Edward B. Williams, Pearland
Regarding “Texas voting law builds on long legacy of racism from GOP leaders,” (Sept. 15): I am so tired of all the whining by Democrats over the new Texas voting laws. The laws were enacted primarily to replace temporary voting procedures put in place due to COVID-19. Those procedures, including mail-in ballots, 24-hour, drive-thru voting were never promised to be permanent. But Democrats have long recognized that a substantial number of voters will not vote if voting is the least bit inconvenient. Thus Democrats feel they must hand-feed them. Imagine the whining volume if the Texas Legislature had instead adopted the New Hampshire voting procedures, which permit absentee voting, but not early voting.
Rob Higgins, Richmond
Regarding “Editorial: Another Texas casualty of Abbott’s lax COVID response? It’s the economy, stupid,” (Sept. 13): Thank you for putting a dollar figure on the economic cost of unemployment. Let me go a bit further. Although I’m not unemployed, here’s a short list of purchases and activities that I have forgone and will continue to forgo until the anti-vaccination cohort gets vaccinated, or the pandemic dies down.
Since March 2020:
No restaurant dining, carryout only.
No visits to museums, events at such places as Discovery Green, farmers markets or movie theaters.
No shopping other than necessary grocery items. (I have purchased a sweater, a T-shirt and a pair of sneakers.)
No medical appointments with the optometrist (therefore, no purchase of new glasses), the dentist or physical therapist. Well Woman yearly check-up only.
No group exercise; streaming exercise only.
No flights to North Carolina to visit relatives. (There would have normally been four visits in this time frame,)
No volunteer work with others; checks only to charity.
And, worst of all, no end in sight.
I don’t know what all this isolation costs, but it’s made me pretty angry at politicians and individuals who refuse science and have no concern for others’ lives.
Doris Murdock, Houston
This content was originally published here.
