Letters to the Editor — John McCaa, gun laws, Israel, housing, vouchers, Walt Garrison

Turn down the temperature

Re: “America’s middle, now’s the time to speak up — We must restore the virtue of compromise; our democracy depends on it,” by John McCaa, Sunday Opinion.

Thank you, John McCaa, for speaking the words we need to remember and act on.

America depends on respect for all, justice for all and freedom for all. The alternative is what we’re facing today: finger-pointing, too many laws and too little respect for them, and tyranny for everyone. We need our diverse culture and people thinking about what they want their children’s future to be and acting to create that future.

The purpose of disagreements is to find a compromise solution that works for all of us. Failure to reach a shared future leads to war. War reduces our opportunity to live productively.

There are times, as with Ukraine and Israel, where war is inevitable, but peace will not come from war. It will come only when reasonable leaders on both sides of the conflict can reach a compromise solution that works for everyone.

As McCaa writes, we need to reduce the hyperbole and identify what’s causing the anger. Reduce the temperature. Search for the source of the agony and plan on ways to reduce it. Stop the warmongering. Fix what’s broken.

Ray Johnston, Heath

McCaa’s thoughts welcome

John McCaa, we welcome your thoughts on The American Middle platform with great relief and appreciation that you care to “wake us up” to not be silent and complicit in the world today. Front page would be the place for your words in bold typeface. Thank you.

Teresa Klembara, Garland

Sensible columnists unite

Re: “The data continues to show: gun laws work — Statistics from states with stricter gun laws tell us what we need to know,” by Philip Courtney Hogan, Sunday Opinion.

Thanks for the Hogan column on the data that shows that stricter gun laws are effective and the McCaa column on the virtues of political civility and compromise — both columns in the same edition. The authors should get together and jointly write a piece on commonsense gun restrictions. The American middle would be grateful.

Brad Kizzia, Dallas

Gift betrayed

Israel handed the people of Gaza a beautiful gift when it unilaterally withdrew all forces from the territory in 2005. Instead of seeking to form a real country with well-defined borders dating back to biblical times, Hamas decided to betray the gift and continue their hateful work seeking the destruction of the entire state of Israel and the genocidal elimination of all Jews.

If you have any doubt about their true intentions, read Article Seven of the Hamas Covenant 1988 and listen to the words of the anti-Israel protesters on our city streets excusing the Hamas barbarism as mere resistance.

John Riggs, Highland Park

Proportional response impossible

Readers, let me tell you something. Israel would consider a proportional response, but none of Israel’s soldiers are willing to go into Gaza and brutally rape, murder and kidnap children. There you have exactly what proportionally would have looked like!

Sofia Poliak, Far North Dallas

What affordable apartments?

The headlines over the past several months have consistently referenced the affordable housing shortage and apartment construction. Have I missed the part where a percentage of the units being built will actually be affordable for the working poor?

Maybe now that Mayor Eric Johnson is a Republican, all of our problems with homelessness, lack of affordable housing, potholes large enough to swallow a VW, crime and whatever else ails our majority Democratic city of Dallas will magically disappear.

Bonnie L. Mathias, Dallas/Pleasant Grove

Let’s vote on vouchers

I am a retired teacher. I taught elementary school for 35 years. In November the state will be voting on giving a raise to retired teachers. We have billions of dollars in reserve funds so the state could give a raise without having to vote.

The governor wants to dictate school vouchers and issues of women’s health but won’t approve a raise despite the billions in excess. Why can’t we vote on school vouchers and issues of women’s health?

I always thought the Republican Party was one that wanted to leave such decisions to the people of the state. When did our state government become a dictatorship?

Dan Rech, Dallas

Kicking the barn down

“Any jackass can kick a barn down, but it takes a good carpenter [and intelligence, skill and perseverance] to build one” is a quotation attributed to Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas. It appears that a substantial number of House Republicans have arrogated to themselves the historic symbol of the Democratic Party.

William F. Sanderson Jr., Dallas/Lake Highlands

A Cowboy’s best line

Re: “The genuine article — A tough-as-leather Cowboy to his core, Garrison’s humor, kindness recalled,” Friday SportsDay obituary.

I have always thought Walt Garrison’s best line was during an interview when he was asked if Tom Landry ever smiled. True to form, Garrison replied “I don’t know for sure, I only played there for nine years.”

Wayne Bower, North Dallas

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