In Trump we trust? Some readers say give peace a chance

Trump: Be happy with him for once

The Washington Post commentator joins a parade of media skeptics determined to make the President fail. ("A 'fantastic meeting' for Trump and Kim," Anne Applebaum, Wednesday)

Why can’t we have one moment of pride that a serious attempt at diplomatic denuclearization might occur?

—Lee S. Anderson, Fort Worth

Trump: No reason to worry

Posing Kim Jong Un "worrying" that President Trump will treat North Korea the way he treats U.S. allies shows Dave Granlund is a few steps behind. (Cartoon, Tuesday)

Trump is ending the use of U.S. troops and weapons as almost total support for "allies"' conflicts.

Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush maintained the status quo, which got us nowhere.

—Marshall Stewart, Fort Worth

Trump: No reason to trust him

On one hand we have a dictator, Kim Jong Un, whose closest neighbors, China and South Korea, don’t trust or believe a word out of his mouth.

On the other side, we have our president a man who has made an art of saying whatever suits his purpose.

I mean, here is a man who wrote his own medical evaluation and then claimed his doctor actually wrote the report.

It doesn’t matter how well or badly the negotiations go. If sometime down the road, Trump decides tearing up the deal makes him more popular with his base — tough luck, Kim.

—Frank L. Matthews, Fort Worth

Congress: Keep riders out of budget

Congress is hashing out the next budget.

Disappointingly, many legislators are once again trying to use the budget to sneak in harmful repeals of and changes to consumer protections.

For example, one policy proposal added to the budget as a so-called rider, would keep the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from holding companies like Wells Fargo, Equifax, and predatory payday lenders accountable when they cheat us.

Why use the budget for matters unrelated to spending? Because repeals and changes to important protections can’t pass on their own.

Hopefully, the entire Texas Congressional delegation will stand up for a clean budget that sticks to spending, which after all is the purpose of a budget.

—Jordan Leatherwood, Austin

Foreign aid provides needed help

Foreign aid is not a gift, but an investment for our national security.

It helps foster social development and economic growth in poor nations. This gives people a chance for a better life.

In countries that are not given a chance, radicalism increases. Countries in extreme poverty see increases in refugees, criminal gangs and human trafficking.

These countries can become training grounds for terrorists.

Foreign aid should no longer be thought of as a gift. It is clearly a vital investment that has a positive long-term impact.

The security of our country is dependent upon the security of our world.

We all do better when we all do better.

—Samantha Stroud, Fort Worth

This story was originally published June 13, 2018 at 4:29 PM with the headline "In Trump we trust? Some readers say give peace a chance."