Letters to the Editor | Week of Nov. 4-9, 2024

Mailer offends

I received a mailer from the Republican Party of Texas to support Mayra Flores’ campaign for Congress. In big, bold letters it reads, “Never Again!” with a photo of people we may assume are wading across the Rio Grande and a headline from PBS: “Officials find bodies of 9 migrants who died trying to cross Rio Grande into Texas.”

How disgusting — using people’s tragedy as campaign fodder.

The reality is that it’s the Republican Party that has stood steadfast against providing sufficient funding for border security — including money Donald Trump redirected away from proven efforts to fight drug trafficking in order to build his largely symbolic, ineffectual wall. It is the Republican Party that refuses to provide sufficient funding for Border Patrol to provide enough agents at ports of entry to enable people to cross legally. It’s the Republican Party that has stood, time and time again — for decades — in the way of commonsense immigration reform.

The Republican Party doesn’t want to solve America’s immigration problem because it wants to be able to run on it as a campaign issue. They proved that earlier this year when, at Donald Trump’s request, they shot down the bipartisan bill that had been negotiated in the Senate.

“Shutting down the border” doesn’t solve the problem, it only creates misery. We need commonsense immigration reform that keeps the country safe and enables people to come legally who want to build a better life for themselves — just like Mayra Flores’ family did. We wouldn’t get it if Flores were elected.

Mark J. Kaswan

Brownsville

If I were Trump

If I were Donald Trump, I think I’d have thrown up my hands and given up. “You win, leftists, I can’t take it any more, I’ll drop out.”

There are limits to human endurance. The same week he announced his decision to run, the New York City district attorney filed charges against him. Charged with more than 90 felonies. It was a coordinated lawfare campaign of shock and awe.

They spied on his first campaign. The FBI raided his home. Colorado tried barring him from the state’s ballot. His tax returns were leaked to the media. They impeached him twice. The media attacked him and his family nonstop from every angle, driving three would-be assassins to make attempts on his life.

If I were him, I’d think, “I don’t need all this! I could just fade away, enjoy my billions, my beautiful wife, kids and golf, comfortable in my golden years.”

Why does he stay around? It makes no objective sense.

The reason is simple: He is a man of iron will who has never allowed himself to be bullied into submission. These qualities are vital to global diplomacy. I rather like this spirit of dogged perseverance.

Jamey Honaker

Combes

Editor’s note: We welcome your letters and commentary. Submissions must include the writer’s full name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters of 200 words or fewer will be given preference. Submissions may be edited for length, grammar and clarity. Letters may be mailed to P.O Box 3267, McAllen, Texas 78502-3267, or emailed to letters@myRGV.com.

The post Letters to the Editor | Week of Nov. 4-9, 2024 appeared first on MyRGV.com.