I was recently a passenger on beautiful Arizona 87 from Payson to Phoenix through the Mazatzal Mountains and Tonto National Forest. I immediately noticed the detritus along the roadsides and median.
Cardboard boxes, plastic sheeting adhering to rock formations, plastic grocery bags embedded in cacti and brittlebushes. Aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles, along with broken glass. I saw numerous PVC pipes, hubcaps and torn-off fenders. A large pile of clothing was strewn in the median.
It is awful to know that people actually toss diapers out the window! This debris flows over into nature and is certain to affect wildlife.
People, we can do better. Truckers, secure your cargo, and passenger vehicles, please carry a refuse bag and deal with your trash correctly. Lastly, everyone remember to always use the reusable shopping bags.
Denise Parish, Scottsdale
$5K gift bags? That’s disgusting
There is an article about multimillionaire Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray giving $5,000 go-bags to his well-paid offensive linemen. To me, that is disgusting.
There are many churches, charities and food banks in the Valley that could put this money to good use.
Gene Nelson, Sun Lakes
Flooding is a huge problem, actually
“When Phoenix had a flooding emergency, I leaned in and talked to other mayors who helped me navigate that,” Mayor Kate Gallego said. “As a desert city, flooding isn’t something we deal with all the time … .”
I am surprised that Mayor Gallego thinks flooding isn’t a Phoenix problem and that she needs to ask other mayors how to handle it. Due to mountain runoff, flooding isn’t at all unusual when we get a rainstorm.
I have a very vivid recollection of rescuing a driver from flooding where Central Avenue crosses the Arizona Canal. Heavy rain had flooded the road, and a woman’s car had stalled when it had been driven into the water.
Since I was right behind her in a Jeep with better clearance, I pushed her car out of the water covering the road before she floated away.
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Since then, the completion of a storm water tunnel, aka the Bat Cave, beside the Arizona Canal has alleviated that flooding problem.
I realize the mayor is young and inexperienced, but her first call when there is a problem should be to the city manager and her public works department.
As Phoenix growth changes the landscape, coordination between the public works department, the Maricopa County Flood Control District and the Army Corps of Engineers will remain important.
Jim McManus, Phoenix
Call the military to California
Use military units to help fight these fires. We did back in ‘89.
Alan Griggs, Buckeye
USA? Let’s call it ‘Trumpland’
Reading Greg Moore’s write-up about Donald Trump announcing that he will rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Why stop there?
Let’s rename the entire United States of America “Trumpland.”
Gerry Kaufhold, Kearny
What a decent man should be
The Arizona Republic ran articles and photos about the life and presidency of the late Jimmy Carter. A headline on Jan. 6 is a quote: “The finest man that ever served in office.”
The timing cannot be more poignant, as it presents the dramatically striking and mournful contrast in character between the late president and the president-elect.
It’s as if President Carter timed his passing to show the world what a real man, a decent man, should be. Rest in peace, President Jimmy Carter.
Bob Cox, Phoenix
Results won’t go smoothly in ’28
MAGA was prepared to pull off another election denial effort of unknown scope had Trump lost on Nov. 5. But he won, and the Jan. 6 election certification went off fine.
The system worked. Democracy’s safe. We can all relax now. Not so fast, bucko!
Yogi Berra is attributed to have said, “It’s diffcult to make predictions, especially about the future.” Despite that, I will hazard a guess about what is likely to happen leading up to Jan. 6, 2029.
By the ‘26 midterm elections, enough MAGA promises will have gone sideways to greatly increase the level of buyer’s remorse among many ‘24 Trump voters. This will result in the Republicans losing control of the House. Given that, what remains of the Trump agenda will stall out.
Trump is term limited. Some other light of the MAGA world must emerge after a savage but entertaining primary to be the ‘28 Republican presidental candidate. Given reality right now, it seems likely to be Vice President JD Vance. No prediction is possible for the other side.
JD Vance has declared (loudly) that he would have done what Pence wouldn’t do to change the election outcome. As the sitting VP, he will occupy that same position.
Do you still feel safe?
Michael Wright, Phoenix
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona highways are gorgeous, except for all the trash | Letters