Republicans on Black rights
Election safety
Regarding “Foreign terrorists never our biggest threat,” (Sept. 10): The Republicans giveth and the Republicans taketh away, to borrow and amend a biblical quote.
The Abraham Lincoln Republicans of the 1860s were willing to embark upon a civil war that resulted in some 750,000 deaths and ended the crime against humanity: Black slavery.
Now, 155 years after the war, the Republicans have another goal: limiting minority voting rights. And, that attempt is cloaked in other words — “protection of our elections” being foremost.
Inflamed by the likes of the most unqualified, unprincipled man in our political history to be our president, people are
putting our democracy in danger. Witness Jan. 6, 2021. Treason, pure and simple, with most of the perpetrators still walking the streets.
Paul Krugman is a first-rate reporter and intellect. Take the time to read his column. Our country's democratic political system is truly endangered.
Edward B. Williams, Pearland
Regarding “Texas voting law builds on long legacy of racism from GOP leaders,” (Sept. 15): I am so tired of all the whining by Democrats over the new Texas voting laws.
The laws were enacted primarily to replace temporary voting procedures put in place due to COVID-19. Those procedures, including mail-in ballots, 24-hour, drive-thru voting, were never promised to be permanent.
But Democrats have long recognized that a substantial number of voters will not vote if voting is the least bit inconvenient. Thus Democrats feel they must hand-feed them. Imagine the whining volume if the Texas Legislature had instead adopted the New Hampshire voting procedures, which permit absentee voting, but not early voting.
Rob Higgins, Richmond
COVID’s economic impact
Regarding “Editorial: Another Texas casualty of Abbott's lax COVID response? It's the economy, stupid,” (Sept. 13): Thank you for putting a dollar figure on the economic cost of unemployment. Let me go a bit further. Although I’m not unemployed, here’s a short list of purchases and activities that I have forgone and will continue to forgo until the anti-vaccination cohort gets vaccinated, or the pandemic dies down.
Since March 2020:
No restaurant dining, carryout only. No visits to museums, events at such places as Discovery Green, farmers markets or movie theaters.
No shopping other than necessary grocery items. (I have purchased a sweater, a T-shirt and a pair of sneakers.)
No medical appointments with the optometrist (therefore, no purchase of new glasses), the dentist or physical therapist. Well Woman yearly check-up only.
No group exercise; streaming exercise only.
No flights to North Carolina to visit relatives. (There would have normally been four visits in this time frame,)
No volunteer work with others; checks only to charity.
And, worst of all, no end in sight.
I don’t know what all this isolation costs, but it’s made me pretty angry at politicians and individuals who refuse science and have no concern for others’ lives.
Doris Murdock, Houston