The court and the ACA; Confederate feats; sticking with Fox; Pope and Galileo; Rebel mascot

Court and the ACA

Now that the Affordable Care Act has again been validated by the Supreme Court, thereby preserving coverage for the approximately 1.2 million Texans receiving coverage under the law, it’s time for Texas to take the next step and join the 29 other states that have accepted expansion of Medicaid coverage as provided by the act.

In so doing, at virtually no cost to the state, health coverage would be provided to about 1.5 million Texans (one-third of whom are veterans) whose incomes are too low to qualify for coverage under the ACA.

Further, accepting this program would ensure that about $100 billion of federal individual income and corporate taxes paid by Texans, which now go to subsidizing Medicaid recipients in other states, would be returned to Texas to assist uninsured Texans.

Texas should get with the program and accept expansion of its Medicaid program without further delay.

— Richard L. Cole, Arlington

Rachel Maddow’s Thursday commentary, “High court most disruptive branch of U.S. government,” sheds welcome light on the absurd power of this court.

It may be time for a constitutional amendment to limit terms to 20 years or less. No one in government should be guaranteed a job for life.

According to Legacy.com, life expectancy in the late 1700s was 36 years. It is unlikely that the founders expected that Supreme Court justices could serve more than twice that time when the Constitution was written.

— Frank Leonard, Euless

Confederate feats

Donny Carr of Colleyville challenged “Confederate fans” in a Thursday letter (“Charleston and flags”) to “name one good thing the Confederacy did or accomplished.”

I’ll name several. It held off the U.S. Army for four years — an army that Mexico couldn’t stave off for two years.

In fact, when Gen. Winfield Scott was asked by Abraham Lincoln why it was that he could take 10,000 men 200 miles and capture the capital of Mexico, but he couldn’t take 100,000 men 100 miles and capture the capital of the Confederacy, Scott replied: Because, Mr. President, the men who led me into Mexico City are the same men who are keeping me out of Richmond.

The first successful submarine was invented by a Southern man. Other innovations included ironclad warships and mines.

Also, Fort Worth was built by proud Confederate veterans like Khleber Miller VanZandt, president of the Fort Worth National Bank who rose to become commander of the United Confederate Veterans; Buckley Burton Paddock, who envisioned the “tarantula (railroad) map” and for whom the Paddock Viaduct is named; and John Peter Smith who gave land for Oakland Cemetery.

— Paul B. Martin, Cleburne

Sticking with Fox

Note the hypocrisy of Floyd S. Ostrom’s Wednesday letter (“Charleston murders”), which was a tirade against Fox News and its morning reporters.

I’m certain he’d feel much more comfortable with CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Media Matters, Huffington Post and the myriad other outlets that support his views.

We others will look for “fair and balanced.” Here’s a tip: Don’t watch!

— Clem Candelaria, Fort Worth

Pope and Galileo

Richard H. Smith wrote in a Tuesday letter (“Climate change”) that Galileo was tried by the Inquisition for saying that Earth circled the sun.

Actually the pope was very interested in Galileo’s heliocentric theory and asked if he could prove it. Galileo couldn’t because at that time telescopes weren’t good enough to detect stellar parallax (the only way to prove it).

What Galileo was actually tried for was writing a book saying his unproven theory had been proved, even using theological arguments.

It’s a challenge for Catholics to get their side of the story published. It’s also overlooked that Martin Luther excommunicated Johannes Kepler for his heliocentric theory .

— Curt Lampkin, Azle

This story was originally published June 26, 2015 at 7:41 PM with the headline "The court and the ACA; Confederate feats; sticking with Fox; Pope and Galileo; Rebel mascot."