Why so trashy, Fort Worth? Litter is absolutely out of control along our roadways
Our streets look like trash cans
Why is our Fort Worth community turning into a garbage pit? The roads are littered with tires, car parts, appliances, furniture and other garbage. It’s embarrassing to live here and have people visit from other states.
At one time, Texas was the cleanest state in the nation with the best roads. Now, the roads are terrible and littered with trash. Our state and local leaders should be embarrassed. We are starting to look like Dallas.
- Terry Allison, Fort Worth
Judge Kim letting down juveniles
The juvenile court of Tarrant County ran smoothly for more than 25 years. The goal was to hold detainees for as little time as possible. Judge Alex Kim was elected with little experience, and the good work of the past has turned into overcrowded detention and long stays for detainees. (Aug. 21, 4C, “Tarrant juvenile justice looks awful in audit”)
What a shame.
- Ann Schrader, Arlington
Focus on real justice problems
Tarrant County voters need to do a better job of electing our county commissioners. I bet half of us don’t even recognize the names when we vote. In the Aug. 17 front-page story “Tarrant County judges may lose jobs in wake of audit” about the poor state of our juvenile detention center and courts, Commissioner Roy Brooks’ main response was surprise over the racial mix of the detainees. His shock is either disingenuous, willful blindness or total ignorance of the facts of a social problem that involves the entire community. Does he not read the paper or watch the TV news?
To respond with trite “systemic something or other” is no way to address the real problem. Kids with guns are the real problem.
When you become an ideologue, you give up critical thinking.
- Curtis Basham, Fort Worth
Appraisal officials’ suspensions wrong
I have 23 years of experience as an agent working with nine appraisal districts. I rank the Tarrant Appraisal District among the top three in professionalism, efficiency and fairness, and I attribute that to chief appraiser Jeff Law and director of residential appraisals Randy Armstrong. I want to clear the record regarding their suspensions. (Aug. 14, 22A, “Tarrant’s top tax appraisers suspended amid calls for culture shift”)
If Armstrong’s letter to state regulators about tax consultant Chandler Crouch precipitated the appraisal board’s action, the unredacted letter should be made public.
Suspension because the chief appraiser didn’t notify the board of Armstrong’s letter is without precedent. Must the chief notify the board of every complaint?
If a real estate agent can file protests without risk, why can’t every agent use the appraisal district to farm for sales prospects at little or no cost? Is the board prepared to fund the added cost?
- Jonathan Kutner, Dallas
Leave pregnancy help centers alone
Amid all the backlash to the Supreme Court’s abortion decision, the most troubling are the attacks on “pregnancy help centers,” such as messages painted on their buildings saying, “If abortion is not safe, neither are you.”
I must be missing something here. Is abortion supposed to be a panacea that women aspire to? Is it by itself preferable to giving birth? Exactly what is it about these centers that is so offensive to abortion rights supporters?
There’s a bit of hypocrisy here. The perennial charge has been that those opposed to abortion don’t care about the expectant mothers. Yet these centers are doing just that. So, what gives?
- Thomas F. Harkins Jr., Fort Worth
This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 5:00 AM.