Congressional Democrat defending President Biden has a history of embarrassing himself | Opinion

Hank Johnson’s funny credibility

I had to laugh today while reading the opinion piece by Debra J. Saunders, (“A question for ‘elderly man with a poor memory.’” (March 19, 10A) She quoted Rep. Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, trying to pin Robert Hur, the special counsel who investigated President Joe Biden’s confidential document storage issue, into a partisan corner in an attempt to discredit Hur’s findings.

Johnson is the brilliant mind who once asked Department of Defense officials why they wanted to put a military base near the edge of Guam. He feared the island would “capsize” from the weight of the base — proving we don’t always send our best and brightest to Washington.

- Steve Himes, Fort Worth

Better ways to teach students

As an educator for more than 50 years, I never had discipline problems or low achievement on tests, despite many students refusing to practice daily for exams. Here are guaranteed ways to retain teachers and improve student behavior:

• Eliminate state standardized exams and the resulting pressure on teachers and kids to perform.

• Drop homework. It’s useless.

• No failures. Have students correct mistakes with peer support, then receive a minimum passing grade.

• Provide a relaxing 45-minute lunch break, not 20 minutes to gobble food.

• Give teachers autonomy over planning and topics.

• Provide weekly classes in art, music, physical education and home skills, along with library time.

• Make algebra optional but require general math and civics.

- Elaine Gallagher Rodriguez, Laredo

Better schools, better educators

Educators can see how little lawmakers care about education when they work so hard to take money out of public schools. Teachers are underpaid, and what are they to think when they see a concentrated effort to send tax money to private schools?

Think ahead for our children — all of them. Provide a decent education for all children. If you keep money in public education, you have a better chance of keeping good teachers.

- Suzie Cate, Southlake

Tell leaders kids come first

Texas school districts stand to lose $300 million in Medicaid funds. Who will suffer? Teachers, parents and students, especially special-needs populations who need help the most. Our schools are already underfunded, and they will take a downward turn if we can’t persuade our lawmakers to join us in the fight for quality education.

Contact your local officials and Gov. Greg Abbott. Please join the fight for funding quality education for all.

- Tracy Goodlow, Arlington

Don’t lump us with extremists

Even when some of his points are valid, Bud Kennedy cannot resist broadly attacking conservatives by linking them to extremists. (March 17, 1C, “Group wants to enforce extreme version of far-right beliefs”) Why else waste space on a fringe group that probably has fewer followers than the word count of his commentary?

Kennedy references a post on social network X by the Weatherford-based Young Conservative Federation, ignoring the “maybe” in the statement — which I would interpret to mean a tongue-in-cheek perspective of the suggestions. At least he admits it’s “a few.” But he wrongly separates the concept of promoting “Christian and conservative values … in order to secure the future of a Christian society” as antithetical to “freedom,” “the Constitution” or “evangelism or Christian witness.”

Where does he think those concepts come from? The Founding Fathers based the Constitution on Judeo-Christian principles, as reflected in the writings of people such as John Locke and Adam Smith.

- Mark Carter, Benbrook