Before we tackle anything else, we need to shore up Social Security and Medicare
Biden’s bill is too partisan
When Joe Biden was elected president, he promised to bring unity to a country that was highly divided during the Trump presidency. However, he and the Democrats quickly forgot that campaign pledge. The massive $3.5 trillion spending bill is highly partisan and transgresses Biden’s pledge to bring unity.
Democrats plan to approve the bill without one vote from the opposition. The bill is too costly and is filled with too much pork. The Build Back Better Act seems like just another partisan Democratic power grab to me.
- Lee Enochs, Fort Worth
Social Security, Medicare first
Congressional leaders should allocate a sufficient portion of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion Build Back Better agenda toward a permanent fix of the underfunded Social Security and Medicare trust funds. The funds are projected to be depleted within 12 years. After that, only a portion of the benefits will be able to be paid to the recipients.
Trustees concluded that lawmakers should address these financial challenges as soon as possible. Common sense would suggest we should protect our current health and retirement benefits before embarking on new social spending initiatives.
- David Bucher, Fort Worth
Student safety not a concern?
COVID-19 has changed the course of history forever. Students’ needs continue to be swept to the side, as Texas public schools force students to come to class despite COVID cases and a ban on mask mandates.
As cases increase rapidly, so do the stress and worry of college students, and Gov. Greg Abbott has done nothing but create more problems. The government should allow students to choose how they would like to learn, and if that is in person, safety protocols should be implemented.
- Mary Alice Sattler, Denton
The choice is out of women’s hands
The Texas Heartbeat Act prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, but women often do not know they are pregnant until later than that. The use of inaccurate medical information about pregnancy puts women at a disadvantage.
Traumatic experiences beyond a woman’s control, such as rape and incest, can result in pregnancy. Women should have the right to choose whether they want to continue a pregnancy.
- LaDara Marcus, Grand Prairie
Will we repeat this ad nauseam?
It’s time to reconsider the federal debt ceiling. Don’t Republicans have constituents who rely on federal deposit insurance, pensions and bonds to keep themselves financially secure? Blaming the Democrats is cold comfort. A future where this political idiocy is revisited again and again is downright scary.
- Sarah Dolbier, Fort Worth
2020 election is a done deal
The results of Texas’ 2020 presidential election were certified by the Texas secretary of state and accepted by Congress, despite attempts on Jan. 6 to disrupt the constitutional process. A new president was inaugurated. Further so-called “audits” only diminish the already damaged trust in our electoral process.
Stop it. It’s over.
- Bob Scott, Colleyville
Give full details about the risks
We should detail “underlying health conditions” in COVID-19 statistics to include being overweight or obese, having diabetes or heart disease and being a transplant recipient. When readers see the term undefined, they might think they are not at risk for COVID and excuse themselves from getting vaccinations.
- Deana Glenn, Fort Worth
Basic needs can’t be met here
No one who works 40 hours a week should have a hard time putting food on the table and a roof over their heads. Yet millions of American workers do. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 and hasn’t increased in 10 years. In the so-called richest country in history, no one should lose sleep over how they are going to feed their children or pay rent.
The Raise the Wage Act would gradually increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2025. It would give more than 32 million workers a raise, help close racial income disparities and even stimulate the economy.
An increase in the minimum wage is well overdue. As Americans, shouldn’t we support eliminating poverty-level jobs to ensure that each person is paid a livable wage?
- Samriddhi Kuinkel, Fort Worth