Against selection

I am a 1958 graduate of Baylor University. Our son, daughter and son-in-law also are Baylor graduates. So we were shocked to hear of the recent selection of Ken Starr as the next Baylor president.

It hit us like a slap in the face. Why would the trustees select a person who used the judicial system in an attempt to accomplish political goals that his party could not accomplish through the appropriate channels, such as the ballot box? The answer they have given is that Starr can raise money. It’s outrageous that they would sell the birthright of a great university.

This is a divisive decision. And their mumbling cliches, of bringing the Baylor community together, are unbelievable when they have just chosen one of the most divisive people one could imagine. My grandson will not attend Baylor if Starr is still president.

Dr. Forrest Wood Jr.

Hattiesburg, Miss.

Taking responsibility

President Barack Obama criticized former presidential candidate John McCain as still being in campaign mode. Well, the president needs to take his own advice. It is time he stop making promises and start fulfilling ones already made.

The president is not a king, and he should stop acting like one. By dismissing the arguments of Republicans, Obama has insulted not only the Republicans but also the American people.

By the way, I’m not proud of everything the previous administration did, but on the whole I am proud of it. The president needs to stop denigrating previous administrations and stop apologizing for them. Man-up and start taking responsibility for your own presidency.

Hal Ericksen

Waco

By whatever means

I am hoping and encouraging the Democrats to do whatever is necessary to pass the health care reform bill. Millions of us are in need of health insurance that we can afford. I don’t understand why those opposed don’t care about those in desperate need.

Please call your representatives to cooperate with our president on this matter. And I urge the Democrats to use whatever means necessary — namely the budget reconciliation rule — to get this bill passed.

Barbara Collier

Waco

Expensive Austin digs

Is it really necessary for Gov. Rick Perry and his wife to live in a three-story mansion at a cost of $10,000 to the Texas taxpayers? Former Gov. Bill Clements moved into a $1,500-per-month condominium when repairs forced him out of the Austin governor’s mansion. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee moved into a mobile home, saying, “I’m a Republican, trying to save the taxpayers’ money.”

Other Perry facts:

* He cost taxpayers $12,000 to attend a bachelor’s party in Las Vegas.

* Taxpayers paid $32,000 when he attended private meetings with campaign donors in New York.

* Perry and his wife took nine trips to foreign countries that cost $260,000.

* Perry was not a millionaire until after he became a politician.

It seems there is no recession going on in Perry’s world, thanks to Texans.

Billy Mitchell

Crawford