Stockyards; political mess; radical politicians
Stockyards
We were recently in Fort Worth visiting our kids.
It was like going back in time, with a sweet cowboy feel, pork tacos at the H3 Ranch restaurant, the longhorns and the police officers on horseback.
We were saddened to read about a California outfit’s plan to demolish 23 buildings and make the Stockyards more like California, and about the City Council’s disregard for local residents.
It’s sickening that the council wants to ramrod this without any design presentation.
Please preserve this authentic Texas destination!
Joe and Debbie
Dauenhauer, Ashland, Ore.
Political mess
We’re in a mess — the highest levels of inequality of any advanced nation, an almost totally dysfunctional political system, and politicians bought lock, stock and barrel by billionaires — not by accident but totally by design.
You can trace it back to Lewis Powell’s 1971 memo, a reveille, not for radicals, but for big business to organize against — uh, well, us, the rest of the population.
Thus began the reactionary revolution, funded by the Kochs, the Scaifes and other right-wing billionaires.
They funded think tanks and bought support in the media and universities, even creating their own media empire, complete with its own set of “facts.”
A mere 10 years after the Powell memo, Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president.
Not surprisingly, he did the bidding of them that brung ‘em, going after labor unions, lowering taxes on the wealthy and trying to dismantle the New Deal.
The 2008 recession and a xenophobic, blowhard front-runner are natural byproducts of our toxic political system controlled by the mega-rich.
The choice we now have is clear.
Do we continue to let the billionaire class control our politics and government, or do we act before it’s too late?
Ken Wheatcroft-Pardue, Fort Worth
Radical politicians
I’m sick and tired of self-righteous politicians having the audacity to call themselves “conservative” Republicans.
Please let me set things straight: These people are not conservatives and they’re not Republicans.
They are far-right-wing, extremest, political/religious fanatics.
They think that because they “believe” that God and the Constitution tell them what’s right and what’s wrong, they are ordained to impose — no, force —these “beliefs” on everyone, in spite of the fact that they’re wrong on almost every issue they champion, from gay marriage to global warming.
Their motto: “My mind’s made up. Don’t confuse me with the facts.”
Does this “my way or the highway” radical philosophy sound like that of a certain Muslim political/religious fanatic group?
Of course, radical groups, such as the John Birch Society, have been a part of out political system throughout our history.
Fortunately, the majority of Americans have always been able to see the facts.
John F. Bigony,
Arlington
This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Stockyards; political mess; radical politicians."