For Hispanic Heritage Month, a Ballet Folklorico group held international flags during the playing of the national anthem at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, September 20, 2026. A reader writes about the Latino vote.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
A pleasant life
In my view, people with left-leaning and progressive perspectives have a genuine talent for creating hip cafés and stylish breakfast spots. When looking at major cities around the world — whether Munich, Berlin, New York, Paris or Madrid — it is often the left that displays the ability to enrich urban centers with a pleasant, vibrant culture.
On the other hand, maintaining order, cleanliness and public safety isn’t always their strong suit. This is where moderate and conservative forces could contribute: by ensuring that public spaces remain clean and safe, that walls are not defaced with ugly graffiti that has absolutely nothing to do with art, and that local authorities take a firmer approach against urban decay and intrusive begging outside supermarkets and local businesses.
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In today’s heated climate, where almost everything becomes politically charged, the conservative and progressive camps should perhaps team up and work together more often. After all, at the end of the day, we all just want to lead a good, safe and pleasant life.
Michael Ayten, Trier, Germany
It comes down to empathy
The Latino vote comes down to one word: empathy.
To every Latino voter, born here or naturalized: Can you put yourself in the shoes of those who came after us? Imagine being thrown to the ground by masked men and pushed into an unmarked car, not knowing where you are going.
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That is empatía. Notice it ends in “tía,” meaning aunt. In a Hispanic story, family always shows up.
Empathy, not the economy, inflation or crime, should lead the Latino vote. Families are being split apart and hunted down. It feels less like immigration policy and more like racial pest control.
We are proud Latinos when it is fun: at the World Cup, eating tacos, on the dance floor. But culture is not a costume we take off on Election Day. If we love the music and food, we must love the people who make them, papers or not.
Empathy is not left or right. You can want secure borders and still reject cruelty. Our parents and grandparents did not cross borders and oceans so their grandchildren could look the other way.
This November, let’s be Latino not just at the table and dance floor, but at the ballot box, too.
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Fool me twice
Dallas voters are usually strong supporters of the city’s bond programs. As citizens, we believe that our elected, appointed and administrative leaders are accountable for maintaining our city’s key assets. We put our trust that these leaders will be responsible for taking care of these major investments.
When thinking of Dallas leadership’s duty to the public for handling its key assets, the word that comes to mind is “stewardship.” A quick check of the Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition, for stewardship notes it’s “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.”
After learning about the ongoing deferred maintenance of Dallas City Hall plus other civic assets, our careless and irresponsible leadership seems to hang heavy since as Dallas voters we are being asked to support Prop A while knowing there is no funding in this bond program to start major repairs to City Hall.
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What comes to mind is, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Let’s avoid the second part. Prop A is a “no go.”
Hopefully, Dallas civic leaders will come back next time with an improved bond package that will regain our trust.
Robert Prejean, Dallas/Oak Lawn
Democratic subversion
When the press allows political spin to rewrite facts, it creates a dangerous blueprint for democratic subversion. With the midterms a few weeks away, President Donald Trump’s designs on election interference are on full display. Under the guise of voter integrity, the administration has ordered actions by government agencies that amount to voter suppression: seizing ballots, purging registries and restricting mail-in voting.
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Driven by election deniers within the federal apparatus, this bureaucratic overreach claims to protect the electorate. Nonsense. This is election rigging of the highest order, led by appointees like Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Attorney General Todd Blanche, who threaten local officials with retribution unless they alter voting procedures.
Democracy is undermined when the media ignores a core tenet: serving as a watchdog over government. To prevent the electorate’s most fundamental right from being forever compromised, the press must aggressively dismantle Trump’s subterfuge in real time, exposing the false narrative of “voter integrity” for what it truly is: democratic subversion.
Jim Paladino, Tampa, Fla.
Such hypocrisy
For years, every Republican cast China as the enemy. Texas and Florida restricted them from buying assets. Student visas were reduced. Manufacturers were told to move out of China. Laws were made against China.
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And now the boss of the Republicans welcomed the dictator of China with open arms and a red carpet. The president is offering concessions and resources to President Xi Jinping.
I don’t know how any true American patriot can ever vote for such hypocrisy.
Her vote is not for sale
I just received an email saying that I am going to find an extra $90 in my bank account to offset the increased cost of my Medicare. The same email included a message from President Donald Trump expressing how much he has done to bring down that cost.
I consider this to be a bribe and illegal. So, I am taking this money and donating it to my candidate of choice — James Talarico. Feel free to join me. My vote cannot be bought.
Sheila Coughlin, Dallas