The devil is in the details
Prop 140 at first seemed to me a great idea whose time had come, but in going back and reading again the full text I have come to agree with the writer of 鈥楶rop 140 legislative grab.鈥 There are a lot of 鈥榠fs鈥 and 鈥榤ays鈥 which could have major implications for how these propositions could be interpreted and acted upon. These 鈥榠fs鈥 and 鈥榤ays鈥 often relate to legislative actions, such as 鈥業f the Legislature does not enact a law鈥︹ or 鈥楾he Legislature MAY enact legislation changing the number of candidates who may advance鈥︹. In short, I advise voters to read the original text carefully. It is my opinion that there is indeed a need for such a law which would open up primaries, but that this one is neither clear nor transparent, and could result in greater legislative interference in our electoral process. I will vote against Prop 140, and hope that another clearer and fairer proposition will take its place in the future.
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Delores Keahey
Southeast side
Democracy or dictatorship
The 2024 Election is the most consequential in American history. Voters have choice of saving Democracy by electing Harris or electing Trump and losing democracy to dictatorship. Trump鈥檚 rallies, interviews and social media menace individuals and press (鈥渆nemy Within鈥) who criticize him, portending end of freedom of speech and free press.
Republicans announced their autocratic allegiance when CPAC hosted Hungarian autocrat Victor Orban as keynote speaker. Orban then met with Trump. The most powerful autocrat, Vladimir Putin, is idolized by Trump. Putin and Trump had 7 phone conversations since Trump left office. Russia still seeks end of American democracy. Don鈥檛 be fooled by Trumpism dismissing 2016 Russian investigation 鈥渨itch hunt.鈥 Mueller did not prove Trump collaborated. But Mueller did indict 26 Russian nationals and 3 Russian companies for election interference.
Trump displayed dictatorial ambitions January 6, 2021: MAGA cult鈥檚 insurrection attempted to prevent transition of Presidency to Biden. Insurrection intended to unlawfully keep Trump president, thus becoming America鈥檚 first dictator. Historic 2024 choice: Harris democracy or Trump dictatorship.
Glenn Johnson
Midtown
Judges retention/removal
Be aware!
VOTE NO ON 137 鈥 Eliminate voters right to decide whether judges 鈥 who are appointed through a political process (by Governor) should remain on the bench. Also this proposition鈥檚 retroactivity provision would nullify votes we approve in this election for or against judges (i.e. if voters approved removing Judges King and Bolick, who re-instituted the 1864 abortion ban, this would nullify our vote choices.) Vote no on Bolick & King, who鈥檝e proved themselves to be ultraconservative Republicans.
By Googling 鈥渨hich Az Governor appointed _______鈥 I found that all but one (Eckerstrom) were appointed by Republican governors. Therefore I will also be voting no on the first 1/2 of all judges. While we shouldn鈥檛 have all Democrats or all Republicans running our courts 鈥 and I admit this is an arbitrary way to retain or remove judges 鈥 we must regain a balance in the judiciary somehow.
Gail Barnhill
Southeast side
Bigotry 鈥 the foundation of fascism
Fascism has been called 鈥渢he politics of us and them鈥 by fascism expert Jason Stanley. Historically in fascism, we have seen intolerance of women being seen as equals. We have seen racial bigotry in nearly all fascist nations. We saw ethnic cleansing in Serbia when they were fascist. We鈥檝e also seen the intolerance of political thought that differs from their own, which explains the rule by only one party in fascist nations. Religious bigotry was also seen in fascist nations like Germany, Italy and Serbia.
Our Trumpian GOP has adopted many of these types of bigotry seen in fascist nations. Women鈥檚 rights are being chipped away; immigrants are being portrayed as subhuman; the Democratic Party is being referred to as 鈥渢he enemy within,鈥 and Muslims are seen as less worthy than Christians. This rise in bigotry/intolerance is a dangerous symptom that signifies a change in the GOP to a new form of government, not based on social virtues but on vices; the vices of fascism.
Steve Rasmussen
Foothills
Election insults
Fascist, Nazi, racist are all labels Republican candidates for public office have been called. Never once have I heard or seen them called socialists or communists, even though socialists and communists like Mao, Stalin, and Pol Pot have been the most evil people of the 20th century. Some of the most repressive and undemocratic countries are run by socialists like Maduro, the Castro brothers, and Kim Jong Un.
It would seem that to more effectively demonize Republican politicians, opponents would compare them to these people and accuse them of supporting socialist and communist forms of government.
Could it be that those who are name-calling Republicans don鈥檛 believe these people and these forms of government create negative images or are insults?
Ken Smalley
Midtown
Lying About the Hurricane Disaster.
How can anyone lie about the actions of FEMA for political purposes when it greatly harms the people who have suffered unimaginable losses from the two recent hurricanes? Because of the lie that FEMA will seize your property if you apply for aid, many are not applying when they have lost everything. At least one person went armed to harass FEMA workers and claimed there was an armed militia to attack FEMA workers. This caused workers to stop operations and used first responders time to investigate the claims. Who can be so callous? It is pretty obvious which side is doing this, and why has their leader, the former President, not called out the lies? What an obscene state of affairs.
Don Ries
Southeast side
Stop-as-yield for bicyclists
I am an avid bicyclist, and I am annoyed by fellow cyclists who speed through stop signs and red lights. They are there for safety but I know that having to stop, causes a loss of momentum and takes more energy to get up to speed again.
Eight states have found an apparent solution. These states have adopted laws allowing bicyclists to instead only yield at stop signs and only stop temporarily at red lights then proceed when safe. These are commonly called 鈥渟top-as-yield鈥 laws. In 1982, Idaho became the first state to adopt this law and found that bicyclist injuries from traffic crashes declined 14.5%. In Delaware a similar law saw bicyclist crashes at stop signs dropped 23%.
Perhaps the City of 蜜柚直播 can adopt its own stop-as-yield law and see similar results in the reduction of bicycle-related accidents at intersections.
Edward Weil
North side
鈥楳y personal voting guide鈥 letter
Where鈥檚 the clarification behind writer鈥檚 comments? What about facts? He states, 鈥淢y vote will not be for or against a person, but in favor of.鈥 Who?
Strong border (Trump insisted Republicans vote no on a bipartisan border bill to use it as an issue for HIS election).
Vote integrity (Extremists are purging rolls and eliminate voting rights for thousands.)
Colorblindness in politics (From a racist, misogynist and antisemite?)
Reliance on individual choice instead of regulation and government favoritism (Using 20% to 2000% tariffs 鈥 Trump doesn鈥檛 know what a tariff is.)
Respect for the Constitution instead of twisting its meaning (Trump proposes trashing the Constitution.)
America First (Helene/Milton victims ahead of aid to any foreign country or migrant) [Who dissed FEMA and Harris鈥 government efforts? No immigrants received these ear-marked FEMA dollars.]
Strong military with reduced foreign adventurism (except for Putin [COVID Tests] and Orban.)
Strong long/short-term economy (check December 2020.)
Sports and restrooms for girls and women 鈥 Shall I go on? (Grow up!)
Sheldon Metz
Northeast side
Clarifying 鈥榩ersonal voter guide鈥
Strong border 鈥 Harris will rehire border immigration judges Trump fired; supports the bill Trump killed.
Vote integrity 鈥 Harris is honest, supports voting. Trump falsely denies election results.
Color blindness 鈥 Harris doesn鈥檛 support a White Christian Nationalist government (Trump does).
Free markets 鈥 We get better choices and markets when dishonest business practices are regulated.
Respect for the Constitution 鈥 Harris has read and supports the Constitution. Trump wants to suspend it; his judges distort it to overrule precedent they promised to follow.
American First 鈥 FEMA is helping hurricane victims. Harris won鈥檛 let Putin run amok in Europe. America can do two things at once.
Strong military 鈥 Harris supports the military and won鈥檛 use it against Americans for political purposes (as Trump promises to do).
Economy: Trump鈥檚 tariffs will increase prices. Tax cuts for billionaires will eliminate help for the middle class.
Sports, restrooms 鈥 already in effect.
Lisa Wolfe
North side
Men鈥檚 vote
Trump thinks that in general men in America are not as educated as women and they do not like to read. The libraries and bookstores are full of women with a male or two on the fringes.
So, the male voter tends to vote for Trump, because they have heard Trump is not a reader either. He likes to watch TV, which is another good sign they are voting for the right man.
Trump鈥檚 movement is all about setting women back to an inferior position. They are increasingly stepping into important roles in society and getting more education every year. This does not bode well for men who are used to holding the higher places.
This is a wise thing for Trump and his advisors to concentrate on the less educated male voter. They are not well-rounded and easily believe the Trump nonsense. He wants men who are a little less sharp, like he is.
Ron Lancaster
North side
My vote is for Jen Allen for District 3 Supervisor
Jen Allen has my vote for Pima County Supervisor District 3. Jen is a community leader with a collaborative problem-solving approach that has been forged over decades of experience leading organizations on the front lines of some of the most challenging issues in 蜜柚直播 and nationally.
From immigration to protecting our democracy to climate change and more. Jen doesn鈥檛 back down from a challenge while continuously working to build broad coalitions.
I am a Marana Town Council member-elect.
Patrick Cavanaugh
Marana
Abuse of power vs Pima County residents鈥 safety
Aaron Cross and Heather Lappin have crossed ethical boundaries in their campaign efforts, and their actions could potentially jeopardize federal grant funding to Pima County (approximately $130,000,000) due to violations of the Hatch Act. By wearing clothing that closely resembles official law enforcement attire, they clearly intend to be recognized as members of the Sheriff鈥檚 Department, misleading the public into believing their actions are endorsed by the department itself. This is precisely the kind of behavior the Hatch Act was designed to prevent, as it prohibits the use of official status to influence election outcomes.
Do we want a Sheriff that disregards ethical standards and is willing to prioritize personal ambition over the best interest of Pima County residents? These actions show a willingness to blur the lines between personal political gain and public responsibility. Such behavior undermines the integrity of law enforcement and raises serious concerns about the kind of leadership Heather Lappin would provide if elected.
I am a retired lieutenant, Pima County Sheriff鈥檚 Department.
William Phillips
Southeast side
Still consumed
We鈥檙e getting the closing arguments from both campaigns. Last week Trump and Vance demonized immigrants in totally disgusting fashion. Not only treating them like the 鈥渙ther鈥, but even insinuating, these people are not human. This is how an autocratic behaves. This week, it鈥檚 the 鈥渆nemy鈥 within. You know what, that鈥檚 me and any of you who know, Trump & Vance are nuts. Personally, I don鈥檛 appreciate being threatened by you & Vance, Trumpy! Such a sorry lot, thinking they are going to send our own military after us.
蜜柚直播 flash, Trump & Vance will not win! Those losers aren鈥檛 putting anyone in jail, besides the old fool, himself.
Mary Bradley
Northeast side