Amid a disaster, it’s incumbent upon president, congressmen to put differences aside
Edinburg resident Guadalupe E. Aguirre recently wrote to you about how I thanked the president for issuing a federal disaster declaration for the Rio Grande Valley and Coastal Bend. I believe it is mine and the president’s responsibility to put our differences aside and work together to rebuild our communities.
As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, it is my mission to serve the people of the 15th District of Texas to the best of my abilities. That is why I engage with President Trump and colleagues on both sides of the aisle — and on both sides of the Capitol — to address the needs of those we represent.
Our local officials compiled information, coordinated with the state and delivered to the president a package of information that allowed him to ultimately authorize disaster assistance. My team is working in tandem with federal, state and local officials to help those affected navigate the various processes that come with applying for this assistance. And, because of the failures in Puerto Rico, and the past handling of Dolly claims, we are closely monitoring recovery efforts to avoid repeating past mistakes and to get South Texans back on their feet.
I will continue to work on your behalf, and I thank you for your opinions.
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, McAllen
Monitor should bring back the blog
So whatever happened to the internet blog comment section for The Monitor? Instead of just sending in a letter to The Monitor, there used to be a Monitor site on the internet that one could carry on discussions about local concerns. One just had to register and sign in using one’s email.
Today’s city commissioners don’t allow any citizen input at their meetings and if anyone points out something they don’t want to hear, the security and police are quickly called to throw out the citizens.
A few years ago, The Monitor ended this internet blog section on the internet. I challenge The Monitor to return to its older form of encouraging and expanding citizen commentary by returning to this valuable method of discussion so that city and county leaders can get a better insight into what concerns our communities have.
Ferdinando Garcia, Edinburg
