蜜柚直播

Consumers pay twice, economy suffers

I am no financial wizard, but here鈥檚 my take on the President鈥檚 chaotic decisions on tariffs. Due to our 2024 trade deficits of $69B and $66B with Japan and Korea, mostly in autos and electronics, their newly imposed tariffs will be 25%. With the decline of the US dollar by 10.7% since January, a new imported Toyota or Kia will cost 35.7% more. And, yes, Virginia, those increases will be paid by the purchasers.

Will import car dealers sell fewer cars? Will they lay off workers? Will U.S. consumers buy more American new cars or simply drive their imports longer? And, most important to the President鈥檚 master plan, will the Japanese and Koreans buy U.S. imports? Or, will they thumb their noses at their former American friends and choose among several Chinese compact EVs selling for less than $10,000?

Bruce Hilpert

North side

I made a mistake

An article I wrote was published Monday. After submitting, I realized that one comment would be misunderstood, so I resubmitted it, asking that my first attempt not be published. I was too late. I had compared F.D.R. programs with those of Trump. During the Depression, F.D.R. did everything he could to put the unemployed back into the workforce with programs like the CCC and WPA. That is where the similarity ends.

As a young boy, I listened to his Fireside Chats. With his soothing voice, he kept us informed of what he was doing to help us. During WWII, we had total faith in his leadership. I still consider him as one of our best Presidents. Personality wise no two people could be farther apart.

Please accept my sincere apology for this error.

Jack Walters

Northeast side

Hard-to-recycle plastic

A year ago in June, I attended a meeting at the Ward 6 office regarding working on the problem of hard-to-recycle plastic. We were told at that time we would be able to put the orange Hefty bags in our blue bins by July 2025.

I have been carefully collecting this waste and delivering it to the limited collection points for a year now. I recently phoned environmental services to ask about this and was told not to put the orange bags in the blue bin.

What is going on with this program and ByFusion? I鈥檓 sure I鈥檓 not the only person wondering about this.

On another note, the sites we can take the orange bags for drop off are frequently contaminated with other trash.

Jan Foiles

West side

Concessions?

A recent LTE asked why 蜜柚直播鈥檚 members of Congress did not ask for 鈥渃oncessions鈥� for things that mattered to 蜜柚直播ns. Concessions are more commonly called 鈥淧ork鈥�. Pork in congressional bills of any type always result in more taxpayer dollars being allocated or budgeted than is required by the core bill. This is a primary problem with the legislative process. Senators and Representatives primarily represent the country but also their constituents. These days, Senators and congressmen are more interested in getting re-elected than in representing the country. Bringing home the 鈥減ork鈥� is a common way to ensure re-election. Ideally, pork should be 鈥渨eeded鈥� out of all bills.

Cal Rooker

Oro Valley

Train is a good idea

We should have more trains. I was happy to see the article indicating we are planning for a 蜜柚直播-to-Phoenix train. It can be fast without being bullet. I had the recent pleasure of traveling through Austria and Switzerland, exclusively on trains. They were fast (75 mph plus), electric, comfortable, affordable. No elaborate screening to get on. No parking. Leisure time while in transit. The best possible way to travel certain medium-range distances. The flight from Phoenix to 蜜柚直播 is awful, as is the drive. With a regular train option, people would mix more between the cities with obvious benefits for businesses, cultural events and tourism. Public transit around train travel would flourish as visitors branched out from train stations. The return on investment would continue for years and could probably even sustain some collective subsidy. We should have nice things. Like clean, efficient, train travel.

Ted Ranney

Foothills

The ICE detention center

The July 8 article about the Los Angeles Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center was distressing in many ways.

First, families and an attorney report inhumane conditions within the holding areas. They describe a lack of adequate food and water, insufficient sleeping facilities and a harsh approach towards families trying to visit (or even find) their loved ones. The situation reminds me of those advertisements from the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Maybe they should add pictures of detainees to their website?

Second, the article describes the detention of a U.S. citizen (who was released after a day). This could happen to anyone, especially if ICE is profiling who they are picking up. ICE is not taking a person鈥檚 word for their being 鈥渓egal.鈥� I recall that credit card advertisement, 鈥淒on鈥檛 leave home without it,鈥� but now it applies to passports, birth certificates and visas.

Such cruelty and lack of fair treatment is not what our government should be about.

Glenn Lippman

Midtown

Why vote like that?

I have one question for the voters of Pima County and 蜜柚直播: Why do you keep voting for the same people? Our city and county has one of the highest poverty rates in the country, our police and fire departments are underfunded, our roads are in horrible shape, our parks cannot be used by our children because the homeless occupy most of them and TUSD is graduating young adults who can鈥檛 read, write or do arithmetic at senior grade level? I would hope that this year before you fill out your ballots you might consider voting for new people that represent a change and have the desire to fix the issues I mentioned instead of voting for the same people who have done little to make our community better.

Mark Van Buren

North side

Trump wants debt feudalism

Now that the Big Beautiful Bill has been passed, the Fed now has really no option but to keep interest rates steady or possibly increase them.

The dollar has lost nearly 11% of its value since Trump鈥檚 inauguration and the dollar is not triple-A in any of the three credit agencies. In essence, the U.S. government is now having to pay higher rates to keep people buying its bonds because the U.S. dollar is now riskier.

Trump wants interest rates low, but that only increases asset prices and does not make buying easier for an overstretched middle class that looks toward less disposable income due Medicaid and other cuts made in the BBB.

With world debt at $324 trillion, up $100 trillion since 2018, and U.S. debt at $37 trillion, up $16 trillion in 7 years, and with incredible inequality of wealth worldwide, the velocity of money in the lower classes will continue to decrease, causing more scarcity and creating 鈥渄ebt traps鈥� while exacerbating the growing debt feudalism.

Matt Somers

Midtown

One-sided Op pages

Sunday鈥檚 op-eds featured two Morts, a Bracy, and a 7:1 ratio of liberal to conservative LTEs. Seems like Star couldn鈥檛 be deeper in the pocket of the left if it was lint. But it鈥檚 always entertaining.

George Larsen

Midtown

False news

Here we go again. Every time this idiot opens his mouth, he wants to have someone fired for what he claims in false news. If this is how it works, then with all his lies he should have been fired a long time ago. His desire to always be in the spotlight is getting old.

It鈥檚 too bad we don鈥檛 have some senators with some backbone to stand up to this psycho.

Donald Bernier

Midtown

ICE raids鈥� effect on society

I am part of a religious community that has for decades been privileged to offer aid to refugees. It is easy to demonize people, as Trump has done repeatedly, when they are faceless. But we see them for who they are 鈥� frightened, desperate, hopeful people, families 鈥� trying for a better life for their children. The ICE raids are overwhelmingly targeting not criminals but 鈥渓ow-hanging fruit鈥�: people working and those who followed the then-rules, who are now often being summarily deported without due process. They have no appeal. We have the specter of ICE raiding homes and terrifying children, detaining the mother of 3 active-duty Marines, deporting another woman who has worked here quietly for 40 years, detaining the wife of a Marine who frantically has to find her to allow his newborn to nurse. Christians: Was not Jesus a refugee? Had Trump ruled Egypt, what would have happened to the Holy Family? Abuse of the most vulnerable is despicable. And how is this Making America Great?

Abraham R. Byrd III

North side

As long as he鈥檚 gonna be wacky

The absolutely classless, want-to-be-emperor thinks a UFC fight on the grounds of the White House to celebrate the country鈥檚 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is a great idea. Are we sure he doesn鈥檛 drink?

Since nobody has the courage to tell the man to his face that he鈥檚 an idiot, the fight will probably take place.

I propose a slight modification. Instead of UFC fighters (actors?), let鈥檚 see Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi go at it on the South Lawn. They鈥檙e likely better fighters than Cabinet secretaries.

I see his wacky and raise him one wacky.

Jim Rapp

Southeast side

Foxx is a fresh face

Deja Foxx, running for the vacated seat in District 7, is a breath of fresh air. She isn鈥檛 part of the 鈥淒emocratic Machine.鈥� She knows what issues are important to 蜜柚直播 voters with the economy, helping working families, affordable housing and standing up to Trump at the top of her list. We need someone who is not only independent, but also someone who is politically savvy and knows how to get things done. Ms. Foxx is all of the above.

Ellen Shenkarow

Midtown