Edwards should stick with ‘no’

Less than six months ago, U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards assured constituents in various town hall meetings and in the Tribune-Herald that he would withhold his support of any health care legislation that fails on any of several counts. He stated he will vote against any health care bill that adds a single penny to our deficit, includes any cuts in Medicare or fails to hold members of Congress to the very same provisions.

Congressional Budget Office scoring of the Senate health care bill now before the House of Representatives shows it would do enormous damage to our deficits, damage in the billions of dollars. It will cause severe restrictions in services to elderly Medicare recipients. And, predictably, once again the Senate bill exempts itself and Congress from the damage this legislation does to all other American citizens.

True to his word, Edwards voted against the House health care bill last fall. Much turbulent water has passed under the bridge since that vote, water that has been very muddy and full of all sorts of foul-smelling debris, offering none of the transparency our president pledged to provide barely one year before.

None of Edwards’ stated standards have been met in the Senate health care bill. None of his concerns has been addressed. If his word or his honor mean anything to him, he’ll continue voting no in the anticipated upcoming House vote on the Senate health care bill.

Jim Mitchell

Waco

Clearing up court matters

I would like to clear up some misinformation noted in a Jan. 13 letter about the upcoming McLennan County district attorney election.

It was stated that if Abel Reyna is elected district attorney, there will be a significant cost to county taxpayers if cases are appealed to the 10th Court of Appeals. The writer is under the mistaken assumption that McLennan County would have to pay for a visiting judge because of the fact that Abel’s father, Judge Felipe Reyna, sits on the 10th Court of Appeals and would therefore have to recuse himself on these cases.

Several years ago, the Texas Legislature stopped appropriating funds for appellate court visiting judges. If Justice Felipe Reyna or any other member of the 10th Court of Appeals recuses himself on a case, there is absolutely no additional cost to the taxpayers. The chief justice of the Supreme Court appoints a sitting district judge from outside the 10th appellate district to serve on the panel for that particular case. That district judge receives no additional pay or travel reimbursement.

Paul Thurman

Lorena

Immigration headaches

Congress has lost its mind. One in six children lives below the poverty line, yet Congress allows thousands of immigrants into our country each month, all needing housing, medical care and education. Some 28 million Americans subsist on food stamps, while 20 million illegal aliens take jobs from Americans without jobs.

How many more people can we absorb? Some 1,650 illegal immigrants pour into California daily — and in a financial crisis, it means more people for the taxpayer to pay for. This does not make sense.

La Raza and other immigration-friendly groups skillfully employ the intimidating tactic of calling anyone opposed to illegal immigration “racist.”

Mexico is richer in resources than the United States, but its culture has made it a violent, corrupt, impoverished nation. Who can blame its people for fleeing to a better place? But if they believe they can just take wealth away from Americans, that wealth could run out for us all.

Greg Coody

Waco

Great job by teen leaders

This letter is to offer public thanks to Teen Leadership Waco for its fundraiser, “Diaperpalooza!” benefiting Talitha Koum Institute.

What a great group of teens. They deserve a standing ovation.

Nan Holmes

Waco

I’ll stick with ‘Doc’

I would like to go on the record as a progressive liberal who has rarely supported or voted for a conservative politician until state Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson. He has my full support. I feel the same way about Anderson that I did about Ronald Reagan. Politics aside, I know a good man when I see one. Any man who spends his professional life treating sick and injured animals already has my profound respect and admiration.

Taking up state politics for such a paltry salary tells me Anderson’s not in it for the money. I hope he runs for re-election. He’s got my vote.

David Orosz

Waco

Obama and spending

Last Wednesday evening, we saw something extraordinary. We saw a president who has lost the confidence of the American people blame everyone but himself. He lectured the Supreme Court justices, complained about Senate procedure and pointed the finger of blame yet again at his predecessor.

But the most disturbing lack of leadership was when he, as one of the biggest spenders in American history, gave the country a lecture about the dangers of spending too much.

Incredible! After President Barack Obama increased domestic spending by 24 percent over the last Bush budget, he now claims he’s found religion and wants to control spending.

If he was really serious about slowing down spending, he would cancel his $1.2 trillion nationalized health care plan; cancel his cap-and-trade plan, which will raise costs on every homeowner in America; and rescind his efforts to increase the debt limit to its highest level in history.

Roger Williams

U.S. Senate candidate

Austin