GOP hypocritical on deficit
Paying for the tax cuts
Regarding “Thiessen: Arizona’s ‘maverick’ should kill the reconciliation bill,” (Dec. 16): After reading Marc Thiessen’s opinion piece, I wondered why he didn’t have the same concerns when Republicans passed the tax cuts bill in 2017. I recall that most economists and the Congressional Budget Office reported that the tax cuts would increase the deficit over a trillion dollars. The bill was also passed by Republicans with no support from the Democrats. We now know that the deficit did in fact increase by over that amount. I guess we do have short memories.
Gene Orlando, Spring
The brazen hypocrisy of the the GOP regarding deficits is on full display again. They had no problems voting for Trump’s tax cuts, knowing full well that they would lead to massive increases in the federal deficit. They had no problem increasing the nation’s debt level to facilitate more borrowing to pay for those tax cuts. Now, though, they are crying about out of control spending and massive deficits. Both parties — and the American people, too — have become addicted to deficit spending. The only difference is what those deficits are paying for.
The GOP prefers to borrow to pay for tax cuts favoring corporations and wealthy individuals; Democrats favor borrowing to spend on infrastructure and social programs. What is overlooked is that America is in competition with China to be the dominant power in the 21st century. China has one political party that is committed to pushing the country into world leadership position, whatever it takes. America has two political parties, and one party is trying to rally Americans to confront the challenges of the 21st century while the other is trying to take America back to a former time when “America was great.” Americans hold the future of the country and our children in their hands. Next year they will determine which road America will take: forward or back.
Gonzalo Martinez, La Porte
Restore our standing
This Christmas, while celebrating Christ’s birth, let’s be reminded of his commandments, mainly “love thy neighbor as thyself,” especially between enemies/adversaries, to bring “justice and peace” to all by firmly opposing those poisoning society with lies, misinformation, hatred, intimidation and violence causing wasteful animosity, tribalism and chaos — alienating those who can solve our most critical problems, public and otherwise, such as fighting COVID. Those adverse conditions do not save America. They seriously harm it by dividing us, blocking constructive dialogue and social progress —as the Jan. 6 Capitol riot did by disrupting our constitutional process. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord.”
Christ’s message was essential for America’s Founding Fathers, who gave us the freedom we cherish. It can help us enormously today. Only truth sets us free. Lies do the opposite. As former Defense Secretary James Mattis said last summer: “Only by adopting a new path — which means, in truth, returning to the original path of our founding ideals — will we again be a country admired and respected at home and abroad.” I urge all to heed Christ’s call thereby helping to restore America’s good standing “at home and abroad.” May God help us do this!
Raúl Field Escandón, Houston
Checking on mental health
Regarding “Sometimes they blame themselves: How to help grieving kids who lost a parent to COVID,” (Dec. 12): Dr. ( Julie) Kaplow shines a light on a critical and deeply concerning issue. While the physical, economic and social impacts of COVID-19 have been explored in detail over the past two years, its psychological effects, especially on children, are often overlooked. As a mental health professional with more than 20 years of experience, I have witnessed firsthand how early identification and intervention proves critical to the effective treatment of mental health conditions and suicide prevention efforts. Kaplow provides valuable advice regarding how to reach children and youth during times of struggle. To elaborate, I invite readers to consider some additional proven resources that, when applied, anyone can leverage to help our youth develop strong, safe and stable relationships with their friends, peers and the adults in their life. To aid parents in effective prevention, the “What’s On Your Mind?” guide offers parents and caregivers easy-to-understand instructions on how to talk to their kids about mental health issues. Regarding early identification and intervention, the Columbia Protocol is a simple set of six questions that anyone can use to check for suicide risk that provides screening measures and recommendations for next steps.
Similarly, California’s ACEs Aware Initiative offers screening tools for children, adolescents and adults to check for adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress from a clinical perspective. Preventive, evidence-based approaches that normalize how we talk about mental health and depression are critical to prevent these tragedies and combat the associated stigmas.
Keita Franklin, Ph.D., New York, N.Y.