大象APP

BBB doesn鈥檛 just benefit billionaires

Congratulation to Gary Stoeger who announced in his LTE that he will get $3,200 from Trump鈥檚 BBB, and he鈥檚 not even a billionaire. He gave the President credit for paying for his golf games for the year. I hope he enjoys his games, but they鈥檙e actually being paid for by hungry children. They鈥檙e being paid for by sick people who won鈥檛 have medical care. They鈥檙e being paid for by cuts in medical research, in education, air traffic safety, clean air, and the list goes on. I hope this doesn鈥檛 sour Mr. Stoeger鈥檚 golf game. Somehow, I suspect it won鈥檛.

Floyd Newsom

Northwest side

Ineffective for Southern Arizona

At first, I was appalled to read that millions of dollars from the federal government for Southern Arizona school districts were frozen by the current administration. Then I realized that 鈥淎rizona鈥檚 most effective legislator鈥� would step up and protect education in Southern Arizona. Just like he protected the millions of dollars in grants to the U of A that the current administration stopped. Just like he protected Job Corps funding. Just like he protected the program at Pima College for students who were the first in their families to go to college. Wait 鈥� the 鈥渕ost effective Arizona legislator鈥� didn鈥檛 do anything to protect any of those programs. Maybe he鈥檚 not the most effective legislator to protect the interests of people in Southern Arizona. And maybe 鈥� just maybe, come November 2026, the people of Southern Arizona should make sure that he is looking for another form of employment.

Donald Klein

Foothills

America the Greedy

Will the majority of the American public wake up soon enough to save our democracy 鈥� our country 鈥� from irreversible damage by the person who was slick enough to get into the White House (and we thought Dick was tricky)? Our ruler is jerking us around with executive orders, tariffs, and strong-arm tactics. He鈥檚 even working at jerking around other countries. He does the latter under the guise that we are being treated 鈥渦nfairly.鈥� He dismisses the fact that our interactions with other countries over the years have been civilly negotiated (not under executive order or tariff threat) and arrived at agreeably.

Our ruler 鈥渓eads鈥� from the pocket book, not the heart. He makes all the moves of a person who is heartless. Under the direction of a money wrangler, our 鈥淎merica the Great鈥� is becoming 鈥淎merica the Greedy,鈥� not only for money, but also for power.

Don Gerlach

East side

Missing links

Ongoing analysis of the Texas disaster reveals the many 鈥渕oving parts鈥� involved in managing major events. NWS provides forecasts and estimates of the potential danger; an NWS coordinator deals with local authorities, who warn the population under threat and organize evacuations.

FEMA positions search-and-rescue and medical crews nearby to quickly aid local operations after the event; other FEMA personnel on the ground provide survivors with information needed to obtain agency help. Call centers are contracted to respond to requests for aid.

DOGE cuts to NWS staffing took one critical person out of the process (the NWS coordinator) and briefly cancelled call-center contracts (since restored). Secretary Noem鈥檚 desire to personally sign off on expenditures above $100,000 established a major roadblock to setting teams in motion. These actions delayed preparedness and FEMA response.

It might be wise to understand how critical systems work before making cuts. Also, it seems ludicrous that Secretary Noem signs off on items that are < 0.0001% of the DHS budget.

Barbara Hall

Midtown

$630K on video studio for AZ House

Re: July 12, a new video studio for the AZ House.

$630K for videos? I, like countless others, make videos daily using audio-video equipment that costs maybe a couple hundred bucks. Everyone has a cell phone these days, and their cameras are excellent, needing only a tripod to hold them steady. A green screen turns any reasonable room into a serviceable studio space. Freely available video software is easy to master and fully functional for creating, for example, the legislative wrap-up video posted by Reps. Bliss and Nguyen. Without casting judgment on the content of their video, that product needn鈥檛 have cost more than $100 to create.

Sure, most amateur videographers aren鈥檛 winning Pulitzers with short info videos, but final videos can be quite good technically while costing almost nothing to make. Blowing $630K on gear, a studio, and a creator salary is so outrageous, it seems like a scam.

Paul Sheppard

Midtown

Project Blue water dollars

Thank you 大象APP for keeping the light shining on Project Blue. In addition to the important questions raised by Tim Steller of the potential future uses of reclaimed water 鈥� thoughtful decisions regarding PB requires analysis of the quantity and future costs of the project water supply. Currently, 大象APPWater charges roughly five times more for potable water vs. reclaimed water. What will the future cost of these resources be? Will PB use non-potable reclaimed water, or higher cost indirect potable/direct potable reuse water? How much water will PB require? The Mayor and Council and the Board of Supervisors need to know in order to ensure the highest and best use of our water. Hopefully they are asking and getting straight answers.

Sheldon Clark

Vail

Tired of your swimming pool?

Thank you for the on-target, front-page coverage of the July 12th pool removal workshop.

The workshop and the comprehensive article by Tony Davis covered everything a pool owner needs to know, and more, of why, when, how, the cost to maintain a pool and the cost to have it removed. The workshop will be repeated on August 2nd. Anyone considering getting rid of a pool really should attend.

Camille Gannon

West side

RE: Star鈥檚 balance of opinions

Contributor Dan Bannon strangely suggests that political conservatives have nothing to write, so I choose to respond to his assertion about the consequences of FEMA downsizing.

If there is a hundred-year monsoon flash flood in 大象APPthis summer, who do we want in charge, U.S. President Donald Trump or 大象APPMayor Regina Romero and the Pima County Board of Supervisors? Let鈥檚 face it: El Donald has never heard of the Rillito, Tanque Verde and Pantano washes, so I hear your answer. We have local incredible dedicated, talented first responders and if overwhelmed, surrounding counties will immediately respond.

The president agrees and wants to virtually eliminate FEMA in favor of local control of those federal tax dollars so we can instantaneously best fend for ourselves.

This is the conservative position: Government closest to the people governs best, even if they鈥檙e Democrats who may prioritize free bus rides over clearing brush out of our washes.

Jeffrey McConnell

West side

These are not in the news

I have read many stories about ICE arresting Green Card holders, those who have court appointments, etc., but have not seen any stories about those who 鈥渞ape, pillage, thieve, plunder and kill鈥� (DTrump鈥檚 words) being arrested and deported. I wonder why.

Jerry Lujan

Oro Valley

Pool removals article

Tony Davis鈥檚 Sunday piece on pool removals was a letdown, notably lacking in research and balanced perspective. Whether it鈥檚 Mr. Davis鈥檚 writing or the metro editor鈥檚 influence, 大象APP subscribers deserve higher quality local reporting.

Ray McKnight

East side

Unchecked authority

As Americans, we rely on the Constitution to protect our democracy, not just in theory, but in practice. Article I gives Congress the power to make laws, control the federal budget, and override presidential vetoes. The Bill of Rights guarantees our freedoms, speech, due process, and shields us from overreach by the Executive branch.

When a large portion of the public treats the president as a figure who can do no wrong, even when spreading false claims about budgets, we risk drifting toward unchecked authority. History proves this danger.

This isn鈥檛 about political parties. It鈥檚 about democracy. It鈥檚 about ensuring that no leader, Republican or Democrat, is beyond question or above the law.

Congress, especially those in the majority, must remember their oath to uphold the Constitution, not to protect a person, but to serve the people. We must hold them accountable. Call your representatives. Speak up. Remind them that silence or complicity in the face of creeping authoritarianism is not leadership, it鈥檚 failure of duty.

Michele Clark

East side

Forms of Trump Derangement Syndrome

Mr. Loyal Johnson鈥檚 12 July LTE (鈥淭rump derangement syndrome鈥�) doesn鈥檛 mention that there are two diametrically opposed, virulent, forms of this syndrome. One form applies to those who can see no good in Trump, while the other applies to those who can see no wrong in Trump no matter what he says or does.

Mr. Johnson is clearly afflicted with the second form to the extent that he should change his name to 鈥淏lindly Loyal Johnson.鈥� In his current LTE he excoriates Democratic politicians who 鈥渁re actually suggesting that the rule of law doesn鈥檛 apply when they consider it incorrect.鈥� To whom does this description better apply than Trump, who routinely attacks judges, ignores court rulings with which he disagrees, usurps Congress鈥� constitutional powers, and issues directives in direct conflict with the constitution he swore an oath to defend?

Mr. Johnson should himself see 鈥渢he big picture鈥� and acknowledge how perfectly the behavior he condemns also applies to Trump.

Eric Weiss

Foothills

Say no to Project Blue

Project Blue is a mistake for 大象APPand a net loss for our environment. No, we cannot create more water and the promise that this center will be 鈥渨ater-positive鈥� is misleading. Destroying our climate for the sake of economic development is a tired exercise. Reclaimed water is still water that can be used. The city is investing $86.7M to build a plant that will turn 2.5 million gallons of wastewater into drinkable water a day. This data center could use up to 5 million gallons per day. Do the math 鈥� we simply don鈥檛 have the water to spare. Bottom line: Mayor & Council need to vote no on this project. Two to three years of potable water usage should be enough for everyone to be an emphatic no on this project. Call your Council Members and urge them to vote no before it鈥檚 too late.

Ethan Rigel

East side

Term Limits, good or bad

The subject of term limits have been broached for many years with no action. It has become more of a subject of conversation than anything else. In the past I thought it was not needed as I felt that our votes determined term limits.

After the passage of the 鈥淏ig Beautiful Bill鈥� my opinion has changed. Many Republicans in both houses of Congress didn鈥檛 like the bill, but didn鈥檛 have the courage to vote against it for fear of incurring the wrath of the president and his minions. These so called leaders of our country choose political expediency over what was best for the nation. They choose job security over integrity.

If term limits were in place they might have summoned up the courage to vote their conscience instead of being threatened and coerced by the insecure bully president. Term limits for Congress need to be on the table again.

Fred DiNoto

Northwest side