Resist textbook autocracy

I don't understand the blind loyalty to President Donald Trump by most Republicans in Congress. What is transpiring is not a garden-variety policy dispute.

If Republicans had the moral fortitude to put principle above politics, they might see a frightening parallel noted by author Brian Klaas, Fellow in Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics and an expert on authoritarianism. In 2013, when Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was investigated for corruption, he labeled it a deep state witch hunt, discredited the investigation and eventually fired all the prosecutors conducting the investigation.

This is textbook autocracy, a form of governing that Americans find abhorrent and have resisted vehemently since our inception. Yet all accounts indicate that Trump -- along with Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and others -- may be doing the exact same thing.

Republicans need to remember that, when Trump's presidency ends, irreparable damage will have been done. History will record those who empowered, enabled and became accomplices to Trump's behavior.

Richard Cherwitz, Austin

Represent citizens, not immigrants

Re: "Trump hails 'new American moment' -- He vows push for safety, strength, pride, unity," Wednesday news story.

Listening to President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech, for the first time in eight years I felt proud to be an American.

Our country was founded on the basis of limited government and private property rights, and the founders happened to throw in freedom from government, established and pushed religion, freedom to speak out against a tyrannical government and the freedom to be honestly judged and evaluated by the laws.

Our government is designed to be of, by and for the people. Institutional government, those who work under such and the overall framework of the federal government stepping outside the Constitutional boundaries documents is absurd. Shall not infringe means "shall not infringe." There are no ifs, ands or buts about that.

We've got the only form of government on the planet that actually restricts the government instead of empowering it.

Only a fool would wish the end of such a system, but that's what our Democrat and progressive/regressive liberals want. They could have stood for Americans Tuesday night. They did not.

Their job is to represent American citizens, not undocumented immigrants. If they act otherwise, they are violating their oaths of office and should be fired.

Scott Davis, Dallas

Productive talks on climate

From the economy to infrastructure, there was one topic missing from President Donald Trump's State of the Union address that will impact all areas -- climate change.

For example, climate change and our country's infrastructure are closely intertwined. Natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey devastated the roads and utilities in many Houston-area communities. The Pentagon also highlights our military infrastructure's vulnerabilities, with around half of U.S. military bases being impacted by extreme weather and other climate risks.

While the State of the Union address seems to point out a divided Congress, there is hope. The bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus consists of 34 Republicans and 34 Democrats in the House of Representatives who are having productive conversations about climate solutions.

The DFW community can act on climate by calling their members of Congress and by getting involved with their local chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby. Together, we can work to protect the state of our Union from the impacts of climate change.

Joanna Suh, Carrollton

Floyd right about Melania Trump

Re: "Melania Trump doesn't fit the mold - so what?" by Jacquielynn Floyd, Tuesday Metro & State column.

This is truly a rare time when I totally agree with Floyd. It is so refreshing to see someone say something positive about a member of the Trump camp instead of bashing them!

It must not be easy playing second fiddle to the Donald, and Melania Trump deserves to be able to keep her privacy if she so desires. She deserves all the dignity and respect that all first ladies deserve.

She is not in the news compared to the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt and Laura Bush, but that doesn't mean she is not fulfilling her role. It must be hard to remain humble when you can say, "Our other plane is Air Force One." Kudos to Floyd for an excellent article.

Howard Logan Casada, Duncanville

Milder is a rational Republican

Scott Milder, the only Republican opposing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, is new to the political arena, but he's ready to get the Texas Senate back to business. Milder is a proven supporter of Texas public education -- he and his wife founded Friends of Texas Public Schools.

As a businessman, he understands that the decrease of funding from the state has resulted in higher property taxes and unaffordable insurance premiums for our teachers. Lack of action has resulted in gridlocked highways and an insufficient water supply. Its time to put a rational Republican in Austin.

Dale Howard, Allen

Women sold their silence

Re: "Senators: Return Wynn's funds - 'We should do of ourselves what we ask' of Dems, Graham says," Monday news story.

Casino owner Steve Wynn has given nearly $2.4 million to Republicans since 2013. Filmmaker Harvey Weinstein gave millions to Democrats. Both men are accused by dozens of women of sexual misconduct. Both political parties are desperate to wash their hands.

DNC spokeswoman Sabrina Singh quoted RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel: "If you stand for treating women well and you stand for the respect of women, you shouldn't take money from somebody who treated women with the absolute highest level of disrespect."

Wouldn't that apply to accusers who took hush money? Wynn reportedly paid one of them $7.5 million, three times what he gave to the GOP. What about Hollywood actresses who took film roles and kept quiet?

What these women and their lawyers did was worse than politicians who did not know until now. Instead of speaking up or going to the police, they fostered additional victims by selling their silence.

Ken Ashby, Dallas

Timberlawn coverage gets results

Re: "Timberlawn says it will close on Feb. 16," Thursday Metro & State brief.

I was thrilled and relieved to hear that Timberlawn is closing thanks in large part to The Dallas Morning News' relentless coverage. I had a traumatic experience there nearly 30 years ago, when I was kept against my will for financial gain.

Timberlawn's ownership structure may have changed since then, but the abuses of patients have not. It should have been closed long ago. But at least now, other people will not be harmed, though I hope the doctors and staff who were responsible for reckless and cruel treatment will be held accountable.

As a subscriber to The Dallas Morning News, I was grateful for the opportunity to share my experience when I responded to the paper's outreach to former patients in October. This has inspired me to make a documentary giving voice to former patients. The Dallas Morning News should be proud that its dedicated investigative team helped spotlight a national, systemic issue.

Pat Price, Evanston, Ill.