LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Electors are supposed to use their judgment

Re: Dec. 20 article, “All but 2 Texas members of the Electoral College choose Donald Trump.”

I take exception to the term “faithless electors.” In my opinion, the real faithless electors aren’t the ones who voted their conscience — as in actuality considering who would be the best choice to lead our nation — but the ones who voted strictly along party lines. The elector’s charge was to think — think! — and use their best judgment about how to move this nation forward as the leader of the free world.

My thanks to those “faithless electors” who stepped out of the party lines and exercised their right to think.

MELODIE GREIDER, DRIPPING SPRINGS

Planned Parenthood provided needed care

Re: Dec. 22 article, “Planned Parenthood ousted from Texas Medicaid, plans to fight in court.”

As a neonatologist, I work on a daily basis with the consequences of unplanned pregnancy and inadequate prenatal care. Planned Parenthood provides contraception, STD treatment, cancer screening, prenatal care, and yes, legal abortion services. Whatever one feels about the morality of abortion, there is no question that Planned Parenthood provides many more benefits that prevent medical tragedies to innocent newborns: vision and hearing loss, intestinal infections that require a lifelong ostomy bag, and brain damage. This suffering can cost millions for a single patient and perpetuates the cycle of poverty. It drives up medical costs for all. The decision of the Texas Health and Human Services inspector general to deny Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood will only cause untold additional misery to the most vulnerable among us.

BRIAN HALL, AUSTIN

Science in Earth spin story sloppily presented

Re: Dec. 29 letter to the editor, “Article on Earth’s spin incorrectly calculated.”

Like the reader who responded to the article on the slowing rotation of our planet, I too was left scratching my head over the nonsensical math as well as its astonishing implication: In ancient times, a day — from sunrise to sunrise — would have been 7 hours shorter than today!

My guess is that the journalist misinterpreted his or her source, which meant to say that, due to the compounded effect of the slowing rotation over time, an imaginary clock set in motion 2,500 years would now be off by about 7 hours. I agree with the letter writer that the science in the article was sloppily presented at best.

STEVE EATON, AUSTIN

Anti-poverty programs must be maintained

Republicans now have majorities in both Houses and soon will have the presidency. Congress may waste no time in attempting to make radical changes to the social safety net, dismantling programs such as SNAP and Medicaid that allow millions of people to make ends meet every year.

The good news is that federal anti-poverty programs have allowed millions to move out of poverty. And despite myths, SNAP and other programs have very low percentages of waste and fraud. In fact, SNAP has a positive economic impact by returning $1.73 in benefits for every $1 spent. We cannot let Congress risk this progress, especially when 13 percent of Travis County residents fall below the poverty line.

I urge Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and my representative, Lamar Smith, to maintain these programs so that even more Americans can be lifted out of poverty.

GLENN ROSS, AUSTIN