Jose Angel Mendoza is seen at his arraignment Tuesday, July 18, 2023, on charges of murder and engaging in organized criminal activity connected with the July 5 killing of Guadalupe Ramirez, 35, at Linda’s Lounge in Raymondville. (Allen Essex | Raymondville Chronicle & Willacy County News)
The case against a Raymondville man accused in a fatal July 2023 shooting at a bar there has been transferred to Cameron County, court records show.
Jose Angel Mendoza was indicted on June 24 for the shooting death of 35-year-old Guadalupe Ramirez and the case was ordered transferred to the courthouse in Brownsville.
His first hearing there was last Thursday, court records show. Jose Angel Mendoza was also scheduled for a hearing on Monday over several motions, including a request for a bond reduction.
The shooting happened on July 5, 2023 outside Linda’s Lounge at 355 N. Sixth Street.
Rolando Mendoza, Ricky Ramirez and Ramiro Conde are also charged in the case. It’s not immediately clear whether their cases have been transferred to Cameron County.
McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos and Ricardo Gallardo Cardona, the governor of San Luis Potosi, signed a memorandum of understanding on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Courtesy: City of McAllen)
McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos and Ricardo Gallardo Cardona, the governor of San Luis Potosi, signed a memorandum of understanding on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Courtesy: City of McAllen)
McAllen officials recently inked a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, with government leaders in the southern Mexican state of San Luis Potosi — a milestone that will hopefully lead to a trade agreement between the two regions.
McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos and Ricardo Gallardo Cardona, the governor of San Luis Potosi, signed the MOU agreement during a ceremony held at San Luis on Sunday, according to a news release issued by the city.
The MOU affirms the two governments’ commitments to using the commercial lanes at the Anzalduas International Bridge once they become operational next spring.
The MOU will “strengthen international trade and commerce and promote efficient exports through the strategic use of the Anzalduas International Bridge,” the news release states.
While the MOU is not a formal trade agreement between San Luis and McAllen, it does help solidify that state’s intention to use Anzalduas as a conduit for its automotive parts trade, McAllen City Manager Isaac Tawil said on Monday.
“In light of the full cargo expansion happening there (at the bridge), it is the most logical place for cargo coming out of San Luis to go,” Tawil said.
When asked if Sunday’s MOU could lead to a more concrete trade agreement between the city and San Luis in the future, Tawil replied, “Absolutely.”
McAllen views the burgeoning relationship with San Luis Potosi as a first step in establishing similar relationships with other Mexican trade partners.
“Our partnership with San Luis Potosi acknowledges the value of collaboration in facilitating two-way trade and safeguarding the supply chain in the streamlining (of) the entry of goods through our Anzalduas port of entry starting next year,” Villalobos, the mayor, stated.
“By expanding these relationships within Mexico, we aim to attract more investment, promote trade, and create more employment opportunities for our residents in our region,” Villalobos further stated.
Ricardo Gallardo Cardona, left, governor of the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí, addresses the media during a news conference at the Anzalduas International Bridge on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. Beside him are Mission Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza, center, and McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos. (Dina Arévalo | [email protected])
The trade trip comes less than two months after the San Luis Potosi governor, his wife and other Mexican dignitaries, traveled to the Rio Grande Valley for a firsthand look at the expansion efforts at Anzalduas.
There, they held a roundtable with McAllen and Mission officials to discuss bringing the Mexican state’s expansive automotive industry, which is the second largest in Mexico, to Anzalduas, Gallardo said.
The city of Mission co-owns the bridge with McAllen and the cities of Granjeno and Hidalgo.
During a news conference held afterward in the shadow of the bridge’s passenger toll booths, the San Luis governor said that his state’s automotive parts exports generate $5 billion in revenue.
San Luis exports the bulk of that cargo through land ports of entry in Laredo, which are often beset by long lines that impact the bottom line.
“The logistics of transportation in San Luis Potosi for the companies has been a lot of work, and they’ve lost a lot of money from being stalled on bridges that don’t flow smoothly,” Gallardo, speaking in Spanish, said during that July news conference.
Mexican officials hope Anzaludas’ new commercial lanes will help streamline that traffic.
The city of San Luis Potosi, which serves as that state’s capital, already enjoys a sister city relationship with the cities of McAllen and Mission.
In addition to the state of San Luis’ commitment to funneling industrial trade to Anzalduas, the city of San Luis has committed to being able to attract American tourists to southern Mexico by constructing an airport.
As local officials work diligently to strengthen trade and cultural relationships with Mexico, they hope those bonds will pay dividends here.
At the July news conference, Telco J. Garcia, CEO of the Mission Economic Development Corporation, said he hopes the Anzalduas bridge will come to serve as a hub for binational trade.
Speaking on Monday, Tawil — who just began his tenure as McAllen city manager — said that the trade relationships are vital to illustrating the Rio Grande Valley’s place in the national economy.
“All of the relationships that the city of McAllen develops with our counterparts in industry in Mexico is critical to the economic growth and development of McAllen and the region, generally,” Tawil said.
“It’s those kinds of relationships that highlight the importance of the Valley as a gateway to commerce in the United States,” he said.
Hidalgo is spelled out with lights during the city's Dia de los Muertos Halloween Fiesta celebration on Oct. 31, 2019. (Courtesy: City of Hidalgo/Facebook)
Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Friday that the city of Hidalgo has been designated as a Film Friendly Texas Certified Community after completing the multi-step training and certification process.
“I thank the Texas Film Commission for helping communities like Hidalgo market their unique appeal and support local job creation through media production,” Abbott said in a news release.
The Film Friendly Texas program, which was established in 2007, is a certification and marketing program administered by the Texas Film Commission, or TFC. Cities that are given the designation receive ongoing training and guidance from TFC regarding media industry standards, best practices and how to effectively accommodate media production in their communities, according to the state.
“Earning the Film Friendly Texas Community certification is an exciting milestone for the City of Hidalgo,” Mayor Sergio Coronado said in the release. “It opens new doors for creative industries to discover and showcase the rich culture and unique locations we have to offer.”
A recent example highlighting the economic impact of the program is HBO’s 2023 mini series “Love & Death,” starring Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons. The production created more than 800 local crew hires, had over 6,400 local cast and extras, invested over $14 million in the local economy due to utilizing over 900 Texas businesses and spent over $4.6 million on location fees as the series filmed for 180 days.
“This certification is a testament to our commitment to welcoming filmmakers and promoting economic growth through the arts,” Coronado said.
Border Patrol arrested a woman from Reynosa on Saturday, June 10, 2023, after finding nearly 100 pounds of cocaine in her vehicle at the Falfurrias checkpoint. (Courtesy: Border Patrol)
Border Patrol arrested a woman from Reynosa on Saturday, June 10, 2023, after finding nearly 100 pounds of cocaine in her vehicle at the Falfurrias checkpoint. (Courtesy: Border Patrol)
Aformer city council member from Reynosa has been sentenced for attempting to smuggle nearly 100 pounds of cocaine through the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint.
Denisse Ahumada-Martinez was sentenced to a little more than three years in federal prison on Monday, court records show.
She was arrested on June 10, 2023 after Border Patrol agents found around 92 pounds of cocaine hidden within the vehicle she was driving.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District in Texas said in a news release after she pleaded guilty on Oct. 20, 2023 that the cocaine had an estimated street value of $900,000.
Border Patrol agents found the drugs after an X-ray search of her vehicle revealed multiple anomalies.
The Texas Rangers are investigating a police shooting that left one suspect in critical condition after authorities say he failed to comply with commands, according to a press release.
At about 2:40 a.m. on Monday, Alamo police responded to a disturbance in the 300 block of East Crockett Avenue. Once there, police saw the suspect attempting to flee the scene, according to the release.
“The primary officer on the scene issued several verbal commands instructing the suspect to turn off his vehicle and exit,” the release said. “After multiple attempts to gain compliance, the suspect instead directed his vehicle toward the officer.”
The suspect drove toward the officer who then shot him, according to the release.
EMS arrived at the scene and transported the suspect to receive medical treatment.
People shop for shoes in a Nike store on Black Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
“A lady never admits her feet hurt,” Marilyn Monroe said as Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. This is just one more line from a list of good ones from a fun movie. I also learned (the hard way) that a comfortable pair of shoes may not solve your day’s problems, but they can make tackling them a little easier.
Being dedicated to comfortable footwear, I was willing to take my granddaughter’s recommendation to try a pair of Hey Dude shoes. I plan plan to buy more of these casual canvas slip-ons because they fit the reasonable requirements for consumer consumption: desirability, quality and cost.
Besides being a Marilyn Monroe fan, I am also a trained economist and as such I am smarter than Donald Trump. He wants to put a tariff on my Hey Dudes. He also insists that these tariffs are paid by the country the items come from and not the American public. He is, of course, wrong. Let me explain.
A tariff is a tax on goods imported from another country, not by the country itself but by the company that imports the goods for sale. My shoes were made in Indonesia and cost $35. The importer (not the country) pays the tariff. If you impose a 10% tariff the shoes cost $3.50 more. The importer then passes that cost on to the retailer, who passes it on to me and my shoes now cost $38.50. And that is if no one does anything other than pass on the initial tariff — not the cost of processing it, filing paperwork, cutting checks or sending the tariff to the government.
Trump’s last administration levied tariffs that cost the American taxpayers about $830 per year. And tariffs are regressive taxes, meaning they hit low-income people harder than Trump’s friends who are all in the millionaire range. The average income in Hidalgo County is $49,374. Because they have less disposable income to work with, Hidalgo County taxpayers paid 21 times more of their salary than Trump’s millionaire friends did.
Most countries have some minimal tariffs. Currently, we have tariffs that range from 1% to 11%. Trump is talking about tariffs from 10% to 60%. Let’s take a number from the low side of the middle: 20%. Since washing machines were one of the items on Trump’s last tariff list, let’s say you want an $898 washing machine. Add the 20% tariff and your washing machine now costs $1,076, minimum. At no time does the country from which your washing machine or my Hey Dudes come from pay this tax. The country of origin is not the importer (the person who buys the product and brings it to the United States). Do you think the U.S. government pays a tariff on every case of Coors beer that is sold abroad? Of course not. The person in Japan (England, Kenya — name your country) that buys the beer to sell in their country pays any tariff that country may impose.
So, Trump is not just wrong, he is lying to you and the reasons are stark. Trump’s proposed increased tariff plan would result in the loss of 675,000 U.S. jobs as other countries stop buying our products in retaliation against our tariffs. Those same Americans will then have to pay $1,700 in increased costs as the tariff (tax) is passed on to them. Because the families in the bottom half of the income tax brackets have less money to spend, it hits them hardest, reducing their after-tax income by 3.5%. That loss of income is currently greater than the rate of inflation!
I hope someone will pass this information on to Trump, because he is either woefully ignorant or thinks that we are. In the meantime, don’t pay any attention to the functional illiterate behind the screen and keep the faith.
Louise Butler is a retired educator and published author who lives in Edinburg. She writes for our Board of Contributors.
A sign is displayed outside a hospital in Miami, on July 9, 2020. (Wilfredo Lee/AP File Photo)
By VALERIE GONZALEZ, GISELA SALOMON and DEVI SHASTRI
McALLEN (AP) — For three days, the staff of an Orlando medical clinic encouraged a woman with abdominal pain who called the triage line to go to the hospital. She resisted, scared of a 2023 Florida law that required hospitals to ask whether a patient was in the U.S. with legal permission.
The clinic had worked hard to explain the limits of the law, which was part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ sweeping package of tighter immigration policies. The clinic posted signs and counseled patients: They could decline to answer the question and still receive care. Individual, identifying information wouldn’t be reported to the state.
“We tried to explain this again and again and again, but the fear was real,” Grace Medical Home CEO Stephanie Garris said, adding the woman finally did go to an emergency room for treatment.
Texas will be the next to try a similar law for hospitals enrolled in state health plans, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. It takes effect Nov. 1 — just before the end of a presidential election in which immigration is a key topic.
“Texans should not have to shoulder the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigrants,” Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement announcing his mandate, which differs from Florida’s in that providers don’t have to tell patients their status won’t be shared with authorities.
Both states have high numbers of immigrants, ranging from people who are in the U.S. without legal permission to people who have pending asylum cases or are part of mixed-status families. And while the medically uninsured rate in these two states — neither of which have expanded Medicaid — are higher than the national average, research has shown immigrants tend to use less and spend less on health care.
Texas and Florida have a long history of challenging the federal government’s immigration policies by passing their own. And their Republican leaders say the hospital laws counter what they see as lax enforcement at the border by the Biden administration — though Florida’s early data is, by its own admission, limited.
Florida GOP state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, who sponsored the hospital bill, said in a written statement that the law is “the strongest, and most comprehensive state-led, anti-ILLEGAL immigration law,” but did not respond to The Associated Press’ questions about the impact of the law on the immigrant community or on hospital patients.
Luis Isea, an internal medicine doctor with patients in hospitals and clinics in central Florida, said the law “is creating that extra barrier” for patients who are already exposed to many disparities.
Immigrant advocate groups in Florida said they sent thousands of text messages and emails and held clinics to help people understand the limitations of the law — including that law enforcement agencies wouldn’t know an individual’s status because the data would be reported in aggregate.
But many outreach calls from health workers went unanswered. Some patients said they were leaving Florida, as a result of the law’s impact on getting health care and on employment; the DeSantis’ administration tied the hospital mandate to other initiatives that invalidated some driver’s licenses, criminalized transportation of migrants lacking permanent status and changed employment verification policies.
Others, advocates say, languished in pain or needed to be persuaded. Verónica Robleto, program director at the Rural Women’s Health Project in north central Florida, fielded a call before the law took effect in July 2023 from a young woman who didn’t have legal permission to be in the U.S. and was afraid she would be separated from her child if she gave birth at the hospital.
“She was very afraid (but) she did end up going after speaking with me,” Robleto said.
Whatever data Florida and Texas do collect likely will be unreliable for several reasons, researchers suggested. Health economist Paul Keckley said the report released by Florida state officials could have “incomplete or inaccurate or misleading” data.
For one, it’s self-reported. Anyone can decline to answer, an option chosen by nearly 8% of people admitted to the hospital and about 7% of people who went to the emergency room from June to December 2023, the Florida state report said. Fewer than 1% of people who went to the emergency room or were admitted to the hospital reported being in the U.S. “illegally.”
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration acknowledged large limitations in their analysis, saying it didn’t know how much of the care provided to “illegal aliens” went unpaid. It also said it was unable to link high levels of uncompensated care with the level of “illegal aliens” coming to a hospital, saying it’s “more associated with rural county status than illegal immigration percentages.”
The agency didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment and more information. Its report noted that for much of the last decade, the amount of unpaid bills and uncollected debts held by Florida hospitals has declined.
In Florida and in Texas, people who aren’t in the U.S. legally can’t enroll in Medicaid, which provides health insurance for low-income people — except in the case of a medical emergency.
Multiple factors can affect the cost of care for people who are in the U.S. without legal permission, experts said, especially the lack of preventive care. That’s especially true for people who have progressive diseases like cancer, said Dr. James W. Castillo II, the health authority for Cameron County, Texas, which has about 22% of the population uninsured compared to the state average of 16.6%.
At that point, he said, “it’s usually much harder to treat, much more expensive to treat.”
Texas community groups, policymakers and immigration attorneys are partnering with Every Texan, a nonprofit focusing on public policy and health care access, to encourage people to not answer the status question, said Lynn Cowles with Every Texan.
And in Florida, the deportation fears are subsiding but questions about the purpose of the law remain.
“How much of this is substantive policy and good policy versus how that fared, I leave that for others to speculate,” said Garris with the Orlando clinic. “But I know the practical effect of the law was egregious and demeaning to patients who are living here, working here. It’s just insulting.”
Salomon reported from Miami, and Shastri reported from Milwaukee.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
New students in the Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology program begin climbing the practice utility poles at TSTC’s Harlingen campus. (Courtesy: Texas State Technical College/TSTC)
New students in the Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology program begin climbing the practice utility poles at TSTC’s Harlingen campus. (Courtesy: Texas State Technical College/TSTC)
HARLINGEN — College Factual recently placed Texas State Technical College at the top of its list of Best Lineworker Associate Degree Schools in the United States for 2024.
According to its website, collegefactual.com, the company was created to help students research colleges and careers. It gathers data from public and private sources, including the U.S. Department of Education.
“TSTC’s Abilene campus is home to the newest Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology program, offering students a top-tier education with unmatched industry connections and career opportunities,” Ronnie Pitts, who leads the Abilene program, said. “This nationally recognized program equips you with the hands-on skills and expertise to power your future in one of the most in-demand industries today.”
Brandon Foster, the program’s team lead in Fort Bend County, said the ranking is rewarding.
“This will motivate our instructors to help our students elevate their skills,” he said.
Angel Toledo, who leads the program in Harlingen, said he is honored to be part of a successful program.
“We’re making our name known,” he said. “Since its inception, the program has been enhanced to place our graduates in competitive positions in the workforce.”
Nathan Cleveland, the program’s team lead in Marshall, said a component of its success are the relationships that have been created with industry partners.
“Our industry professionals offer guidance regarding what is required of our graduates when they enter the workforce,” he said. “We will continue to train students that will attract more companies to the program.”
Dwain Love, who leads the Waco campus’s program, said the program has spent many years building partnerships with area power companies.
“We are honest with industry partners about how our students are trained,” he said. “We also collaborate with the college’s Career Services department to ensure that every organization meets the skilled talent we produce.”
The fall semester at TSTC began two weeks ago. New students in the lineworker program have been introduced to the curriculum and outdoor practice utility poles, while advanced students are continuing with the next phase of their hands-on training.
One such student is Briana Resendez, of San Benito. Resendez is a new student who is studying for a certificate of completion.
“I visited the Electrical Lineworker program in Harlingen during a campus tour when I was in high school,” she said. “Climbing the poles has been an interesting experience. It helps us to get over a fear of heights and trust our equipment as we climb the pole.”
New students in the Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology program begin climbing the practice utility poles at TSTC’s Harlingen campus. (Courtesy: Texas State Technical College/TSTC)
TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and a certificate of completion in Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology at its Abilene, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall and Waco campuses.
The program is part of TSTC’s Money-Back Guarantee, which refunds a participating graduate’s tuition if he or she has not found a job in their field within six months after graduation.
After considering the amount of dishonesty in government at all levels, the latest one being a D.C. Democrat councilmember, I have a plan.
The 50 governors, except those currently under indictment, will select 1,000 of the 10,000 present FBI special agents and form a task force to investigate every politician in office and every candidate running for office. “Every” meaning city council member up in all states; not just their own. By “investigate” I mean bore into every aspect of the person’s business, political and public life. The results of this vetting would be made public and sent to the 50 governors for action. There, based on a 60% majority a politician would continue in office or be impeached. A candidate would continue on or be prevented from being on the ballot. A case for this prevention could be made for this under the 14th constitutional Amendment.
Just think of the benefits. There would be an increase in public confidence. Honest citizens could run for office without fear of infecting their reputation with political slime and muck.
Actions benefiting all Americans rather than special interest groups would be the norm. More intelligent, educated, honest and experienced candidates would be available. Existing dishonesty would be weeded out and punished. Worth a try or pie in the sky?
Ned Sheats
Mission
Contributions, compensation
November elections are soon approaching, and we should start evaluating our candidates and issues.
In McAllen, Ground Game has prevailed, and a proposed charter amendment will be up for a vote in November to lower campaign contributions to $500, no matter what position a candidate is running for. This amount has been dropped from the previous limit of $10,000 per person for the mayor and $5,000 per person for the City Commission.
In Edinburg, the mayoral candidate is amassing a campaign chest of nearly $182,000, which is in stark contrast to mayor/council actual salary being zero in compensation, according to the City Charter.
To the credit of the city of Edinburg, it has posted its current council’s campaign finance reports on its website and all the reports show amounts equivalent to what some of our residents make yearly for their take-home pay.
So, why is there a discrepancy between the actual compensation earned in an elected position (zero $) versus what is raised in campaign contributions and spent by the candidates to get elected to those positions?
Is there a double standard in how citizens view career versus government or community service? Do campaign contributions and especially those contributions of maximum amounts indirectly or directly skew the outcomes of council decisions on the city’s growth in construction and the development of its roads?
Why are City Council officials who are working full-time jobs in their elected positions not compensated for their knowledge and performance to ensure that there is equality and equity for all city residents in the present and future?
Diane Teter
Edinburg
Gone wrong
I often hear on the news about something “gone wrong,” and it is never any good.
“Breaking news”: Ten people died in a drug deal gone wrong, Wait a minute — when has a drug deal gone right? I have never heard of it on the news. “Breaking news”: A drug deal that has gone right made millions for the traffickers. Now, that is never reported because 90% of crime has gone right, so it is never reported and criminals do not want you to know.
Sometimes I think criminals need a union to keep the crime between themselves more elusive, undetected, never mentioned. We don’t want to hear about a crime gone wrong where innocent people become the victims of a gang war and are caught in an exchange of violence between two gangs. Casualties of war often go unsolved. Why? Because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and thus became casualties of war, case closed. Nothing to see here folks, just go back to shopping as if nothing has happened.
Violence in America is on the increase not annually, not monthly, not daily, but by the hour. And I do not see a decline in the future. People have reached a point where they don’t care because they have no power to control crime. History shows that nations that failed, failed by suicide. They knew the problem but chose to ignore it and within time, it consumed the nation, and the nation failed. All great nations of the past were victims of failing to stop their decline. And that’s suicide.
Rafael Madrigal
Pharr
City manager garners praise
Helen Ramirez
I enjoy life in Brownsville, where up. I wish to comment on very special person. Mrs. Helen Ramirez, our city manager, is making Brownsville one of the best in the RGV.
Somebody might say that McAllen or Edinburg has better city managers, but I enjoy what Mrs. Ramirez is doing for our town.
The games that happened recently went well. They lasted one or two days because of rain but still went well.
Now our zoo wants to expand out of concern for the animals but you have some negative comments that the structure within needs repairs. Fine — it can be fixed and expanded at the same time. Mrs. Ramirez has the positive attitude to move our city forward and make it better. We have our precious zoo, SpaceX, Matamoros that hopefully with the new Mexican Leader will become better and safer to travel, South Padre Island and not to mention that we still have Boca Chica Beach.
Can the McAllen, Edinburg or Mission area top that?
And don’t forget we have the highest population, more than 200,000, and the biggest and best school district, BISD. We have a great superintendent and board members.
Probably some out their will say this guy is wrong in what his writing; can you tell me that a past city manager or somebody like Mrs. Ramirez was doing their job running the city like she has?
Keep up the good work and hopefully in the future some city out there will recognize the job you’re doing for our city and they want you to run their city because it can happen.
Frank Galindo Jr.
Brownsville
Biden’s drug price legacy
President Biden wants to lower drug prices. While that is a laudable goal, we can’t afford to undermine the intellectual property rights that helped produce these innovative drugs in the first place. A recent proposal would do just that, and it’s not limited to drugs.
The proposed policy change would reinterpret a 1980 law that ushered in a new era of American innovation and collaboration between the public and private sector. But if this proposed policy change is finalized, it will cause a wide swathe of our high-tech sector to stall out. And, while in Congress, Biden was a passionate champion of this very law and the critical innovation it spurred.
Most Americans probably hadn’t heard of the Bayh-Dole Act until the White House announced the change. The goal of the popular bipartisan act was to get the public and private sector to work together to further technology first developed on university campuses. The law enabled universities to keep control of their patents and leverage them in license deals with businesses. Universities gained a new revenue stream. The public gained access to new, innovative products — the fruits of taxpayer-sponsored research that otherwise would have never seen the light of day.
Biden was among the 91 of 100 senators to vote yes, and the legislation launched an innovation renaissance. Based on the Bayh-Dole framework, thousands of startups have formed to transform early-stage research into applications that improve health and quality of life.
Yet today, as part of a war on drug pricing, the current Biden administration proposal departs from his previous pro-innovation stance. The law provides for the government to “march in” and seize patent rights on discoveries that once received federal funds, but only in rare circumstances, such as when a company has failed to commercialize a much-needed product altogether.
Now, Biden aims to let federal agencies march in whenever they decide that the price of a medicine is too high. But based on the actual proposal, the new authority would be used on other promising technologies as well — for instance in renewable fuels, EV technologies or any product deemed to be in the public interest.
Companies (and their investors) need reliable patent rights to justify the financial risks of licensing new discoveries. If the government guts Bayh-Dole, companies won’t invest in or license academic research.
And Biden isn’t just going against his previous stance on Bayh-Dole. By endorsing march-in rights as a means of price control, he’s counteracting other ambitions he’s been vocal about: fostering economic growth, competing with China, generating high-skill U.S. jobs, and tackling cancer. All of these goals depend on secure patent rights. The president is right to prioritize affordable health care and to ensure that Americans have access to life-changing drugs. But, there are other ways to accomplish this goal without undercutting the success of Bayh-Dole. The 44-year-old act has made the United States a world leader in the very pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries that we need to solve global health challenges — a model that other countries have tried to replicate.
In short, protecting Bayh-Dole is far more consistent with Biden’s legislative track record and his ambitious goals for the nation — which is why he fought for it all those years ago. Let’s get back on track, Mr. President.
Dana Robert Colarulli
ACG Advocacy LLC
Washington, D.C.
Trump bashed
Donald Trump continues to insist only he can fix inflation, immigration, the economy in general. A closer look seems warranted.
At this point, high prices have as much or more to do with corporate greed and supply and demand as with much of anything else. All things to do with housing are high, from renting to building. Land costs more, taxes and insurance are higher, a shortage of construction workers contributes to fewer new builds throughout the U.S.
Prices at grocery stores, retail stores, even restaurants, are higher because to find and hire competent help means having to pay employees more, maybe not quite a living wage, but more. Now Hiring signs proliferate on every block; some appear even on highway billboards. Obviously, employers don’t want to cut into their profits to improve the life of their employees, so those costs are passed onto the consumer.
Trump seems to have only three policies: Cut taxes for the rich and famous. “Drill, baby, drill!”, promising anything Big Oil may want in exchange for campaign contributions, oblivious that under Biden, the U.S. is producing — and exporting — more oil than ever before, the leader worldwide. Finally, never mind the bipartisan bill to deal with immigration and the border. Trump just wants to deport all “illegals.”
To offset the massive losses to be incurred, Trump’s other goals are bound to spark an expensive trade war with friend and foe alike: He wants a blanket 10% tariff (read, tax) on all imported goods, with 60% to be assessed against China. No country will pay those tariffs, any more than Mexico paid for The Wall. But tariffs on American goods will certainly rise and the American consumer will pay more for food and clothes and everything else that isn’t grown or manufactured in the U.S. Check the labels on practically anything, and ask the grocers where the many fruits, vegetables and even the flowers in their stores come from (especially during the winter). Worst of all, his anti-immigrant policies are sure to cost billions. Imagine the time and the cost to find, round up and prove 11-15 million immigrants illegal. Courts could be tied up for a decade, lawyers getting richer by the day. The very idea is inhumane: Families will be split up and torn apart, as one parent may be ‘legal” or a citizen, and one may not be, likewise the children. Then there will be the cost of building the “detention” camps Trump wants to isolate the “illegals” prior to deportation. Finally comes the cost of deportation itself to — where? The country of origin? But each parent may be from a different country, the kids may be minors and American citizens who might not even speak the language or know much about the “home country.” Meanwhile, this country, already suffering from a hiring shortage (see above), will be deprived of millions of workers, their labor and their taxes. The inflation generated will make the Great Depression look like boom times.
“Everything Trump Touches Dies.” No need to read the book by Rick Wilson (a Republican strategist). The title says it all. Deprive Trump of the chance to decimate the U.S. economy out of ignorance, racism and xenophobia. Vote for the lady!
Vicki L. Bunderson
Brownsville
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People watch the cauldron rise at sunset by the Olympic rings during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo)
One commentator offered this sage comment in summary of Olympian hopes and dreams: “In the Olympics, if you get it wrong you have to wait a long time to get it right.”
The same is true of our sacred system of government. Historically, once nations turned to authoritarianism, whether on the left or the right, it took many decades if not centuries to right the ship and return control of the government back to the people. Most often those initially democratic nations were never able to get back on track, electing emperors, conquerors, dictators or despots to represent them forevermore.
America is currently giving up on people’s government in politics and law by fashioning special privileges and immunities for our self-proclaimed God-blessed partisan leaders. We are also giving up on social and economic equality, as our corporations settle into unchallenged monopolies in restraint of trade and our billionaire class moves to enact special citizenship privileges for the wealthy and powerful.
Political monopoly is the conjoined twin of economic monopoly, and both are inevitably reflected in culture and sports. America’s Olympic experience in 2024 amply demonstrates this.
Tom Cruise rides a motorbike with the Olympic flag attached past athletes during the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony at the Stade de France, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)
Television coverage of the Paris games was steeped beyond belief in what I like to call “celebrity worship,” a form of hero-worship America accords daily to those who have special skills we love to see on display, but who contribute little to our traditional principles and activities of republican government. Those who do practice democracy are marginalized and forgotten.
In Paris, America the Brash elevated our trash-talking athletes on the track, field and basketball court, for example, to the level of, well, elite gods ruling the universe from their pedestals on Mount Olympus. One Olympic ad touting the aggressive mentality of our athletes asked, “Am I a bad person? I’m simple-minded … delusional … maniacal … does that make me a bad person?” Well, it makes you a celebrity American exploiter-athlete, just like your corporate sponsor.
The closing ceremony of the games featured this exploitative mentality in spades. All the heroes of the games were paraded out to help transition the Paris spectacle to the one in Los Angeles in 2028. Hyping Los Angeles-28 before the curtain even fell on Paris-24 is the corporate equivalent of a president who wins an election on Nov. 5 and then kicks off his second term campaign on Nov. 6. The greed and ambition for power are just too evident to ignore.
“Visit California” ads blared out across the ceremony’s commercial breaks. Every athlete employed to promote LA in 2028 played their mercilessly scripted, mechanical role perfectly. However, one wonders if LA has sufficient time to sweep its homeless population out of town by then. Where will they be hidden? Catalina Island? More of those $700,000 public housing units for lucky street-dwellers? Refurbished state mental hospitals? Cozy boxes six feet under?
America today is as much a disappointment in the world as some of our corporations and athletes show themselves to be. For example, we have underperformed in Palestine for decades, and in Gaza we are currently playing the role of the evil genius puppeteer destroying the lives of innocent civilians, subverting religious freedom and enriching the accounts of the military-industrial sector. The country is slowly figuring this out, as it once did at the time of the Vietnam War, but too late for tens of thousands of hapless victims of American greed and cruelty.
Yes, America is a bad person. The nations of the world have figured it out, but our own people are still clueless.
Robert Kimball Shinkoskey of Woods Cross, Utah, is the author of books on democracy, religion and the American presidency.
Commentary: Talking tariffs and shoes
“A lady never admits her feet hurt,” Marilyn Monroe said as Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. This is just one more line from a list of good ones from a fun movie. I also learned (the hard way) that a comfortable pair of shoes may not solve your day’s problems, but they can make tackling them a little easier.
Being dedicated to comfortable footwear, I was willing to take my granddaughter’s recommendation to try a pair of Hey Dude shoes. I plan plan to buy more of these casual canvas slip-ons because they fit the reasonable requirements for consumer consumption: desirability, quality and cost.
Besides being a Marilyn Monroe fan, I am also a trained economist and as such I am smarter than Donald Trump. He wants to put a tariff on my Hey Dudes. He also insists that these tariffs are paid by the country the items come from and not the American public. He is, of course, wrong. Let me explain.
A tariff is a tax on goods imported from another country, not by the country itself but by the company that imports the goods for sale. My shoes were made in Indonesia and cost $35. The importer (not the country) pays the tariff. If you impose a 10% tariff the shoes cost $3.50 more. The importer then passes that cost on to the retailer, who passes it on to me and my shoes now cost $38.50. And that is if no one does anything other than pass on the initial tariff — not the cost of processing it, filing paperwork, cutting checks or sending the tariff to the government.
Trump’s last administration levied tariffs that cost the American taxpayers about $830 per year. And tariffs are regressive taxes, meaning they hit low-income people harder than Trump’s friends who are all in the millionaire range. The average income in Hidalgo County is $49,374. Because they have less disposable income to work with, Hidalgo County taxpayers paid 21 times more of their salary than Trump’s millionaire friends did.
Most countries have some minimal tariffs. Currently, we have tariffs that range from 1% to 11%. Trump is talking about tariffs from 10% to 60%. Let’s take a number from the low side of the middle: 20%. Since washing machines were one of the items on Trump’s last tariff list, let’s say you want an $898 washing machine. Add the 20% tariff and your washing machine now costs $1,076, minimum. At no time does the country from which your washing machine or my Hey Dudes come from pay this tax. The country of origin is not the importer (the person who buys the product and brings it to the United States). Do you think the U.S. government pays a tariff on every case of Coors beer that is sold abroad? Of course not. The person in Japan (England, Kenya — name your country) that buys the beer to sell in their country pays any tariff that country may impose.
So, Trump is not just wrong, he is lying to you and the reasons are stark. Trump’s proposed increased tariff plan would result in the loss of 675,000 U.S. jobs as other countries stop buying our products in retaliation against our tariffs. Those same Americans will then have to pay $1,700 in increased costs as the tariff (tax) is passed on to them. Because the families in the bottom half of the income tax brackets have less money to spend, it hits them hardest, reducing their after-tax income by 3.5%. That loss of income is currently greater than the rate of inflation!
I hope someone will pass this information on to Trump, because he is either woefully ignorant or thinks that we are. In the meantime, don’t pay any attention to the functional illiterate behind the screen and keep the faith.
Louise Butler is a retired educator and published author who lives in Edinburg. She writes for our Board of Contributors.