A changing nation

Pay attention

Regarding “How Texas Voted” (Page A30, Sunday), while President -elect Donald Trump pounds away at Twitter, the GOP has been working hard to radically reverse America’s progress. According to “How Texas Voted,” the GOP-led Senate and House voted to repeal Obamacare AND consider cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in a budget law protected from possible filibusters by Democrats.

The week before while everyone carried on about Trump’s statements, the Republicans voted against stopping insurance companies from denying health coverage because of pre-existing conditions, against Clean Air Act regulations to protect children against cancer, against protecting drinking water in communities like Flint, Mich., and against ensuring safety of nuclear power plants.

It’s time to ignore pre-presidential distractions and pay attention to what’s happening behind the pandemonium. Doug Peterson, Houston

NATO’s future?

Regarding “World anxious awaiting Trump” (Page A1, Tuesday), President-elect Donald Trump’s ill-considered comments to reporters and tweets have world leaders (except Russian President Vladimir Putin) on edge. Possibly his worst comment was to call “NATO obsolete because it was designed many, many years ago.”

A quick look at 20th century history shows us that within 30 years preNATO Europe suffered two catastrophic wars, both of which sucked in the United States. PostNATO Europe has experienced more than 70 years of western European peace. NATO obsolete? I think not. Aletha Evert, Houston

Era ends

Regarding “60 percent approval rating” (Page A16, Thursday), with all due respect to your very talented political cartoonist Nick Anderson, it did not take the emergence of Donald Trump to make Barack Obama “look good.”

Smart, thoughtful, scandal-free, and well-respected abroad, President Obama has provided eight years of solid leadership.

As he leaves office, I say, thank you, Mr. President. David Bradley, Spring