Texas, if we don’t act to keep our kids from vaping, a grim future awaits their lungs

Mayors lead a city, not a church

I’m concerned about a Fort Worth mayoral candidate, Steve Penate, who weaponizes his religion to gain support, using his church and faith as covers for overt and outright discrimination toward members of the community. (March 28, 1A, “Political newcomer builds evangelical support in mayor race”)

I find it disturbing that a candidate with very little experience or understanding of governing — or frankly, desire to govern — could make such headway with Christian supporters.

I attended Southwest Christian High School, and I am very familiar with the Bible. I must have missed the lesson that Christian faith alone is enough to determine a candidate’s preparedness to lead a large city.

Penate’s candidacy and weaponizing of his religion are hazards to Fort Worth.

- Sara Fairley, Fort Worth

The Democrats are the ones dividing

I have put a lot of thought into why Democrats, including President Joe Biden, keep pushing the issue of unity. Biden said it was his No. 1 goal, but he’s pushing controversial policies into law without bipartisanship.

When Bud Kennedy in his Sunday column used Donald Trump’s name to smear a candidate for mayor but said nothing negative on other candidates, was that fair and balanced? (1C, “Pastor’s fervor is waking everybody up in race for mayor”)

For more than four years, the news networks constantly attacked Trump. So, who was dividing the country?

Social media became part of the smear campaign by selectively blocking many conservative views. Is that freedom of speech?

- John Woollis, Burleson

Get a handle on risky vaping

Texas has no excise tax on electronic cigarettes and vaping products, and no system to grant permits to e-cigarette retailers. This might explain why reports indicate that teens use e-cigarettes at five times the rate of old-school tobacco cigarettes.

As a lung-transplant surgeon, I’ve seen firsthand the dangers of these products. Young, healthy people who vaped have developed irreversible lung damage that doctors are still trying to fully understand. Cases of acute lung injury linked to vaping are developing much faster than the rates from smoking. We are only beginning to comprehend the long-term health impacts.

State Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas has introduced several bills in the Legislature to address this crisis. Every day we wait, we risk thousands more children becoming addicted to nicotine products.

- Gary Schwartz, Dallas

Don’t make consumers pay

During the winter storm, the Public Utilities Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas set energy prices at the highest level possible, thinking it would incentivize generators to stay online and save lives. But no new generators came online, and at least 111 lives were lost in the record cold.

Now, state leaders plan to pass the costs on to ratepayers and taxpayers by raising energy prices significantly each year. Our Legislature has the power to undo the mistake but is only in session a few more weeks.

We must urge lawmakers to prevent inflated energy costs from being passed on to ratepayers.

- Brandon Young, Fort Worth

This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Texas, if we don’t act to keep our kids from vaping, a grim future awaits their lungs."