Letters – Ken Paxton, child abuse, abortion, debate

Re: “AG Paxton’s Bad Voting Habits – He has demanded investigations and harsh penalties for others,” Monday editorial. 

Ken Paxton represents the worst case of alleged voter fraud. Yet he has gone after voter fraud without an apology. Anyone who votes for him must agree with his actions.  

Texas is poorly served by him, and those who vote for him would condone his actions. 

There is a choice. Please do not vote for Paxton. 

Julian F. Poynor, Granbury 

Re: “Dallas City Hall Needs a Diet – Facing budget woes, the city must address rising costs, staffing,” Sunday editorial. 

As you suggest, it’s critical that the city of Dallas put its fiscal house in order. But if past is prologue, spending cuts will be focused on programs such as parks, recreation, libraries, street maintenance and median mowing.  

The suburbs with which Dallas competes already offer a richer menu of services than does the city. Further cuts to these quality-of-life amenities will simply make Dallas a less desirable place to live and work. 

Bernard Weinstein, Far North Dallas 

Re: “Texans push for access to abortion, better healthcare – Patients, advocates travel to DC to mark 4 years since Dobbs,” June 27 news story. 

Allow me to challenge misleading statements in the first six paragraphs of this ideologically driven story.  

First, the question of a “constitutional right to abortion,” as the story states. The Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs that such a right doesn’t now, and never did, exist. Phraseology in the first paragraph suggests that the Constitution conferred a right that Dobbs took away. It’s clear some people believe that, but the story should not have depicted opinion as fact.  

Second, Trisomy 18. The story flatly terms it a “lethal genetic condition.” Since the story neglects the fuller picture, it leaves the impression that the condition is a sure, cruel death sentence. Try selling that to parents whose Trisomy 18 children came into this world against long odds. Tell that to parents who hugged and loved their babies and children through the few days, months and, sometimes, years their little ones were blessed to live, in spite of their difficult condition. 

Do let your readers know about the Trisomy 18 Foundation website. They can read first-person stories from parents who proudly posted pictures of their young ones. Moms and dads share raw emotions – from distress, to fear, to grief, excitement and gratitude for the chance to gaze upon and kiss a cherished child’s little face. Every one of them has a name. 

Rodger Jones, Richardson 

Re: “Seven ways Congress can avoid financial disaster – We have the tools to fix federal spending. Let’s use them,” by William McKenzie, Sunday Opinion. 

McKenzie spins a U.S. financial disaster story into a Social Security story. The U.S. is headed for financial disaster because of many reasons including the reckless spending on the Iran War, ICE, a military build-up and the current administration’s graft and corruption.  

Yes, it was headed for financial disaster before President Donald Trump, but it is on speed now. McKenzie doesn’t mention Iran or ICE in regard to how to curb spending — just Social Security. 

He doesn’t propose increasing the income ceiling on collecting Social Security taxes, just how the current lower income levels can be manipulated. And the indexing structure for inflation calculations he suggests harkens back to Marie Antionette. “Let them eat cake,” right? 

Donnia Harrington, Rockwall 

I was looking forward to McKenzie’s seven ideas to “avoid financial disaster.” Let’s simplify – to reduce the deficit.  

Most ideas were exercises in futility. He presented some good ideas that should immediately be put into place, such as on Social Security.  

But never was the elephant in the room addressed — taxation. It is shameful, if not the height of naivety, to continually reduce taxes on the wealthy and corporations. I am no flaming liberal, and I don’t advocate taxing the rich to death, but do people realize the slide in those tax rates over the last decades? Look at a graph, people!  

That is why we are where we are. I don’t advocate for deep tax increases. I do advocate taking back the generous tax cuts our government has handed out over those two decades. That alone would reduce the deficit quickly. 

Gary Tutt, McKinney 

Re: “The good the bad and the ugly,” by Roger Howe, Monday Letters 

Howe made an excellent point regarding his rebuttal letter to “Keep America Great” when he stated that all aspects of history should be taught. 

As an inclusion instructor, I had the honor to work with a teacher who used the Socratic method with her eighth graders. She chose the questions and assigned the sides. 

In the process of helping the students who were assigned a side that they disagreed with, it was rewarding to listen to them come around to another way of thinking about the question in their search to be on the winning side. While it didn’t necessarily change their minds, it enlightened them to both sides of an argument. 

After that experience, for years I would express the opinion that public schools should require debate classes (at least two years) beginning in eighth grade. 

Debate teaches young minds how to research both sides of a question, argue civilly and take a win or defeat gracefully. 

Best of all, it teaches critical thinking skills — something all schools say they do, but don’t. 

Danna Zoltner, Denton