OPINION

Re: "Hidden costs of ticket surcharges," by Hugh Lucas, Feb. 10 Letters.

Thank you for your coverage of the Driver Responsibility Program. I have great concerns about the program and would like to clarify comments found in the resulting letters to the editor.

The program has been plagued with problems, most notably compliance issues. The Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security, which I chair, has been studying the program and looking for ways to fix it.

In the committee's 2008 interim report to the 81st Legislature, we recommended that the indigent program be evaluated, and if compliance levels had not increased, we recommended eliminating the program.

I co-authored Senate Bill 896 by Sen. Eliot Shapleigh. The bill as filed would have eliminated the program, but it was met by strong opposition from the hospital, trauma and EMS community that pointed to a possible loss of $84 million from EMS/trauma funds. The trauma and EMS community also have to bear the burden of uninsured and reckless drivers.

We altered the language to modify the program, and while it passed the Senate, it never got a hearing in the House.

Our committee has once again been charged with studying the DRP during the 81st interim. This program is clearly not working as is. If we cannot find a way to make the DRP a solution to the problem of uninsured and reckless drivers, rather than a problem in itself, we need to eliminate it. We do not need an extra problem.

Re: "Fundraising deal raises questions -- Chief defends his work for group, but former director knew of none," Feb. 6 news story.

Raymund Paredes, commissioner of Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, has done the Lord's work at one of the most difficult positions in Texas.

In addition to his work with the board, he is being fairly and legally compensated by a nonprofit group whose goal is to enroll more students in college and provide scholarships to students who show academic promise. The business community depends on the education community to prepare students to become productive members of society and enter the workforce.

To date, Paredes' work on these issues has been above reproach, and inferences to the contrary, direct or indirect, are inaccurate and mean-spirited.

Every human being has his or her own unique relationship with God, and Rick Perry can't tell us what position God wants us to take on abortion. No one, even the most zealous social conservative, can put God in a small box.

I am old enough to remember what it was like before abortions were legal. During my medical training, I helped care for five women who were so sick and injured from "criminal" abortions that we were unable to save their lives. One was the mother of five. She and her husband decided they couldn't afford a sixth child, so she had an unsafe abortion and left her five children without their mother.

We don't need to outlaw safe abortions, as Rick Perry wants to do; we need to make abortions unnecessary, as Kay Bailey Hutchinson is trying to do.

Re: "We Recommend -- Miller for State Board of Education's District 12," Wednesday Editorials.

Why is the State Board of Education opposed to students learning to make decisions when presented with two opposing views? The board has decided that the theory of evolution should be taught as science in Texas schools. It is not science. Math and chemistry are sciences. They can be proved.

The creation of the universe and all living things -- humans, animals,birds and fish -- cannot be proved either. So this should put it on the same footing as the evolution theory in the classroom for discussion.

The Dallas Morning News recommended Geraldine Miller for the State Board of Education's District 12 for her stand on not allowing weaknesses in the evolution theory to be presented. Both The News and Miller need to reconsider their position.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving has lobbied to change our state driving laws for underage drunken driving. These laws are now destroying teens' lives instead of helping them.

The laws in Texas now state that if you are charged with an underage DWI, license suspension, probation, community service, fines and a felony charge are mandatory. Deferred adjudication is no longer an option. For teens, one bad decision results in a lifetime of punishment.

On every application they fill out, these teens will have to put the felony charge, essentially ruining any chance of getting into a good college -- or any college at all -- or getting a good job. They are not even allowed to apply for some jobs.

Deferred adjudication would have given teens a chance to grow up and accept what they had done, and, by completing probation, community service, paying the fines and staying out of trouble, they could have the felony charge taken off their record.

We need to stand up for our children. We need to give back to our teens the incentive to take responsibility for their choices and learn from them, not let it be a life sentence for a first-time offense.

Re: "High traffic surcharges uncollected -- Motorists owe more than $1 billion; many on road without license," Jan. 31 news story.

This article was a one-sided assessment of the Texas Driver Responsibility Program. The program provides $75 million per year to offset losses at the state's trauma hospitals, which reported nearly $210 million in uncompensated trauma care in 2008. Since the Driver Responsibility Program began, Texas has added more than 60 designated trauma hospitals, in part because of the additional funding provided through the program.

The Texas Hospital Association supported legislation passed last year that will exempt indigent drivers from certain surcharges. This exemption should not have a negative fiscal impact on the state, because the majority of these violators are not paying the fines anyway. But other violators such as habitual speeders and those who break the state's mandatory insurance, driver's license and DWI laws should pay their fines as required by law.

We all have a responsibility to obey the state's traffic laws, and repealing the Driver Responsibility Program would be poor public policy. Instead, the state should invest in a public awareness campaign and improve enforcement of the law.

Re: "We Recommend -- Loretta Haldenwang in House District 105," Wednesday Editorials.

I think The Dallas Morning News did not understand my position on regional cooperation for transportation projects. I am not in favor of giving local entities more power to raise taxes and fees that should be raised at a state level to pay for regional projects.

Also, local entities tend to levy regressive taxes and fees. We need to put a halt to this in Texas. Allowing counties to opt in or out of regional projects creates disparity. Some counties that opt out may still benefit from the project. Giving each local entity the option to fund or not fund a regional or state transportation system is the bigger question.

We see now the problems of a regional transit system struggling with the local option of the cities in the region to participate. It may have been better to have a single regional vote to create DART or not, rather than allowing each entity to opt in or out.

Allowing counties to opt in or out of transportation projects that cross a region, may introduce similar problems to what DART is facing in trying to extend service to those who originally opted out. Also, local entities already have the option of having bond elections to participate on any transportation projects they want to help fund.

Re: "Perry job incentives criticized -- Firms receiving state money not living up to pledges, study says," Thursday news story.

The Texas Enterprise Fund has been an absolute success in Richardson, an area that needed a boost after the dot-com bubble burst. Through the help of Gov. Rick Perry and the TEF, Richardson now has a million-square-foot, world-class semiconductor factory that employs hundreds, is making chips and has paid millions of dollars to the city in property taxes; we have thousands of financial service jobs in an area that was previously too telecom-dependent; and we have a defense contractor that is growing again.

To boot, the TEF has played a critical role in helping UT-Dallas on its path towards becoming a national research university.

The fact that contracts were amended and some money paid back just shows that the state is a smart business partner; it recognizes the need for flexibility when times get tough and still incentivizes the private sector to invest and create jobs.

Re: "We Recommend -- Geoff Bailey in Texas House District 102," last Friday Editorials.

The Dallas Morning News' recommendation of Geoff Bailey for Texas House District 102 stated that he favors indexing the motor fuels tax to pay for various government projects.

It doesn't take a Rhodes scholar to figure out that these indexed (read: increased) taxes will result in higher prices at the pump. High gas prices don't affect just us conservatives Bailey has no use for. They impact the budgets of all households, particularly the poor.

Stefani Carter, whom I've known for several years, opposes tax hikes as a means for further bloating big government. In addition to her Harvard Law education, she has written policy pieces for the Heritage Foundation and USA Today, demonstrating her capability of grasping important issues while working toward common-sense solutions. Bailey, by contrast, is a one-issue candidate, and he's wrong on that one issue.

Becoming an effective leader takes more than being a one-issue policy wonk. It takes the ability to reach out and communicate effectively, which Carter has done tirelessly by crisscrossing the district and reaching out to thousands of voters. In the March Republican primary, those of us in District 102 would be well-served to choose Stefani Carter.

Re: "Ban slams the brakes on texting by truckers -- New rules catch drivers and law enforcers by surprise," Wednesday news story.

I noted that only one of the candidates for governor, Kay Bailey Hutchison, had the intestinal fortitude to come out in favor of banning the use of cellphones by Texas drivers.

Three others, Republicans Rick Perry and Debra Medina, and Democrat Farouk Shami were terrified of those afraid to be alone with their thoughts, no matter for how short a time. Bill White probably favors the ban but wasn't brave enough to admit it. Are they that afraid of those who will vote against them that they will sacrifice lives for a few votes?

I never cease to marvel at the addiction to those idiotic devices. Grow up America. You are killing and maiming your fellow citizens in wholesale numbers. Try paying attention to your driving for a change. You might be surprised at what is really going on around you.

Re: "Mistaken identity gets author banned -- Concerns renewed over social studies book choice process," Monday news story.

I looked like one of those cartoon characters with steam coming out of my ears as I read about the incredibly stupid thing our State Board of Education did when it confused children's author Bill Martin Jr. and the Bill Martin who wrote Ethical Marxism: The Categorical Imperative of Liberation.

Board member Pat Hardy, R-Weatherford, didn't like the writing of the latter Bill Martin, so she made the motion to have him banned. As a result, children's author Bill Martin Jr., who wrote a book that taught children how to say the Pledge of Allegiance, is banned as well. I suggest that Hardy ask a third-grader to show her how to use Google.

... and the error of censorship

The Texas State Board of Education is not only confused about the author of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Clearly the members are confused about how learning happens.

Denial of access to varying viewpoints hinders critical thinking skills. Whatever individual opinions may be on communism or capitalism, pretending difference does not exist is detrimental to intellectual, social and personal development.

Our state faces a critical period in its history as the next election cycle approaches. The results will impact the lives of all Texans, and I encourage all Texans to study the candidates and to participate in the election process. I believe we must elect Kay Bailey Hutchison. She is the most qualified to provide future leadership for our state.

I am a fourth-generation Texan, and for the past almost 16 years, I have served Texas A&M University, as its president or as an engineering teacher.

We now have a governor who has served for nine years, making him the longest serving governor in Texas history. It is time for new ideas, new energy and a new vision for Texas.

Hutchison's national experience and Texas values are critical for the future of Texas. I encourage all Texans to study her policy positions. She has well-thought-out proposals on issues such as education, transportation, border security, property rights, gubernatorial term limits, Second Amendment rights and veterans affairs. Kay Bailey Hutchison is a straight shooter with the integrity, personal strength, experience and character to be a great governor.

Re: "We Recommend -- Eric Johnson in Texas House District 100," Thursday Editorials.

It is unfortunate that in recommending Johnson for House District 100, The Dallas Morning News qualifies it by degrading and maligning the name of Rep. Terri Hodge.

The editorial states, "She has worked in the margins in the House, focusing much of her energy on issues related to prisons." Thankfully, Hodge has made herself available to offenders and their families. She is the only state representative who does address and often correct serious prison issues. Many times, she is working with family members outside of her district in an attempt to right the wrongs so often found in our prison system.

District 100 residents deserve the best. They need a person who will continue to speak for them. They need someone who understands the struggles they live with on a daily basis.

They need a representative who isn't afraid to get in the "trenches" and work beside them, in the good times and in the bad. District 100 needs Terri Hodge.

Re: "Still Blowing Strong -- Wind energy's future hasn't died out in Texas," Monday Editorials.

Our banking business has a significant focus on wind energy projects -- most are heavily dependent on new power lines in the "competitive renewable energy zones," or CREZ.

Unless those lines are built -- and soon -- Texas will lose business and jobs, not just in the Panhandle but in many cities across the state. Consider:

.Wind farm financing relies on transmission lines being built to bring that power to market. Any delay could send investment to other states or, worse yet, lose it completely by missing the timing of federal grants.

.We represent a wind component plant in Texas. If CREZ is delayed, then wind farm construction is delayed, and there is no need for the plant.

.A large manufacturer in Europe wants a facility in the U.S. The leading sites are Amarillo and in Arkansas. With a delay in CREZ, which will they choose?

Texas is the nation's leader in wind energy, and CREZ is an example of Texas "can do" that must not be delayed.

Nuclear, not wind, solution

If independence from foreign energy sources was really an objective, we would have fully exploited our own resources long ago.

Denmark, extolled for its leadership in wind energy, is an example of the futility of windmill-based power. That country has more than 6,000 tax-subsidized turbines producing electricity, yet not a single conventional carbon-fueled power plant has been shut down.

Conventional power plants must be kept running at full capacity to meet actual power demands. They cannot simply be turned on and off as the wind dies and rises, and moreover, quick ramping up and down would increase the output of pollution and carbon dioxide.

The Danes are now dependent enough on wind power that when the wind doesn't blow, they must import electricity. Danish consumer electricity costs are the highest in Europe.

Let us get real about "alternative energy sources." They are called nuclear reactors.

Re: "Drillers may be injecting benzene -- Report faults loophole in pollution law; state says groundwater untainted," Wednesday news story.

In light of the increased pressure to drill for more natural gas in the Barnett Shale, we must remember the dangers to drinking water from gas drilling. In particular, hydraulic fracturing (often called "fracking") is a process in which millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals are injected into the ground in order for natural gas to flow to the surface. These chemicals can get into the groundwater and contaminate our drinking water.

The Texas Railroad Commission has stated there is no need to monitor fracturing fluids because there have been no cases of groundwater contamination from the injected fluids. Even if that were the case, Texans should not have to wait until their water is poisoned for there to be some real regulation.

We need Congress to pass the Clean Water Restoration Act and the FRAC Act. Industrial polluters poisoning our drinking water is a fact that is just too hard to swallow.

... but no harm has been proved

Despite statements from the Texas Railroad Commission declaring the current rules in place "have prevented even a single documented case of groundwater contamination from injected fluids," The Dallas Morning News chose to print an article on benzene used in drilling for natural gas along with a highly sensational headline.

The source of information for the article is a report from the Environmental Working Group, a Washington-based lobby that, according to its Web site, receives 70 percent of its funding from foundation grants and advocates subsidy-shifting policies; i.e., "take from them and give to us."

Lost in all of this rhetoric is the fact that benzene is a naturally occurring substance found in petroleum, natural gas condensates and raw wellhead natural gas.

If groundwater contamination by benzene were to occur, it is much more likely the source would be from the oil and gas being produced and not from the drilling fluids being injected.

The "inconvenient truth" environmentalists like EWG want to avoid is that we Texans have been safely managing our oil and gas activities for decades without the need for federal regulation advocated by lobbyists pretending to be guardians of public health.

It's time for all of us to wake up and realize the "environmental movement," in contrast to sensible conservation efforts, has become hijacked by those who wish to personally benefit by scaring us into surrendering our individual freedoms.

Re: "Most rail funds to likely bypass state -- Texas lacks support from political leaders, federal official says," Tuesday news story.

This article summed up the bottleneck that exists in an oil state like Texas: archaic laws in our state Constitution that regulate where gas tax revenue goes. Such revenue excludes rail systems.

Better interstate and intra-state roads are vital to moving people and freight in and through Texas, but we need to be able to move larger numbers around at lower costs to reduce our carbon footprint.

A local newspaper article pointed out last November that by 2012, the state transportation department is expected to have no money, other than what it can borrow, to build new roads. It will struggle to find enough revenue to maintain existing roads.

This is, in big part, due to poor leadership in our executive and legislative branches. Planning for the future has been inhibited too long by good ole boy, big oil politics and is, in part, responsible for the failure of Texas to access vital federal funds to assist us with our needs.

We need state and federal leadership that works for its citizens, not the privileged few who hold elective office and their corporate sponsors.

Re: "Outcry grows over plan to add to home -- House speaker joins the fray, asking the State Preservation Board to slow down its process," Friday news story.

As historians and history-minded writers, we are sadly aware of how much of the physical legacy of Texas' past has been thoughtlessly destroyed or compromised.

The current plans for an extension to the Governor's Mansion would subtract from the dignity and coherence of one of our state's most iconic structures. We are not opposed in principle to the renovation or expansion of cherished landmarks when the need is urgent and the deliberations are transparent. But when it comes to spending millions of dollars to forever alter the appearance of the Governor's Mansion, we feel that a compelling case has not yet been made to the people of Texas.

Re: "Perry, Hutchison slug it out in first debate -- GOP titans pull no punches over 'truth,' deficit, responsibility," Friday news story.

The Dallas Morning News clearly marginalized Debra Medina in the reports and analysis I read the morning after the debate.

I watched the debate and, while I can't say that I agree with each position Medina presented, I do understand where she stands on the issues that were discussed. I can't say the same for either Gov. Rick Perry or Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

I also have to criticize the panel for the questions. Texas has a full palette of critical issues.

Among these are highway privatization, property rights, taxes, growing government, insurance regulation, unemployment, education, border security and the environment.

I want to hear each candidate's approach to confronting these issues -- not critiques from the candidates of what the other person did wrong, especially when it has little to do with Texas.

I give high marks to the questions presented via blog and the audience. I also give high marks to Medina for knowing her facts better than the other candidates and being on point. It's truly a shame that she will not be participating in the next debate.

Through limiting coverage of candidates, the media is assuming a parental role toward the public.

My choice is easy

I watched the hourlong debate for Texas governor Thursday.

From Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, I heard the usual political rhetoric, misdirection, side-stepping, half and partial truths that I've heard from professional politicians for years.

From Debra Medina, I heard truth, facts and straightforward answers to direct questions. I saw a person willing to take a stance on one side of the issue or the other instead of trying to play the middle.

Looks like making my decision for governor will be pretty simple.

After listening to the Republicans debate on KERA-TV, I had to write about the continuing joke of a governor we have.

He has again turned down $700 million in federal funds for education. He also has turned down $550 million for unemployment. This man has no sense of reality.

These programs don't have any other stipulations than any other government aid programs in the past. Texas has not gotten its fair share of grants and aid based the amount of federal taxes that Texans pay each year.

This man's great claim to fame now is that he wants Texas to secede from the Union. His thinking is about what you would expect from a Republican whose thinking was out of date in 1861 as it is now.

God help Texas if he is elected again.

This sums debate up

This is my GOP governor candidate debate synopsis:

Rick Perry: I'm more conservative because I avoided raising taxes by selling public highways to private investors.

Kay Bailey Hutchison: I'm more conservative because I voted as I was told by the GOP national strategists and didn't rock the boat.

Debra Medina: I'm conservative because I hate taxes, too; but I'm also a libertarian with different ideas.

Reason has little to do with how most will decide. Guess it comes down to who makes the most appearances at your local church.

Here's hoping

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said she would quit the Senate. Maybe we can get another senator of the caliber of John Cornyn, who'll push for what's necessary to fix our broken tax system. He'll give us a booming economy as he has by co-sponsoring the politically unpopular people-and-business-empowering Fair Tax bill.

But from the outset, Hutchison and Perry both lived down to my expectations in the debate. As a great surprise, Debra Medina impressed. Against the backdrop of the war between the two career politicians, both relative political titans, Medina faces being ignored as insignificant or irrelevant.

She was well-spoken and clearly carries quintessential Texan conservative views. Though I know it's a long shot, I strongly hope we can get her in office to replace Perry and gain the terrific added bonus of getting Hutchison out of the Senate.

Re: "Politicians, pulpits don't mix," by the Rev. Joseph Gross, Friday Letters.

While Gross may be correct when he says that Thomas Jefferson stood strongly for separation of church and state, he is off the mark when he says that Jefferson was the "writer of the Constitution." At the time of the Constitutional Convention, Jefferson was in France. He was, however, the principal writer of the Declaration of Independence.

Re: "State won't seek school stimulus funds -- Perry says grants would allow federal takeover of Texas public education," Thursday news story.

Gov. Rick Perry's refusal to compete for the "Race to the Top" federal education funding once again lets down the children of Texas and saps our future civic and business strength.

Such funding, widely supported by bipartisan groups in Dallas and around the state, would have funded critical support for teachers and technology, as well as programs like math and science. Dallas ISD has recently made significant strides in improving student achievement and graduation rates. This funding would have enhanced and accelerated those efforts.

Texas already ranks 37th nationally in student achievement, and Perry's action reinforces our current "race to the bottom," competing with Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama for the worst in America in support for children's education, health care and other crucial services.

Re: "What do we fear," by Caroline Walker, Wednesday Letters.

Walker wrote, "For decades, we've sat on our hands while progressives, the most doctrinaire ideologues on the spectrum, mold our little blobs of clay."

If Walker truly, unselfishly loves her "little blobs of clay" and if she only wants the best for them, then she would allow them to grow into intelligent, intellectual and compassionate citizens of the world. Restricting their access to scientifically proven fact because they clash with how she envisions them is selfish and narrow-minded.

If we want our children to be leaders and to comfortably interact with other people in the global economic, academic and cultural worlds, then we need them to have access to the same facts available to students in other parts of the world.

Re: "State won't seek school stimulus funds -- Perry says grants would allow federal takeover of Texas public education," and, "Social studies hearing draws crowd -- Curriculum meeting covers religion, capitals, U.S. failings," Thursday news stories.

How sad for Texas schoolchildren. Bullied by small-minded adults, students stuck in our state's school system will be unprepared to live in a world that might not realize Texas has deemed itself an island of inscrutable opinion. It appears the Texas education system is modeling madrassas.

The current discussion about social studies curricula in Texas public schools seems be mostly about American history. To base a course of study on a quota system or a wish to promote the importance of a particular religious belief is just wrong.

Given the amount of history behind us, it would be impossible to put everything in a single text or a single course. The study must be limited to the major events, trends and movements that drove the course of that history, and to the people who participated in and influenced those events, trends and movements.

To the extent that a religious belief or a member of a particular ethnic group was influential, by all means they should be included in the study. But the mere fact that a heroic historical figure is revered by a segment of the population does not automatically qualify him or her for inclusion in a broad historical survey.

The objective must be to teach history as fairly, as accurately and as completely as possible, given the limitations of available ink and time. The objective should not be to ensure that everybody gets noticed.

Re: "We need to hear about more than taxes and deficits -- Our next governor should stand for more than one thing, says Lee Cullum," Wednesday Viewpoints.

Although a Texas election is more than just about taxes and deficits, they are very important. As a former 37-year California resident, I can say that taxes and deficits become extremely important when a state is grossly mismanaged.

Cullum cites California's Proposition 13 as damaging that state. Californians, however, are not damaged by being under-taxed. Sales taxes in Los Angeles County are nearly 10 percent. Personal income taxes range from 1.25 to 10.55 percent. Property taxes in California are capped at slightly over 1 percent, but a "starter" house in California costs over $300,000. Do the math.

Most Californians pay as much or more in property taxes than Texans do. Yet the California government never seems to have enough money, in good times or bad.

California's problems, including its loss of productive citizens, are not its failure to tax and spend enough. California's woes are a warning to everyone advocating that Texas be more like California.

Many newcomers in Dallas-Fort Worth with out-of-state plates are fleeing states that are being crushed under their own government's weight.

Re: "Deny, Deflect, Pout -- State's usual MO won't cut it with new smog rules," Saturday Editorials.

I agree strongly that the appropriate response by Texas leaders to the Environmental Protection Agency's move to enforce and tighten pollution standards is to get to work. The "deny, deflect, pout" strategies are not only unhelpful; they are dangerous and deceitful.

Since moving to Texas 16 months ago, I've been appalled by the apparent priority of profit over health. As an active church member, a retired educator, a parent and a grandparent with family nearby, I feel compelled to urge wisdom in responding to the EPA standards. The EPA is not picking on Texas; the effort is to protect all people (and animals and plants) who live here.

It is time, finally, to enforce and strengthen the federal Clean Air Act.

And, yes, I am willing to pay more for healthier air and water, if necessary, while the needed technology is accessed.

Re: "Amen! Amen! Now take up a collection?" Hits and Misses, Saturday Editorials.

The Dallas Morning News has commended Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's stand on increasing the rail transit in Texas and says she needs to find ways to fund the expansion.

The airline companies are taxed and subsidized to make the FAA and airports operate. Airplanes are maintained and funded by private capital. This model needs to be applied to the passenger rail system.

Amtrak should become solely the constructor and manager of passenger transit road bed and infrastructure. The federal government should fund, through bonds, the construction of a major-corridor passenger rail system. These bonds would be repaid from revenue generated through track usage.

Open this track to companies that primarily move passengers, including airline and bus companies. Providers would bid on exclusive use of specific corridors. Amtrak would maintain the track bed, paid for by part of the passengers' ticket cost.

Trains, reservation systems and terminal ticket facilities would be paid for and maintained by the successful bidders. Terminal facilities, built and run by local authorities, would be paid for by a fee on passenger tickets.

This system would be most efficient for short links between cities. Long distance travel would still be dominated by air transport.

Re: "Hutchison weighs in on tolls -- She calls for more scrutiny of road deals, changes in transportation commission," Wednesday news story.

Taxpayers would like to have the proof that roads can be built faster and cheaper with private partnerships than the Texas Department of Transportation can do it working alone, since major projects are supposed to go through a bid process.

Hutchison may be right about one thing: A top-to-bottom review of potential waste in TxDOT should be carried out. It appears that the state is, more likely than not, short-changed in toll road privatization contracts. Sounds like more political rhetoric without facts and data.

I hope McCoy can do more

Re: "Colt McCoy -- Success and perspective make Texas QB stand out," Dec. 16 Editorials.

Congratulations on the selection of UT quarterback Colt McCoy as a finalist for Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year.

As you so correctly state, Colt has been a leader both on and off the field and has the Longhorns in the National Championship Game this season because of his persistence and dedication to excellence.

Yes, his trophy case is full of well-deserved honors, academic as well as athletic, but to hear him talk, they are all "because of his teammates."

Here's hoping he steers Texas to another title on Jan. 7.

Colt needs to brief Tony

That was a wonderful tribute to Colt McCoy in the editorial section.

It occurs to me that perhaps Tony Romo should have a long visit with Colt and get some pointers -- football-wise and life-wise.

Pilot who saved the day

Who should be Texan of the Year? Chesley Sullenberger -- this is a no-brainer. Did any of your other nominees save 155 lives in one day?

Colt McCoy is a college football player. He been nominated because he can throw a football? I'd like to know what his grade point average is, as well as his football stats, if this is a serious nomination.

Jones not worthy

Re: "Jerry Jones -- Owner puts America's Team in otherworldly venue," Monday Editorials.

In your schmoozing of the palace known as Jerry World, you seem to have omitted an important piece of this euphoric monstrosity's history.

Do you recall that people were literally kicked out of their homes to benefit a millionaire and his equally enormous ego?

Arlingtonite of the Year for Jones? Sure, why not. Texan of the Year? I don't think so. Not even close.

Carona's real agenda

Re: "John Carona -- State senator crusaded for decent transportation," Dec. 15 Editorials.

Carona might have found more success solving the state's transportation problem if that were his real goal. However, he's accurately perceived as being concerned solely with finding new sources of money for DART, whether it makes economic sense, and even though the answer is clearly that it does not.

No matter. Solving Texas' transportation issues has been of only middling and secondary concern. As far as his crusade making it tough for others "to use half-truths and myths," he's not shied from using some of the most egregious.

Maybe next session, this will all change and the good senator will seek true solutions. A gas tax increase is a good start. Ending the revenue diversion is another. If he does this, perhaps he'll deserve the accolades.

A collection of Texas cities is attempting to repeal criminal penalties for violating the Texas Open Meetings Act. They say open meeting regulations violate lawmakers' right to freedom of speech. We say baloney.

If public business takes place outside public view -- regardless of the context or intention -- it smacks of corruption, undermines the process and shouldn't be allowed. In real life, that means City Council members can't email each other en masse and or discuss public business in groups at private events. Does that seem inefficient and cumbersome? Yes, but a little inefficiency is worth the price of transparent government.

Some also say that open meetings rules are too onerous for small-town government. Well, Texas Realtors know a little something about small-town life and we believe small-town residents deserve open government just as much as their urban counterparts.

Elected officials deserve freedom of speech, but the Open Meetings Act does not curtail it. It simply stipulates that speech which could lead to actions that affect constituents take place in a forum where the public can access it. That's not too much to ask of the public officials we trust with our communities.

Re: "I may cross over," by Don Hopper, Monday Letters.

So Hopper is prepared to vote for the Democrat if Rick Perry is again the Republican nominee for governor. He claims that a moderate Democrat would beat all others.

Well, that's what the people who voted for President Barack Obama thought and look what they got. In today's world, there is no such thing as a "moderate" Democrat. There's liberal and conservative, period.

Re: "Car safety checks: Are they obsolete? Some say state should study what inspections are accomplishing," Monday news story.

There can be only two reasons that Texas still requires an annual safety inspection: safety or the roughly $125 million in revenues that they bring into the state.

Anyone who has seen many of the cars driving on our roads with valid inspection stickers knows or at least suspects that it's not about safety. So that only leaves the net $125 million in revenues to the state. Let's call it what it is -- a fee or tax -- and add it to the license fee and save us all the wasted trip to the inspection station each year.

If not, let's at least enforce the law and pull obvious polluters and unsafe vehicles off the road.

Re: "Defense Or Revenge? Dallas case should prompt castle law's fine-tuning," Wednesday Editorials.

This editorial talks about "exacting revenge" and "protecting one's property" when, according to The Dallas Morning News' coverage, these men thought they were defending their lives from men who had used guns against them before. This was the third incident that day of these men being attacked.

The Dallas Morning News appears to be unhappy with the idea that people can defend themselves using a gun at all.

This editorial complains that "the victims weren't armed." This shooting happened at night, and the defenders would not have been able to tell whether their attackers were armed.

These attackers approached in spite of warning shots being fired, and even in daylight, you could not have seen whether they had a pistol in their back pockets.

The complaint that "they weren't even on the shooters' property yet" doesn't really matter. Even if you are one foot on the other side of the property line, you can present a threat that needs to be dealt with if you want to save your own life. You don't need to be on your own property in order to be justified in defending yourself with lethal force.

Re: "Believe Them or Not -- Districts wrong to sue over truth-in-grading law," Monday Editorials.

This editorial criticized school districts for adopting minimum grading policies and for filing a lawsuit against Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott.

The lawsuit (filed by several districts including my home district, Alief ISD) is not about the merits of minimum grading policies.

School boards across Texas take different positions on this issue, each implementing policies in the best interests of their own students, and state law gives boards the right to do that.

This lawsuit was filed because the commissioner's interpretation is well beyond the language of the law.

The Texas Legislature passed a law which prohibits local school boards from adopting grading policies that establish a minimum grade on an assignment. Report card grades are never mentioned in this legislation.

Nevertheless, the commissioner interpreted the law to prohibit school board policies that establish a minimum failing grade for six-week or nine-week grading periods. To paraphrase your editorial, laws either mean what they say, or they don't.

I have watched in amusement the Rick Perry ad. My favorite saying in the ad is, "Today, our budget is balanced, with millions left in savings." Really? What does he plan on doing with it?

Many roads and highways need repair, our education system's funding needs help and we have many people uninsured. If we have that much in "savings," why isn't some of that money being used for these needs? I wish the good governor would answer that question.

Perry's donors worrisome

Re: "Perry pulling in big bucks from Austin political interests," dallasnews.com Trail Blazers blog.

Texans have reason to worry that the big checks Gov. Rick Perry collects from private toll-road interests will dictate his future transportation policies.

Despite claims that the Trans Texas Corridor scheme is "dead," private toll roads advance across the state. For example, TxDOT continues to "keep Texas moving" with a 52-year deal with Cintra Zachry to build the North Tarrant Express that the agency touted this week. The private investors will create a nonprofit shell company to gain tax subsidies. These deals are fraught with problems and characterized by the same leveraging of debt, reckless shifting of risk, and conflicts of interest that triggered the recent financial crisis.

If the governor continues to wheel and deal with the biggest names in the bustling business of road privatization, taxpayers and Texas' transportation policy will suffer for decades to come.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is consistent only in her inconsistency. She runs for office originally on a "term limits" platform. At the end of one term, she promises to resign at the end of her second term. At the end of that term, seeing that the governor's office is unattainable, she runs again, promising to fulfill that term, all the while demonstrating her desire to become governor of Texas.

Then she announces for governor, promising to resign by November.

When the polls show undesirable results, she announces that she must remain through the primaries because her seat is too important to relinquish. Coincidentally, this will allow her to remain in office if she loses the primary to Perry.

Come on, senator, pick a horse and stay on it all the way across the stream.

I don't like health care data ...

Rick Perry has said he would not accept any health care help from Washington. He stated that he felt Texans could take care of their own. Can someone please show me anything that Slick Rick has done since he took over in 1999 to spur confidence in him to do anything?

Texas has 1,526,180 uninsured children. That is the highest number of any state. And that number is children only. For adults 19-64, the survey says there are 4,214,860 uninsured in Texas. That is the second-highest number of any state.

Nationally, there are just under 46 million uninsured people. That means at over 5.8 million people, Texas has more than 10 percent of this country's uninsured. What will Perry come up with now that he couldn't come up with over the last 10 years to stop this? My bet is he will be just like the rest of Republicans and talk about the problem, but do absolutely nothing to fix it.

... I don't like attacks

I have voted for Gov. Rick Perry for every statewide office Perry has ever sought, including governor, lieutenant governor and Texas commissioner of agriculture. I would expect that he would receive my vote again in both the Republican primary and the general election.

While I am more closely aligned with Perry's conservative viewpoint than Kay Bailey Hutchison's, I am completely turned off by both of their digs at each other. Perry should just boldly present his excellent record as governor and offer his dreams for the next four years. He might even point out differences in philosophy, but please, no personal attacks.

Perry is awfully close to sounding like the whiny politicians we have come to expect in Washington.

If Perry and Hutchison don't alter their petty schoolyard bickering, they both just might tempt this hardcore Republican to vote for Democrat Tom Schieffer for Texas governor.

Governor, remember we are Americans first and Texans second.

Plus, a positive campaign just sounds more like you anyway. And it will be the right thing to do.

Re: "Oversight for NTTA -- Tollway agency would benefit from state analysis," Thursday Editorials.

Oversight from the state auditor and the Texas Sunset Commission for the North Texas Tollway Authority would be a wise move. But it is in taxpayers' best interests to move beyond a model where only a handful of public officials can scrutinize detailed information about NTTA's dealings -- or any transportation authority, for that matter.

Simple things like posting the agency's check register online and displaying agencies winning and losing contract bids would go a long way toward putting more eyeballs on the agency's activities and controlling waste.

It's unfortunate that this conversation has to take place at all, given that there was an amendment added to the Texas Department of Transportation sunset bill in the House to bring financial transparency to NTTA, which failed because of the Senate's reluctance.

If NTTA won't voluntarily provide such transparency, hopefully the Legislature will consider empowering taxpayers and tollpayers to learn for themselves where and how their money is being spent.

I don't like politicians who run for office and then quit before the job is done. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison ran for a six-year term, and she should complete it before looking for another job. It would be difficult for me to vote for her if she quit and then ran for governor.

Rick Perry will have been governor for 10 years. That is long enough. He should not run again.

Truth is, Texas is ready for new leadership at the top. Where is "one tough grandma" when we need her?

Re: "Texas has it all wrong -- With a friend's pregnancy test in hand, I rethought sex ed, says Kelsey McKinney," Saturday Viewpoints, and "Sex educators ask if abstinence is enough -- High teen birthrate, funding cuts, new state law stir re-examination," Monday news story.

Both the Saturday column and the Monday news story are important examples of why Texas has the third highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. Texas educators have been handicapped by abstinence-based sex education requirements, and Texas teens are suffering the consequences.

But there is something we can do. Parents can ask to be placed on their school's Student Health Advisory Councils. These are forums for parental involvement in school-based issues from sex education to obesity.

And all Texas citizens should pay close attention to the upcoming State Board of Education elections. These elected officials are critical to the development of curriculum requirements in Texas, and there is already a contested race brewing in the district that includes Collin County.

Nonprofit organizations like the National Council of Jewish Women are working to address comprehensive sex education in the Dallas area through grass-roots coalition-building, curriculum development and implementation, general advocacy, and specific candidate forums.

Recently, we learned that the Texas Department of State Health Services ordered fewer doses of H1N1 vaccine than most other states.

Now we learn that the health department shipped more vaccine to a for-profit clinic in Farmers Branch than to the rest of Dallas County. The Farmers Branch clinic is selling the vaccine to anyone who wants it.

I've worked with those people at the health department. I'll guarantee you that they've spent literally thousands of hours in meetings talking about it. Meanwhile, those of us actually treating patients with H1N1 get nothing. The incompetence of the health department is just beyond belief.

In terms of public health, the state health department appears guilty of egregious malpractice.

Re: "The Wrong Direction -- State Republican Party shifts into reverse," Friday Editorials.

So The Dallas Morning News thinks that the new state party chair Cathie Adams will take the party in the wrong direction. I beg to differ.

People did not leave the party in droves because of social issues. People left the party because of RINOS (Republicans In Name Only), spineless legislators who waffled on the issues and followed the crowd to the mushy middle thinking that would get them re-elected.

The grassroots is looking for strong leadership to bring the Republican Party back to its conservative roots: smaller government, lower taxes, a strong national defense, individual responsibility and traditional values.

The News faults Adams for being uncompromising and hard-core.

That is exactly what the Republican Party needs today: a strong conservative who knows what she believes and is not afraid to take a stand.

I have known and worked with Adams for more than 20 years. She is principled, uniquely qualified and well-respected in political circles. She will take the party in the right direction.

Re: "Why Perry is delaying probe," by George Palmer, Saturday Letters.

Palmer claims to know Gov. Rick Perry's heart and thoughts in this case and posits he himself knows more than those involved about what really happened. I sincerely doubt any true knowledge of either.

Every day, there is a letter or two published with one main theme in common: moronic claims of evil intent by anyone conservative or Republican, or former President George W. Bush.

I look for well-thought-out responses by ordinary citizens to issues of the day, not offensive personal attacks that support wild accusations posed as fact with no supporting arguments based in reality. Your editorial staff could weed these out in favor of letters from people without axes to grind.

Re: "We Recommend -- Vote yes on Prop 9 to protect Texans' beach access," Oct. 14 Editorials.

I encourage readers to follow The Dallas Morning News lead and support Proposition 9 on Nov. 3.

Last May, the proposed constitutional amendment to protect the right of the public, individually and collectively, to access and use the public beaches bordering the shore of the Gulf of Mexico passed by near-unanimous votes in both houses of the Legislature.

The Texas coast and its beaches are God-given treasures to be used and enjoyed by all Texans and those who visit our wonderful state. If the amendment passes, so many Texans will win: businesses; folks who fish; those who need cheap, virtually free recreation when times are tough; anyone who's ever picked up a seashell, felt the sand between their toes or watched a sunset reflect off the waves. Everyone.

Only rarely do voters get a chance to vote on something that will secure a positive good for generations to come. This is one of those votes.

Re: "Truth Matters Most -- Willingham case is about accuracy of evidence," Tuesday Editorials.

This is why I'm going to vote for anyone but Gov. Rick Perry: Faced with evidence that he might have allowed the execution of an innocent man, Perry reacts angrily and sarcastically and refers to fire investigation experts as "supposed experts."

Perry should be concerned; instead, he's hostile and dismissive. This man is fine at sneering at people, but the office of governor requires more than that.

Perry makes a big deal about his faith. He's not acting like a Christian who may have accidently caused a death. He's acting like a typical politician.

Re: "Perry is absolutely correct," by Ron Cozort, Saturday Letters.

Cozort states that Gov. Rick Perry was "absolutely correct" in his actions on the investigation of the Todd Willingham case. He also writes that there was "no question about it" that Willingham killed his family.

Well, in the words of Steve Martin: "Excu-u-u-se me!" I thought that's why the investigation was going on -- because there were questions.

We, the leaders of Texas' only Tier One universities, are proud that Texans will have the opportunity to vote on Proposition 4 on Nov. 3.

Proposition 4 converts a now-dormant state fund into the National Research University Fund that will be available to any of seven Texas universities that meet high standards set by the Legislature: Texas Tech University, the University of Houston, the University of North Texas, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Texas at San Antonio. Proposition 4 does not require any new taxes or bonds.

Texas leaves an estimated $3.7 billion in federal research and venture capital dollars on the table because we do not have enough top-tier research universities. More than 10,000 Texas high school students leave the state every year to attend doctoral-granting institutions elsewhere, in part because Texas does not offer them enough Tier One alternatives.

One of the hallmarks of a Tier One university is its spending on research. Economists estimate that research expenditures can result in as much as a 226 percent return on that investment. Research expenditures create jobs, add wages to the economy and generate tax revenues.

Young Conservatives weigh in

On the surface, Proposition 4 sounds like a great idea, but as with most well-intentioned government ideas, unintended consequences will result if and when it becomes law.

Focus on university research truly hurts students. Tenured faculty members spend 78 percent of their time doing research instead of teaching.

To compensate for this lost classroom time, universities are forced to hire more, often inferior teaching staff.

Not only does this inflate tuition, students end up being taught by less qualified faculty.

Essentially, students pay tuition to support tenured faculty who don't participate in their education.

Many have said Proposition 4 won't raise taxes. That claim is insincere at best.

State lawmakers didn't just stumble across $500 million. That is the taxpayers' money, whether it was sitting in an existing fund or not.

The enabling legislation for Proposition 4 appropriated millions more to the fund. That appropriation was subsequently removed due to budget constraints, but it is clear lawmakers intend to appropriate more tax dollars to the fund in future legislative sessions.

If Texans want to send the message that students, not faculty, are the university's customers, they should vote against Prop 4.

Refusing to stop the execution of a convicted murderer will not cost Gov. Rick Perry his job. In fact, it will help him.

For far too long, those on death row have escaped execution by delay after delay.

This guy killed his family -- no question about it -- so Perry was absolutely correct in sending the guy to his death.

Gov. Rick Perry's torpedoing of the Texas Forensic Science Commission raises questions about his character. Why is he afraid to have an independent review of the Todd Willingham case?

Although he had received a last-minute challenge to the arson evidence, he might be forgiven if he was confused or not persuaded by technical information outside his area of expertise. But now, after more expert challenges to the arson evidence, the governor's unwillingness to let the independent investigation proceed poses troubling questions about his priorities.

His arguments that Willingham was guilty anyway and that his critics are motivated by politics or by opposition to the death penalty ignore the simple question: Was the arson investigation based on sound science?

Most Texans support the death penalty, but they need to know that executions are based on sound evidence and fair processes. Otherwise executions are acts of barbarism. Does the governor not understand this?

Re: "Blame game for boy's death ignores shared responsibility," by Jacquielynn Floyd, Oct. 7 Metro column.

It was refreshing to read that Child Protective Services cannot always be blamed in the deaths of children. Parents do kill their children, such as the mother who placed her young son in the car while she went to work, knowing full well it was a kiss of death for him.

CPS caseworkers are devoted, committed people who get very involved with their cases, who cry over the dilemma of these children, who wish there were more time in the day to make all children's lives better and more caseworkers to do the job.

CPS staff is not perfect, but I have seen these staff members go above and beyond the call of duty each and every day.

I have seen the dedication it takes to do what they do. I've seen the sadness in their faces when children still suffer at the hands of their parents.

CPS needs a pat on the back and a "job well done" more times than it receives that. Thank you for recognizing what they face each day as they try to save all these children. They can just do so much.

Re: "Fire expert calls Perry 'unethical' -- Aide questions motives; governor labels executed Corsicana man 'monster,' " Thursday news story.

In dismissing evidence available to him but not the jury that a lethal fire was likely not arson, Gov. Rick Perry can see no possibility that the loss of life was a tragic accident. He now argues the justness of an execution because the man was an (unconvicted) wife-beater.

I understand that he must reach peace with his decisions. But by ridiculing improved forensic science to diagnose arson as being brought to us by latter-day so-called experts and by trying to block the Texas Forensic Science Commission from examining advances in forensic science, Perry consigns our institutions to repeating the same mistakes about life-or-death evidence.

This is not just about whether one man might have been found guilty or innocent with evidence available at the time of execution that was different from the evidence at trial. It is about accountability for responsible implementation of the death penalty. That is a standard we should all want to meet. What is Perry afraid of?

Move doesn't surprise me

Re: "Perry's plan raises concerns -- Governor to replace board chairman as 3 trustees' terms expire," last Sunday news story.

In June, Gov. Rick Perry vetoed a bill that had passed both houses of the Texas Legislature with no dissenting votes. This bill would have made one of the seats on the Teacher Retirement System Board dedicated to a retired educator. The governor's veto came after a campaign pledge that he supported such a seat on the TRS Board.

Thus, it is no surprise that the governor has notified retired educator Linus Wright that he will be replaced as chairman and has nominated David Kelly, a member of Perry's re-election team. Governor Perry sees the teacher retirement fund as money to fund many of his projects.

Thank you, governor, for another slap in the face to retired educators.

There's much to hide

Re: "Texas secession? Rest of nation happy to see us go," Wednesday news story, and, "Execution file latest to be withheld -- Perry won't release data read hours before inmate's death; staff denies he's secretive," Tuesday news story.

Texas' overseas tourists spent the George W. Bush years ashamed to admit where they were from. Now Gov. Rick Perry and his fringe ilk will make many who travel within U.S. borders claim we're not all represented by the inept people we elect.

It's significant that The Dallas Morning News had to use the state's Open Records act to obtain the letters to the governor the day after reporter Christy Hoppe said he might be "the most secretive modern-day governor Texas has seen." It's clear to many of us that he has much to hide.

We could go it alone

Re: "Texas secession? Rest of nation happy to see us go," Wednesday news story.

Those folks from other parts of the nation who would say good riddance to Texas if we strike out on our own have forgotten the immense contribution that we make to the rest of the country.

We add natural gas and oil, agriculture, the busiest trucking lane between Canada and Mexico, and one of the busiest ports in America, the Houston Ship Channel.

We are one of a handful of states (and maybe the only one) that could survive if we did secede. The economic effect of that secession on the rest of the country would be great and the losses to Texas only marginal.

We here in the Lone Star State can provide for our every need if need be. Secede now, while we still have a Texas to cherish and our dignity to preserve.

Re: "State testing Barnett Shale air quality -- Agency studies 5-county area after town of Dish finds toxic emissions," Wednesday Business.

A spokesperson for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality enthusiastically states, "We're really going to get a handle on the air quality in that area," referring to the impact on air quality by Barnett Shale drilling operations in Denton, Wise, Parker, Tarrant and Johnson counties.

That certainly inspires confidence after the TCEQ's incompetence in assessing the dangers of toxic air emissions from the chemical facilities around Houston, Baytown and Port Arthur.

And let's not forget the TCEQ's stellar debacle in monitoring TXI's toxic emissions in Midlothian. Keep your eyes peeled for flying pigs.

The right to own and use private property is one of the most sacred rights of Texans. The ability of government to abuse this right is one of the most frightening.

Texas voters have the opportunity to protect their homes, property and land by voting for Proposition 11 in the upcoming state constitutional amendment election on Nov. 3.

Proposition 11 will give homeowners and other private property owners peace of mind knowing government will be restricted from using the power of eminent domain except for truly public purposes.

It's your land. Protect it with your vote.

Please join me and the Texas Association of Realtors, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Wildlife Association and Texas Farm Bureau, along with a broad and bipartisan coalition of statewide organizations and officeholders who are seeking to protect homeowners and private property owner rights, by voting for Proposition 11.

The purpose of Proposition 7 is simply to conform the Texas Constitution to the current structure of the Texas military forces: the Texas Army National Guard, the Texas Air National Guard and the Texas State Guard.

The Texas State Guard is a volunteer force of about 1,800 guardsmen from all across the state of Texas. Over the past two years, members of the Texas State Guard have volunteered more than 42,000 working days supporting local and state authorities, responding to hurricanes, fires, floods and other state-declared emergencies.

Many of our guardsmen are teachers, judges, police officers and firefighters who are committed to the State Guard's motto of Texans Serving Texans.

Please join us in supporting the Texas State Guard in its vital service to our state by voting yes on Prop 7.

State Reps. Phil King, District 61, Weatherford; Dan Flynn, District 2, Van; Aaron Pena, District 40, Edinburg; Ryan Guillen, District 31, Rio Grand City

Re: "Execution file latest to be withheld -- Perry won't release data read hours before inmate's death; staff denies he's secretive," Tuesday news story.

There are genuine questions about the way Todd Willingham's execution of 2004 was handled at the time and in light of recent events. Gov. Rick Perry has either quietly sidestepped or, more worrisome, used his authority to make certain that these issues have either been denied an effective public review or, to take a more cynical view, have been put on the back burner until after the 2010 election.

It completely beggars belief that Perry will not make public how his office reviewed an attempt to stop the execution of Willingham, based on an arson expert's report, because it is "not a matter of public record."

The governor and his staff are paid from public funds. Ultimately they are public servants. Anything they do is a matter of public record and should be readily held up for scrutiny. Or is the governor's office above such public accountability?

Re: "Time for Perry to Back Off -- Let panel proceed with work on Willingham case," Tuesday Editorials.

I was thinking through my position on Gov. Rick Perry's role in the Todd Willingham investigation. Given that I support the investigation of the investigation and trial, one might conclude that I am opposed to capital punishment.

In fact, I tend to be quite in favor of the death penalty for heinous, premeditated murder. Yet, I condemn the governor's meddling in the new investigation. To shield himself from richly deserved public embarrassment over his shabby treatment of the facts, he provides more fuel to those that oppose the death penalty. He makes the state of Texas a laughingstock and bolsters the arguments of those who oppose the death penalty.

I wonder what other humiliations are hiding behind the doors of the governor's office.

The Proposition 4 election on Nov. 3 is a critical vote for Texas. Proposition 4 appropriates funds to all Texas public universities to compete for a boost to the desired Tier One status.

Tier One status is awarded to major research universities. The upgrade automatically boosts the prestige of our universities and the attention that they receive.

This is a critical opportunity to ensure the industrial and economic future of Texas and provide our students with quality, affordable, in-state options for higher education.

It places the responsibility on the universities to compete and maintain standards before receiving funding as they upgrade to the Tier One level. The program's success could provide future Texans the educational opportunities that many Californians have, and the industrial development that California had before it began taxing and regulating itself to death.

Industry, investment and jobs are leaving California each year, so why not give them an incentive to relocate to Texas? This amendment does not affect taxes, and the funding has already been set aside.

Why I'll vote no

I am going to vote no on all of the proposed amendments on the Nov. 3 ballot. I can see no benefit to the majority of Texans in any of these changes to our state Constitution. I see great potential for abuse of new authority, new taxes, costly bureaucratic staffing and further confusion for the courts.

Why do we voters fall for this, go obediently to the polls and blindly pass all kinds of new and absurd changes that we don't understand to the thousands of laws we already have?

If none of the proposed amendments passes, our politicians might get the message that we are tired of their silly games and don't want any more changes.

Re: "First Latina named to Texas high court -- Perry says he wanted most principled justice; Guzman cites 'power of perseverance,' "Friday news story.

What a great story. Justice Eva Guzman of the 14th Texas Court of Appeals, who comes from a simple family, worked her way through law school to an appointment by Gov. Rick Perry to the Texas Supreme Court.

As a Texan, I can't help but be proud of this woman.

Re: "Perry knocks earmarks, but Hutchison says Texas wins -- Senator defends $8.7B steered to state in 5 years; governor says pork projects show lack of restraint," Friday news story.

As a fiscal conservative, I am concerned about runaway government spending, but stories about earmarks miss the mark entirely. Doing away with earmarks would not save one cent of government spending.

Congress adopts a budget that includes the total amount of planned spending and specific amounts to individual agencies, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. All an earmark does is target that money to specific projects, instead of leaving it to the bureaucrats to determine where that money will go.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has been an outstanding leader in assuring that Texas-paid tax dollars get directed to Texas projects, instead of that money going to Alaska, Massachusetts or elsewhere. Without her leadership, we would not have the Trinity River project or vitally needed transportation dolllars, among many other worthwhile projects.

In 2004, Gov. Rick Perry announced his plans to build the Trans Texas Corridor, and in 2009, it cost him an important endorsement from the Texas Farm Bureau. The TTC would have been funded using comprehensive development agreements, a form of privatized toll road arrangement. Opposition to the governor's plan has been so widespread and heated that five years later, the Texas Department of Transportation has declared the TTC "dead."

Road privatization offers a hard-to-resist "quick fix" for state politicians. But without adequate public protections, privatization can have hidden costs and big potential downsides. Private infrastructure deals are fraught with problems and often characterized by the same leveraging of debt, conflicts of interest and reckless shifting of risk that triggered the recent financial crisis.

To protect the public, Texas and its local governments should avoid privatization of existing roadways, and allow for private deals to construct new roadways only with the strongest protections to ensure transparency, full value for taxpayers and continued public control of transportation policy.

Re: "Arson inquiry shelved -- New chair unsure when state panel will proceed on flawed investigation," Wednesday news story.

Having investigated fires and arsons (there is a difference) for many years, I think one thing is certain: Criminal investigation is an inexact science, and arson cases are particularly difficult.

Beyond newspaper accounts, few facts in the Willingham case are known beyond that an academic, Craig Beyler, questions the science used in the case.

In the efffort to complete a hit piece on Gov. Rick Perry, your headline labels the investigation "flawed." The re-investigation is incomplete at present. Suggestion: See what evolves, then label the outcome.

Re: "Respect the Constitution," by Rick Kackley, Sunday Letters.

Kackley was distressed because he felt that state District Judge Tena Callahan's ruling that a gay couple's divorce could proceed was rewriting the Constitution.

The Constitution makes no mention of gay marriage. In fact, the Constitution does not have provisions covering marriage at all. What it does have is a "full faith and credit" clause, which requires states to respect the public acts, records and judicial proceedings of other states. Callahan's ruling did just that -- respect the legality of the couple's marriage in another state and allow them to proceed with a divorce. That is not rewriting the Constitution; it is abiding by it.

Re: "CPS: No major risk seen in May -- Before baby's death, agency investigated mother after hearing she left kids alone," Friday news story.

It's important to point out that laws governing the removal of children by Child Protective Services have changed in the last year.

In 2008, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that CPS has to involve the state courts as early as possible in the removal process to make sure everyone receives due process.

While it's easy to point the finger at CPS, they were following the orders set forth by the Court of Appeals. If you want to point a finger at someone, point it at the judges sitting on the court, as they have narrowed the scope of how and when children can be removed.

Re: "Texas judge rejects gay-marriage ban -- She says law is unconstitutional and male couple's divorce can proceed; AG to appeal ruling," Friday news story.

What is the purpose of the Constitution? Today, everyone from the president of the United States to state District Judge Tena Callahan seems to be rewriting it to fit his or her needs.

I thought judges were supposed to interpret the laws, not write or change them.

She has gone completely off the wall for what people voted for in Texas, and certain people keep challenging. America is losing its way.

Re: "Perry blocks search for truth," Join the Debate, Thursday Viewpoints.

Tracey from Australia is "dumbfounded" and wonders how Gov. Rick Perry is allowed to "get away with this stuff." Well, I have a quick primer in Texas politics for her.

You see, here in Texas, if you love guns but hate abortion, gays and government, you get a free pass on everything else. The politicians learned this long ago, and with nothing to fear, they milk it for all it is worth.

Re: "No More Delays -- Perry maneuver in Willingham case a cheap stunt," Friday Editorials.

I, for one, am outraged by the conduct of Gov. Rick Perry in his replacement of the chairman of the state's forensic science panel. This governor has great difficulty acknowledging his mistakes, and in this case, a possibly innocent man's life hung in the balance.

Among the most important guarantees of our Constitution is the right to a fair trial with scrupulous attention to the rules of evidence. When it is discovered that a conviction is based on flawed evidence, the convicted party has a right to a new trial with any new evidence presented to the court.

Our governor refused that right posthumously to Todd Willingham and is now trying to cover up his erroneous decision.

When politicians reach a point that they can admit a grievous error, our country will take a giant step forward.

On a recent trip to New York, I noticed how much more relaxed I was while driving than in Dallas.

Fall colors? Interesting skylines? Yes, but primarily drivers with their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

Cellphone usage while driving is illegal there. Let's catch up, and pass the law, Texas.

Re: "Tens of thousands face long wait for food stamps," Sept. 24 news story.

Your article was timely. The North Texas Food Bank has six people working every day to help people navigate through the SNAP (food stamp) application process.

From the receipt of the application to the first appointment should be 30 days, as mandated by federal law.

However, in many of our offices in the Dallas area, it is taking over 100 days. Emergency food stamps are taking five to seven days instead of 48 hours.

Now more than ever, legislators need to make sure that proper funding is allocated for programs as basic as food. Texas leads the nation with the most children at risk of hunger -- 1.4 million children.

We should be ashamed that a program designed to keep children and families from being hungry is so underfunded and understaffed.

We are better than this. Contact your legislators and encourage them to bail out the children of Texas and fund the SNAP program adequately.

Re: "No More Free Passes -- New EPA actually expects Texas to follow the rules," Tuesday Editorials.

I am happy to read again that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is getting attention for not doing its job.

The agency is up for review by the Texas Sunset Commission. If it is found lacking or irrelevant, it will only continue to exist if the Legislature passes a law to make it so.

Already, the environmental community is forming committees to oversee and shape that process in order to make TCEQ better. I look forward to a summer with zero ozone alert days.

Re: "Perry: Texas is model for U.S. -- At summit of religious right, governor faults Washington for its values, fiscal policies," Sunday news story.

Gov. Rick Perry thinks the rest of the country should emulate Texas policies. Does this mean that the entire country should spend less on education, build lots of toll roads benefiting foreign companies and have a high percentage of people without health insurance, one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates, as well as exorbitant electricity rates and insurance premiums on our automobiles and homes?

Now who has immoral policies?

Re: "Willingham, an innocent Texan executed -- Dahlia Lithwick asks: Will the Supreme Court even bat an eyelash?" Sunday Points.
I read Lithwick's column with a sad sense of resignation. While I am an ardent believer in the theory of the death penalty, I have lost faith in our ability to execute it justly in practice.
Our justice system depends on honest investigators and even more so on jurors who can dispassionately sift through evidence presented at trial and determine fact from fiction. In a country whose populace is almost entirely swayed by emotion rather than reason, finding 12 such jurors is nigh unto impossible.
We should dispense with the death penalty, not because some do not deserve to die for heinous crimes, but because our system is unreliable.

When Texas justice isn't
Thank you for printing the wonderful piece from Dahlia Lithwick.
After hearing about the tragic case of Cameron Todd Willingham, a man who lost three young children in a house fire and who then was executed after spending years on death row, I am one of the many people who wish to end capital punishment.
Lest anyone doubt the innocence of Mr. Willingham, I urge that person to read David Grann's piece about the case in The New Yorker.
Having read three articles on the case, there is no doubt in my mind that Gov. Rick Perry signed off on killing an innocent man.
This is one of those times, as Ron Kirk expressed regarding the controversy about President Barack Obama addressing school children, I am embarrassed to be from Texas.
Texas prides itself on being a "law and order" state. For law and order to be respected and to have meaning, it must, above all, be just.

Re: "Texas under scrutiny -- Federal agencies boost oversight of food safety, pollution, building sites," Thursday news story.

As we watch the federal Environmental Protection Agency step in to do the job of protecting the Texas environment, let's add to the list of ineffective state agencies a Public Utility Commission that doesn't regulate the energy sector or protect consumers from not-so-smart meters and rate hikes; the insurance commission that never met a premium increase it didn't like; and a transportation department that doesn't build roads so much as sell toll rights to the highest bidder.

Gov. Rick Perry is indeed correct that Texas is "the blueprint for success" of the oft-stated Republican plan to make government small, weak and ever-kowtowing to business.

Re: "Tougher laws hit the road -- Changes include car seats, seat belts, cellphones, texting, teen driving," Sunday news story.

The Legislature has mandated that all adults within the confines of an automobile must be secured by seat belts -- presumably for their own safety.

Yet this group will not apply the same principle to those on motorcycles by requiring riders to wear safety helmets -- for their own safety.

When will our elected officials be consistent in their laws and stop bowing to certain special interests and lobbying groups? Safety is safety, whether it means two or four wheels.

Re: "Was Innocent Man Executed? State must confront disturbing facts in arson case," Monday Editorials.

An imprisoned innocent man can be let out of prison, but what can be done for an executed innocent man?

Re: "Community care answers needs," by Robert Stack, Monday Letters, and "Group home operator's arrest shows risk to tenants -- Boarding houses in state are unlicensed and unregulated," Monday news story.

Stack, president and CEO of Community Options Inc., tells readers how bad the state-supported living centers, formerly known as state schools, are for those with mental disabilities.

The very same day, an article named one operator of a group home who had previously gone to prison three times and another group home operator charged with raping a tenant of his home.

I do not claim to know as much about group homes as Stack, but I do know about the living centers, and, as in group homes, sometimes bad people infiltrate the work force.

I hope Stack will spend his time working to correct this problem in the community, as I work to protect the vulnerable residents of our living centers.

Re: "TABC fires 3 in gay bar raid -- Commission also punishes 2, amends policy on use of force," Saturday news story.

I have very high expectations of my public servants -- especially those who have the constitutionally authorized power to deprive citizens of their liberty or their lives.

The police and TABC agents alike have a duty to all citizens -- even those of historically marginalized groups such as gays and lesbians. This means that officer claims of "he touched me" to justify excessive force are simply hogwash. They also remind me of the "homosexual panic defense" successfully used to defend wanton murder and mutilation of gays even in the 1970s.

Diversity and sensitivity training have substantial benefits, and progressive organizations actively embrace them. May everyone, including the fired officers, consider ways of being a little more tolerant of those different from themselves -- it can make the world a much better place.

Re: "Was Innocent Man Executed? State must confront disturbing facts in arson case," Monday Editorials.

As a victim's advocate, I spent years in favor of the death penalty. I now want the state of Texas to abolish it. A moratorium is not enough.

The Cameron Todd Willingham case illustrates the trouble Texans have. Clear evidence was given to both the Board of Pardons and Paroles and to Gov. Rick Perry's office. But review of this evidence is not a due-process right, just a privilege without accountability or judicial oversight. Compelling evidence of innocence is not sufficient to obtain a clemency hearing.

It takes three times the money to execute as to incarcerate for 40 years. Surely the state of Texas can use our tax dollars to better represent our interests.

Don't use my tax dollars to execute, since Texas isn't compelled to use my tax dollars to ensure justice.

Several recent articles and editorials in the D-FW area have misinformed citizens about area air quality.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has taken proactive, aggressive measures to improve air quality in Texas. In fact, air emissions and pollution concentrations in our state are at their lowest level in the past 20 years.

In the D-FW area, the ozone measurement the EPA uses to designate areas as being in attainment or in nonattainment of ozone standards has dropped from 102 ppb (parts per billion) in 2000 to 91 ppb in 2008, and, if current trends hold, it will be 86 ppb at the end of the 2009 ozone season. Yes, that is one part per billion over the Environmental Protection Agency goal of 85 ppb.

Texas is making tremendous improvements to air quality even as our population continues to increase by more than 1,000 people a day.

The D-FW area met the old one-hour ozone standard in 2006, and we are very close to meeting the 85 ppb ozone standard that has been in effect since 1997. Now, the EPA has moved the standard to 75 ppb. We will meet the 85 ppb standard on the way to meeting the 75 ppb standard.

Call him irresponsible
Re: "The GOP's tribal war -- Under Perry, the state's star is shining bright, says Thomas O. Hicks," Tuesday Viewpoints.
Isn't it a distinct pleasure to read Tom Hicks' op-ed column sassing California for issuing IOUs as a counterpoint to Gov. Rick Perry's leadership. This from a man whose company intentionally stopped paying its monthly debts.
I'll horse trade a vote for Perry in the primary in return for Hicks owning up to his promises to pay -- free of commission on my part.

Hutchison should stay put
It is time for the voters of Texas to stand up and realize that the decision for Kay Bailey Hutchison to run for the governor's office is purely political. It is a widely held concept that a senator with 16 years in office is a force to be reckoned with in that capacity.
Hutchison has decided to give that up in order to challenge an incumbent of her own party who has done a more than capable job of moving Texas forward, especially in a tumultuous economy.
The senator has stated that Gov. Rick Perry has been in office too long when she has more time in office. She has also implied that she will move Texas forward and stay true to the conservative cause. A quick look at her record in D.C. will quickly dismiss this claim due to her lack of leadership in Congress and her many less-than-conservative votes. Many even speculate she would have voted for Sonia Sotomayor had she not been vying for the governor's mansion.
Hutchison would best serve Texas in D.C. Unfortunately she has decided to place personal gain over what is best for Texas.

Stick with a leader
Re: "Hutchison is a badly needed breath of fresh air for Texas, says James B. Francis Jr.," Tuesday Viewpoints.
Kay Bailey Hutchison is a career politician, steeped in the politics of Washington, D.C. Although she has had an outstanding career in the U.S. Senate, the only "air" she would bring to the governor's mansion is the stale air and rhetoric of government politics.
Rick Perry is the only fresh air we need. As we Texans like to say: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Re: "The GOP's tribal war -- Under Perry, the state's star is shining bright, says Thomas O. Hicks," Tuesday Viewpoints.

Texas is a bastion of conservative principles. But conservative thought must become more dynamic for the Republican Party to regain the considerable base it has lost.

A deteriorating education system, ridiculously high insurance premiums, utility rates far above the national average, excessive property taxes, significant pollution problems and the privatization of Texas roadways are pocketbook problems borne by the middle class.

Yet, we continue to see our lawmakers' view of conservatism to be one of "hands off and full speed ahead" to big business and "What problem?" to social issues.

Until the Republican Party learns that inaction is not a viable response to real issues, our party is doomed to be only the champion of the elite. I think that Kay Bailey Hutchison recognizes this; Perry does not. Therein lies the real difference between these candidates.

Re: "Some Texas districts yet to change grading -- Controversy arises over wording in law that bans minimum marks," Tuesday news story.
As the author of the "no minimum grade" legislation, as a former teacher and as a parent, it was distressing to read that certain school districts are refusing to change their no-fail grading policies as required by legislation approved by the Legislature. The new law clearly states that teachers must be allowed to assign grades based on the merit of their students' work.
Unfortunately, some districts are creatively interpreting the law as if it does not apply to report card grades. The Texas Education Agency has been working to dispel such misconceptions.
As the author of this new law, let me clarify my intent. We always envisioned this bill applying to grades on tests, assignments and report cards. More to the point, it is never appropriate for teachers to be forced to pass students who have not performed passing work. Doing so is tantamount to fraud.
Teachers may offer students the opportunity to retest, do make-up work, come in after school and outline chapters, or anything else that would help the children learn the content, and the teacher might then decide to raise the grade.
Let's trust the professional judgment of our teachers in the classroom.

Re: "College prep no easy matter," by Andrew Bickford, Monday Letters.
It is not fair to college students to say that they only go to college to party, as Bickford says. Having taught at a university in North Texas for several years, I found that my students worked very hard and were very serious about their studies.
Did they go to parties, have friends, date and fall in love? Of course, as they should during this time.
Still, the students who had graduated from Texas high schools did have consistent academic weaknesses. These included the inability to engage in abstract thought, the inability to analyze and interpret, the inability to evaluate and the inability to integrate different perspectives or theories.
Additionally, the students didn't even know basic mechanics of writing a paper. I feel that this is the result of the TAKS requirement in the schools. Students are only taught to memorize and study toward specific tests. There is no time for the teachers to teach the very skills that will lead to success in college.

Gov. Rick Perry did a good job. But in a few years, Texans will hardly recall what actually he has accomplished. Perry needs a vision and a big idea.

We can build a Silicon Valley in Texas. We have all the required ingredients, including a strong university base. That would be a worthwhile task for Perry. We Texans would enthusiastically support him. Businesses and entrepreneurs would flow to Texas.

Then Perry will win the next election. In future years, our nation and Texas will remember what he has accomplished.

Time to end Perry's term

No matter how you may feel about Gov. Rick Perry, it is time for him to step down. No politician should be in office more than eight years.

Anyone in power for more than eight years is beholden to people and companies and doesn't make the right decisions for the right reasons. I truly feel this is the right time for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison to be our next governor.

Hutchison, stay in the Senate

I voted for Kay Bailey Hutchison to be a full-time senator, but that is not what I am seeing now.

She needs to resign from the Senate if she is going to be spending a large amount of her time in the chase for the governorship. She has said she will resign in the fall. I think that is a selfish move on her part.

She serves the citizens of Texas and should consider that in her decisions. Apparently, the senator has a great health care program in place or she would be more concerned about what is happening on that in D.C.

I would like to see the senator do the right thing. If she does, I might even vote for her for governor. If she doesn't, I will stick with Rick Perry.

Teachers, cyclists angry ...
Re: "After veto, cyclists hope to derail Perry -- Petition aims to curb run for governor after he nixed safety bill," Thursday news story.
Gov. Rick Perry's veto of the safety law to protect cyclists and give law enforcement muscle to charge reckless drivers parallels his veto on the Teacher Retirement System board.
After teachers did diligent work during the last legislative session to place a second retiree member on the board, he vetoed the bill. To paraphrase his reason: Retired teachers don't know enough about finances.
Retired teachers have lived their entire lives on strict budgets and certainly know how to handle money. If not so, we would not have been able to retire. I wonder how long he would make it on an income of $50,000 a year.

... but some drivers satisfied
I give bicyclists their space with my hazard lights on as I drive down residential streets they have already commandeered. It would be nice to see them reciprocate.
I have seen cyclists run stop signs with impunity and arrogance, shaking their fists at drivers who dare to employ their legal right of way. I have had a cyclist cut between my car and the curb, then object when I honked.
There is obviously a Dallas Police Department no-ticket policy, as I have only heard of one incident. Many people have given up driving around White Rock Lake due to the aggressive behavior of the cyclists. I applaud Gov. Rick Perry for not adding another burden to Texas drivers who are trying to get to work, drive their children to school, and go to the doctor, etc., while cyclists enjoy their hobby.

I would think when voters are deciding between Kay Bailey Hutchison and Rick Perry, they have to consider one important thing: Hutchison was a cheerleader who could do back flips. Perry was a yell leader who is good at ad-libs.

I will take the back-flipper over the flip-flopper anyday.

The Public Utility Commission will vote Thursday on a massive rate increase filed by Oncor that would raise the company's annual revenues by $253.5 million.

If approved, this rate increase would require the average electric customer, regardless of provider, to pay an additional $56 per year. These costs are in addition to rates that are already among the highest in the country and are threatening the economic vitality of the region.

The PUC staff reviewed the rate filing, concluded that the company was making too much money and recommended to the commission that the company be required to reduce their revenues by $101 million.

But the PUC has shown all too often that it is more sympathetic to power companies than consumers.

It is time for Texans to let the PUC commissioners and Gov. Rick Perry, the man who appointed them, know that they will not stand for unreasonable and unsubstantiated increases in electric rates.

Re: "High Difficulty for Lowe -- State ed board chair must squelch sideshows," Thursday Editorials.

This editorial stated that the "panel (was) split between social conservatives and moderate conservatives and minority Democrats."

What is a "moderate conservative"? Is there also a "liberal conservative"? The editorial said that The Dallas Morning News would have preferred someone on the moderate side. I didn't know moderates had a side. I thought they were in the middle.

I am probably a conservative conservative. I hope Gail Lowe can tell the difference. Do they have a different appearance? You sound like a politician.

Re: "Some jobless benefits delayed -- State blames U.S. rules, tech glitch; 150,000 callers can't get through," Wednesday news story.

Unemployment funds are almost depleted, and the folks eligible for these benefits cannot get to the workforce commission to apply. This reminds me that:

• Perry reduced or eliminated the premium that companies in Texas should have deposited in this fund to prevent this very problem.
• Perry refused the stimulus unemployment benefit extension because it would be detrimental to the companies in Texas, even though the requirements that came with the stimulus could be legislatively changed when the timeframe expired.
• The winner in both these cases is the business community. The unemployed will have to survive on compassionate conservatism.

The Public Utility Commission appears likely to grant Oncor's request to have ratepayers pay $39 million for "smart" meters that customers will never use. Is this fair?

According to judges who heard Oncor's rate case, no. However, Chairman Barry Smitherman of the PUC is "leaning toward allowing recovery for those meters."

The judges correctly labeled Oncor's decision as "imprudent." Oncor rolled the dice and purchased an additional $39 million in meters while standards were being developed. The meters didn't meet the standards. Now, Oncor expects customers to pay, and it needs the PUC to approve it.

One would be hard-pressed to find businesses making such risky decisions in a climate of such regulatory uncertainty, making Oncor's decision inexplicable. Oncor should not be bailed out at the customers' expense.

Last week, the PUC outright denied a petition to make special payment arrangements for vulnerable customers during this summer's record heat. One of their main reasons was that it would place a financial burden on companies. Yet the commission seems willing to increase rates for customers, placing a financial burden on them when the industry makes a mistake.

Re: "Needed Reform Scuttled -- Texas needs better way to close failing charters," Thursday Editorials.

While the charter school bill would have required the commissioner of education to close certain charter schools under certain circumstances, it is inaccurate to say that the bill strengthened charter-school accountability overall.

The bill would have replaced finite charters with indefinite ones, repealing the requirement for charter renewal and the accountability measures that accompany it. You also fail to mention that the commissioner already has significant authority to close failing charters but often chooses not to use it. Furthermore, the provision allowing self-authorization for charter school expansion could hardly be considered a win for accountability.

As presented to the House for an up-or-down vote, this was a charter school expansion bill -- far more about quantity than about quality.

The biggest problem with this bill was that it never came before the House for debate. I am relatively certain that, had the House members elected to represent the multiple interests at stake had a chance to debate and modify the bill, we could have arrived at a final product that ensured both sufficient quality and quantity.

Ironically, it was obsession with passing a voter-suppression bill that denied us the opportunity to debate this and many other important bills this session.

Re: "AARP blasts Perry's veto of new annuity sale safeguards -- Governor says measure could have opened door to 'frivolous litigation,'." Wednesday news story.

When are the people of this state going to wise up and throw this destructive demagogue Rick Perry out of the governor's office? Once again, he shows his Big Business bias by vetoing a bill to safeguard the elderly when purchasing annuities.

Perry's so-called concern about frivolous lawsuits really means he's against any litigation that seeks to rectify injustice for the common man.

Retired teachers irate

Re: "Perry's Perplexing Veto Pen -- Governor's curious rejections a disappointment," Tuesday Editorials.

Another of Gov. Rick Perry's vetoes was of a bill that would have given retired school employees another member on the Teacher Retirement System board.

Perry has stated that taking away a position held by a person with "financial expertise will dilute the board's ability to make decisions pertaining to the fund's investments."

His veto takes away from the democratic process and still leaves the board open to political favoritism. Could one surmise that, according to Perry, retired educators are not intelligent enough to ask questions and that we lack financial expertise, when our annuities have not been raised since 2001?

Veto conserves tax dollars

Re: "Perry crushes recycling bill," by Jeffrey Jacoby, Wednesday Letters.

Jacoby states that the TV recycling bill, vetoed by Gov. Rick Perry, would have saved taxpayer dollars and created green-collar jobs for out-of-work Texans. He states that Best Buy and some major manufacturers are some responsible options for getting rid of outdated televisions.

If private industry is helping citizens regarding disposal of their obsolete televisions, why should we pass a bill we don't need so that people can have state-created "green" jobs?

Perry's veto protects a precious resource of another kind -- taxpayer dollars, which are needed upfront to implement such a program.

Industry effort negated

Millions of TVs in Texas were rendered obsolete by the digital switch this month, and many rural Texans have no place to send theirs for recycling.

TVs contain lead and mercury and do not belong in our landfills, where they will poison our water sources. This was an industry- and citizen-sponsored bill. Companies like Samsung, Panasonic, LG/Zenith, Sony, Toshiba and Sharp set up free recycling programs in advance of it.

Thousands wrote their state representative, senator and governor asking for this bill. The Texas Legislature responded to their demands, but Gov. Rick Perry did not. I will do my part to make sure that Texans do not forget that next November.

Cyclist safety imperiled, too

Unfortunately, not every TV manufacturer is voluntarily recycling its obsolete products. Having watched several news reports about the export of American electronics to dumps in poor countries, I'm fully aware of the need to recycle old TVs.

Also, the veto of the Safe Passing bill for Texas cyclists shows me that the governor has no qualms putting Texans at risk, either cycling on the road or drinking lead-tainted water from dumped TVs.

I hope Texas voters remember Perry's reckless vetoes when they go to the polls next year.

Not perfect, but a good fix

In his hasty veto of the TV takeback recycling bill, Gov. Rick Perry has overridden a good solution because it wasn't a perfect one.

With the recent switch to a digital signal, millions of old TVs have been rendered obsolete. These TVs need a place to go, and Perry seems to think he knows better than the rest of Texas what that solution is.

I have been following the numerous letters to the editor bemoaning the ability of buyers and sellers of real estate to keep purchase data confidential. Never mind that it rightfully should be nobody's business what a homeowner decides to sell his or her house for, or what a buyer may decide to pay for it. We would rightfully be upset if the state demanded us to tell our annual incomes for public dissemination. Why should it have the right to know the terms of a private transaction?

The real issue is why Texas insists on placing so much of the public tax burden on what a person decides to spend on an abode. If I choose to spend my hard-earned income on a nice house, why should that necessarily drive my tax burden so significantly for the time I choose to reside there? If I blew that cash on a trip or even a luxury car or boat, at most it results in a one-time tax hit. Why should I have to pay taxes endlessly because I would rather live in a nice home than purchase other luxuries?

It is time for Texas to wake up to the unfairness of its real-estate-based tax system and pass meaningful revenue-neutral tax reform.

Re: "State Farm's Mockery -- Insurance giant refuses to adhere to regulations," Sunday Editorials.

Every year, thousands of Texas homeowners challenge property tax assessments. When an insurance company does essentially the same thing in defense of its rates, The Dallas Morning News calls it a "mockery" and accuses the company of "stonewalling."

The News conveniently ignores a few facts:

• No refund order currently exists. The court vacated the process. The Texas Department of Insurance is conducting what amounts to a court-authorized re-do.
• A three-judge panel from the Third Texas Court of Appeals ruled that a state-imposed refund order was unconstitutional, as State Farm Lloyds was "denied due process" and "held to an unfair standard" as its homeowner insurance rates were being challenged.
• State Farm Lloyds provides broader coverage than policies offered by many of its competitors. Yet, State Farm Lloyds' rates are comparable to -- and in many cases lower than -- the more limited offerings of its competitors. This may explain why State Farm Lloyds' customer base grew 13 percent over the last five years, even as the rate dispute dragged on.

Just shows that I can't predict what people will write about. This morning, we received six letters on Gov. Rick Perry's veto of the TV recycling bill.

Five were against the veto. In other words, they favored requiring TV manufacturers to recycle old sets. A single letter favored Perry's veto.

Re: "800 geese euthanized since jet incident," Saturday Briefs.

The reason given to us that we cannot erect wind turbines off the coast is the threat they would poise to migrating birds. Without alternative sources of electricity such as wind, the CO2 content of our air continues to increase. Even clean-coal producers have high amounts of toxic emissions, heavy elements, trace mercury, etc.

It would seem elementary that whatever holds us back from wind turbines should be important. Yet other states view these migrating birds as merely an annoyance and terminate them by the thousands when they roost too near an airport.

This kind of contradicting agenda was typical of the previous centuries, when no oversight existed.

We risk the health of our whole planet to glean a diminished return. If we must continue to pollute the air for the protection of migrating birds, let's not have our neighbors euthanize them.

Or if our neighbors will shoot the birds anyway, then let's go right on ahead and erect our much-needed wind turbines.

Re: " 'Romeo' bill, 36 others vetoed," Saturday news story.

Gov. Rick Perry's veto of the TV recycling bill demonstrates an alarming lack of concern and foresight in protecting precious natural resources. The bill, which the Legislature passed overwhelmingly with support from industry as well as environmental advocates, would have provided Texas consumers with free and convenient recycling for obsolete, toxic televisions. What's more, the bill would have saved taxpayer dollars and created green-collar jobs for out-of-work Texans.

In his veto message, Perry speaks of new costs for the state resulting from this legislation. He has it dead wrong: According to the Legislative Budget Board, the program would have paid for itself. Instead, citizens and local governments will continue to bear this financial burden -- hardly the conservative principles the governor espouses, especially in the midst of this economic crisis.

If you're one of the millions looking for a responsible way to get rid of your old TV after the digital switch, you do have limited options. Best Buy recycles nonworking TVs, as do some major manufacturers.

... and limits CPS access: Why?

I am having a difficult time understanding two of Gov. Rick Perry's vetoes. There was one veto on clarification of guidelines for Child Protective Services. Many social conservatives were against it because it would give CPS too much power. Apparently, they did not believe CPS could discern when to go into homes to check for child abuse or when to use the power to remove children from schools. It seems opponents want the children protected but not too much.

The second veto involved child sex offenders. His rationale was that it didn't protect the children enough. I feel that's a good veto, but how can you reconcile the two?

In 2001, Gov. Rick Perry signed the newly expanded children's Medicaid bill and praised the law for easing enrollment for poor children and keeping them eligible for Medicaid. He was quoted in The San Antonio Express-News as saying, "There is no child among us that is not deserving of the finest care available."

We agree. There is unfinished business from the 81st legislative session. That includes expanding eligibility for families from 200 percent to 300 percent of the federal poverty level on a sliding scale buy-in for the Children's Health Insurance Program.

A majority of legislators voted for CHIP three times in the Senate and once in the House. Despite bipartisan support of 29 to 2, SB 841 died at the end of the session as part of the legislative meltdown that stranded hundreds of bills.

The overwhelmingly approved budget, certified by Comptroller Susan Combs, includes $38 million to expand CHIP.

The Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, Arlington and Corpus Christi chambers of commerce, representing 60 percent of Texas children, supported expanding CHIP.

The Dallas Area Interfaith congregations believe children's well-being is more important than partisan struggle.

Our faith traditions teach us to value the worth and dignity of every life. Providing health care is not just an obligation for patient and doctor, but for society as well.

We urge Rick Perry to place CHIP and the well-being of children on the call for the special session.

Re: "More home sales prices kept secret -- Dallas trend makes it hard to set accurate values, experts say," Thursday news story, and, "D-FW among least-affected areas in U.S.," Thursday Business.

Am I the only one who sees a correlation here? Sure, the local real estate market fares better than most, because the prices are being artificially propped up by the Texas law that states disclosure of the sales price is optional.

So, basically, this is a damaging report, as now local buyers will be more afraid to buy, since they do not know the true price of comparable sales on which they may base the offer.

More important, it affects every homeowner in the metroplex. We are paying property taxes on a skewed appraisal, based on inaccurate data that states the home value may be higher, when, in reality, the value is lower.

This last reason alone is why all homeowners should insist the non-disclosure law be repealed.

Re: "Checkpoint data outdated," by Sarah Longwell, Saturday Letters.

Of course, the studies on sobriety checkpoints are old. The rest of the nation figured out long ago that checkpoints save lives, so why continue to conduct studies when we already know the results?

Texas does have harsh penalties for driving drunk and spends millions on public education campaigns. Texas also continues to lead the nation in drunken driving fatalities. So, how's that working out for us?

Until the members of the American Beverage Institute get serious about supporting traffic safety, we'll continue to read sad stories about the deaths and injuries drunken drivers cause -- deaths and injuries that could have been prevented.

Re: "Firms will pay more for jobless -- Higher tax rates would replenish fund for benefits," Wednesday news story.

Please tell me where is the rage and protest about this from the business owners and citizens of this state? Our governor refuses to accept stimulus money for extended unemployment. This just shows how this governor is out of touch with the needs of the citizens of Texas.

There has been much hullabaloo lately over whether Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is conservative enough to be governor of Texas.

The answer is an unqualified yes, as gleaned from her Senate voting record over the past 16 years.

She is particularly strong on national defense and national security issues, having fought to double the number of border agents and provide billions for border security, fencing and technology.

The senator receives highest marks from the National Rifle Association for her stellar voting record on gun rights and her staunch defense of the Second Amendment. She also led a successful drive to overturn the restrictive gun laws in the District of Columbia.

Likewise, on fiscal matters, her voting record is near perfect from congressional and conservative anti-tax groups. Several abortion-rights groups have given her a grade of zero, which ought to show her pro-life views.

As a conservative who has supported and campaigned for the senator over the years, I can say unequivocally that she is one true conservative for whom Texans can be proud.