Stick with the Republican Party in the November elections

Vote GOP for more of the same

I’ve heard from several people how happy they are with the economy, stock market and the job situation yet they are thinking of voting Democratic because of President Donald Trump. Why would anyone cut off their nose to spite their face like that?

Like Trump or not, he and his fellow Republicans are the reason this country is in the great state it’s in. Please vote because of who made this country great again. That brought back prosperity and jobs. That reason is a Republican Congress and Senate. They are looking after you, the American people.

Traffic cameras are a public good

Some people believe they are immune from traffic laws. They speed up to “beat” traffic lights, roll through lights or stop signs instead of stopping and stop in crosswalks.

They complain they are at risk of someone rear-ending them.

I am 76 and have never seen a rear-ending at a traffic light, although I have seen plenty of running red lights and accidents with law-abiding cross traffic.

People can avoid rear-ending risk by slowing before lights and stop signs instead of speeding up.

Let’s keep the traffic cameras. (Sept. 11, 7A, “Gov. Greg Abbott says it’s time to turn off red light cameras”) If cities remove the cameras, we will pay for the lost income in property taxes instead of the lawbreakers paying them in fees.

Retirement woes will haunt us

When I hired on to the city of Fort Worth in 1995, we were told during employee orientation not to worry that the city would not be paying our Social Security taxes. We were told the city’s retirement fund would take care of us.

Fast forward to retirement time, and the fund is in trouble because the City Council has failed to properly fund it over the past several decades.

Now that the economy is growing again, there will be increased inflation, and the city manager is recommending cutting retirees’ cost-of-living allowances.

I guess the city’s slogan is no longer “Our greatest asset is our employees.”

I for one will vote no to the cost-of-living suspension. As far as the city’s veiled threat of letting the state legislature get involved, at least it has not failed us yet.

An ugly but necessary step

Cynthia M. Allen’s commentary on the Catholic Church was right on point. (Sept. 14, 11A, “Dear Attorney General Paxton — it’s time to investigate the Catholic Church”)

As a Catholic, when I read about the Pennsylvania grand jury report, the latest in a series of findings of sexual abuse and cover-ups by Catholic clergy, I was both embarrassed and angered. No institution should be allowed to cover up crimes, especially against children.

The way to fix this is for the church to open its records and for each state’s attorney general to investigate until all the abusers still living, and those who covered for them, are prosecuted by secular authorities.

It will most likely be ugly, but it’s necessary. The zero-tolerance policy that supposedly is now in place needs to include encouragement for clergy and employees to report abuse.

The church is not its clergy. The church is its parishioners, united by our faith. And we, the parishioners, deserve a place of worship that is safe for all of us — especially our children — and that practices what it preaches.