Austin American-Statesman Letters to the Editor: Jan. 29, 2023

Private schools with voucher programs

lack accountability, open government

Re: Jan. 22 commentary, "School voucher program would weaken public education."

David DeMatthews’ Jan. 22 commentary does an excellent job of identifying the failings of school vouchers. However, missing is another deleterious characteristic of vouchers: a lack of accountability and open government.

Public schools are held to academic accountability standards as determined by STAAR exams and other measures. Low-performing public schools are identified and subject to sanctions. Yet private schools that enroll publicly funded voucher students do not participate in the state’s accountability system, leaving uncertain the worth of these taxpayer funds.

Another hallmark of public schools is that they must adhere to the regulations of open government, including conducting open meetings and responding to open records requests. No such laws apply to private schools.

Public funds demand public scrutiny; vouchers are a clear violation of this critical principle. We can promote “choice” by intra- and inter-district transfers, magnet schools, charter schools and need-based scholarships awarded by private schools.

James (Kal) Kallison, Austin

Spending budget surplus on one-time

capital projects would save millions

While tempting to spend the state's surplus money on normal general fund type expenditures, it is not a sound financial plan. It is more appropriate to use these available funds for one-time capital projects.

Paying for capital projects in this manner means less bonded debt need be issued with long-term interest cost, which saves Texas taxpayers millions of dollars.

Some suggested one-time capital cost projects which the legislature should consider include adding new or expanded water retention projects, constructing power transmission lines from West Texas and finally installing air conditioning in state prisons with none.

Jim Brooks, Austin

Supreme Court rulings on guns and

abortion create mayhem, ruin lives

Thank you, U.S. Supreme Court, for your rulings over the years interpreting the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, thereby inflicting a culture of gun violence and mass shootings on us citizens.

You couldn't tell the difference between a "well-regulated militia" and a bunch of crazies with modern weapons. You allowed the country to be overrun with guns so that anyone can get their hands on one or more and create mayhem, ruining the lives of thousands.

Oh, and by the way, thanks for the recent abortion ruling, thereby creating more mayhem and ruined lives.

Eugene Czora, Cedar Creek

Missing the days when politicians

were held accountable for their lies

Reading about Rep. George Santos, I find myself remembering Lena Guerrero. After serving as a state representative, she went on to become the first woman and the first Hispanic to head the Texas Railroad Commission.

When running for re-election, it was discovered that she had falsely stated she had graduated from the University of Texas when she had been a few hours short. This lie ruined her political career.

Now someone like Rep. Santos can lie about dozens of accomplishments on his resume, including a degree from a college he never attended, his personal and family history, and yet he brazenly continues in his job as even some within his own party call on him to resign.

I miss the days when our politicians were more honorable and were held accountable for their lies.

Sara Stevenson, Austin

If history is an indicator, pay raise

for teachers doesn't stand a chance

Re: Jan. 25 article, "Rep. James Talarico proposes $15,000 raises for Texas teachers."

Hats off and kudos to Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, for his bill proposing a raise for Texas public schoolteachers.

Sadly, history tells us that this bill is already dead. Abbott and Patrick will make sure that it is in the trash can quickly.

Even with the surplus of money, a pay raise this size will never pass with legislators who view Texas public schoolteachers as a huge tax liability. Former State Board of Education member Cynthia Dunbar referred to public schools as “subtly deceptive tools of perversion.” We certainly don’t want to give those individuals more money.

Tip Giles, Austin

We have become desensitized to the

gun violence and saturated coverage

On Jan. 22 we learned about another mass shooting. This time 10 people were killed and 10 more were injured at a dance studio in California. The shocking fact is that this was the 39th mass shooting in 2023 as of Jan. 24, according to CNN.

We must ask: Why is the government not enacting more stringent, yet reasonable gun laws? Perhaps part of the reason is that the public has become desensitized to the constant streaming of violence.

As scholars in communication have documented, when exposed to inordinate amounts of pictures and words detailing alarming events, the natural tendency is to assume these events are routine, normal — and expected. Hence, there may be less of the kind of emotional response needed to motivate citizens to pressure their leaders to adopt policies to alleviate the problem. I fear that is what we are witnessing with recent mass gun shootings and the media’s saturated coverage.

Richard Cherwitz, Austin

Editor's note: The death toll from the Monterey Park mass shooting rose to 11 on Monday after one of the injured died.

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin American-Statesman Letters to the Editor: Jan. 29, 2023