What’s best plan for coast?
Issues with Ike Dike
Regarding “Editorial: $29 billion won't stop the Big One. Here's why the Ike Dike is still worth it.” (Sept. 19): During Hurricane Ike, the majority of water that surged into Galveston Bay flowed across the Bolivar Peninsula. The proposed Ike Dike does little to stop such a big storm surge from coming into the bay again. The 12- and 14-foot high “enhanced dunes” will not stop a 28-foot Katrinalike storm surge. The proposed plan is a complete waste of $29 billion of taxpayer money and can also be an environmental and navigational disaster if the 1,300-foot-wide proposed gate system between Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula is built.
Matt Pace, Crystal Beach
What we need is for the oil companies to secure and reinforce their own tanks and facilities. Corporations have the funds and resources to secure their own properties to protect us all from an environmental disaster. It’s their responsibility, not taxpayers’, and could be done much more quickly and efficiently than a 20-year, $29 billion plan.
Kelly Williams, Pearland
Presidential (im)balance
Regarding “Pitts: Managing a mentally unbalanced president,” (Sept. 19): I read with interest the column on Gen. Mark Milley’s handling of his concerns with Donald Trump and a potential war with China. I am just as concerned about Milley and his contacts with an enemy whether there was really any basis for his concern with Trump or not.
My real hope in this is that this would be the first of a series of columns by Mr. Pitt on the chosen subject of presidential mental stability. I can’t wait to see his thoughts on our current president and his completely unstable handling of our exit from Afghanistan. Surely the loss of our 13 U.S. service members, the countless Afghans who were killed and the high-tech military equipment left behind for the Taliban in the last week of our presence there would qualify as “mentally unbalanced” in terms of presidential leadership.
Earl Layton, Jersey Village
I had to do a double take at the headline on Leonard Pitts’ column in the Sunday paper. I thought it referred to our currently confused commander in chief, only to be dumbfounded to realize that he was talking about President Trump, who may be many things but was clearly not unbalanced.
Jon Elmendorf, Houston