A great bounty came my way recently and it merits sharing, because it is about describing excellence in public service.
A man drives a city truck that picks up tree branches and bags of leaves in our neighborhood. I may be the only citizen who has ever talked with him, which happened a few months back when I watched him clean up the organic refuse in front of our home.
He took the time to carefully and delicately guide his huge machine’s metal hands to pick up the last of some branches that had fallen out of the big paper bag provided for these materials. No grass was harmed in this operation.
I gestured to let him know my respect for the excellent work (in contrast to a neighboring town, whose initials are Hidalgo, where McAllen’s counterpart dug up chunks of the lawn in front of a rental home as he did the same operation). He responded, “It’s what you do when you love your work.”
What a blessing for us to have such an outstanding, formerly anonymous city worker. I saw him again later and learned his name: Benito. He is a rock star in city services and I hope you meet Benito some day soon.
Robert Ramirez
McAllen
Holidays
assessed
There is hardly a sacred tradition left in America that hasn’t been corrupted by America’s voracious business class. Right now, we are in the middle of our four great, end-of-year festivals — unhallowed Halloween, ingrate Thanksgiving, surface Christmas and pretend New Year.
Halloween has long been a day to introduce youth to worship of the god of insulin dependence by means of sugar gorging. Thanksgiving has become a day when we are thankful for half of the population and wish the other half would take a long walk off a short pier. Christmas provides a prayer and a mysterious sacrament for those who go, and debt spending and gorging on football for all.
At New Year’s we actually do see a fresh start, but that little inauguration of healthy change lasts only about halfway to Valentine’s Day, as CEOs ramp up their pillaging of the land once again.
Kimball Shinkoskey
Woods Cross, Utah
Page
liked
The Monitor’s opinion page on Oct. 31 did us all a great service by printing nothing but the truth. This entire page has been lacking in this paper for so long and I for one hope the editors will continue on this course in the future.
If our country continues the public discourse it has been for the last six years, we are doomed in our quest for a continuing democracy! America cannot continue as a free democracy with lies becoming accepted facts. This paper and others as the free press will not be allowed to print their view but will be told what they can print if we give up our rule of law based on actual facts.
The cult led by Donald Trump will take over and Katy bar the door, it will be too late.
Bill Williams
Palmview
Announcement
draws comment
Former President Donald Trump says he is running again for president in 2024!
Please, no! Let’s not have history repeat itself!
Mary Martinez
McAllen
