Anti-Muslim Railroad Commission candidate could tank Texas’ economy | Opinion

Too risky

Bo French’s ideas — such as saying, “We have to send (Muslims) all home” — are bad for Texas and America. If people from Muslim-majority countries are simply forced to sell their assets, it could hammer the Texas economy. (March 27, star-telegram.com, “Bo French, Patriot Mobile executive say Muslims want to overthrow Texas”)

Consider that the largest refinery in Texas is owned by Saudi Aramco, also known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Company. Rather than sell, the company could simply shut down the refinery, leading to a huge overnight increase in gasoline prices. Other businesses closing could lead to layoffs.

French is anti-American business. Keep him off the Railroad Commission to save America and Texas from ruin.

- John Davis, Arlington

Culture wars

School board members who were backed by Patriot Mobile’s political arm have made changes that only harm students and have done nothing to improve education. The message that Patriot Mobile pushed and the actions its candidates took didn’t match up.

If the board members were genuinely concerned about the well-being of students, they would care about all of them. Instead, they sought to cut off access to materials about LGBTQ people and limit how teachers could support students expressing and exploring their identity. These actions harmed LGBTQ youth.

LGBTQ youth are one of the most at-risk groups for mental health issues already, and forcing them further into isolation will harm them more. The introduction of PACs into local school board elections changed the focus to culture-war issues with the goal of sending a message and raising money, not protecting students.

- Jonathan Fischer, Keller

Future sight

The Dallas-Fort Worth area is entering a critical moment as data center developers approach communities with large-scale proposals. These projects can bring long-term tax revenue, infrastructure improvements and workforce development — but only if communities know what to negotiate for.

Residents across North Texas are facing early planning and pre-permit decisions for data centers that will shape their cities for decades. North Texas is already a major destination for new data centers. Communities need help to engage data center developers intelligently, confidently and constructively.

Loudoun County, Virginia, and San Antonio have shown that data centers and neighborhoods can thrive when data center companies make clear, long-term financial commitments. It can create a win-win partnership that protects communities and residents while giving data center owners and operators a predictable path forward.

- Jim Broughton, Houston

Sales job

Democracy is like an old used car. She’s reliable, but she putters and sputters along and always need work done. Tires, engine, oil, brakes, plugs, lights, clutch, transmission — it’s always something. You have to pay attention to the squeaks, creaks and groans and get your hands dirty to fix things and keep the old girl humming.

The current administration wants to sell you a new car. The 2026 Autocrat High-Power 2026 is here to relieve you of all that annoyance. It’s fully automatic and driverless. But the ride isn’t worth the cost.

- Paul R. Schattman, Arlington