Letters: Apology for error

After 20 years of letters to The Monitor I blundered into the realm of “why didn’t I do more research” common to many other opinion givers. In a letter criticizing a request for a pay raise for retired teachers I stated that teachers had a choice here in Texas to participate in either Social Security or Teacher Retirement System. Unlike my home state, they don’t. Texas is one of 15 states that require participation in their program. So, I apologize to Ms. Runnels and Ms. Avila for my error.

However, that requirement does not preclude them from making informed decisions about their retirement. I could not survive based on only my Social Security either. They had an option since 2004 to invest in the Texas 403(b) plan. The fact that they didn’t understand that the state’s TRS did not have cost-of-living adjustments is in my opinion not a good reason to ask the other citizens of Texas to solve their financial problem.

In conclusion though, to answer Mr. Neeley’s question (Dec. 15) about deserving a cost-of-living raise, considering the quality of K-12 education in Texas compared to all the states was 17th from the bottom (Education Weekly, Oct. 21), no, I don’t believe any raise would be in order.

Ned Sheats

Mission

Assorted

questions

Questions for 2022 before 2023 is here:

Why don’t Joe “El viejo mentiroso” Biden and “Poor, poor pitiful me” Kamala Harris come to visit the open borders?

Why doesn’t the current Pharr City Commission name its police department building for Jose “Tio Joe” Rosales, who was a Pharr police officer for 30 years and is my uncle?

Why don’t more RGV school boards name their schools after Dr. Hector P. Garcia, like the Mercedes ISD did?

Why aren’t menudo and tamales the Texas official state food?

Why doesn’t the current Pharr City Commission name a street in honor of Alonso Loredo Flores, who was shot point-blank by a White DPS officer during the Pharr riots in 1972 and the cop was found not guilty by an all-White jury?

Why don’t the Dallas Cowboys trade quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Zeke Elliott to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for quarterback Lamar Jackson?

Why isn’t there more coverage of Tom Flores, who was the first Mexican American quarterback and the only Chicano head coach of the Oakland Raiders?

Why did The New York Times name John “Cousin Itt” Fetterman as a fashion icon in 2022?

Who are the Democrats who had provisions of studies of bees flying on highways and studies on salmons going upstream in the $1.7 trillion government spending bill?

Why doesn’t the Ukraine president wear a suit instead of jogging clothes when addressing the Senate and House?

Why don’t the Japanese mind their business when asking for reparations for the Blacks but not for the Jewish people and native Americans and our Mexican American Raza whose ancestors had their land stolen by the greedy gringos?

Happy New Year and God bless.

Ricardo Rosales Sr.

Pharr