Recognize residential skilled tradespeople on Labor Day, every day
As Labor Day approaches, a holiday dedicated to the contributions of American workers, we urge readers to pause and recognize the skilled tradespeople in residential construction who quite literally build the world around us.
Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, ironworkers, welders, heavy equipment operators and countless other craft professionals transform blueprints into the homes, condominiums and apartments where Americans build their lives.
These are not “jobs you take when you can’t go to college.” They are highly skilled careers that require continuous learning, strict adherence to safety standards and pride in quality craftsmanship.
All too often, the skilled trades remain underappreciated and underpromoted. Many young people are steered
exclusively toward four-year degrees while excellent, well-paying opportunities in residential construction go unfilled. The result is a persistent shortage of qualified workers at a time when communities need reliable, safe and affordable housing. That shortage reduces the supply of new homes and raises building costs, both of which push home prices higher and worsens affordability.
Let’s thank them for the roofs over our heads and the floors beneath our feet. The homes, condominiums and apartments we live in stand as quiet testimony to their skill. Let’s encourage schools, parents and counselors to present the trades as a first-choice path, not a fallback. And let’s support policies and programs that strengthen apprenticeship opportunities so the next generation can carry this essential work forward.
On Labor Day and every day, these skilled professionals deserve our respect, recognition and investment in the future of their trades.
Edgar Garcia
El Paso Area Builders
A thank you letter to El Paso
Three years ago, I began running through El Paso without realizing those miles would ultimately change — and, in many ways, save — my life.
As I prepare to leave El Paso for North Carolina, I want to share a story about something I believe deserves recognition: the extraordinary running community that exists in the Sun City.
During difficult seasons of my life, running became more than exercise. It gave me purpose, discipline, friendship and somewhere to carry the weight I didn’t always know how to express. More importantly, the people I met along El Paso’s roads and trails became a community that showed up for me, often without realizing how much I needed them.
My story is ultimately a thank you letter to El Paso — the runners, organizers, leaders, and friends who create a culture where nobody has to run alone.
I arrived in El Paso as one version of myself. I leave as someone better.
I hope sharing my story can recognize the people who helped make that possible and remind others of the life-changing power of community.
Juan Vallellanes
Northeast El Paso
Voting is not about party labels; it is about choosing leaders
The first elections I ever voted in I voted for all Republican candidates, as I was influenced growing up by my conservative (and loving) grandfather. However, the Republican Party in those years was very different from the party it is today.
The leaders of the Republican Party have evolved into individuals that put self-interests over what is best for our country, starting decades ago with legislation that continuously lowered taxes on the rich. Federal income tax rates for the top earners in 1965 were 70%. Today the top federal rate is 37%, a decrease from over 50% in the 1960s, and the top corporate rate is 21%.
In addition, the vast major of Republican leader have shown that they have no backbone to stand up to the most corrupt president our country has ever seen.
Voting is not just about party labels; it is about choosing leaders who believe government can work for ordinary people and who are committed to protecting freedoms and opportunities for everyone.
I encourage voters to support Democratic candidates who are working to build a fairer, more inclusive, and more hopeful future for our country.
Ron Sadler
Central
Report irregularities in voting
The Supreme Court and President Donald Trump trying to put an end to mail in voting is not a surprise. They are the same ones who pardoned a rioter in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol who tried to gouge out a Washington, D.C., police officer’s eye!
My sister is a disabled American citizen. Our father fought Nazism in World War II. She sometimes votes by mail. The last time she voted in the presidential election, in person, a poll worker tried to interfere by asking her attendant to let her evaluate her capabilities herself, as she was a retired teaching assistant “familiar with people with disabilities.”
My sister is very understanding of the negative judgments of others and allowed this irregularity in the name of being eligible to vote. In fact, she is much more understanding than me because I wanted to complain to the board of voters.
Mail in voting protects people who can be discouraged by the judgment and prejudice of others at the polls. Indeed, it protects us from the fascist entities that are rife in politics at this time, exactly the type of crummy ideals and lack of human values our father fought against in World War II.
People should report irregularities in voting to the U.S. Department of Justice (1-800-253-3931).
Rosario Aquilina
West El Paso
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: LETTERS: Readers weigh in on skilled trades and local issues
