Grocery store needed
Re: "Anticipated Tom Thumb falls through -- Developer says he doesn't know why; grocer was set for $5.8M in tax incentives," Tuesday Metro & Business story.
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I was saddened to learn that Tom Thumb had decided to pull out of the planned store at Red Bird. I moved back to Oak Cliff in 2023, and while I am mostly happy with my decision, the lack of quality grocery stores is at the top of my list of complaints.
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I and other neighbors formed an organization, A Better Oak Cliff, to raise our concerns in the hope that a store can be built that serves the 75203/Bishop Arts community.
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Fredrick Terry, Dallas/East Oak Cliff
Vaccines work
I am a World War II baby and grew up during the era of vaccine development. As a child I was quarantined for two to three weeks for mild polio, but my best friend, who sneaked in to see me, was admitted to the Polio Ward at Grady Hospital. Yes, there were hospital wards full of kids with polio, many on iron lungs and many who died.
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As a medical student and resident, I saw the scourge of rubella in pregnancy and countless babies with severe brain anomalies, many dying after birth or suffering severe developmental damage. I also encountered childhood and adult measles with pneumonia requiring hospitalization.
When I completed training, these diseases were rare and endless lives were saved, reflecting the success of childhood vaccination. My son encountered one of the last such diseases, croup-pneumonia with h. influenza and nearly needed mechanical ventilation. This also is rare, again reflecting vaccine development.
Are we willing to return to the pre-vaccine era? Vaccines prevent hospitalization, congenital anomalies and save lives. One great accomplishment of modern medicine is the development of vaccines to prevent disease, especially measles, mumps, yellow fever and rubella.
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Charles R. Rosenfeld, Dallas
AdvertisementKeep safe hemp products
Re: "Total THC Ban Is Overreacting -- Texas lawmakers should take a more measured approach," Dec. 10 editorial.
Banning hemp-derived THC products will have unintended consequences for hemp farmers, truck drivers and the Texas hemp industry, which surpassed $8 billion in revenue last year.
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Stricter regulations will protect consumers from untested, illegal marijuana products, and this can be done without devastating the Texas economy. Restricting the sale of hemp products to licensed alcohol retailers will best protect consumers. The alcohol channel already sells low potency hemp drinks to adults in Texas today, and distributors verify the legality of those products before selling them to retailers. In fact, independent labs test leading hemp beverages today and the results are available online.
These regulations have been extremely effective in Minnesota, which requires that THC beverages are tested and allows them to be sold through alcohol retailers. Minnesota's sensible approach generates hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue each year for the state.
Adults in Texas much prefer to buy THC beverages at the same places they buy beer, wine and spirits and do not want products from unregulated dispensaries.
Safe, low-potency hemp products can be a boon to the Texan economy.
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Jake Bullock, New York, N.Y.
'Profiles in Cowardice'?
In 1955, then Sen. John F Kennedy wrote Profiles in Courage about eight senators who did the right thing in spite of criticism from their party and their constituents and who suffered consequences as a result.
Today, we need a book about representatives and senators who have bent the knee to the far right since they are only concerned about their own reelection. It is appalling to see that both parties are afraid to speak up about what is going on in our government today. Other than Liz Cheney who has paid the price for her bravery in standing up for what is right, there seems to be no others who have the spine to take a stand for what is right.
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I hope some author will soon write a massive volume about all of the spinelessness that is happening to our elected representatives and senators of both parties, who are acting out of fear rather than principle. The book could be called Profiles in Cowardice.
Tom Naylor, North Dallas
Make health care a right
These past months, as women and people of color across the U.S. grapple with election results and the death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, many are questioning the future of health care in America. Health disparities, like rising maternal mortality in Texas due to reproductive restrictions and the burdens of a profit-driven system have highlighted the need to rethink public health care. Millions remain uninsured or face impossible choices between medical care and affordability, worsening outcomes for individuals and driving up costs.
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As a low-income college student, I've personally had to forgo necessary surgeries because of high costs, and I know this system leaves too many behind. While private health care has a role, expanding public options or moving toward a single-payer system could reduce disparities, improve access and bring peace of mind to all Americans.
For those seeking ways to support health equity, Partners in Health is a global nonprofit addressing systemic inequalities and strengthening health care worldwide. It's time for our policies to reflect that health care is a right, not a privilege.
Nadia J. Martinez, El Paso
Track broken promises
We are not even midway through December and Donald Trump has announced there is nothing he can do about grocery prices. It's too hard. Let's keep count, MAGA, as the promises fall to the wayside. The gutter will be full of them.
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Kurt Wolfenbarger, East Dallas
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