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This blog was the first in the nation created by an editorial board to give readers a behind-the-scenes view of the discussion that goes into crafting the newspaper’s daily editorials. It includes updates on the work of the editorial staff and debates on general news issues. We welcome and read all letters from readers. Letters are selected for publication based on their clarity and brevity. They also are chosen to represent a diverse set of views on as many issues as possible. February 2010
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The Editorial Board sounds off
February 17, 2010
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Did Baylor University make a smart choice in naming former independent prosecutor Ken Starr as its next president? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Should Baylor have named Ken Starr president?" is tagged: Baylor February 10, 2010
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: With a new poll out showing Debra Medina closing in on Kay Baily Hutchison for second place in the GOP governor's race, what do you think is fueling the enthusiasm for a woman once considered a fringe candidate? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Debra Medina's appeal" is tagged: Debra Medina , Kay Bailey Hutchison , Rick Perry , Tea party , Texas governor's race February 3, 2010
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, that topic is the latest poll numbers out of the Republican primary for governor, which show Perry (44 percent) and Medina (16 percent) gaining ground, while Hutchison (29 percent) loses some. So our question this week is: What do you make of the latest poll numbers in the GOP race for governor? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Poll numbers spell trouble for Hutchison" is tagged: Debra Medina , Kay Bailey Hutchison , politics , Rick Perry , Texas January 27, 2010
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Parkland Memorial Hospital is catching heat for the recent approval of $1.7 million in executive bonuses, including $226,670 for CEO Ron Anderson. Do you think it's wrong to use taxpayers' money for this type of compensation? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Are Parkland bonuses out of line?" is tagged: Banks , bonuses , Parkland Hospital January 20, 2010
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Was the Massachusetts Senate race (in which Scott Brown beat the favored Democrat, Martha Coakley) a referendum on Obama's first year in office? And how do think Brown's win will affect Obama's domestic agenda? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "What Scott Brown's victory really means" is tagged: health care reform January 13, 2010
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Now that Conan O'Brien appears poised to walk from his NBC contract, how should NBC resolve its Conan-Leno conflict? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Is Leno too big to fail? " is tagged: Television January 6, 2010
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Is there any way to defend Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid's decision to close final health care negotiations to airing on C-SPAN, effectively shutting out the public? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Shutting out C-SPAN" is tagged: Harry Reid , health care reform , House , Nancy Pelosi , Senate December 23, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Is Congress right to thwart Obama's plan to move Gitmo detainess to Illinios? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Roadblocks to closing Gitmo" is tagged: Barack Obama , Congress , Guantanamo Bay December 16, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Is the Mesquite school district out of line to force a 4-year-old out of class because his hair is too long? Are the rules out of line? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Is Mesquite dress code out of line?" is tagged: Education , Mesquite December 9, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Do you support President Barack Obama's proposal, announced Tuesday, to spend hundreds of billions to accelerate job growth? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Stimulus 2.0 (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: Barack Obama , deficit , stimulus , TARP December 2, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Do you agree with President Obama's decision to announce a timeline to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Timeline in Afghanistan (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: Afghanistan , Military , Obama , war on terror November 18, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: The United States Preventive Services Task Force recently released new guidelines that women without unusual cancer risks should not begin regular screening for breast cancer until age 50. Does this advice send the right message about mammograms? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "The right message on mammograms? (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: Health care November 4, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: What are the lessons of yesterday's elections, particularly in regard to the governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia and the 23rd Congressional District race in New York? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Election lessons (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: politics October 28, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Should Kay Bailey Hutchison resign from the Senate? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Should Hutchison resign? (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: Kay Bailey Hutchison , Rick Perry , Texas governor's race October 21, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: 1. Would you support a medical marijuana law in Texas? 2. Would you support legalizing marijuana nationwide, even for recreational purposes? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Loosening marijuana laws (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: marijuana , Texas October 14, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: If Texas were to secede from the United States, what would the U.S. be losing? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "If Texas secedes, America loses (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: Secession , Texas October 7, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Should the North Texas Tollway Authority revisit its speed limit signage on the Dallas North Tollway? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Tollway speed limit signs (Editorial board sounds off)" has no entry tags. September 30, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Mike Leach has banned Texas Tech football players from using Twitter; Mack Brown says he wants his University of Texas players to use common sense. Which approach makes more sense? And should anyone bother using the social networking service? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Twitter limits (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: Texas Tech , Twitter , UT-Austin September 23, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Obama has said he's not going to decide whether to escalate in Afghanistan until he has "the strategy right." What should that strategy be? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "What's next in Afghanistan? (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: Afghanistan , Barack Obama September 16, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Is the tea party movement good or bad for America? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Is tea party movement good for U.S.? (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: conservatism , Tea party September 9, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Give the alarming number of teen pregnancies in Texas, and Texas cities' high rankings for repeat pregnancies among teens, what, if anything, would you recommend the state do to better tackle the problem? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Texas' teen pregnancy problem (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: Teen pregnancy September 2, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: What does Kinky Friedman's gubernatorial candidacy say about the Democrats' field of candidates and the state of the party in Texas? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Kinky's running for governor (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: Democrats , Kinky Friedman , Texas governor's race August 26, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: Should Tom Leppert leave his mayor's seat to run for the U.S. Senate? What should be the main factors he considers in making his decision? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Should Tom Leppert run for the Senate? " is tagged: Senate , Tom Leppert August 19, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the topic is the gubernatorial race. Only days after Kay Bailey Hutchison announced her intentions to run for governor, the race for the GOP spot is already heated. Members of the editorial board are taking a deep breath -- whether they are Hutchison or Perry backers (or none of the above) -- to answer this week's question: What are Hutchison's and Perry's biggest strengths going into the gubernatorial race? Here are board members' responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Biggest strengths of Perry, Hutchison (Ed board sounds off)" is tagged: Kay Bailey Hutchison , politics , Rick Perry , Texas governor's race August 12, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the question is: What do you see as Woodstock's legacy? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Woodstock's legacy (Editorial board sounds off)" has no entry tags. August 5, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, we'll discuss Bill Clinton's successful trip to North Korea to secure the release of Americans Euna Lee and Laura Ling. The question is: Was U.S. foreign policy compromised by Bill Clinton's photo op with Kim Jong Il? Here are editorial board members' responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Bill Clinton's photo op in North Korea (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: Bill Clinton , North Korea , Nuclear July 29, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week's topic is Texas Gov. Rick Perry's fundraising-related activities during the legislative session. The question: Do you think Perry's action violated state ethics laws? Here are board members' responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Perry's fundraising (Editorial board sounds off)" has no entry tags. July 22, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. Making waves this week is The New York Times' report that the federal government suppressed information on the dangers of driving while using a cellphone. This week, the question is: Do you think it's time to ban cellphone use for drivers? Here are board members' responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Time to ban cellphones while driving? (Ed board sounds off)" is tagged: cellphones , Driving/roadways July 15, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the Editorial Board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, we had an interesting board debate about the Dallas Housing Authority's proposed new policy of requiring tenants to register overnight visitors, who would be subject, in some cases to background checks. The authority says this is a crime-fighting tool it badly needs since much of the crime at housing projects seems to be committed by the guests of tenants, rather than simply the tenants themselves. Others argue that this regulation would be nearly impossible to enforce. The DHA board is scheduled to vote on this proposed policy in August. So the question is: Should the DHA board approve or reject this policy, why or why not? Here are their responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Should the DHA make visitors sign in at housing complexes? (Editorial board sounds off)" has no entry tags. July 8, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, we're delving into pop culture, given the oodles of coverage of Michael Jackson's memorial this week. Much of the Internet is abuzz over the tearful goodbye from Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris. Here's a video if you haven't caught it yet: The question is: Do you think adults should have protected Paris Jackson from the glare of the spotlight, or was this an appropriate show of grief from a child who has lost her father? Here are board members' responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Paris Jackson's tearful goodbye (Editorial Board sounds off)" is tagged: Michael Jackson July 1, 2009
Every week, we poll the members of the editorial board on a timely and divisive topic. This week, the board was abuzz about the Highland Park school district's decision to stop ranking all but the top 10 percent of high school students. Their reasoning? The rank-all-students system puts those with not-quite-as-high grades and test scores at a disadvantage when applying to college because the really-high-achieving students make them look bad. The question is: Do you agree with Highland Park's decision to throw out most class rankings? Here are editorial board members' responses: ![]() ![]() The entry "Should HP stop ranking students? (Editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: Education , Highland Park , Top 10 Percent June 24, 2009
Every Wednesday, we'll pick a question and poll all the editorial board members. (This is the second installment; last week's was on Bryan Burrough's "The Big Rich" and our favorite books about Texas.) Here's this week's question: What do you think about the idea to rename Young Street for César Chávez? You'll find our responses at the jump, but also check out Sharon's post yesterday on the topic. ![]() ![]() The entry "Cesar Chavez Street (The editorial board sounds off)" is tagged: Cesar Chavez , Dallas City Council , Latinos , Steve Salazar June 17, 2009
I just finished reading the new book, The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes, by former Wall Street Journal reporter Bryan Burrough. It's a wry, hard-knuckle, finely woven tale of the Big Four oil barons who shaped much of what Texas is today. "If Texas Oil had a Mount Rushmore, their faces would adorn it," Burrough writes. "A good ol' boy. A scold. A genius. A bigamist. Known in their heyday as the Big Four, they became the founders of the greatest Texas family fortunes, headstrong adventurers who rose from nowhere to take turns being acclaimed America's wealthiest man." It's a good read, and one I'd highly recommend. In fact, Points Editor Nicole Stockdale has chosen this book to be the centerpiece of our Third Annual Points Summer Book Club project. Details on that to come shortly, but start reading the book now to get a head start on a special weeklong DMN-sponsored blog discussion beginning July 27. We discussed the book briefly at a staff meeting earlier this week. I asked how many Editorial Board members could rattle off the Big Four. Bill McKenzie got it right. For detail here, you'll have to read into the extended entry.... But first, I want to go on record here asking each of my colleagues - and our readers, of course - this question: What's the best book about Texas in your opinion and what makes it so good? Read into the extended entry for Editorial Board member responses and then feel free to comment away! ![]() ![]() The entry "The Big Rich - The Editorial Board sounds off" has no entry tags. |