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.
Early instruction at home for the respect of others and our country’s lawful rules are vital for a well-adjusted life and adulthood.
Our wonderful teachers, children and all people should never be subject to any physical or verbal abuse of any kind, be it name calling or character destruction by lies.
We are a country founded on rules of respect, but also on no tolerance dismissiveness of physical abuse and emotional disrespect.
Imelda Coronado
Mission
Deficits
reviewed
Ronald Reagan took the deficit from $79 billion to $175 billion. Bush 41 took it to $290 billion. Clinton took it to zero (a $128 billion surplus). G.W. Bush took it from zero to $1.4 trillion. Obama cut it in half to $585 billion. Trump got it back to $1 trillion. When G.W. was president, he spent more than any of the six presidents who served before him, including LBJ. In four years, Donald Trump created 25% of the debt the U.S. accrued in 230 years!
When it comes to building up the debt and paying for it, Republicans have no qualms about raising the debt ceiling. But that’s only when they have a Republican president.
When we have a Democrat president, they pretend to morph into “deadbeats.” They threaten to default and not pay our bills. They connivingly use this tool as leverage to get what they want. It doesn’t matter how many Americans they hurt or how much damage they cause to America. Some MAGA Republicans sophomorically snarl, “Let it burn!”
The American people want their representatives to act like adults, not like middle-schoolers fighting over pettiness. We do not elect them to squander and to not manage well the precious resources we have. As the late Congressman Elijah Cummings said, “We are better than that!”
What seems to excite MAGA Republicans the most is the idea of doing away with Obamacare and cutting down on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and benefits for veterans.
But why? To increase the number of poor people living in America? To make the poor even poorer? To make the rich richer? To make President Biden, who is doing well, look impotent? Or maybe just to brag about how deplorable and callous MAGA representatives can be? Or is it all of the above?
During the Roosevelt years and World War II, “conservatism” became what Professor Raymond English calls the “forbidden faith,” the words carrying connotations of “stupidity” and “selfishness.”
Eighty years have passed and it seems “conservatism” hasn’t changed much. Judging by the childish and vengeful demeanor some MAGA Republicans are exhibiting, it seems like it’s gotten worse!
To the connotations of “stupidity” and “selfishness,” perhaps Professor English should also add “callousness.” Hoo-boy.
Italo J. Zarate
Brownsville
