Letters to the editor: Aug. 9, 2020

McGee’s guiding principle

was to seek excellence

Re: Aug. 1 article, “Readers recall Austin ‘model for excellence’ Principal McGee” and July 16 article, “Austin History: Trailblazing principal ‘broke the good ol’ boy network with a smile.’”

As an assistant principal in the time of Jackie McGee's service as principal of Austin High School, I wish to add my appreciation for her time there.

Her guiding principle for young men and women as well as faculty was to seek excellence in every way. "If it is worth doing, do it well!"

Jackie hired people who loved kids and taught them with pleasure and quality. I'm grateful for having been one of them.

Claire Breihan, Austin

Let others err; we’ll use

only the ideas that work

I'm relieved to see that we have public leaders who are leading with clarity and sanity, unlike some members of the Austin City Council. They remind me of a dog chasing a car; sooner or later you might catch up with the back wheels of that car you're chasing.

Fortunately, we have some leadership who don't follow the madding crowd. They see this insanity for what it is, just another poorly thought out idiotic nonsensical idea that won't work.

Why don't we let some of these other out-of-control cities lead the way for defunding the police. Let's be the settlers and not the pioneers. After all, pioneers get shot, and in this case literally, and let's be the settlers. Let others make horrible mistakes and use the good ideas that might actually work.

We're better off with the devil we know than the devil we don't know.

Bill Scott, Austin

Disaster highlights need

for safety regulations

As we look with horror at the post-explosion photos of Beirut, once known as the Paris of the Middle East, don’t believe that it couldn’t happen here.

The current administration’s policy is to deregulate government programs that were designed to protect our food, medicine, workplaces, natural places, air, water and infrastructure and prevent them from becoming a threat to our health and well-being.

Let’s not wait for a disaster to learn the critical importance of government regulation, transparency and responsibility.

Robin Dennis, Austin

Williams is fighting.

But on whose behalf?

Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin, headlined his latest newsletter “Fighting For You In Congress.” I wonder exactly who Williams is fighting for besides rich Republican businessmen like himself.

As federal benefits ran out for millions of jobless Texans, Williams (net worth: $67 million) balked at extending more. “Zero is the number for me,” he said.

As school districts struggle with how to open during a pandemic, Williams makes not a peep about how Congress can help.

As the number of uninsured Texans skyrockets, Williams shamelessly opines that any new health legislation must cover "pre-existing conditions and pay clear attention to the integral role of rural hospitals in our communities.”

Shameless because Williams voted against an infrastructure bill that would help keep rural hospitals open. Shameless because he’s dead set on repealing the law that already covers pre-existing conditions: Obamacare.

Fighting for us? More like gaslighting. Haven’t we had enough of that?

Brenda Bell, Austin

Tie pandemic relief to

states handling it best

The current challenge-of-the-century gave GOP leaders a chance to back up their bluster, to show their leadership skills and implement an effective nationwide response to the pandemic. Thankfully, not all joined the president playing the blame game or waiting for it to go away. But too many followed his ill-informed base. Then, in the absence of a coordinated national response, the states implemented a crazy quilt of policies making the problem worse.

To correct that problem, national pandemic relief legislation should unify state efforts. For example, financial relief should compensate only those residents whose states implement effective masking and stay-at-home orders that affect their income. This compensation should last for, say, two months initially and until COVID-19 cases drop to minimal levels. Then, we can enjoy the freedom of returning to school, church, ball fields and voting booths.

Woody Raine, Smithville