Opinion

TO THE EDITOR, The Sealy American Legion Post 442 would recognize John R Selman and Maggie B Selman Foundation and The Abe and Irene Levine Foundation for their donations to the Sealy American Legion. These funds are already earmarked for some much-needed repairs to our Kitchen and Hall.

A federal investigation into five state facilities concluded children in custody face excessive force, sexual abuse and a lack of vital services, The Dallas Morning News reported. At a news conference last week, Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said children held in those facilities are not receiving the treatment and rehabilitation they are supposed to get.

We urgently need to engage more young people in our electoral process. Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the presidential race paves the way for Kamala Harris and Donald Trump to go the extra mile to close the enthusiasm gap and re-engage young people if they want to win the presidency. So far, this has been a glaring shortfall for both major presidential campaigns.

Veterans’ Service Officer for Austin County Hello to all veterans in Austin County. My name is Wayne Cox and I recently had the honor of being named Austin County Veteran’s Service Officer by Austin County Commissioners Court. I proudly served 20 years active and reserve in the United States Naval Reserve retiring as a Lieutenant Commander.

Prisons all across Texas will again be feeling the heat this summer, creating dangerous conditions for the inmates — most of whom are nonviolent offenders — serving their time before reentering society as well those who must report every day to work in those sweltering environs.

Immediately after the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, we have heard Republicans and Democrats calling for a change in campaign rhetoric. While the shooting might or might not have been politically motivated, concern has been growing about violence being inspired by overheated, aggressive comments from those running for office.

Over the last four years, President Biden has built an impressive record of achievement in the economy, the environment, healthcare and rights. On his watch, unemployment rates hit a historic low, inflation-adjusted wages of low-wage workers grew 12 percent, and the number of Americans lacking health insurance dropped by 26 percent. Violent crime has fallen to some of the lowest levels in 50 years, while worker and consumer protections have been significantly expanded.

Looking around these strange days, I am reminded of a story: This farmer trained his two prize roosters for the cockfight. The afternoon of the fight, he put his two roosters in a cage and drove his truck to the cockfight. When the farmer got there, he went to the back of the truck. He could not believe what he saw. There were no roosters in the cage — nothing but blood and feathers. He muttered, “They didn’t realize they were on the same side.”