Law and social order
Call for transparency
Regarding “Ex-Conroe priest faces more charges” (City/State, June 28): One of the requirements of canon law is that the Catholic hierarchy protect the reputation of the church. This goes a long way toward explaining why sexual abuse among the clergy has been covered up and provides the rationale for keeping investigations within the confines of the church.
Jim McMahon, Spring
Solutions, not divisions
Regarding “Political extremism is all about perception” (Outlook, June 28): When I read Dan Malone’s op-ed I found a glimmer of hope that there are some in our community that are distressed by the name calling and hateful media that spew half-truths from their airwaves.
Whether you love President Trump or hate Trump, right wing, far left, let us agree to disagree without being disagreeable or hateful.
Posting pictures of a dead parent and child that drowned and blaming Trump is not helpful; nor is it helpful to encourage illegal border crossings. There are safe ways to become a U.S. citizen. Let’s stop the rhetoric and work together for loving solutions, not hateful divisions.
Barbara Goodson, Kingwod
Border conditions
Should the United States confront nations committing genocide and human rights violations? This was asked during the Democrats’ first debate. Of course we should, and the leaders of nations committing genocide and human rights violations should be held accountable. We can start with the United States.
The president has created conditions on our border that have led to the deaths of many immigrants. He has the power to provide relief immediately but chooses to continue these atrocities. Subjecting children to inhumane conditions is not who we are. Or is it? William Madigan, Houston
Politics and Medicaid
Regarding “Medical misery in rural America self-inflicted” (Outlook, June 26): Columnist Paul Krugman did a fine job of
The reparations question
Regarding “Reparations” (Letters, June 22): There very well may be a Pandora’s box of travails waiting to be revealed, as the question of reparations for past sins is finally being confronted by a larger portion of our population.
That vessel might release the history of all the evils perpetrated by those in power upon entire segments of society — whether Africans brought on slave ships, Native Americans subdued by white invaders, black men used as tools in medical experiments or Japanese-Americans arbitrarily interned in a time of war. No wonder we’re afraid.
To those of us hoping to avoid the question of responsibility for decades of discrimination, lifting that lid brings to life the frightening images, statisticsand regrets we’d prefer to keep locked away. So, rather than confront the results of our connecting the dots. (Wednesday, A15).
But I think there are a couple more dots he could have connected. The first dot is that Medicaid payments are by far the lowest of any of the health care payments for a given service. In fact, many in the health care industry claim that payments are below the break-even point.
How does the health care industry keep more people from using Medicaid? Simple: Contribute campaign funds to legislators and governors that are vehemently opposed to Medicaid. Thus, the misery alluded to by Krugman is in part due to the priorities of the health care industry itself. It is not all self-inflicted.
John T. James, Houston
Disregarding U.S. law
Regarding “House panel votes to subpoena Conway” (Newsmakers, June 27): The anticipated issuance of a subpoena to White House Counsel Kellyanne Conway for “egregious and repeated Hatch Act violations, combined with her unrepentant attitude” is way overdue. Her actions as well as those of other present and former White House staffers are prima facie evidence of the blatant disregard for the rule of law that permeates this administration. In this case the chant “Lock her up” is more than appropriate.
It is unfortunate that the Republicans on the House Oversight Committee, except for one, deem it to be a violation of free speech rights to flaunt a law enacted to prohibit federal employees from engaging in political activity while on the clock.
Bill Bentley, La Porte institutional efforts to build our society, our wealth and our status on the backs of the humans we enslaved, the property we stole from those finally freed, the education we denied their descendants, and the votes we continue to suppress, we hide behind the predicted complications of reparation.
Our “original sin” was certainly slavery. Our ongoing transgression is an abiding blindness to and avoidance of the truths that have followed us through the ages, which we must now fearlessly admit and attempt to repair. Carol Godell, Spring
BIBLE VERSE
Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. Psalm 26:8