To the editor: In his guest column “Evolve, Please,” (March 25, 2009), writer E.R. Bills gave us another eye-opening mini-chapter on the legacy of former President George W. Bush and his cronies.
History will be the final judge of his presidency, and Bills hit on the points that will be considered in that final analysis.
We need to do more than just “credit” the Bush with these monumental mistakes, bordering on criminal acts, that occurred during his administration. There was plenty of assistance provided to the decay of our morals and to the high integrity that the United States used to boast about to the world, as the foundation of our democracy.
With Bush out and Obama in, our country will reclaim its rightful legacy as the world’s leader once again.
Kayla Roth
Fort Worth
Change Comes Home
To the editor: You do not have to wait four more years to help a plummeting economy.
Mayor Mike Moncrief is up for re-election in May of this year (Static, Feb. 25, 2009) and U.S. Rep. Kay Granger in November of next year. You already have a choice in the mayor’s race.
Remember those earmarks, pork, bribery, whatever you choose to call it, and the recent welfare check handed to the president by Congress. No problem: The president will not sign any bill with pork in it – at least that’s what he said before the election. But he signed it.
The congress-woman voted against it. Now it’s a fact that the Trinity River Vision project gets a big infusion of $8 million. Earmarks for the project, now estimated to cost $576 million, were secured by Granger, a Republican, with the support of Moncrief, a Democrat.
In May, forget Democrat and Republican and think of incumbents. Give old Clyde Picht a try in May and then take a close look next November. Congress and local government are as much of our problem as the executive branch in dealing with the downturn in the economy.
Remember, we the voters are to blame also. The first opportunity for real change is in May.
Jack O. Lewis
Haltom City
Stay Off the Rails
To the editor: The consequences of train hopping (“Renaissance of the Rails,” March 18, 2009) can be devastating and are completely preventable. Hopping aboard railroad equipment is extremely dangerous and anything but glamorous or nostalgic as depicted in your article. Newspaper stories and movies that romanticize train-hopping are irresponsible and are a disservice to communities, especially youth. A simple slip of a foot can cause the loss of a limb and oftentimes death.
It is important to separate fact from fiction, especially for children. Being on railroad property is dangerous and illegal. We encourage everyone to please use common sense, and for your own safety, stay off railroad property.
Samuel Stephenson
Manager of Public Safety
Union Pacific
Spring, Texas
Clarifications
In the Last Call column of March 18, 2009, a reference to Curtis Mathes Way in Arlington should have noted that the street was named for businessman Curtis Mathes, whose family owned the land where the Arlington Highlands Lifestyle Center currently sits. Mathes died in a plane crash in 1984, and his family memorialized him when the center was developed.
In that same issue, photos that ran with the cover story, “Renaissance of the Rails,” should have been credited to Peter Gorman. And cutline information for one photo was incorrect: it was taken at Peter Gorman’s home office.
Fort Worth Weekly regrets the error and omissions.
