of Ukraine and then Poland. China must be thinking that taking Taiwan should not be that difficult. Guarantees of sovereignty? Why worry since Ukraine was promised sovereignty by Russia, the US and Western Europe when the Soviet Union collapsed and Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons to Russia? This is the best the "Great Deal Maker" can do? Oh, he wants a Peace Prize.

Don Ries

Southeast side

Crime observations

An Oct. 26 LTE noted that the worst high-level crimes should be defined as those committed on Jan. 6. He then made excuses for other crimes, apparently considering then not nearly as serious. There appears to be a polar-opposite definition of what constitutes a high-level crime. I would consider known illegal criminals committing crimes such as rape of children, drug distribution, murder, armed robbery, etc. as high-level crimes that are heinous and deserve no mercy. Average, unsuspecting citizens are the victims and forever scarred. Additionally, career criminals, released time after time, to kill, rape, knife, molest average citizens, deserve no consideration and should receive the stiffest of penalties with no mercy. These categories of vicious criminals have no conscience, morals, or remorse, and can only be controlled with the harshest of consequences.

Sadly, the Democratic Party approach to crime control is excuses, forgiveness, and hope of rehabilitation, while caring little for the actual victims who they have sworn an oath to protect.

Loyal M. Johnson Jr.

Oro Valley