Did you know that in a 2020 report done by WalletHub.com Brownsville was named “least healthy city in the U.S.”? The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metropolitan area was given the designation in their 2022 report. Why? It is without a doubt that this social issue is of great cause for concern.
I am a social work student at SouthTexasCollege and I am concerned about our community’s health.
It can be extremely difficult not to cave in and eat unhealthily when there is fast food at every corner. Even when trying to eat better, food joints make it harder to do so. For example, McDonald’s no longer carries yogurt and grilled-chicken sandwiches, which leaves only options of high-caloric foods that have been highly processed. Eating unhealthy on a daily basis has its major consequences on our health. One can develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes type 2 and even cancer.
Suggestions to help improve our health can be perhaps bringing in health expositions to the McAllenConvention Center. It’d be amazing if we had local doctors such as Dr. Dona Cooper Dockery, who helps people live healthier. Why not include a free outdoor fitness event like a Zumba dance party? Expos that can suit all ages from teeny tiny toddlers to our lovable elderly would be such a grand idea.
I truly hope that one day we can all be in attendance of such a fun and exciting event and benefit from all the health information. Bringing in local healthy restaurants such as Siempre Natural or Keto Sweets and Treats would help both the consumer and the business!
I am not affiliated with any of these businesses but have eaten at each and can say the food is both healthy and delicious!
Alexis Ornelas
Edinburg
Responsible
gun legislation
Let’s get one thing straight from the outset: I do not want to take your guns, and you can’t have mine.
I am a member of Texas Gun Owners for Safety, a nonpartisan group committed to helping pass responsible gun laws. As the name states, we are all Texans and gun owners.
When I was growing up, the NRA and Fish & Wildlife Department came to our school every year to teach us about gun safety. Today in many schools there are mass shooter drills. We have come a long way, and not in a good way.
Back then the NRA was focused on promoting responsible gun ownership; sadly, now they are more concerned with lining their pockets with the dues of hard-working members and making wealthy politicians richer with “donations.”
What can we do to protect our Second Amendment rights while making our communities safer? Again, we are not gun grabbers. Our aims are common-sense gun laws:
1. Universal background checks — closing the loophole for checks in private sales.
2. Promoting safe storage — keeping guns out of the hands of children.
Non-partisan research indicates that most Texans (and Americans) agree with these aims.
If you are interested in learning more about our group, go to https://giffords.org/gunowersaction/gun-owners-for-safety/, or you can email me personally at [email protected].
If you are supportive but do not want to join a group, consider calling your Congress members and state legislators and tell them what types of gun safety laws you support.
Finally, please be sure that you are registered to vote if you are eligible, and cast your ballot on Election Day. Your vote is your voice.
Robert Cooper
Mission
