OPINION

I watched with awe as the Canadian Women's hockey team (and the crowd) sang their national anthem with feeling and energy on awards night, something I haven't seen with the USA's gold medal winners.

I wondered how many of our children even know the words any more.

How about a summit on jobs?

There are some 15 million out of work, and Washington is talking about health care. If people don't have jobs, more than likely they don't have health care. Now I don't need a summit to figure that out.

Re: "A Made-for-TV Cure -- Can Dems, GOP agree on reform prescription?" Thursday Editorials.

A line in this editorial that should have been in bold and all caps was: "But both parties owe it to Americans to show up with a willingness to compromise."

Our government, both federal and state, has come to a standstill on all major issues. Voters are left with nothing more than talking points from politicians only concerned with re-election.

Congress should engrave the following quote by Edmond Burke at every seat in both chambers: "All government -- indeed, every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue and every prudent act -- is founded on compromise and barter."

If you sell a product, such as an automobile, to U.S. consumers and cannot fix a major problem plaguing that unit, which, according to the company's U.S. president, it cannot guarantee will solve it, then you should not be in business here.

As much as a car costs, it should have the same odds as playing a slot machine as to whether it works properly.

Toyota cannot, and should not, gamble with people's lives just to be No. 1.

Re: "Democrats' proposals aren't the norm -- No-kill shelters across state seen as part of being good conservators to animals," Thursday news story.

For those thinking Kinky Friedman's idea to provide no-kill shelters throughout Texas is a fruitless endeavor, let me set you straight. Huts for Mutts in Hamilton is just such a shelter, and through our tireless volunteer work the past six years, we have lowered the euthanasia rate nearly 75 percent in Hamilton and Coryell counties. We encourage responsible pet ownership and offer free and low-cost spay-neuter events. We educate.

The tax dollars saved by those communities run well into the $100,000 mark, so Friedman's idea is not only rooted in compassion but has great fiscal merit as well.

Re: "35E crawls to dubious title -- 5 sections of Stemmons are among region's most congested," Thursday news story.

The fact that Interstate 35E interchanges are ranked as the area's most congested should not come as a surprise.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has been saying that under the surface there are huge problems brewing in Texas. I am amazed the Texas Department of Transportation representative would admit that there is no funding.

Gov. Rick Perry has had 10 years to lead this state and provide for the future, and the TxDot team is under his appointees. What other bombshells are ticking away?

Three Cheers is a weekly collection of upbeat letters that inspire readers to think and act positively. Share your own timely story or observation by sending it to "Three Cheers" at letters@dallasnews.com.

1 Recyclers go the extra mile -- To the guys who have the thankless job of collecting our recycling every week: I have seen you back your truck up to our driveway, when you noticed we had forgotten to put our bin by the curb.

Not once have you done this, but every time we are late putting it out. You don't have to do it since, technically, our bin is not where it is supposed to be.

But you do it anyway, even though I can't ever seem to catch you to say thanks.

So, thank you, guys! Your conscientiousness to do your job well and your common courtesy has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated.

2 Appreciation for service -- It has always been my practice when seeing those in uniform to shake their hands and thank them for their service to our country. Recently, my wife and I were having dinner at a local restaurant in North Dallas. Seated near us were a soldier and his wife who appeared to be just finishing their meal.

I went over and thanked him for his service. They both smiled and said thank you.

During our brief conversation, his wife, with a tear in her eye, said that he was being deployed to Afghanistan. I asked how he felt about it. He hesitated a few seconds and said, "It's God's job to forgive Osama bin Laden - I'm going over there to help arrange the meeting."

With that, I told them that I'd be honored to buy their dinner.

3 A letter carrier's kindness -- Our neighborhood's most neighborly person doesn't even live here. He is Val Garcia, our letter carrier, and he cares for every family in remarkable ways.

Last month, an elderly neighbor died, and Val worried that his widow would have trouble navigating her steep stairs to get the mail. Val told her to put a box on her front porch, and he would go up the stairs and place the mail in the box every day.

Now she can look forward to getting the mail every day without worrying about falling. Three cheers for this random act of kindness.

Looks like a one-party effort
Re: "Health care debate over, Obama says -- Unity is elusive, but he's ready to revive stalled legislation," Friday news story.
One thing is clear: Democrats must pass health care reform and expect no GOP help.
All along, the GOP has said, "Scrap the bills, then we can talk," along with other obstructionist methods. I have some news for you, Republicans: They aren't going to scrap their bills when this is the furthest any administration and Congress has gotten in trying to pass health care reform.
I heard some great things where there was some agreement. One of them wasn't when Sen. Max Baucus said, "Our differences aren't that far apart." Apparently he hasn't been listening to Fox News and Rush Limbaugh champion the Republican Party saying "no" to everything in this debate.
Let's get real here. Democrats must pass health care reform or face a repeat of 1994, when they embarrassingly lost Congress and didn't regain control for 12 years.

Health care plan won't fly
Can anyone explain to the voters why President Barack Obama and his Washington cronies insist on ramming this deathcare plan down our throats when the majority of people clearly do not want it? Can you explain to us why, on the first day of the health care summit, Obama danced around questions posed to him by Republicans without answering?
Read our lips: Kill the bill. No bipartisanship; no negotiating. Stop playing games, and let it go. It's not going to fly in America.

Body language says it all
President Barack Obama is a true leader in command of the issues and language. He sincerely wants to fix a broken system and help those in the greatest need.
The other clarity is Republican leaders have no interest in substantive reform. Their desire to "start with a clean sheet" and take an incremental approach is no different than the delay, delay and more delay tactics used by Southern segregationists to prevent access to equal education.
The Republican strategy of obstruction was personified by the angry twins Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. John Boehner. Their folded hands and pursed lips said more than any constructive comments from others in their party.

Please, some mutual respect
How is it that when John McCain brought out points that affect health care, he is accused of "resorting back to the campaign" by President Barack Obama?
Things such as "special deals" or bribery for a few states to get their leaders' votes, meeting behind behind closed doors for more special, secret deals with unions and health care officials, and the president putting our money where his mouth is are all part of why the American people are revolting. They want a shorter, simpler bill with time for the leaders and the public to read it before it is voted on.
And why does the president expect -- rightly so -- that he should be addressed as Mr. President, yet he speaks condescendingly to the senator as John?
It will be bipartisan when he does not have everything all done and wants to have a summit on it. That is putting the cart before the horse.

I am appalled at Texans who are going to the polls without doing any research into the candidates they elect. Their intellectual laziness will affect us all.

Look, for instance, at the mandatory teacher health plan that Gov. Rick Perry passed during his first year in office. It costs Texans billions per year and provides virtually no savings for teachers over individual insurance plans, even though we are a 500,000-person group. It's an oligopoly.

Kay Bailey Hutchison has done good things. But what about when, in effect, she voted for no-bid contracts under H.R. 2892? And, we know about the big George W. Bush bailout. She's helped D.C. become the money-eating monster it is.

Medina supports individual rights

What does 9/11 have to do with the Texas governor's race? How does Debra Medina drop in the polls after the Glenn Beck setup?

Texans are foolish enough to believe that her answer to the 9/11 question wasn't quite what it seemed to be. To take an issue nearly 10 years in the past and use that to smear a candidate's personal stand when she offered no information that would lead anyone but the media in the direction it went is unbelievable.

Wake up, Texans. Medina is the only candidate supporting the return of the Constitution. With laws like the Patriot Act, the Real ID Act and all of the executive orders passed during the last two years, we have lost our basic rights guaranteed us as citizens.

She is the one candidate who supports a person's rights and is prepared to restore these rights set up in our Constitution and fought for by the Founding Fathers.

This is America, and it is our constitutional duty to question all of the government's actions and to hold them in check when these activities begin to turn on Americans.

Perry's 'strings' could lift schools

Texas is 46th in the nation in public education.

But Gov. Rick Perry will not accept education funds from Washington because "there are strings attached." But maybe those strings could help pull Texas schools up.

Voodoo economics makes comeback

Recent articles in The Dallas Morning News discuss plans for cutbacks in various government agencies because of a forecast of a $19 billion shortfall in the state budget.

The cutbacks would include already-lean areas such as education, public health, etc.

Yet, in one of his ads for re-election, Rick Perry claims that, under his leadership, Texas has "billions in reserve." Is this more of the economics voodoo that we've heard in the past?

Enough with the attack ads

Enough, enough already!

I can no longer stand to listen to Rick Perry or Kay Bailey Hutchison radio ads. After their relentless assaults, I now change the station as soon as one airs.

If we are to believe the content of these ads, we have to wonder why we ever voted for either of these two despicable people for any office. Their ads say both are horrible people who have cheated their constituents and have accomplished nothing in office.

I am sure, though, as soon as one of them is eliminated, the losing candidate will throw total support behind the winning candidate. How can they suddenly support someone they savaged so viciously just the week before?

I am disgusted with both of these two candidates and will never vote for either of them for any office.

I would like to ask Gov. Rick Perry how we Texans would pay for all the federal government provides if we were to secede.

There would be no, Medicare, no Medicaid for the poor, no disaster relief, no unemployment benefits.

There would be no money for roads, hospitals, no money for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport or Love Field and the airlines, and no money for schools.

If the Tea Party cry is "Tax Enough, Already," do people not see if Texas were able to secede, our taxes would have to be raised to pay for everything the federal government pays for.

I honestly believe that this governor is playing politics and is not being honest with the people from Texas when he talks about secession.

Medina proving lone, brave voice

Debra Medina has my vote in her race for governor. Whatever Glenn Beck and all other neo-conservatives may think of her, at least she is honest.

She did not tell people only what they wanted to hear. She wasn't being politically correct. That is something truly lacking in American politics today.

Re: "A bite-sized portion of immigration reform -- Clayton McCleskey says U.S. doesn't need to bite off more than it can chew," last Sunday Points.

McCleskey claims that companies do not fire a worker from Dallas and then recruit someone from New Delhi to do the same job. Yes, they do, and I have firsthand experience to prove it. Companies do it so they can pay half the going rate.

The biggest outrage is reserved for Daniel Griswold's claim that on average, every H-1B worker creates five jobs in the U.S. The deceit implicit in this Big Lie is that those five jobs are high-paying technical positions.

Please, show some common sense There is nothing special about H-1B workers. The vast majority of them come here through huge foreign job shops simply to fill U.S. positions at low cost. They don't magically create companies while they are here any more than local workers do.

H-1B runaround

I suggest Clayton McCleskey speak with some American-born high-tech workers who are employed by companies that sponsor H-1B visas for a number of their immigrant workers so that he can find a more balanced opinion.

These companies are required to publish job openings for positions to give non-H-1B workers a chance at them. But it is no secret that companies already have an H-1B worker they want to place in that position. Then when a number of people do apply, they are all turned down on some false premise.

There is no shortage of high-tech workers in this country; there is simply a shortage of honest companies actually looking to hire them.

The cap-and-trade charade

Re: "Obama's green bargain -- Last year, he was extolling renewables. Now, he's talking about nuclear plants. Kate Sheppard asks: What happened?" last Sunday Points.

In this instance, legislators need only pass the president's cap-and-trade proposal and then President Barack Obama will presumably begin the process of developing more nuclear plants and new offshore drilling for oil and gas. The problem is that, at its core, cap-and-trade is no more than a hidden tax on consumers.

Up front, the cap on certain emissions will increase the production cost for conventional energy, which will be passed on to us as we drive our cars and heat our homes. In turn, we are promised that we will eventually receive more energy from oil, natural gas and nuclear sources, thus creating new jobs and reducing dependence on foreign oil.

The kicker is that it will take a very long time to get through the permitting, environmental studies and other government clearances before anything can get started. In fact, that long time very likely will be an eternity.

Women get away with it

Re: "Reading between the sheets -- What do adulterous women tell us about politics and ourselves? Lisa Belkin gains some insight," last Sunday Points.

Belkin wonders why women don't seem to self-destruct with as much fanfare as men.

When a man does something despicable, he deserves to be punished. And, generally, he is. But when a woman is guilty of the same behavior, we feel sympathy for her instead. We ask, "What could have happened to that poor woman to make her do that?"

Even when the women involved are Ph.D.s or NASA astronauts, we are content to let them off the hook with a slap on the wrist, or at worst, put them in a mental hospital.

When O.J. went free, when the officers who beat Rodney King went free, there was an explosion of outrage. When Lisa Nowak got away with attempted murder and Lorena Bobbit was set free, hardly anyone noticed.

And Belkin is puzzled over why a much younger woman would want to sleep with one of the most powerful men on earth. Surely she knows that having the dirt on a senator or a sports god is solid gold in the Girl World.

It's not "complexity" that we're more ready to accept in a man, it's accountability.

Drop that hyphen

Re: "Race, reclassified -- It's time to stop calling blacks 'African-Americans,' says John McWhorter," last Sunday Points.

I am of Irish decent and don't use "Irish American" because my family was born in America. We are Americans.

The way the blacks in Africa are treated, I can't believe anyone would want to be associated with that kind of treatment, or be "proud" in any way.

Just be a very proud American who happens to be black. And, as your equal, I'll be a proud American who happens to be white.

We are in a different world now, in a different time, thank God, and we all need to group together as one to better our America. No more labels mean no more segregation.

Breaking point ahead?

Re: "Talking Points," last Sunday Points.

The quotes from Tea Party activist Pam Stout and Austin airplane terrorist Joseph Stack had a surprising, chilling effect on me because they both had a similar tone: one that approves of violence to settle a grievance and blames the other party to justify their potential or actual violent acts.

Stack obviously felt that flying his airplane into an IRS building was his only remaining choice. Stout and her allies seem to be reaching that point when she says "sometimes you are not given a choice."

Ms. Stout and her fellow Tea Party activists have an alternative: fire their governor, representative, senator, etc., and do it regularly. If not, I fear that we're one Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh segment from today's Tea Party activist becoming tomorrow's domestic terrorist.

Keith Jones, Lewisville

Re: "A change of climate for 'science' -- Questionable global warming industry is justifiably under fire, says George Will," Monday Viewpoints.

Of the opinion offered, the only part I could agree with was that the entire debate has become political rather than an attempt to seek factual, substantial information. In an attempt to help address that, allow me to offer this:

Climate change can happen much more swiftly than most of us believe. Rather than thousands of years, dramatic shifts in climate can occur in a few years. Every Ice Age has been proceeded by a period of warming (accompanied by a rise in greenhouse gases) prior to an abrupt shift to a colder, drier climate.

There is no consensus as to what can cause a shift from warm to cold, but there is considerable consensus that such vacillations have occurred with regularity for several hundred thousand years, and we are overdue for the next shift to cold.

As a society, we should be considering how to deal with a radical shift in climate before it comes instead of waiting to see if it comes. If we start shifting to a colder, drier climate, feeding people is going to get awfully hard even here in the U.S.

An automatic response

It's interesting how the eloquent George Will can wax on about "global warming," yet never once uses the word "pollution." It must be like the inability of most Republicans to say the word "taxes" without saying "lower" first.

Perry forgets Scout roots

Gov. Rick Perry is an Eagle Scout. Boy Scouts teach Scouts to leave a place cleaner than when they found it.

Apparently, Perry has forgotten the lessons he learned in Boy Scouts. He can begin to move back to the Scouting ideals by dropping the state's frivolous lawsuit again the Environmental Protection Agency over the EPA's CO2 emissions findings.

Perry should be working on ways to improve Texas' air quality. He shouldn't be wasting Texas tax dollars on frivolous lawsuits that will leave Texas air dirtier than when he came into office.

Bad science, results

Re: "I don't see a conspiracy," by Tina Sanchez, last Sunday Letters.

Sanchez doesn't understand that making Environmental Protection Agency policy using tainted data and bad science will create bad results. Perhaps she is confusing climate warming issues with pollution when she blames CO2 and other greenhouse gases for polluting our streams and rivers, instead of the chemical and organic runoff from farms, factories and lawns.

She should remember that the fabrication of solar collectors and wind turbines creates toxic pollutants and are also energy-intensive. There are no magic bullets; we must rely on rational choices, based on best science and practice.

Onerous regulations created from bad science and propaganda will raise the cost of energy for the consumer and the price of everything we make, ship or buy many times over. It will impact the poor most of all -- in jobs, in household expenses, in opportunity.

Instead, we should focus our resources on cleaning the air and water from the real pollutants and recognize the bad policy created around greenhouse gases as so much hot air to be defeated for our common good.

I support the state's efforts to defeat bad EPA policy.

This is the problem ...
Re: "DART ridership plunges -- Revenue also falls, which could delay rail projects downtown and in Irving," Wednesday news story.
I have a collection of materials on the DART issue going back to 1983.
DART promised to have a rail line completed and funded from Carrollton through Addison to Plano by the year 2000.
It promised to have a rail line to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport completed and funded by the year 2010. It promised 160 miles of rail and 81 rail stops by the year 2010.
In March 1985, DART produced a graphic showing sales taxes exceeding projections, leading the general public to believe DART had made promises based on conservative estimates.
DART was behind in meeting its promises as early as March 1985, when DART reported that it recovered only 35 percent of its operating expenses at the farebox.
The farebox recovery ratio has declined ever since then.
Adlene Harrison, an early supporter of DART, said that for DART to be viable, it had to generate from 40 to 55 percent of its total revenues from the farebox. That percentage is around 12 percent now.
DART's current financial situation is no surprise.

... and this is the solution
The solution to DART's plunging ridership is found in one of every four cars you see on our roads and streets.
The municipalities served by DART should aggressively enforce the state's financial responsibility law that requires automobile drivers to carry minimum automobile liability insurance.
These people obviously have enough cash for gasoline and other operating costs -- except insurance premiums.
They are the ideal candidates for filling DART buses and trains with paying riders For every scofflaw converted to a DART rider, I rest easier, knowing my family is safer.

Chance Oliver represents the best of Denton County in the race for judge of Denton County Court at Law No. 1. Once elected as presiding judge of Denton County's only designated juvenile court, Oliver would devote his entire body and soul toward making our county strong, safe and productive.
I've watched Oliver interact with youth at my children's school and in our community, and he seeks to know children by name. Chance exudes professionalism, strong moral character, a deep-seated knowledge of the legal system and wisdom.
Oliver would bring years of legal expertise and deep community involvement with various groups, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, to the juvenile court. As a husband and father of four, Chance also would bring a unique perspective to the judge's role, having worked as a prison guard for the Texas Department of Corrections and a substitute teacher in special and general education classrooms earlier in his career.
Possessing book and street smarts, Chance earned his undergraduate and law degrees before attending the Experiencia Language School in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where he completed a bilingual studies program.

I have just received another of the ongoing mailings between Texas House District 101 candidates Greg Noschese and Cindy Burkett. If you are on their mailing lists, you know exactly what I mean. It has now reached the level of comedy.
There is an alternative, and I submit an excellent one -- former state Rep. Thomas Latham. He's already served a term in the Legislature, already knows the ropes that a new representative will have to learn, already has built ties and bonds with other legislators that a new representative will not have.
Latham was one of only two first-term Republican legislators who refused to bow to then-Speaker Tom Craddick's "vote how I tell you" whip.
I have no doubt that despite their current back-and-forth comedy routine, Burkett and Noschese would eventually grow into the job. Latham already has.

I have had the privilege to see the positive effect Angela Tucker has demonstrated in the Collin County judicial system. She is dedicated to giving her best to her clients and giving her best for her community. She is a godly woman, a wonderful wife and mother, and, when she is elected, Collin County will be the beneficiary of the best legal mind available to meet the needs and demands of Collin County.

About four years ago, as a family law attorney, I was involved in an emergency case with a high risk of harm to a child in Rockwall County. At 4:45 on a Friday afternoon, the judge called Cathy Penn up from the district attorney's office to meet with me.
Penn handled protective orders, child protection cases, juvenile cases and the justice of the peace courts among her other duties for the Rockwall DA. Penn had the knowledge and experience needed in a crisis.
Since then, Penn has been appointed as presiding judge for the city of Rockwall.
Not only is Penn the only candidate for JP Pcts. 2 and 3 who is a licensed attorney, she also has the knowledge, experience and compassion necessary for this office.

State Rep. Burt Solomons has listened to the people of our community and brought home great results. I have known him for many years, and I can tell you that he still cares as passionately today about the rights of the people living in his district as he ever has.
Solomons continues to be a champion of private property rights in our area, and I applaud him for his active involvement in property tax appraisal reform.

I have known Jim Truitt since 1990, when Jim was elected mayor of Richland Hills. Since that time, Truitt has held leadership positions in many political, civic and charitable organizations.
Truitt's business experience also makes him well-qualified to be Tarrant County clerk. He has owned his own business for more than 25 years. Before that, he was in charge of productivity improvement at a large corporation that employed hundreds and had a multi-million-dollar annual budget.

FOR JOHN ROACH
Judge John Roach is intelligent, kind, compassionate and earnest in his efforts to be a good judge. He is careful about applying the law with a faithful commitment to truth.
We have known Roach for years and are impressed with the manner in which he conducts himself in difficult situations. While we practice mainly in federal court, we know many attorneys who go before Roach, and they attest to his fairness and integrity.

FOR WAYNE RICHARD
At least 20 political action committees contributed to Mabrie Jackson. PACs are free to contribute to whom they wish, but their contributions tell me that Jackson is the establishment, or business-as-usual, candidate. I would rather vote for an independent businessman like Wayne Richard. Wayne exhibits all the qualities that the writers of our founding documents envisioned for citizen legislators.

FOR MABRIE JACKSON
Plano residents care deeply about public education, fiscal responsibility and civic service. We need a representative who actually knows our city, has served our community, supports public education and understands business.
It is easy to see why Mabrie Jackson is the best choice for Texas House of Representatives. Neither of her opponents has any experience as an elected official or has volunteered in our community, and their stances on public education would be a huge blow to the school district and the children of Plano.

FOR JERRY HOAGLAND
Jerry Hoagland has a strong record of success. We have a lower tax rate than we did 15 years ago. He has consistently voted against excessive spending. He emphasizes long-term planning like that for Collin College, Collin County Adventure Camp and our transportation infrastructure.
Jerry has experience, attitude and drive that we need in our elected officials to evaluate and manage our tax dollars.

FOR CHERYL WILLIAMS
As a former Plano City Council colleague of Cheryl Williams, I am pleased that she has decided to once again pursue public service. During her previous service to Plano, Williams was a real leader on the council in so many ways, but particularly in planning and budgetary issues. She does not strive to be a politician but takes a true citizen's viewpoint.
With a record as a strong fiscal conservative, Williams works to make sure that the taxpayers money is well-utilized for only those functions that government should perform and to provide a good rate of return.

FOR KATHY WARD
Studies show that Texas ranks near the bottom in supporting people with disabilities, and Collin County has scarce services to meet our growing population. In her 18 months on the Collin County Commissioners Court, Kathy Ward has traveled to Austin to fight for better funding for our special-needs loved ones.
In May 2009, she testified before the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Ward asked the commission not to make the proposed drastic cuts from two vital programs that serve these families' needs. They listened. The cuts were not made.
Republican Ward is truly a passionate conservative whom we need to keep fighting for us on the commissioners court.

FOR KEITH SELF
Collin County Judge Keith Self battled longstanding cronyism and special interests. He still made good on his campaign promises to put the taxpayer first by reducing county property taxes and limiting government growth.
He brought long-overdue transparency by placing the check register and commissioners court sessions online. He has spent less than a third of his discretionary budget during the last two years.
The past two years of recession certainly have proved the wisdom of the fiscal conservatism that Self preaches and practices.

FOR JOHN MUNS
We need common-sense, conservative public servants as Collin County judge and commissioner, rather than short-sighted politicians more interested in building a political machine to advance their political careers while working to punish any opposition.
John Muns and Duncan Webb are the right candidates for Collin County judge and commissioner in Precinct 4. Muns and Webb possess the integrity, business experience and demonstrated leadership necessary to serve our county.

Re: "Migrants are best of both worlds," by Steve Blow, last Sunday Metro column.
I agree with the sentiment of Blow's column. Illegal immigrants are vital to the workflow of our country. Because of this, he says, they should be allowed to stay here.
Now consider this: My husband was given a free visa to leave his Tibetan refugee camp in India to come to the U.S. He has been here for 18 years and has continuously tried to get his family here to visit. We have made multiple attempts, and each time we pay several hundred dollars for each person to be interviewed by the U.S. Embassy in India to get permission for them to come to the U.S. The interviews last minutes, and then they say, "Denied." The aftermath is dejection for all. And for that, our bank account dwindles.
Blow says illegal immigrants "represent the best of their countries" and the "lazy and aimless do not hike for four and a half nights." He should be reminded there are people who are doing everything they can legally to come to the U.S. but can't make progress in "the system."

What a wonderful tribute -- a new DISD school named for Ebby Halliday.
Most folks know Halliday's reputation as a business leader and community supporter; how she has created thousands of jobs in her 60-plus years in the real estate industry; her service to Dallas for decades.
Halliday claims that everything about her has already been written. But how many know of her dedication to education? How she read every book in her one-room schoolhouse and has an extensive home library that is the heart of her home? About her generous involvement with higher education in our region including the University of North Texas, Dallas Baptist University and Dallas County Community College District; her support of the Horatio Alger Foundation, which awards scholarships to deserving students -- allowing them the college education she was unable to afford in 1929.
Halliday has an absolute reverence for teachers. After all of the success and recognition she has earned, she considers teachers to be true rock stars. So, teachers, as you begin your day in the classroom, know that you are held in the highest esteem by someone who also has the heart and soul of a teacher.
How appropriate that Ebby Halliday Elementary will always be part of her legacy.

Applause for more recycling
We applaud the step forward of increasing recycling to once a week. We can't expect recycling to replace fresh paper or a forest, but a giant step backward might help save our resources.
Why are we fooled that a little bit of "going paperless" could offset the huge amount of wasted paper computers use and shred? Consider this: How about trying to shift the appalling burden of cheap junk mail advertising from the mail to the free press, who are threatened by the lack of it?
Would it help if the Postal Service were to charge advertisers and catalogers first-class rates? Also, the nonprofit organizations that send an incessant stream of "thank you's" with enclosed self-addressed envelopes as though it were a lifetime subscription.
While we enjoy receiving the catalogs we choose and selecting the non-profits we support, there seems to be no way to discourage nationwide bombardment of every person (dead or alive) with unwanted mail. We talk about the volume as though, like the weather, it would have its way.
There must be ways we could control the problem or, at least, cut it down to size instead of the forest.

A money-saving idea
This front trash pickup idea is just plain tacky. I can just imagine trash pickup day on Gaston Avenue, with all traffic slowing to one lane because of the garbage trucks.
This is just one more chip whittled away from this once-fine city. The city came up with this lame idea to save money. Here's a suggestion to save money: Get someone to coordinate infrastructure work done with bond money. It amazes me that we get a long awaited resurfacing of neighborhood streets with one bond program, and, within a few months, the city comes along and rips them up to re-do the water system for another bond program.
And of course, when streets are resealed from the water work, it is shoddy, and once again the streets are rough, bumpy and ugly. What a waste of money. Now, on top of the awful streets, we will have tacky trash cans in front of our houses.

I prefer the alley for trash
My alley is wide and like new. It is where the trash has always been picked up. It is but a few feet from the garage where the trash is kept. The new ordinance requiring that trash shall be retrieved from in front of those homes with previous alley pickup is absurd. The purpose of alleys is the removal of trash.
The new rule forces me to drag the trash receptacle uphill through two locked gates, over large oak tree flares and through mud to get it to the front curb. Then I have to reverse the trek to return the receptacle to the garage. Inclement weather makes the trip much more difficult. The new trash pickup rule should be reversed.

Irving leadership has shamed Irving Hispanics again. In a school district where the student body is at least 67 percent Hispanic, our school board had to go all the way to Georgia to bring a person totally foreign to our culture, language and traditions, and to lead the education of our children.
This selection is not about education. It is a display of raw political power. We needed someone who would begin to address Irving schools' dismal dropout rates by being able to empathize with Hispanic parents to involve them in the education process.
We needed someone who knows firsthand the problems of migration and their impact on high mobility. We needed someone who understands our language and the difficulty of learning English as a second language without the accompanying discouragement. Instead we got someone to ensure that no one will rock the boat in contracting and employment.
Hispanic parents, teach your children from this experience.

Five candidates for various positions lost my vote over the weekend:

• They were fool enough to think I want to hear an impersonal recorded telephone message while I eat supper. We have enough fools in office already. Strike one.


• They were arrogant enough to think their message is more important than my privacy. Strike two.


• Their "vote for me message" seldom imparts any indication of their positions on current events and proposed legislation. Strike three -- you're out.

Re: "Whale attacks, kills trainer at SeaWorld show -- Officials say animal had been involved in 2 previous deaths," Thursday news story.
Television and newspaper media sources ignored many facts about whales after the tragedy at Sea World in Orlando, Fla.
In the late 1930s, more than 50,000 whales were killed each year by humans. Today, killer whales are beautiful, enormous animals that are trapped by Sea World in small pools.
It should be no surprise that the animals are frustrated, angry and hungry.

Re: "Deadly, yet still neglected -- Fighting high blood pressure needs to be priority, panel says," Tuesday news story.

This story states that doctors should do more to help their patients live a healthy lifestyle by controlling their salt intake.

Doctors shouldn't be taking all the blame. Restaurants and fast food chains should eliminate salt added to their foods. A salt shaker should be available for those who want to add salt to foods at restaurants and small packets put into bags at fast food takeouts. People with high blood pressure should at least have the option of salt or no salt.

Re: "Balancing on a Stool -- Start with these 3 legs to make state budget fit," Tuesday Editorials.

This editorial says, "The state should close the loophole that gives businesses a discount for paying their (sales) taxes early or on time."

In my 28 years in the retail auto parts business, I was forced to keep two sets of books: one for me and one for the state, and, like me, many small businesses don't have elaborate computer systems.

I collected taxes a few dollars at a time, banked the money, sent the state one monthly check, was always subject to an audit, suffered high penalties if I was one day late, and for all my trouble and liability, the state was generous enough to give me $5 for every $1,000 I sent them.

This editorial calls this a loophole. The merchant "discount" should be increased to at least 2 percent.

Re: "Governors share financial worries -- Health care, jobs top state leaders' concerns as budgets shrink," and, "Beck blames both parties for 'addiction' to big government -- Progressives tax and spend, he says, while Republicans just spend," Sunday news stories, and, "Obama's green bargain -- Last year, he was extolling renewables. Now, he's talking about nuclear plants. Kate Sheppard asks: What happened?" Sunday Points.

The adjacent stories about the meetings of the National Governors Association and the Conservative Political Action Conference raise interesting questions.

The jubilant mood of Republicans, buoyed by the energy of the Tea Party movement, leads them to believe they can take control of Congress again in November's elections.

Hence the strategy of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (described in Points) "to oppose everything" proposed by the Obama administration and the congressional Democratic leadership in the meantime.

The conservatives meeting in D.C. clearly represented many factions who agree on only one thing: opposing the Democrats.

Once in power, will they have any ability at all to overcome their own internecine struggle to suggest any legislation that has a prayer of uniting their factions, let alone gaining bipartisan support?

And if they can only agree on limiting the role of the federal government, the demand for services will then devolve to the states, whose governors are clearly already worried greatly about their state deficits.

Will Republican electoral success at the national level simply bring more states to the level of crisis we now see in California?

Re: "Taxes low here? Think again," by Carolyne C. Nielson, and, "Property tax is what we have," by Joseph Dingman, Wednesday Letters.

Nielson believes an income tax would "lower taxes." She compares Texas taxes to California and Massachusetts, of all places.

I have lived in places with a state income tax. The state government will just grow and spend, and property taxes will be just as high in the long run.

But Dingman thinks the current system is working. Maybe for a senior with "frozen" property taxes.

Texas needs a complete revamping of the property tax system. Appraisal districts are controlled by the taxing entities. Nowhere in the system is anyone elected to an office accountable to the public. At the very least, the chief appraiser of every county should be elected.

In the recent Massachusetts primary that preceded the special election for the Senate seat of the late Edward Kennedy, many voters stayed home. Democrats were blasé; Republicans were not hopeful of gaining a seat long held by a Democrat.

Voters were left to chose between a lackluster Democrat, who was a pale replacement to her predecessor and who assumed that people would vote for her simply because of the D after her name on the ballot, and a conservative independent Republican who defended waterboarding as justifiable, vilified the bank bailout orchestrated by his own party and was openly critical of a national health bill modeled after the one legislated in his own state, which he approved of and voted for as a state senator.

Texans need to pay attention to the lessons of Massachusetts. We tend to stay home during the primaries, leaving the hard choices to party loyalists, the extremes of both sides of the aisle.

Too many issues are facing us as a state and a nation to just leave it to a few insiders to decide. It is time for all of us to exercise our constitutional right to vote. If we don't, we may wake up next Wednesday wishing we had paid closer attention.

Lately, voters residing in the South Dallas community have been bombarded with calls to vote for Terri Hodge. This is nonsense. Don't waste your vote by casting it for Terri Hodge.

A vote for Eric Johnson in state House District 100 is a vote for fair, honest government -- something South Dallas has sorely lacked for many years. Voters should reject all appeals to vote for Terri Hodge, who has admitted that she betrayed the people by using her office for personal gain. Hodge herself has said people should not vote for her.

If Hodge does get the most votes on Tuesday, she cannot serve. Instead, precinct chairs will select another person -- someone who has not even come forward to put his or her name on the ballot so that the voters can measure his or her credentials and judge his or her fitness for office.

Regardless of whom that person might be, that is a continuation of the sort of under the table, backroom politics that have damaged the southern part of our city for too long.

Johnson had the courage and the decency to put himself forward and run against Hodge. He is a qualified candidate who has played by the rules. He deserves the votes of everyone who wants to see District 100 prosper. He also deserves the votes of everyone who wants an end to corruption, secrecy and abuses of the democratic process.

It's time for South Dallas voters to stand up and say that enough is enough.

Re: "Armey calls Obama 'shallow,' 'incompetent' -- In speech at meeting, party icon also says GOP has lost its way," last Friday news story.

I am saddened but not surprised by Dick Armey's scathing critique of President Barack Obama at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference.

Calling Obama "the most incompetent president perhaps in our lifetime" is a stretch. This description is arguably already taken by our most recent president, who is alive and well right here in Dallas.

Armey described Obama as an "arrogant, self-righteous income-redistributor" and an "ideologue." If Armey would like to see someone who is truly a self-righteous ideologue, all he has to do is look into the nearest mirror.

Joe Stack's cowardly and murderous atrocity was not a sign that our tax system is unfair or that our government is broken.

Stack bought into the urban myth nonsense that the income tax is voluntary and/or illegal. The Supreme Court has ruled that both those ideas are egregiously false. The Supreme Court gets to decide these things, not half-educated nutballs on the Internet. People who try to apply that silliness go to prison. Stack was a failure of his own making. Praise for such malignant loons is irresponsible and immoral.

I am a conservative. I believe that my taxes are too high, Congress -- both Republicans and Democrats -- spends way too much and government as a whole is far too intrusive. If that makes me a Tea Party conservative, so be it.

I do not condone the manifesto or actions of Joseph Stack. He was a domestic terrorist. I do not appreciate attempts by the left, including the media, to associate Stack with any conservative movement, particularly the Tea Party movement. It is a shameful, crass way to sully those who disagree with them.

In the wake of pilot Joseph Stack's attack, onlookers expressed relief that it was not an incident of Islamist terrorism.

If Stack's attack fits the four-pronged criteria of terrorism -- a criminal act against a civilian population with intent to cause fear, death, or injury, and as a means to influence government and/or politics -- but is dismissed empathetically as an act by one of our own, does this actually mean "being Muslim" is one of the understood, but unstated, criteria in the definition of terrorism?

Will this characterization induce other Americans with personal grievances to lash out at the federal government? Will it continue to muddy the issue of terrorism as representative of the Islamic faith tradition, which obviously does not corner the market on politically motivated violence?

Stack's attack will now undoubtedly serve as a litmus test for whether American media coverage and government verbiage will represent events through a politically and emotionally charged lens or via a precise and more objective account.

Re: "Should it be called terrorism or criminal act? Authorities, Muslims, others weigh in on one side or the other," Sunday news story.

It is a truly horrific thing when vengeful thinking sheds itself of all inhibitions and becomes vengeful action, taking and/or injuring lives and becoming tragic as in the Austin plane crash incident.

Another tragedy lies in the statement of Nihad Awad, director of the Council on Islamic-American Relations: "The position of many individuals and institutions seems to be that no act of violence can be labeled 'terrorism' unless it is carried out by a Muslim."

Why does Awad's response remind me of a child who comes to school with a fake cast because he saw how much attention his friend received for a legitimate injury? Self-victimization in light of true tragedy is infantile and narcissistic at best.

Re: "Glorifying Insanity -- Austin attack must not be confused with heroism," Saturday Editorials.

Anyone who even slightly considers this terrorist a hero is of the same ilk as those who cheered the 9/11 attack. Terror is terror, whether committed by al-Qaeda members or U.S. citizens, and sadly all it accomplishes is more restrictions to our personal freedom.

Those who use this act for political gain need to be censured before they foster more of these senseless acts.

Re: "Migrants are best of both worlds," by Steve Blow, Sunday Metro column.

Ernesto broke the law when he entered the U.S. illegally. Ernesto breaks the law each day he remains here. Ernesto may be depriving legal residents of an income or livelihood. Ernesto is depriving U.S. citizens of their choice of who may live here.

Ernesto is contributing to dissension among us on how to deal with illegal immigration. Ernesto should go home. Steve Blow should know better.

Re: "The Medina fallacy -- Tea Party logic doesn't add up, says William McKenzie," Tuesday Viewpoints.

I don't know what people mean when they say, "Government is too big," and I suspect that they don't know either. What they are expressing is a sense of frustration with the current state of politics and are lashing out indiscriminately.

It seems to me that what they have in common is a history of inattention to public affairs, not much education and an intense intolerance for everyone who does not agree with them.

Without their influence, we would likely be having an intelligent debate between Perry and Hutchinson. If the attitudes and opinions of the Tea Party group continue to spread, it will damage not just the GOP, but all of American politics and our ability to govern ourselves.

We are more dependent on various levels of government than we have ever been before and for a wide variety of our needs. That is not likely to change. We have, no doubt, some obsolete functions and agencies, but large problems (globalism, defense, health matters, environmental concerns, etc.) will continue to require collective action of the sort that only an effective governing system can address. The know-nothing approach inhibits our ability to produce rational public policy.

The Texas Supreme Court needs Judge Debra Lehrmann in Place 3. She has more than 22 years experience, almost more than twice any of her opponents. She is an exceptionally well-qualified jurist who has consistently served the people of Texas with fairness and integrity, and she is a proven conservative.

She is currently the district judge of the 360th Judicial District in Fort Worth and the only candidate with family law and child protective services experience, which is needed on the court. She also has authored two legal treatises that are updated yearly.

Re: "Toyota struggles for answers -- In emotional hearing, U.S. exec says electronics may be faulty," Wednesday news story.

Now that the snow is melting in D.C., Congress can go back to normal activities, such as ignoring the country's real priorities and returning to the practice of self-righteous grandstanding.

This time, the "suits" have Toyota squarely in their sights, subpoena in hand and a level of rage comparable to a woman scorned.

At least, this subject is more valid than steroids in baseball and tainted spinach; although the Chinese lead in children's toys were able to somehow get a pass from congressional wrath.

Would Congress treat Toyota differently if it was populated by members of the United Auto Workers? No one can say.

But I'd bet the rest of my meager retirement nest egg that there would have been a gentlemen's understanding rather than a crucifixion.

In less than a week, a short-term Medicare physician payment freeze will expire and a 21.2 percent cut to Medicare reimbursement rates will take effect.

Most physician practices here and across the nation are small businesses. Those physicians who still care for Medicare patients will be faced with a severe financial strain. They will also have to choose whether or not they can still see Medicare patients. Medicare patients will have even greater difficulty finding a doctor.

Congress must cease the short-term "fixes" and address the actual problem: the flawed sustainable growth rate formula. If Congress had fixed this problem in 2005, when physicians faced a cut of about 3.3 percent, the cost of permanent reform would have been $49 billion. Now, this year's projected 21.2 percent cut yields a $210 billion price tag for reform.

Another short-term fix only slightly delays the inevitable problem and makes it extremely difficult for physicians to continue their care for seniors and military families.

It's time to repeal the Medicare sustainable growth rate formula, replacing it with a system that ensures payments keep pace with rising costs associated with care for our patients.

Re: "Social conservative in tough race -- GOP voters will help set panel's direction before key textbook decisions," Tuesday news story.

This article has incomplete information that makes Thomas Ratliff look pretty good compared to Don McLeroy.

The State Board of Education is duly elected. In January, they listened to constituents until late in the evening. They did what they were elected to do. The poorly written 1998 squishy history-challenged TEKS was made worse by the "professional educators," and the SBOE just made a few changes to make it not as bad.

The changes that were made by the SBOE would allow teachers to give children real facts and reasons to believe that we are a country worth preserving. If we don't teach them history and that we are worth preserving, what will happen?

Do we really want to do that to our children?

Ratliff is a professional lobbyist accustomed to being beholden to the highest bidder and now the brazen teacher unions that refuse to allow parents the right to school choice are supporting him.

Re: "Balancing on a Stool -- Start with these 3 legs to make state budget fit," Tuesday Editorials.

We appreciate the focus on spending the Rainy Day Fund and closing tax loopholes as a means of helping balance the budget.

However, continuing to cut from state services that are already under-resourced will only take away from Texans at a time when they are already vulnerable due to the economy, without creating enough savings to fix the problem.

Relying on cuts does nothing to stimulate our state economy and is a method that has already failed us. We have some of the worst outcomes for children and families in the country. We support looking at alternative means to balance the budget.

Our services have already taken as much cutting as they can.

Re: "Where to make services cuts," by Dennis Borel, Saturday Letters.

Borel repeats a destructive logic that decries proposed budget cuts by the state Department of Health and Human Services, but advocates closure of our state schools. It is not possible to demonstrate how tearing down an entire system and building a new network with the same funds is cost-effective.

A peer-reviewed cost-comparison study was updated in 2009 by Voice of the Retarded, a respected national advocacy organization. It shows that costs for all related services remain consistent whether services are provided in a single state facility or across multiple providers within a community model.

The state schools provide vital care for individuals who are profoundly disabled, medically fragile or have severe behavioral complications that render them unsuitable or unlikely to benefit from community-based residences.

The state system continues to require firm oversight and effective management, but those requirements are already in place. The schools, their residents and the families who want the facilities kept open do not deserve to be vilified or made into bargaining chips for budgetary advantage, especially not by persons or groups that purport to represent the disabled population.

Re: "Choking warning labels urged for food -- Pediatricians group is recommending sweeping changes," Monday news story.

Yes, choking is a serious risk for young children, but no little red sticker can take the place of proper parenting.

Cut meats up, don't horse around and stay with young children while they're eating. No food can be made choke-proof, and government regulation won't change that. Be an attentive parent; don't make that the FDA's job.

Now, I'm going to go enjoy a hot dog, while I still can.

In response to Stephanie Mueller's piece and as a belated comment on a previous article concerning lost tax revenue due to freezing property tax rates for residents 65 and older, I figured out my tax burden.

Though I'm close to retirement age, it's not an option I can consider for a number of reasons, including current income, estimated retirement income and losses in retirement funding.

My tax burden is also a contributing factor. It was a whopping 38.7 percent of my income this year, and I did not include sales taxes, service taxes or taxes enumerated on my telephone bill. Perhaps an additional 1 percent would be a conservative estimate.

There is definitely unfairness in tax burden distribution. The over-reliance on homeowner property taxes needs to be fixed. Forcing residents out of their homes because their incomes cannot sustain ever-increasing property taxes should not be an acceptable practice in tax revenue collection.

Texans are deluded in thinking that they live in a low-tax environment. The taxes are being paid but in a totally inequitable fashion. And we give seniors a discount simply for achieving a certain age. (Think Ross Perot.) Who makes up the difference? Many homeowners are paying more in property taxes than they are in federal income taxes.

As a native Californian who came to Texas as an adult, I find this situation bizarre. Our neighbors, originally from "Taxachusetts," calculate that their local tax burden is 25 percent higher here.

Let's abolish the property tax and replace it with an income tax, the only equitable form of taxation. When people make money, they pay tax; when they don't make money, they don't pay tax. Using property tax as the sole form of taxation for individuals is unfair.

Perhaps we need a Tea Party revolution for the Texas property tax system.

Re: "An unfair squeeze -- Our property tax is the levy that keeps on taking, laments Stephanie Mueller," Saturday Viewpoints.

Despite whether we like it, property taxes are the foundation of the financing system for local governments and schools in the U.S. No one likes taxes, but we need them unless we return to an agrarian economic system like we had in the 1700s.

Property taxes do have a progressive nature, in that people take on the tax load they can afford. Would an income tax or a value-added tax be better? Perhaps, but that's not the system we have. It is up to the Legislature, elected by us, to change it.

In Texas, properties are required by state law to be assessed at market. The assessment districts are professionally staffed and run. People have the legal right to protest their assessments, if necessary, via peer panels and, later, the courts. Anyone who silently accepts an above-market assessment causes his or her own complaint.

Re: "Colleges prepare for 5% cuts," last Wednesday news story.

Gov. Rick Perry has asked the Dallas County Community College District to cut its budget by $10 million. The current reduction plan means cutting back on multiple needs, including hiring part-time professors like me, despite the record enrollment.

Richland College is currently 12 percent over last year's enrollment numbers, but many students will be turned away and professors will go without their usual classes. Since my primary income is teaching, I'm worried about how my family is going to eat come next fall.

Good thing Perry refused federal money so he could posture for voters.

I am pleased to join The Dallas Morning News in supporting Thomas Ratliff for District 9 on the State Board of Education. He will bring a reasoned, non-biased voice to a board that has been far too ideological and politically biased.

The recent board deliberations on social studies textbook content provide an excellent example. Ratliff's opponent and current board member Don McLeroy recently introduced amendment after amendment that distorted American history.

His belief that the separation of church and state is a myth is a challenge to the First Amendment of our Constitution. The founders of our nation were very clear that the government should not dictate religion.

Having served on the Richardson ISD school board for 15 years, I have worked with these issues frequently. Our schoolchildren deserve the most accurate and unbiased textbooks possible that do not promote a particular religion or political ideology.

Steve Blow is correct that illegal migrants work hard and usually don't cause trouble, but he lost me when he told us this man has been here seven years and can't speak English. The immigrant doesn't care about America. He only wants to make money -- no problem there -- but he sends it home.

We need these people, but we need them to come legally. We need people who will learn the language and will care about this country.

Steve Blow's insight on this issue is clear as a wake-up whistle. I'm recommending it to the Mexican consulate, so they can enrich their arguments to find the most functional and constructive accommodation for these valuable people for the benefit of their own lives and everyone else of the U.S. who is involved.

Re: "Migrants are best of both worlds," by Steve Blow, Sunday Metro column.

I fail to understand why illegal immigrants who exhibit dedication and determination in breaking our laws deserve the reward of legalization when it takes just as much dedication and determination to come here legally.

Those who take the latter path demonstrate a higher moral character and are therefore much more welcome in America.

Blow is not only selfish but also shameful in his belief that rewarding illegal immigration is what is best for his country. My country was not built with the labor of scofflaws, and it's unacceptable in my country to reward those who break the law to come here.

Re: "Deficit panel may stress toll to come -- Obama's commission will discuss unpopular solutions to crisis," Friday news story.
This article reports on the new National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform which President Barack Obama created with much fanfare.
The purported goal of the commission is to find ways to reduce our national debt. At the same time I had CNN on the television and was watching Obama make a campaign speech in Las Vegas on behalf of Harry Reid, in which he announced an additional $1.5 billion in federal spending from the financial industry bailout program to support people with troubled mortgages.
He actually made the announcement with a straight face and was rewarded with applause from the audience.
With leaders like this, is there any hope left for our country?

Re: "Legitimate grievances," by Bret McCormick, Monday Letters.
According to McCormick, when people resort to so-called terrorist acts, they have legitimate grievances that have not been addressed in a just manner.
This is a frightening concept, as it is exactly what Osama bin Laden, Timothy McVeigh and Ted Kaczynski used as their cowardly excuses to murder innocent people.
Who among us makes the decision as to which grievance is legitimate enough to kill others over? McCormick's letter sent a shiver up my spine.
We are a nation of laws. Please don't let the terrorists win.

Every day in The Dallas Morning News, we are fed a steady diet of Rick Perry vs. Kay Bailey Hutchison vs. Debra Medina.
Can't The News give just a little coverage to the Democratic gubernatorial candidates, Bill White and Farouk Shami? This is how the media get a bad name.
White will give any of the three Republicans a good fight, and I hope he wins. We have had enough of the "perfection" of Republicans, including their perfect lies and distortions used to make people think all is well with the state. It isn't. Gov. Rick Perry has been a scam.
Be fair. Give equal coverage to the Democrats.

Re: "Trains as part of the equation," by Dian and Don Malouf, Thursday Letters.
I do agree that we need a good national and regional rail network but to force-fit it is not the way. The freight railroads own the tracks they run on, and that makes them private property. Amtrak is more of a guest than a renter on those tracks.
Be careful, my friends, any thing you do to clear the way for Amtrak over the railroads' property also opens doors for them to clear the way for anything across yours.

Re: "Losing power helped me plug in to simpler life -- Just think back to how people used to live, says Kathleen Krumnow," Saturday Viewpoints.
Sorry, but I'm perfectly capable of turning off the TV or computer and reading a book, working a crossword puzzle or taking a nap without the electricity being out.
Pioneer women may have had it tough, but they also had fireplaces, wood or coal-burning stoves and kerosene lanterns. I don't. It's hard for me to find anything to be happy about doing when it is 46 degrees and dark in the house for two days.

Re: "Calls still urging votes for Hodge -- Disgraced incumbent has exited race, but Ragsdale says public needs choices," Saturday news story.
I thought and hoped that Diane Ragsdale had left town. But I was wrong. This story reports that she is urging people in Terri Hodge's district to vote for her. Hodge is an admitted felon.
We have enough crooks in office now. I know she cannot be elected, but why would you want to vote for a cheat? Ragsdale needs to keep her opinions to herself.

Flaws in climate story
Re: "Inconvenient untruths -- A series of missteps by scientists threatens the entire body of work on climate change," Sunday news story.
It's strange how "scientists" like Roger Pielke Jr. keep using words like "belief" and "infallible" when they talk about how worried they are about the "denialists" converting, uh, I mean "convincing" the public.
Denialists? Pielke is a political scientist and environmental studies professor. I normally wouldn't have laughed out loud, but I was still turning those two phrases over in my mind when I hit the part where they are studying glaciers at the University of Arizona. Found any?

Decline in fact-based debate ...
Re: "A change of climate for 'science' -- Questionable global warming industry is justifiably under fire, says George Will," and "Remove your fact filters -- We've got a problem when proof has no meaning or weight, says Leonard Pitts," Monday Viewpoints.
I can't stop laughing. Side by side, I found Will's mishmash of bad information and irrelevant information to support his conclusion that global warming is a hoax and Pitt's discussion of the sad decline of the relevance of facts to the conclusions people draw.
I miss the time when facts and data were considered part of any reasonable debate, and when people could be persuaded by new information.

... proves to be widespread
I was glad that Leonard Pitts used the pronoun "we" when he stated, "we are a people estranged from critical thinking, divorced from logic, alienated from even objective truth. We admit no ideas that do not confirm us, hear no voices that do not echo us, sift out all information that does not validate what we wish to believe."
When skeptics who "sift" through all of the information that calls into question the claims of the effects of anthropogenic-caused warming, including willful manipulation of data, are simply dismissed with the phrase: "the science is settled," one is forced to agree with Pitts that "we are a people estranged from critical thinking."

Three Cheers is a weekly collection of upbeat letters that inspire readers to think and act positively. Share your own timely story or observation by sending it
to "Three Cheers" at letters@dallasnews.com.

1. Young black males and Black History Month
It takes a young black male to know a young black male, so the young black males who are progressive, professional and educated must show other young black males who have a distorted perception of reality that they can get an education and still get respect -- and build wealth using brains instead of illegitimate means and brawn.
The members of Executive Capital Assembly and I are in the business of training, developing and exposing young black males to become more well-rounded and enlightened individuals -- while still maintaining a sense of responsibility to their community. The model for attracting and developing young black males is to show them that they can still be sophisticated, educated and a positive asset to their community while navigating through any environment and achieving their goals.
During Black History Month, it's time for those who have achieved their goals and have successfully navigated through those environments to come back and uplift the community. Show us how to get jobs and build networks. Teach us how to save and start a business with only $1,000. Help us stay focused and achieve goals to revitalize and redevelop the 'hood.
Let me guess. You don't have time, and "us" is really not your responsibility, right?

2. Dallas Cowboys staff member reaches out
My grandson's flag football team won its division game at the Oakland Raiders facility and thus won a trip back to the Pro Bowl.
On the return flight, there was a mixup in seat assignments, so the team of boys could not all sit together. My grandson, Caleb, was sitting between some adult strangers. My grandson took out his journal to write -- for school. The man sitting next to him asked what he was doing.
Caleb told him about his school journal. The man then said, "Well, I can give you something to write about." Turns out this man was also on his way back from the Pro Bowl and is the director of coaching video for the Dallas Cowboys.
He asked Caleb if he would like to try on his Super Bowl ring. He took pictures of Caleb with the ring on. The man gave Caleb his card, told him to tell his parents to e-mail him and he would send the pictures to them. This man has sent these pictures to Caleb, and that 11-year-old boy is ecstatic.
So, thank you, Robert Blackwell, for your kindness to an 11-year-old boy. He will never forget that encounter with you.

3. Like pages out of a novel
With snow softly coming down and the tree branches bowing a couple of weeks ago, many people lost power, including my children.
Later, running to our front door with bags in hand, they were welcomed by a roaring fire in the fireplace and favorite comfort foods galore -- pancakes and bacon, mac and cheese, chili, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, popcorn, chocolate pie and fudge.
We spent the next three days and evenings by the fire, watching the Olympics, dozing, reading the paper and other material, listening to music. My grandsons were playing games, hanging out and just enjoying each other's company.
The best part for me was sitting by the fire and reading Louisa May Alcott's Little Women to my 9-year-old granddaughter. My grandchildren call me Marmee, as in the story, so that made it even more special. It was indeed as if we were in Concord back in the 19th century.
Sunday afternoon, it all came to an end with the dedicated, hard work of Oncor, resulting in the return of power. Soon after, everyone packed up and rather reluctantly went home -- but the lasting memories of such a magical weekend linger with us all and shall for a long time.

Re: "Why do so many young people feel so blue? We must halt this wave of depression and self-injury, says Viviana Cruz of Carrollton," last Sunday Student Voices column.
It appears this columnist is saying that it is teachers' and the media's fault that our teens are more depressed. I do not know this teenager and do not point to her being a culprit with any of these observations.
You do not need your teacher to be your buddy; you need a teacher to teach. And for the "million and one other activities" -- stop it. We all cannot be great at everything. Keeping a kid on the third string and frustrated so as not to hurt his self-esteem is nonsense.
You want the media to report more positive events. Super! As the great consumer, you have a lot of influence, and the marketing gurus want to sell to your generation. So if you want more positive images, show them.
And finally, teens have the most influence over other teens. Bring your own optimism to the ones around you. God, family and friends -- in that order.

I receive a barrage of mail, electronic phone calls and personal phone calls during each election. Mail is generally good. I can study it at my convenience, and it helps me to make a decision on whom I will vote for. But politicians have to say something.
It is fine to tell me where they went to school, how long they have lived here and what church they go to. Frankly, that is frequently a bunch of fluff.
I want to know is how they stand on various positions that the office they seek would control. What are your experiences? More information is good.
If politicians call me, I will not vote for them. There are exceptions to every rule, but they shouldn't take a chance if they want my vote.
What sort of inconsiderate person thinks that I am going to drop whatever I am doing to answer or listen to a call? If politicians are willing to do that to me, what are they willing to do when they get into the office?
I have had six calls in one day alone. Six votes were lost. I hope I have someone left to vote for by the time the election arrives.

Re: "Texas sues EPA -- State attacks 'tainted' greenhouse gas data that may lead to new limits," Wednesday news story.
I just don't get it. The state of Texas spews out one-third of the greenhouse gases emitted by the entire U.S., many of our rivers are so polluted that we are warned not to eat the fish from them, there are numerous documented pollution "hot spots" where people are sick and dying at alarming rates and there are huge brown toxic clouds hanging over the entire Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas.
Gov. Rick Perry and his lobbying business cohorts would have us believe that all of the above is all in our paranoid minds and that there is a conspiracy among the majority of scientists who want to "violate freedom of information laws, exclude scientific research and manipulate temperature data."
What do all of these numerous and highly educated scientists have to gain from so-called distortions of the truth?
We all know what Perry and his lobbyist business associates have to gain.
And although it is the correct color -- green -- I do not believe they have the best interests of the people of Texas at heart.

Re: "Did game pay off for area?" by Michael Greenberg, Wednesday Letters.
Greenberg's assertions on the economic impact of the NBA All-Star game, citing the unfortunates who were crowded out of their favorite restaurants, are ill-conceived at best, inaccurate at worst.
He was referring to the upper crust restaurants, the ones that require a reservation. These are abundant in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I hope he included the enormous increase in airfare, taxi fare, limo fare, tip fare to limo, taxi and waiter.
I almost forgot the hotel, motel and convenience store industry.
One might even almost hope that charities in our fair part of the world received a tad bit more in their coffers.

Re: "Bogus gear is seized -- Raid nets $200,000 worth of sports items, many substandard," Tuesday news story.
A total of $200,000 worth of unlicensed merchandise was seized by agencies of Homeland Security during the NBA All-Star weekend.
I feel so much safer now knowing that Homeland Security is hard at work protecting us from such dangers.

Re: "Stimulus lifts Dallas-area transit plans -- Downtown-Oak Cliff streetcar, NTTA to get federal grants," Thursday news story.
For the past three months, Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison have railed against the stimulus plan in print, in appearances and in TV ads.
Now the city of Dallas and the North Texas area gets stimulus funds for a much-desired trolley system in Oak Cliff and a big contribution to the DFW Connector project.
I wonder just who is really looking after the needs of North Texas?

Re: "A Mystery in Denton -- Taxpayers deserve to know why Bataille quit at UNT," Thursday editorials.
If there was a reason to discharge Gretchen Bataille, the taxpayers, students, faculty and the state's leaders are entitled to know.
It is unfair to expect the taxpayers and students to underwrite the ever spiraling cost of higher education and be kept completely in the dark about such major decisions and their associated expense.

Rage is understandable
By no means am I endorsing what happened in Austin on Thursday. But how many of us have a certain amount of rage built up over dealing with the IRS? Our tax system is just wrong, and unfortunately a nut in an airplane was the one to make the latest statement against it. Maybe now, Washington will see that our system doesn't work.
We elect people who promise tax reform and never hear about it again. The only solution, vote 'em all out

IRS not to blame
The latest incident involving an "enraged engineer" is just one more example of something that is wrong in our society: The Blame Game carried to the extreme.
Whatever happened to people taking the blame for their own problems? It's always somebody else's fault, or the government's fault. That's not the America I grew up in or proudly served in the military for.

Legitimate grievances
The desperate attack by Joe Stack on the IRS facility in Austin is an indication that government in the U.S. has gotten too heavy-handed and repressive.
When people resort to so-called terrorist acts, it is almost certainly because they have legitimate grievances that have not been addressed in a just manner.
Given the current economic and political climate in the U.S. and the tendency of extremists on the far right and far left to whip people into a frenzy, I think we can expect more terrorist attacks from people like Joe Stack.
Freedom of speech is essential to the American experiment. And in the words of Pope Paul VI, "If you want peace, work for justice."

Patriots must condemn attack
Call the Austin IRS attack what it is: a terrorist attack, no different from 9/11 or the Oklahoma City bombing. How can any patriotic citizen do anything but condemn this attack on the U.S. just because you don't like paying taxes? Wow.

Re: "Activists criticize search for new superintendent -- Hispanics are among top 6 candidates, trustees say in defending their process," Wednesday news story.
Manuel Benavidez is critical of the Irving ISD's search for a new superintendent. My question is whether he has ever volunteered in a bilingual classroom in the Irving school district? I taught for 25 years in the IISD, along with being a substitute teacher for the past seven years.
Whenever possible, I choose a bilingual class to teach so I can take part in the superior education that the Hispanic students are receiving in this district.
Another way to see these children in action is to volunteer, as I do, at the Destination Imagination Tournament and see the many achievements that Hispanic students have acquired from the district's bilingual programs.
Please join me in volunteering in the Irving ISD. You will be pleased at how well our system serves the Hispanic community.

Re: "With the Olympics, less is more -- We need the shared experience of the Games, but what do we share if everything's on-demand? asks Michael Landauer," last Saturday Viewpoints.
Thanks to Landauer for sharing his sentiments regarding the Olympics coverage and especially his own golden moments. I got chills reading his recollection of the Dan Jansen story and was equally moved by his life-affirming experiences. I agree that we don't need the network manipulating the emotional impact of every event, but I, too, absolutely love the Olympics and relish every moment of every event, every clang of every cowbell.
I like to think the Games bring out the best in all of us and that our hearts are a little bit bigger during this time when spirits soar. In 1994, my husband and I had a particularly weak moment, as our viewing of Bonnie Blair's big night was interrupted by a crying tortoiseshell kitten outside.
We found her surrounded by a gang of marauding raccoons. At these Olympic Games, we're celebrating 16 years of life with Bonnie, the wonderful cat.

Re: "Feds to hail DFW Connector as largest stimulus (highway) project in U.S.," transportationblog.dallasnews.com.
For years, people have been asking why we still have toll lanes on roads that have been paid for. The excuse that the Texas Department of Transportation has given us is that our tax dollars aren't enough to create new roads.
Today, we have been given a new excuse -- toll lanes allow managed traffic flow. The more traffic there is, the more money you will pay not to sit in it.
So the next time you are sitting in traffic on the State Highway 121 north service roads and glance over your shoulder to see six lanes of road barely being used, think about where your tax dollars are going.

Re: "Medicaid fees may be reduced -- $304 million in proposed cuts could undo progress, advocates for needy say," Feb. 11 news story.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commissions unveiled their draft plan to cut 5 percent of their budget. While many of the cuts come from reducing administrative costs and hiring freezes, the state is proposing to finance many of these cuts on the backs of kids with disabilities, people with mental illness, seniors and Texas families.
State leaders should heed the advice of HHSC Executive Commissioner Tom Suehs, who voiced his reluctance to cutting cost-effective community services. Community services cost considerably less than institutional care, yet Texas maintains a hugely expensive network of state-supported living centers, formerly state schools, for individuals with disabilities. These centers have been protected since the '90s, although far fewer residents are served, and the entire system is being monitoring by the U.S. Department of Justice for abuse, neglect and exploitation of its residents.
The Texas of 2010 has no room for sacred cows, and the time has come to rebalance our system. Texas should consolidate institutions and redirect funds into delivering less costly community services so that taxpayer dollars can be saved without denying necessary care to Texans with disabilities.

Re: "Evolution, design: both right?" by Chris Hill, Wednesday Letters.
Hill's statement that "there is significantly more science to bolster the theory of creationism than the theory of evolution" doesn't belong in any Texas newspaper considering the State Board of Education's current mission to water down evolution as it pushes for "creative design" in our children's textbooks. It's one thing to have diversity of opinion; it's another thing to print falsehoods that highlight the backwardness of our state.

Re: "School's president pick is raising alarms, hopes -- Non-Baptist's outsider status, political role questioned by some," Wednesday news story.
Kenneth Starr earned the admiration and respect of many of us when he kept his cool during the interview when Diane Sawyer tried hard to embarrass and humiliate him. No doubt he is an excellent choice to be president of Baylor University. The only question is -- is he too conservative for Baylor?

I won't be voting for Rick Perry because of the consistently horrid service his administration provides.
Last year at a driver's license office in Dallas, I received a ticket that estimated the wait at 15 minutes. I spent an hour and forty-five minutes there. In Colorado, I renewed my driver's license at a kiosk in a shopping mall and left in about 10 minutes with an actual license rather the temporary paper license that Texas issues.
When I applied for unemployment after getting laid off, I received a Chase Bank debit card this past January. I was unable to access the Chase Web site to track my debit card.
After speaking to nine Chase representatives and four Texas Workforce Commission representatives and complaining to my state senator, the problem was resolved five weeks later. Two of the TWC agents told me that I would just have to deal with Chase myself.

Re: "Bataille's surprise exit forces UNT to pay big -- Deal gives president $723,000 for contract, option to work in Denton," Saturday news story.

University of North Texas President Gretchen Bataille resigns because she apparently can't get along with the administration, but receives $723,000 for the remainder of her contract and has the opportunity to collect $289,000 more in the 2010-11 school year for research and teaching.

No wonder UNT needs to raise tuition.

I'm a little nonplussed about the newest version of Alice in Wonderland; Tim Burton is not known for kiddy fare. Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter looks like Ronald McDonald on acid.

The problem is that Mad Hatter's disease was a real workplace safety issue during the 19th century. While miners got black lung disease from prolonged exposure to coal dust and millers got white lung disease from flour, hat makers got Mad Hatters from prolonged exposure to mercury, used to turn fur into felt. This heavy metal would build up in their systems, causing trembling, loss of coordination, slurred speech, loosening of teeth, memory loss, depression, irritability and anxiety.

What will kiddy fantasy stories use next: characters with PTSD?

Texas has traffic laws ranging from prohibitions for driving while intoxicated to driving without automobile insurance, and these laws should be obeyed. If they were, no one would face fines and surcharges for infractions.

However, people do violate the law, often causing serious accidents that harm innocent people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hospitals receive the injured and strive to not only save lives, but restore health to injured people.

Since 2003, when the Legislature created the Driver Responsibility Program to provide funds to offset uncompensated trauma care, some 60 Texas hospitals have become designated trauma centers. The program collects about $125 million per year, while designated trauma facilities reported $200 million in uncompensated trauma care in 2008.

If everyone who owes fines and surcharges paid, and if the Legislature appropriated the total amount collected in the Trauma and EMS accounts, trauma capacity would increase to keep pace with the growing population, and prevention efforts could increase.

Eliminating the Driver Responsibility Program would be a mistake. If modifications to the current system are warranted, let's collaboratively implement the changes rather than scrap the Drive Responsibility Program.

Texas needs a stable source of funding to support the statewide trauma system. If not this program, then what?

The pretty and unexpected snowfall Friday turned quickly into a nightmare. Oncor makes millions of dollars from its customers but can't find a way to communicate the most basic information, leaving thousands of us in the dark, literally and figuratively. If, after hours of dialing and waiting, a human being actually took the call, that person took rudeness to a new level. We, fortunately, had friends who took us in, but I now resent the exorbitant bills from Oncor more than ever. And they have the nerve to blame homeowners who don't want their trees trimmed.

And I had an epiphany -- if we were that miserable after three days of no heat, what about all the people who are living that way because they can't afford to pay their bills? No one should have to live like that, but I'm afraid there are thousands who do.

I applaud the generosity of the American people who open their wallets time and time again for disasters in other countries, but I'm wondering if there isn't a way to take care of our own.

Re: "Down with the people -- Don't blame politicians for political, economic crises, says Jacob Weisberg," Sunday Points.

One year ago, 59 percent of the American public liked the stimulus plan, according to Gallup. A few months later, with the economy still deeply mired in recession, a majority said President Barack Obama was spending too much money on it.

The true political views of the public can't be measured with a poll. It requires more than a yes or no, fill-in-the-bubble or 30-second answer.

Much has been made of Sarah Palin's lack of understanding of world affairs and government policy. She is a genius compared to the average man on the street. Yet he is supposed to lead to correct policies based on polls of how he feels. The once-informed public read newspapers, watched the evening news, and discussed politics.

Today, they can't tell who is the secretary of defense or state. But they can name the most recent American Idol and who "danced with the stars" with ease.

Re: "Medina slips up with remark -- Campaign takes a hit when 9/11 conspiracy not instantly rejected," last Friday news story.

I can't see how Debra Medina's answer to Glenn Beck could be construed as a slipup.

Asked if the American government had any involvement in the destruction of the World Trade Center, she answered, "I think some very good questions have been raised in that regard," and, "I've not taken a position."

That's probably as good an answer as I would have given, since I believe that every informed citizen should question everything that the government does, be it local, state or national.

Debra Medina is the only candidate who is truly informed on the issues facing us Texans, and the only one talking about those issues instead of slinging mud.

If people will just listen to what all of these candidates are saying, and compare them to their own values, Debra Medina will be the next governor.

... but rivals will vie for votes

Debra Medina's nomination chances just crashed and burned. When Glenn Beck starts distancing himself from your comments, you are really out there.

Next, Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison scramble for Medina's lost votes.

As a Dallasite who makes my living in the hospitality industry, I was happy for the business that the NBA brought to Dallas this past week.

But the NBA needs to put these guys through a class on some basics. Some of the behavior was appalling, and let's not even talk about the gratuities. Some of these guys are making seven-figure incomes and don't know how to read a menu, order, act in a restaurant or tip. And could they please leave the prostitutes at home next time?

Re: "Texas' looming traffic woes -- State leaders must deal with bad transportation situation, say Sens. John Carona and Kirk Watson," Wednesday Viewpoints.

Carona and Watson appropriately point out that our state is "doing nothing" about transportation. While we agree, we wonder why there is no mention of passenger trains. Amtrak continues to be underused and underfunded. Freight trains dominate and have priority on the tracks, slowing Amtrak trains to a crawl.

However, if we cleared the way for passenger trains on existing tracks, we could be going to Austin, for example, for relaxed, convenient business day trips at a speed that approximates that of the nightmarish drive down Interstate 35. This is something we could be enjoying in a very short time.

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.

Over the last several months, The Dallas Morning News has published several articles concerning the Dallas County constables and the Dallas County government.

When will the citizens of Dallas County get enough of this mess and vote in new officials in the county? One of the taxpayers' concerns is the Dallas County constables' continuing expansion of their duties in taking on more traditional police work. They are now encroaching upon territory that is normally under the control of local police forces.

This, among other factors, creates friction between them and the police forces in those cities. There is little oversight to their activities. This has turned into a money-making racket for the county. It is time to do away with the office of constable and turn their duties over to the sheriff's department. This would certainly save the county money.

Re: "We Recommend -- Simmons in GOP bid for Supreme Court, Place 3," Monday Editorials.

The Dallas Morning News' recommendation of Rebecca Simmons may be well-meaning, but the reasons given ring hollow. The News cites as evidence of the writing skills needed Simmons' law review writings and "hundreds of opinions" at the appellate court, yet you overlook Dallas Court of Appeals Justice Jim Moseley, who has written more appellate positions (well over 1,000) and has more appellate judicial experience than all the other candidates combined.

He has a scholarly pedigree, including membership in the prestigious American Law Institute, and his numerous writing credits include a recurring column for lawyers and judges on improving writing skills.

As far as your reasons that she "would come to this bench with the mind-set a strong jurist needs," I read both Moseley's and Simmons' responses to the editorial board's questions, and I was more impressed by Moseley's firm adherence to a philosophy of judicial restraint. Unlike his opponents, Moseley has been an appellate judge since 1996.

As a practicing attorney and voter, I want our Supreme Court to be comprised of the best, most experienced judges who will refrain from "legislating from the bench." Moseley fits that description perfectly, and that's why he gets my vote.

Is it the Texas State Board of Education's purview to claim ours is a Christian nation by altering social studies and adding doubt to the science TEKS based on young-earth creationism? What would Catholics say about this? Isn't it fair to say that because Christians are so diverse, it would be impossible to create an ecumenical public education? At the least, it would require a conversation in the open among countless denominations.

Centuries ago, two people in Europe made invaluable contributions to the way modern people think and act: Galileo Galilei and René Descartes. Through their endeavors of mind, they gave us the means to look for ourselves and search for truth outside those claiming moral authority.

If they had buckled, perhaps there would be no trips to the moon nor the passage in the Declaration of Independence about self-evident truths. The more important history to teach our children is that this struggle between faith and logic is very old. And it is fought anew with each awakening mind.

Morality, on the other hand, can be fought with very little clarity and very little real consensus -- and often has the effect of extinguishing the embers of a curious mind.

We lost our power at 9 a.m. Thursday until noon. Then, over four hours, we lost it two more times. Then, at about 9 p.m. Thursday, it went out yet again until 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

The burning question for all of us was when we could expect our power to come back on. Isn't there an app for that?

Re: "Examining evolution," by Vincent P. Cirillo, Friday Letters.

Cirillo believes that the "theory" of evolution should be taught in the science classroom because it is based on scientific fact. He claims creationism has no scientific basis.

He should understand there is significantly more science to bolster the theory of creationism than the theory of evolution. I would recommend The Wonder of the World by Roy Abraham Varghese to those who don't believe there is hard science to support this theory.

On the other hand, some believe they evolved from a lower form of life, while others believe they were created by a higher form of life.

Can't both be right? It would explain everything.

Re: "The great slob-down of America -- We've been casualized, and it's not a pretty sight, bemoans Froma Harrop," Saturday Viewpoints.

I thought that I was the only one who wanted to send President Barack Obama a tie. Harrop was on target citing George Washington's Rules Of Civility & Behavior in Company and Conversation. It does start at the top.

Let's restore some dignity to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I hope her column will be read there, and Obama will wear the tie I am going to buy at the mall and mail to him.

Along with the estimated three billion people watching the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, I learned of the tragic death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the Georgian luger. I was saddened as I heard about his rising talent, the impact on his teammates and the Olympic community, and his age (21).

After 9/11, The New York Times ran 200-word profiles on every single one of the World Trade Center victims. After reading just one, I couldn't face reading a second.

In Haiti, every single earthquake victim had dreams, friends, family, a story and a name. We'll never hear about them.

But it's worth pausing to imagine the tragedy of Kumaritashvili times 230,000 and counting. I can't get my head around that kind of number. I can't get my heart around it either.

All of the people who complained about Oncor's tree trimming probably wish the company had done a better job in their now-out-of-power neighborhoods.

As long as I can remember, mail has always been delivered, and I am 75 years old.

When I was a little girl living in a rural Texas town, and winter weather was much more severe than now, the mail was always delivered. I now live in DeSoto, and when the big 2010 snow hit, we did not receive mail for two days.

Yet, on a recent evening, I saw a television news clip about a florist who had made extraordinary efforts to get Valentine's flowers sent. Roses can be delivered, but our U.S. Postal Service can't deliver the mail.

What's wrong with this country?

Re: "Don't flash pricey jewelry," by Tye Thomas, Sunday Letters.

I pondered for a bit on the insistence that the lady who was robbed of her lovely ring had it coming for wearing such a bauble to the store -- or anywhere at all, one assumes.

How dare we have possessions, items that might be coveted by another, homes that we can pay for, a car that someone else may desire. To wear jewelry or nice clothes is insensitive in the extreme, and such a person has no right to peace or safety.

It would be interesting to know if the gentleman feels the same way about his own belongings or those of his family.