Austin American-Statesman letters to the editor, July 30, 2023

The inhumane treatment of migrants

at the border is an embarrassment

The cruel manner in which Operation Lone Star is being conducted along the Mexican border is an embarrassment to me as a Texan. I have seen on TV the orange buoys in the Rio Grande.

Denying people clean drinking water after they cross the border and pushing children and women back into the river after they have made it to our shores is disgraceful. Without immigrants from Latin America, who will build and maintain our streets and homes? Who will clean our homes? Who will pick our crops? Who will pay into the Social Security system in the future for all the generations who didn’t bother to have kids? We need those people.

Ralph Kerr, Leander

Abbott scores political points paid

for with $4.5 billion in tax money

On July 22, the Wall Street Journal ran a story headlined “Texas Spent Billions on Border Security. It’s Not Working.” The article points out Texas has little to show after spending over $4.5 billion.

Governor Greg Abbott got his points with his political base, and Texas is $4.5 billion poorer. Teachers received no pay raise, Medicaid remains underfunded, leaving a huge number of Texans without health insurance and, per the Statesman front page articles on July 23, ("They're Going to Find a Way"), immigrants are still getting into Texas. But Abbott got his political points.

Common sense suggests Texas has wasted $4.5 billion. That’s taxpayer money, not money intended for Abbott's re-election fund. If Greg were interested in mitigating the immigrant issue he would seek cooperation with the federal government, not lawsuits. But political points are clearly more important than mitigating the problem.

Warren Hackler, Austin

Border tactics breed fear and division

while disregarding migrants' humanity

Governor Greg Abbott's stance on immigration is a cause for deep concern. Instead of engaging in a federal Supreme Court battle with President Biden, a more constructive approach is needed. Abbott's stringent policies breed fear and division, disregarding the humanitarian aspect of immigration and the struggles faced by those seeking safety and opportunity.

As a border state, Texas should lead by example, seeking pragmatic solutions that balance security with compassion. Rigid enforcement measures alone cannot address the complexities of this issue. Moreover, Abbott's restrictive approach could have detrimental effects on our state's economy and social fabric, hindering the very growth we have thrived on.

Rather than fighting legal battles, I urge Governor Abbott to collaborate at the federal level, working toward comprehensive immigration reforms. Addressing the root causes of immigration and supporting a more inclusive system would better serve Texas and its people.

I hope the Austin American-Statesman will continue to foster informed discussions on policies impacting Texans. Our readers deserve a fair and balanced debate that respects the dignity of every human being.

Lenore "Lory" Donatt, Westlake Hills

Call your state representatives and ask

them to halt the cruelty at the border

Re: July 27 article, "Texas prison inmates making the razor wire used by Operation Lone Star along Rio Grande"

What in God's name makes people think it’s OK to have "tangled miles of razor wire strewn along the banks of the Rio Grande" so that people trying to get out of the water will receive "lacerations and open wounds," as will animals that just happen by. ("One of the images showed a migrant with a torso gash so long that the wound had to be stapled shut.")

I can understand somewhat around a prison, but around a river? And when exactly is someone going to go to the trouble and expense to remove the razor wire so it isn't a permanent danger to people and wildlife?

The cruelty of this bad initiative is sickening, Please call your representatives and ask them to stop this madness.

Carrie Vanston, Austin

Texas, where symmetry is something

to behold and it meets our needs

After reading today’s Statesman I’m so proud to be a Texan! What I really love is how our esteemed leaders and their faithful voters have figured out how to balance everything out so as to perfectly meet our real needs. See, you just make sure that poor women who can’t afford to have any additional babies will indeed give birth to those children. With any luck at all, many of these poor kids will end up in prison so that they can manufacture concertina razor wire to prevent poor women and children from crossing our southern border.

Don’t you just love the symmetry and balance of it all? Thank you, Governor Abbott, Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton, for doing all you can do to make us all proud! God bless Texas.

Nolan Heard, Austin

Heartwarming tribute to Snyder family

stirs painful memories of racial hurdles

Re July 20 article: "How the Snyder family became leaders in Austin "

I read your heartwarming article on the Snyder family which reported their conscionable hiring of a Black sales lady during a highly racially segregated period.

Painful memories stirred.

I am a Black architect who in 1990 embraced firm ownership opportunity offered by the two Anglo male owners of a prominent firm, BLGY Architects, known for accomplishing hallmark public facilities in central Texas. I remain grateful for that career ownership opportunity still being enjoyed today.

It has been in joyful contrast to early career racial hurdles that included atrocities such as being dismissed upon first work-day arrival consequent to an in-person interview not having occurred.

May the Snyder family continue to enjoy life and upholding of community values blessed by our higher power.

Benny L. Hawkins, Pflugerville

It's important for Texas to continue

advocating for more education options

The pandemic led to a rise in school choice popularity, which continues today. Many parents are looking for opportunities to choose a learning environment that provides their children with the best chance of success. It’s crucial for every student to receive a challenging, effective and motivating education.

With 19 states implementing or preparing to implement school choice programs, students will have access to a diverse range of educational opportunities, including traditional public schools, charter schools or homeschooling. As Texas moves forward, it is important to continue advocating for the expansion of education options for parents to ensure that their children have access to quality education.

Dale Kerwin, Austin

The state's energy grid hasn't buckled.

We can thank solar energy for that.

Despite day after day of record-breaking high temperatures, the Texas energy grid hasn’t buckled. It’s supplied the electricity needed to run millions of air conditioners without having to ask Texans to conserve power. How did this happen? The unrelenting sun and attendant new infrastructure has provided record amounts of solar energy.

During the Big Freeze of 2021, Gov. Abbott was quick to blame the state’s energy problems on renewable energy (despite an abundance of evidence to the contrary). His silence now is deafening. Showing a rare bit of humility, he’s not even patting himself on the back.

As the climate continues to warm (Is there any doubt any more that it will?) heat domes and their kin will become a regular occurrence, and the only positive aspect of them may be that they will enable solar energy to keep us from … quite literally … dying from the heat.

Neil Suneson, Austin

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin American-Statesman letters to the editor, July 30, 2023