Looming debt; red-light cameras; keep the trees

Looming debt

In 2008, candidate Obama promised to reduce the national debt from $11 trillion to $5.5 trillion by the end of his first term. Six years later, the debt is $18 trillion.

President Obama’s 2016 budget proposal is $3.999 trillion, which will add $483 billion to the national debt.

To “pay” for this, President Obama proposes 23 new taxes. He claims the taxes will hit the rich, banks and big business.

Where do banks and business get the money to pay these taxes? The middle class use those banks and buy from the businesses.

President Obama claims these increases will help the middle class. (A function of the federal government?) He ignores, or has not thought of, our children and grandchildren who will have to pay this debt after he leaves office.

The Constitution does not task the federal government paying for cellphones, housing, health insurance, food, student loans, etc. These “needs” used to be provided by public/private/religious charitable organizations (volunteers) at the local level.

When will President Obama keep his promise to reduce the national debt instead of finding new programs to spend my taxes on?

— James E. Walling, Azle

Red-light cameras

The recent editorial about red-light cameras ignores the fact that in Port Lavaca, Sugar Land, Willis and Cleveland the voters have filed petitions that the local policymakers refuse to put on the ballot.

The camera vendors have sued to stop these votes and to overturn elections that have already taken place.

There have been six public votes in Texas and they have all gone against the cameras by as much as 77 percent.

There is nothing left to prove, Texans oppose this program overwhelmingly.

Enforcement that violates the public trust is bad for everyone.

The local authorities have proven they can’t even follow the meager restrictions that already exist.

It is time to stop putting profit over safety.

It’s time to support the statewide red-light camera ban.

— Byron Schirmbeck, Baytown

Keep the trees

I own a house in an older part of Euless. The first thing a contractor does when redoing a property is scrape it clean. All old-growth trees are gone.

Come summer, all you hear from the proud new owner is how hot it is and how high the electric bill is.

Google-Earth my property in spring, summer, or fall and you’d be lucky to see even 5 square feet of roof. It’s all canopy. The bills are manageable. There’s sweet shade, cicadas, birds and squirrels.

Keep the tree ordinance and some common sense. Progressive, yes; we must be.

But keep as much green and trees as is possible.

— Phil Holland, Bedford

This story was originally published February 12, 2015 at 5:52 PM with the headline "Looming debt; red-light cameras; keep the trees."