Our basic democracy isn’t partisan. Joe Biden standing up for it isn’t just politics | Opinion

Just let them break the rules?

Perhaps Republicans should ask Nicole Russell to give the next rebuttal to the State of the Union. (March 10, 4C, “Biden promised unity, but State of Union was angry, partisan”) After reading her column, I felt as if I had just watched Sean Hannity on Fox News.

Is it partisan for a sitting president to fight for our democracy when his opponent and the opposing party are trying to redefine it? Is it wrong for a sitting president to be angry when he knows he will be heckled with inappropriate outbursts by people who break the rules? No mention of that in her column.

Maybe Russell should go back and watch Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in 2020 and comment on that.

- William Coleman, Fort Worth

Biden is the divider in chief

I read a story that called President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech an “optimistic” address. It struck me as an angry old man tired of having his decisions questioned. You could find optimism in the speech if you look forward to millions more immigrants coming into the country illegally or don’t mind prices continuing to go up, because the rate of increase was slowing down.

Biden, the person who was going to unite the country, continues to be the divider in chief. I’m not necessarily a big fan of Donald Trump, either, but he would do less damage to this country than Biden.

The only optimistic thing I see is that with any luck, Biden has only a few more months in office.

- Ed Newsom, Keller

Lockheed Martin get it right

President Joe Biden got it right in his State of the Union speech: CEOs want an educated workforce. That’s how I completed my education.

Lockheed Martin reimbursed its employees if they successfully completed job-related courses. I paid for other courses that the university required for a degree.

Corporations should provide tuition reimbursement to their employees. Lockheed’s plan worked for me, and it worked for Lockheed.

- Bettye Parker, Trophy Club

Energetic, but spoke too loudly

Watching President Joe Biden’s campaign speech — oops, his State of the Union speech — I was impressed with the energy he displayed and his ability to stand at the podium for more than an hour. Also, he seemed to be shouting rather than speaking at a normal tone. Could he have been on something or was that the “new” Biden?

- Angela Benvenuto, Arlington

Finally, Trump made me laugh

Donald Trump recently gave himself the new nickname “Honest Don.” Can somebody pick me up off the floor? That’s quite possibly the joke of the century. Who knew he was such a comedian?

- Graham Donathan, Benbrook

Taking food off of children’s plates

Texas children in danger of going hungry on weekends and holidays will face even greater challenges this summer because Gov. Greg Abbott has rejected $450 million in federal funding that would provide summer meals for 3.8 million eligible Texas children. This is indefensible at a time that funding for pandemic aid programs is winding down.

Abbott has rejected hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid funds, keeping Texas as the state with the highest percentage of uninsured residents. Food insecurity, lack of health insurance, high maternal mortality rates, poorly paid teachers and underfunded public schools make Texas a leader among states with failing social safety nets.

Texas has the resources to ensure that children are healthy, well-educated and well-fed. It lacks the political leadership to do so.

- Karen Myers, Fort Worth