Letters are posted as we receive them during the week, and before they are printed in the paper, so check back frequently to see new letters. If you'd like to send a letter to the editor, use this postmarks submission form, or email your letter directly to [email protected]. Thanks for your patience.

Dear Editor,
    John Adams wrote, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Adams must be turning over in his grave knowing that in the 2016 presidential election, over 25 million Christians decided not to vote. Elections have consequences that affect every aspect of our lives, for better or worse. Therefore, a Christian who voluntarily abdicates his constitutional right to vote is responsible, at least to some degree, for bad laws, while at the same time can take no credit for any good legislation.
    Since 1973 there have been over 60 million abortions; each year there are 70,000 drug overdose deaths, 32,000 suicides, 1.2 million divorces; [there is] massive human trafficking along our open southern border, a $12 billion U.S. pornography industry, politicians advocating socialism, and much more. Obviously, America has enormous problems which are existential threats to our very republic. Ronald Reagan warned that “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
    America is sliding toward Gomorrah, for the most part, because Christians have abstained from politics and surrendered the public square without a fight. The deterioration of our culture is near its critical mass; Christian involvement into the political arena is America’s only salvation.
    History will record our decisions; God Almighty will judge them. Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.”

Dear Editor,
    Your article on Project Connect was good [“Get On Board,” News, Jan. 17]. What is missing from the analysis is the fact that automobile driving is the most heavily subsidized activity in our society. The social costs involved are almost incalculable, and this was a conscious decision over the past century.
    The city must be able to calculate the real value of a car NOT driven and use that as the financial basis for its plans. But remember, any attempt by the city to supplant car culture will be vigorously opposed by the petro-industrial complex. Investing in mass transit is a good idea, but without broad social support, it will not pass.

Dear Editor,
    Seeing that Stephen Colbert will be appearing at this year's SXSW reminded me of something he said nearly two years ago, which I recently came across ["SXSW Schedules Supernatural Retrospective, Stephen Colbert, and More," Daily SXSW, Jan. 13].
    On March 29, 2018, during an interview with Dana Carvey, they both were laughing about a skit from The Dana Carvey Show involving Bill Clinton breastfeeding puppies, which resulted in millions of viewers switching channels. As they both laughed about this, Colbert said: "Wiped out our audience faster than Columbus did the Indians. Just genocide!"
    I was shocked and saddened to hear Colbert laughingly speak anti-human garbage like this, and wrote to him about it; haven't yet heard anything back. I wonder if it's not too late to ask him to apologize, prior to his arrival at SXSW, for this sad, crude remark.

Dear Editor,
    I would like to suggest an alternative to the proposed routing of the Blue Line ["Get On Board," News, Jan. 17] – a routing which voters rejected in 2014. Instead of crossing Lady Bird Lake, the Blue Line should run west from the airport, cross Congress Avenue, and then run south along Lamar.
    This route has several advantages: 1) It saves the cost of a bridge across the lake. (They don’t come cheap.) 2) It would attract many voters (and riders) living along South Lamar. (The current proposal running east of the UT campus would attract few additional voters since it is so close to the Orange Line.) 3) It would provide a simple connection to the Orange Line. (With the current proposal, someone coming from the Domain would require three separate trips to get to the airport. It would also save the cost of the planned interconnection between the two lines.) 4) Park-and-ride buses coming from South MoPac, U.S. 290, and 71 could drop commuters off at the southwest terminus of the Blue Line, thus avoiding Downtown congestion. Those wishing to reach Highland could get there with a short ride from Crestview Station using the existing Red Line rail service.

Dear Editor,
    Who is doing the people's work beside President Trump? The GOP and Dems are playing Washington war games and they've placed our urgent issues on hold. It really is outrageous. The extreme cost of the games is in the millions of our tax dollars. There has be thousands of hours that could have been used to resolve urgent issues.
    The Democrats love to say that President Trump is "impeached forever" but soon the Senate will be also happy to announce that President Trump is "acquitted forever" and the real losers in all this are the American people, who once again are privileged to have a "do-nothing" but play politics Congress.
    There is bad blood on both sides and it will not stop after the Senate trial and the acquittal of President Trump. Both sides will continue to fight each other every step of the way on every issue and it's now up to the American people to vote in new blood and to get rid of the old guard dogs! We need to rebuild the House and the Senate with new blood or issues will never be resolved in an intelligent joint effort of left and right. Hopefully voters will be intelligent and see through this nonsense and will start the rebuilding in the next several elections.
    

Dear Editor,
    Train boosters, including the Chronicle, are depending on community amnesia ["Get On Board," News, Jan. 17]. The reasons we rejected the train in 2000 and 2014, like cost effectiveness, construction traffic nightmares and rider stigmatization remain constant.
    We rejected a $1 billion train and are now going to swallow a $10 billion train?
    The whole capacity discussion is sort of ridiculous given the only time the system has ever approached capacity was during the fare-free years of 1989-91. Ridership is usually anemic and depends mostly on gas prices. Pouring billions into something and wishing for people to ride it is an expensive gamble. Building out a bus system that is frankly performing better than ever is a much safer and infinitely cheaper bet. [Bus rapid transit] is flexible and high-capacity, and when it's fare-free it's fast AF.

Dear Editor,
    Capital Metro really is "unique." How many other Texas public transit agencies made it their apparent mission to delete public access to hospitals, health care clinics, libraries, government offices, and other facilities which are either funded by the public or are serving a critically disadvantaged population such as people with disabilities, seniors, and or limited/no English proficiency? CEO Randy Clarke never questioned his subordinates' fantasy of eliminating routes and stops just when this city rapidly grows! Increasing the number of required transfers is merely shuffling around "the cards" and does not increase actual ridership. How many people will voluntarily add on an extra hour to sitting on the public transit system when they previously did not have to? The faster all Capital Metro personnel and contractors learn to bow down in grateful subservience to taxpayers, the [faster the] city of Austin can finally access mobility.

Dear Austin Chronicle,
    After your many Xmas $ grabs and before your SX starfuck issues seems like the perfect time for my letter.
    I admit right at the top that I used to play with Mike McCoy’s Trompe-l’œil, but that does not skew my verisimilitude.
    The “review” of their record Eyein’ Lies [Music, Jan. 3], while not negative, DID NOT SAY SHIT. The “reviewer” appears to have simply read the bio the band included with the album, then wrote whom played what, and in which broad musical genre it belongs. It did not help out this group of go-getters and their solid record. This is High School Book Report When You Didn’t Read the Book and English Is Right After Lunch writing at its best – and with SO many more capable Music Writers in employ at The Ass Clown, you gave it to THIS dingus?!
    Not only do I request he be tarred & feathered then fired, I also DEMAND the Chron stop presses and permanently shut down, as you have AGAIN proven how inconsequential and untrustworthy you are.
    Thank you for complying. Good day.