Letters

Texas is home to some of the best universities in the world. Our scientists are second to none. Cutting-edge medical research is happening in Texas right now that is literally saving lives and changing the world for the better.

Excellent commentary by Ms. Louise Butler on your Jan. 31 opinion page. Her intelligent assessment of the 6-year-old’s horrific and unjustifiable shooting of his teacher is very well said, and much needed in this turbulent world of today.

The bumper sticker said it all: “This car stops for all blonds, but it will back up for a red head.”

Again Gov. Abbott was in the Valley showcasing his $28 billion wall. No locals invited. What a waste of money on useless steel that’ll rot in a few years. He wants to feel strong and ready to run for president. No good wishes from here.

Since joining the Small Business Administration one year ago, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to all five states (Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas) and meet with hundreds of small business owners. The Biden-Harris administration and SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman have made equity a key focus for the recovery of small businesses that are still navigating from the pandemic. At the SBA, we are working to provide resources to combat the many disparities entrepreneurs of color face. This involves working with our lending partners to help bridge the gaps that exist with access to capital and connecting with our federal partners to increase government contracting opportunities.

The attack by local school districts to “defund” or remove the taxing authority of SouthTexasIndependentSchool District is disappointing. This effort is purposely trying to divert funds out of the RGV in an area (education) that is already financially strained and worse, usually forgotten by state government.

Critical race theory is a cross-disciplinary examination by social and civil-rights scholars and activists of how laws, social and political movements and media shape, and are shaped by, social conceptions of race and ethnicity. Goals include challenging all mainstream and “alternative” views of racism and racial justice, including conservative, liberal and progressive.

According to USA Today, Sam Bankman-Fried’s largest donations “were $27 million to his own super PAC, which supported Democratic candidates, and $6 million to a PAC that helps elect Democrats to the U.S. House. Bankman-Fried also gave the maximum $5,800 each to support dozens of candidates, mostly Democrats.

A popular sentiment among some Democrats is that Donald Trump is no longer a viable candidate for the 2024 presidential election. Well, recent nationwide polls prove otherwise. Trump is indeed the Republican frontrunner!

America can learn from ancient Rome how to better deal with crime today. Because democracy generally values all human beings, democratic Rome’s criminal statutes were not designed to repress, but quickly judge and inexpensively rehabilitate. For that reason, Rome did not use prisons, except as places of detention before trial.