I am writing to express my dismay and strong disapproval at TxDOT’s solicitation of a feasibility study to see if Lampasas should have a bypass. This study no doubt has cost the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars for a problem that we do not have.

The study of human history reveals plenty of ideologies that have led to oppression, war, the rise of dictatorial regimes, the destruction of economies and the deaths of millions of people. There were, of course, those who tried to warn the public. They were ignored, silenced or even eliminated.

At the present time, China is the greatest threat to world stability, Russia is the world’s premier aggressor-nation, and Islamist groups are the primary exporters of terror and (religious) totalitarianism. And, for the first time in history, America is the world’s major exporter of destructive ideas. This is hard for me to write. One of my books is titled “Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph.” It contrasts American values with leftist values and makes the case that the American value system is the finest ever devised. I define American values -- what I call the “American Trinity” -- as “Liberty,” “In God We Trust” and “E Pluribus Unum,” (Latin for “From many, one”), the three American mottoes found on American coins and banknotes.

Since we are (at least nominally) a free people, the primary responsibilities of our government should be to protect us from serious external and internal threats. Our federal government -- as well as those of some states and cities -- is no longer doing that, because those who control it are more interested in power and personal gain.

After Republicans clinched their narrower-than-expected new House majority in November’s midterm elections, the only relevant questions for Congress-watchers seemed to pertain to what Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-California) impending House speakership would look like.

Senator Cornyn: You were one of the RINOs who voted for the $1.7 trillion funding bill. Our country now has a debt of about $31 trillion, which we cannot pay. To put a trillion into perspective, 1 trillion seconds is about 34,000 years. You and people like you are committing economic treason.

American sports fans and others experienced a rare moment of unity on Tuesday, unanimously calling for prayer for 24-year-old Damar Hamlin. Hamlin, a safety for the Buffalo Bills, collapsed on-field from cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

George Santos, a newly elected congressman from Long Island, New York, has been caught in a string of embarrassing lies about his background. He claimed to have received a degree from Baruch College in 2010; he didn’t.

The Texas Department of Transportation has offered two presentations in Lampasas to provide information on a proposal to build a “relief route” that would redirect highway traffic around the city and away from the commercial district. A third session may be offered in the spring.

The train was on its way west to Los Angeles when it stopped in the small Arizona town of Williams and detached a special car it had been carrying. Twenty-two young men got out and headed north.