High water bills; the Catholic Church; Trump and conservatism

High water bills

I see we are not the only residence that received excessive water bills.

Our bill was more than double for last month. I called the water department and was informed that a technician would check the meter.

While waiting, I checked the meter myself and found two inches of dirt and tree roots covering the meter and the glass cover over the meter.

I had to clean the glass cover with soap and water before I could read it.

When the technician came by Thursday, I showed him the dirt and tree roots that I took out of the meter box and it was determined that there was not a leak.

I again called the water department, and the clerk I talked with was not concerned.

I asked for an adjustment and she only told me that if I did not pay ($294) I would be charged a penalty! (Our last bill was around $140.)

I can only conclude that these excessive increases were deliberate!

— Kenneth Alford, Arlington

The Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church’s “conservative” and “liberal” leaders are not political parties.

Church leaders are supposed to be faithful to Jesus Christ. (See: “Pope Francis makes major change in process of annulling marriages,” Sept. 9)

The news report said changes are meant to meet needs of the ordinary faithful.

Those who are faithful do not get divorced and are not in need of an annulment.

Those who are faithful do not get an abortion as this is an intrinsic evil taught by the church.

So these changes are for the unfaithful who do not practice their faith and who want to be reconciled to the church to participate in Holy Communion.

— Deborah Fleischmann,

Fort Worth

Trump and conservatism

I do not believe that Donald Trump represents true conservatism in any shape or form.

Any candidate who seriously proposes to send over 12 million persons illegally in the U.S. back to their home countries is either totally delusional or a demagogue.

Trump’s promise to do just that, and how the promise has not caused public outrage, blows my mind.

Such a massive forced deportation would cost billions, involving the need for thousand of special buses and trains accompanied by thousands of guards. It would tie our legal system in knots for years.

The failure of our government to completely close our borders is the fault of our leadership, not the fault of desperate people trying to enter this country to find a better life.

— William Brown, Arlington

Before the Iraq war, Trump said it would be a disaster. Conservatives described people on his side as un-American or unpatriotic and used phrases such as “don’t support the troops”, “support Bin Laden”, “if you don’t like this country leave” — blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

I’m confused. Where in the world do you people stand?

— Jay Fuller, Richland Hills

To those who attended the anti-Trump rally on Labor Day: You may have accurate, logical points that I missed, since I am not multilingual. I applaud your bilingual skills.

But the display of another nation's flag did not improve my impression of the rally.

— Janie Jackson,

North Richland Hills

This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 5:50 PM with the headline "High water bills; the Catholic Church; Trump and conservatism."