star-telegram.com: Letters to the Editor

LETTERS

Tue, 13 May 2008 04:39 CDT

Voters favor Trinity Uptown

"We need to vote on the Trinity Uptown project," cry its detractors. "Let the people speak," they shout.

I hate to tell you guys, but the people have spoken -- several times, in fact.

In the Fort Worth City Council election of May 12, 2007, Trinity Uptown was a major campaign issue. Former Councilman Clyde Picht, an opponent of the project, challenged District 6 incumbent Jungus Jordan, an advocate of Trinity Uptown. Jordan beat Picht and another challenger by a large enough margin to avoid a runoff.

In fact, in every council race last year, the candidates in favor of the Trinity River project won. In last year's mayoral race, Mike Moncrief had an opponent who was anti-Trinity Uptown. Moncrief got more than 80 percent of the vote.

Then there was the May 13, 2006, election for the Tarrant Regional Water District board that fielded 13 candidates (seven of whom were against the Trinity River project to varying degrees) vying for two positions. The two winners? The two who were most in favor of the project.

Then the "We're against it" gang launched a petition drive to put onto Saturday's ballot a measure to limit what Fort Worth spends on Trinity Uptown. But they couldn't get enough signatures to get the measure on the ballot.

And then we had Saturday's bond election. Despite the hue and cry of those opposed to Trinity Uptown bridges being included in the bond proposal, it passed by a margin of more than 2 to 1.

I'm thankful that most Fort Worth residents are forward-thinking and realize that projects such as Trinity Uptown and the expansion of Gateway Park will benefit our city for generations to come.

To those who continue to cry about and decry Trinity Uptown: I suggest you take up another cause -- those of us who believe in progress have won.

-- Greg Ricks, Fort Worth

Are we so cheap?

I'm fairly amazed that 3,558 folks voted Saturday against the bond issue for Fort Worth street improvements while 7,744 folks (including me) voted for it.

What I don't understand is why someone would bother to vote against the bond proposal. At my firehouse polling place on South Hemphill Street, I was the 10th person to vote at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday. Help me understand this.

We live on South Jennings Street. If it weren't for bond-financed street improvements, we'd have dirt driveways, much like in the Third World.

Thanks to the 2004 bond issue, the 3400 block to our south is to be renovated. That will be a major improvement to our neighborhood. Who's against improvement of our city streets?

Are we so cheap that we're not willing to pay for improvements in our community? Those who voted against the bond proposal should consider this: We all live in the same Fort Worth, and your property values and mine are intertwined. We all win, or we all lose.

-- Clay Daniels, Fort Worth

Mandate on TCC

I watched with great interest Saturday's local elections. But the ones that captured most of my attention were the two contests for seats on the Tarrant County College board.

FOCUS ON ...

Tue, 13 May 2008 04:39 CDT

Mike Norman's Sunday essay, "A wake-up call for Arlington on youth gangs," could have been about any city.

The rapid secularization of our culture and a technological explosion have left the children of poverty on the edges of that progress and struggling to find a place. We must give our children more ways to find their way, a reason for being.

We're trying to do this in our Dallas inner-city middle school, where 87 percent of students are in the school lunch program for families in poverty.

Three years ago, we started a 10-year time capsule and class reunion plan, which has given our students a reason to plan more seriously about their futures.

A 350-pound vault is bolted to the floor in the school lobby. The students know that this vault will someday hold letters they write to themselves before they leave for high school at the end of the eighth grade.

They know that their letters will remain in the vault until their 10-year class reunion, when they can pick them up. They also know that, at that reunion, they'll be invited to speak with the eighth-grade class of that year about recommendations for success.

They've been warned to expect questions like: "Would you do anything differently if you were 13 again?"

Nobody has said so, but I'm certain that gangs are less attractive because of this project. Since 2005, when our Middle School Archive Project started, more of our students are staying in school.

-- Bill Betzen, Dallas

LETTERS

Mon, 12 May 2008 04:38 CDT

Memories of the Holocaust

Thank you to Julie Meetal's family, writer Tim Madigan and the Star-Telegram for the four-part series on the family's experiences during the Holocaust. (See May 4-7 series "Mansfield artist uncovers parents' story of Holocaust survival.") It was incredible reading, enhanced by photos and glimpses of Meetal's artwork.

Some may have read this account as a Jewish experience. If you set it in a broader context, it was about humanity.

Some individuals were remarkably courageous on behalf of people who differed in religion and ethnicity. Others, acting on the hatred sanctioned by the Nazi government, carried out acts of terrible evil against innocent people who differed from them in religion and ethnicity.

It's about humanity -- all of us -- because if it can happen to any group among us, we are all at risk.

-- Loveta Eastes, Benbrook

During the past year, my youngest daughter went on a mission trip that took her to several countries, including Cambodia.

At a location near Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, she volunteered at a free medical clinic and taught English at the New Life Fellowship Church. While there, she visited the Cambodian Cultural Museum and Killing Fields Memorial.

She was stunned. She never realized that millions were killed by the Khmer Rouge. As she told me when she returned to Texas, "I was never taught about this atrocity in school."

I applaud the Star-Telegram and Tim Madigan for reminding us about the Holocaust and the atrocities of Nazi Germany. Through Julie Meetal's art and her parents' testimony, maybe the next generation will not commit the enormities of their ancestors.

-- R. Sloan Breneman, North Richland Hills

Outstanding work

Fort Worth is very lucky to have a newspaper of the Star-Telegram's quality.

Thank you for the excellent job you're doing, particularly with local and state news. Recent coverage of disabled veterans, the JPS Health Network, Holocaust survivors and their children, the United Methodist Church convention and Broadway Baptist Church, among many others, have been outstanding.

-- Margi Ehle, Fort Worth

A worthy aircraft

A Tuesday story about the return of an F-111 to Veterans Memorial Air Park ("Aging war bird returns to birthplace") noted that only two other F-111s are on display in the state.

It may not qualify as being "on display," but an F-111 has been parked beside a service road on Interstate 30 west of Texarkana for a number of years.

It's probably within the city limits of Nash. It seems to be at a salvage yard of some sort. I've noted the tail number on several occasions but always forget it before I look to see when it was built.

I enjoyed Tuesday's story except for the totally negative one-sentence description of the airplane. ("The Aardvark was a controversial, and costly, airplane in the 1960s and eventually became known as 'McNamara's folly,' a nod to the defense secretary at the time.") The F-111 had some unique capabilities and accomplished some difficult missions.

FOCUS ON ...

Mon, 12 May 2008 04:37 CDT

I applaud your Thursday editorial ("Gun fight isn't OK") about Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and the fiasco over the Christmas Mountains.

Patterson is holding the mountains hostage over Second Amendment rights and the ability to hunt and carry loaded weapons in national parks.

Most disturbing was Patterson's comment that he would not accept a ruling on the issue by the U.S. Supreme Court. (See Tuesday news story "Texas land chief accuses land donor of 'jihad.'")

The Constitution must be taken as a whole. One can't adhere only to the rulings, provisions and laws as one sees fit. The Supreme Court is an integral part of our government as it provides for a balance of powers and a check on the other two branches of government.

I don't agree with many Supreme Court rulings, but, as a U.S. citizen, it's my duty to abide by them.

For more information on the Christmas Mountains, check out the Web site BigBendChat.com and the specific link on the Christmas Mountains: http://www.bigbendchat.com/portal/forum/regional-news/christmas-mountains-t5679.0.htm.

-- Shane Allen, Nacogdoches

You folks should be ashamed about your editorial.

You're on the wrong side of this argument and on the wrong side of a man who takes his oath seriously, unlike most politicians and bureaucrats.

-- Robert Langham, Tyler

FOCUS ON ... Solar power from Texas' rooftops

Sat, 10 May 2008 04:41 CDT

A few months ago, I drove to Midland for an uncle's funeral. Starting around Big Spring, I observed some of the giant windmills that generate electricity. My initial response: Cool!

About an hour -- and several hundred windmills -- later, my response became: Damn! Do they have to put them everywhere?

I was truly sick of seeing them by then. They litter the countryside.

In Friday's Star-Telegram, I read of a movement to fill Texas' open spaces with giant solar panels. The main challenge is lack of sufficient transmission lines -- the same challenge faced by wind-generated energy ("Environment America group says sun could power Texas").

Why fill up Texas' open spaces with windmills and solar panels when rooftops all over the state could be fitted with solar panels, on top of houses that are already connected to the power grid?

Maybe the Legislature should consider subsidies for homeowners, rather than big power companies, to harvest energy from the sun.

It seems to me that those who are concerned about drilling in the "pristine" parts of Alaska, which many of us will never see, should be equally concerned about the environmental impact of wind and solar power on the Texas landscape.

I happen to think that West Texas is beautiful, and I'm sure that many of your readers will agree. Let's get the Legislature to work on ways to use the rooftops we already have, and preserve the beauty of the Texas landscape for our children.

-- Ron Bridges,

Fort Worth

LETTERS

Sat, 10 May 2008 04:41 CDT

Parks, guns and the commissioner

I don't understand why Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson thinks he can accuse the Richard King Mellon Foundation of being on a "jihad" for balking when Patterson wanted to sell to private developers 14.5 square miles of land that the foundation had given to Texas for conservation. (See Tuesday news story "Texas land chief accuses land donor of 'jihad.'")

Patterson should be given his walking papers so that he can pursue a career in real estate development, as that appears to be his strong point.

-- Edward C. Wyman,

Fort Worth

The delusional commissioner refuses to transfer the Christmas Mountains to the National Park Service unless its restrictions on carrying loaded guns in the parks are lifted. (See April 13 news story "U.S. parks at center of gun debate.")

Patterson has ignored the will of the people and the opposition of his own board and says he'll defy the Supreme Court. He apparently thinks he's king or George W. Bush.

-- Sharon Austry, Fort Worth

"I, Jerry Patterson, do solemnly swear or affirm, that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of Commissioner of the General Land Office of the State of Texas, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, so help me God."

I understand that oath as a commitment similar to the oath I took as a Marine officer to "uphold and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

I don't regard such affirmations as anachronistic formalities. I feel compelled to uphold these commitments even at the risk of my political future (in the case of my oath as commissioner) or of my life (in the case of my previous career as a Marine).

You'll note that the above recitation does not state that I "will preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this state" only when applicable to the duties of land commissioner.

The Second Amendment says: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Article 1, Section 23 of the Texas Bill of Rights says: "Every citizen shall have the right to keep and bear arms in the defense of himself or the State; but the Legislature shall have power, by law, to regulate the wearing of arms with a view to prevent crime."

Transferring 9,300 acres to a federal agency that clearly ignores these constitutionally enumerated rights would violate my oath. I can only assume that the Star-Telegram believes that elected officials should not be expected to comply with their oaths of office. (See Thursday editorial "Gun fight isn't OK.")

The Star-Telegram may consider my position "untenable" and my zeal for the Bill of Rights "obstinate" and an "obsession," but I couldn't care less. Any government official lacking the same zeal and commitment to the U.S. and Texas constitutions should be impeached.

I guess you can call me an old-fashioned believer in the wisdom of those who penned the Bill of Rights and not much of a believer in the wisdom of editorial boards. In the case of the Star-Telegram, it's not even close.

-- Jerry Patterson,

Texas General Land Office, Austin

Christians and gays

FOCUS ON ... Unfair taxation

Sat, 10 May 2008 04:39 CDT

I'd like to ask that my liberty from unfair taxation be protected in the form of a lawsuit against the federal government, specifically the departments of Education and Health and Human Services.

For some time, part of my tax money has been spent on the education and medical care of illegal aliens. I believe that I have a right to claim that this is an unconstitutional practice. I shouldn't be made to pay for an illegal alien's welfare unless it's specified in the Constitution, which it's not.

For instance, my 4-year-old daughter was denied early entry into our elementary school's Head Start program, although she met eligibility requirements, because the English-as-a-second-language program took precedence with non-English-speaking students. Our own school district gave non-native students priority for limited seating over fourth- and fifth-generation U.S. citizens.

I consider the American Civil Liberties Union the last line of defense against a government that's taking money out of my pocket and giving it to people of unauthorized presence. Please contact me so we can discuss my options.

I have a long list of citizens, including family and friends, who will testify to these accusations. We must act quickly before the government does even more damage to citizens like me by giving illegal aliens access to government programs while denying citizens the same opportunities.

-- Thomas Sullivan, Bedford

LETTERS

Fri, 09 May 2008 04:35 CDT

A different look at JPS network

Healthcare delivery is overwhelmingly complex, and your April 27-May 2 series on the JPS Health Network ("JPS: Prescription for profit") didn't do as much as it might have to bring clarity.

JPS doesn't belong to the administrators, the board or the Tarrant County Commissioners Court. The county hospital is our asset, as are the nonprofit hospitals we support through taxes, contributions and access costs individually and through employers.

Your sensational portrayal of the facilities and services diminished the day-in/day-out, stress-filled service provided by the network's many devoted longtime employees.

It also cast in a negative light the volunteer work and hard-earned contributions of one of the oldest and largest auxiliaries in the region. These folks see the hospitals and their delivery of care daily. Their care and concern for the thousands of patients treated annually deserve to be recognized and honored.

The study on which the article was largely based was ordered by the system administration three years ago, with results delivered two years ago, presenting issues from three to four years ago. It was an objective source for positive change that has been acted upon by department heads. The new tower opening next month and refurbishment of the old tower will address many issues.

As many publicly funded hospitals have been forced to close for financial reasons in recent years, JPS has dramatically expanded services to the previously underserved, and with far greater accessibility.

A $70 million-plus reserve for an organization the size of JPS (35 facilities throughout Tarrant County) is good stewardship in that it equals about 15 percent of the annual budget.

More cooperation among our county medical delivery systems and leveraging on their respective strengths should be a focus for better serving the whole community. Sensational and exaggerated denigration of our assets hurts all of us.

-- Bob Mitchell, Fort Worth

As a subscriber for many years, I've watched the steady decline during the past couple of years as the Star-Telegram eliminated valued, usable content and began its descent into irrelevance.

After reading the series on JPS, however, I came to realize that the newspaper is no longer concerned with objective journalism, either.

Half-truths and subjective viewpoints were passed off as fact. Information more than 2 years old was passed off as current and, worse, still valid. Information that could have presented a balanced viewpoint was ignored. Successes were ignored.

Yes, JPS has problems, as does any hospital. But much of what was purported to be wrong with JPS had already been identified, addressed and resolved.

My main problem is that your series didn't serve the public by providing an objective look at the situation. Instead, the focus seemed to be more on sensationalism, slanted to prey on our fears and mistrust and a need to create a "crisis in healthcare." Give us the whole story, not just half.

The real crisis lies with the Star-Telegram.

-- Brad Brown, Fort Worth

I've never been employed by JPS, but I want to comment.

One of the biggest problems facing hospitals is the number of people who overuse emergency rooms. Whatever happened to family doctors, primary-care physicians, care-now clinics and following up with the physician as directed?

If you're uninsured, it's your responsibility to be registered with JPS. That would save everyone time and money if you become ill. And keep your appointments, please. We need to be accountable for ourselves.

FOCUS ON ...

Fri, 09 May 2008 04:34 CDT

The Sunday essay "Health benefits are a pill for business" underscored the fact that our healthcare system is financially unsustainable and unattainable for many Americans, especially small-business owners and employees.

It's no surprise that small business disproportionately struggles to provide health insurance, because it doesn't have the purchasing power or pooling options of large employers.

As the commentary said, the cost of health insurance went up more rapidly for small businesses than for larger ones, which is why it's critical that policy-makers and legislators understand the problems of small businesses and ensure that their needs are considered in the healthcare debate.

Reform that works for all Americans can't happen without small business at the table. That's why the National Federation of Independent Business has launched "Solutions Start Here," a national campaign to engage the small-business community, policy influencers and key stakeholders in a discussion about the healthcare needs of small-business owners and their employees.

As the campaign's foundation, our "Small Business Principles for Healthcare Reform" serve as a guide and help articulate a commitment to reform that is universal, affordable, competitive and portable.

We need to demand substantial healthcare reform ideas from our nation's leaders, which is why our federation will engage this issue at every level to ensure that small business owners and their employees have affordable options for healthcare.

-- Amanda L. Austin, National Federation of Independent Business, Washington

LETTERS

Thu, 08 May 2008 04:39 CDT

Is Obama ready for presidency?

Don't do it, America -- it's too soon.

Barack Obama? No! Not now! He's too young -- 46 -- and he's no John Kennedy. He doesn't really know what's going on. He doesn't know who the enemy is. He has already forgotten New York on 9-11. That's one reason why we're in Iraq.

Wait a while -- maybe about eight years from now.

-- Katie Hecht, Keller

Someone sits in a church for 20 years and isn't able to comprehend what the preacher is teaching? And some want to give him a four-year term as president of the United States?

-- Daniel Younger, Itasca

I can understand Obama's 20-year association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Sometimes your loyalty is to a specific church or synagogue, not just the pastor or rabbi.

I've been a member of the same synagogue for more than 50 years. Sometimes I agreed with the rabbi and sometimes not.

It's hard to leave an institution in which you have a longtime personal investment -- social contacts, contributions to the building fund, cemetery lots, etc.

To blame Obama for Wright's offensive ravings is ridiculous.

-- Herman I. Morris, Fort Worth

The United Church of Christ, Obama's church, is the result of a 1961 merger of three denominations and is strongly pro-black. It ordains gays and women.

This church, and its association with such liberal preachers as James Cone, is in no way connected with the 14,000 Churches of Christ in the United States -- 250 of which are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Voters, please take note!

-- Alvin Jennings, Hurst

As sure as spring follows winter and the sun rises in the east, the liberal media will assert that Americans are racists if they won't elect a black as president.

Obama will lose handily in November -- not because of skin color but because he's a hard-left, anti-life, anti-Second Amendment, anti-capitalist, anti-military, anti-free-trade, high-taxing, big-spending, big-government, dyed-in-the-wool liberal!

The only difference between Obama and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich is skin color, and Kucinich was a joke of a candidate!

-- Marty Esposito, Robinson