Austin American-Statesman Letters to the Editor: April 2, 2023
Curbing school shootings is up to voters
So. Another school shooting. We can armor schools so that they are impenetrable. Or we can curb the proliferation of guns. It really is as simple as that.
How much money can the state legislature allocate to make schools immune to school shooters? Is there enough? Can there ever be enough?
Or is it more economical to control guns? Do we care about our children’s lives or are guns more important? It’s really down to voters. Do we vote people into office who care more about the money they get from the gun lobby? Or do we vote for candidates who are brave enough to rid our society of guns of mass destruction? It is up to us voters. Thoughts and prayers have worn thin.
Jon Percy, Austin
Guns in schools won't keep kids safe
Talk of putting guns in American schools began one week after the Sandy Hook shooting. The NRA’s top lobbyist announced the idea of guns in schools and that is what drives bills like House Bill 3.
The rest of us with school-aged children, and working in hospitals, law enforcement, restaurants, grocery stores and other places in our communities, see the daily impact of guns everywhere.
We see lawmakers ignore the reality of gun violence in our lives by refusing to take a preventative approach. We see you ignore the bodies and trauma of surviving family members. We see you endorse a ridiculous suggestion that was the brainchild of the gun lobby.
We see you again and again refuse to address the crisis which is easy access to firearms by reckless people. HB 3 and other bills like it legitimizes an extremist agenda. Guns in schools were never meant to be a solution.
Miste Hower, Austin
Spirit of Ramadan reflects Islamic and Christian principles
According to Rep. Tony Tinderholt, Texas and America were founded on Christian principles and the holy month of Muslims, Ramadan, is therefore very much unchristian.
It seems the state representative is not aware of the true essence and spirit of Ramadan. It is a month of reflection and self-improvement. Just as Jesus viewed prayer and fasting as the building blocks of spirituality so too do Muslims focus heavily on these spiritual exercises.
Ramadan is a time to be grateful, to give back, and to spread love and compassion. These are all things that sound very Christian to me. The doors of my mosque will always be open for Tony if he wants to learn more about my faith. I will continue praying for him and his family as Jesus would.
Qasim Choudhary, Imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Round Rock Chapter, Round Rock
CRT bill a waste of time and money
Re: March 27 article, "Panel OKs ban on forcing college students to adopt beliefs on race, sex. Is it an issue?"
After 20 years of schooling, I can’t recall any teacher ever compelling me to adopt a belief in anything, which includes a belief that any race, sex or ethnicity is superior to another. While I studied about those subjects, the purpose was to learn about them, not come to any conclusion about superiority. The Texas Legislature is wasting time and the taxpayers’ money in pursuing bills such as Senate Bill 16, which prohibits teaching about critical race theory.
I don’t have to believe, for example, in the theory of evolution to understand its precepts, which is what I would be tested about. It seems that too many of our legislators don’t understand the most basic things about education. While I learned in school how the Texas Legislature works, I don’t have to believe it is superior to some other system of legislating.
Lamar W. Hankins, San Marcos
Texas should use budget surplus to meet water challenges
Where’s the water going to come from? Rather than give homeowners a paltry property tax rebate, the legislature should invest big money to ensure water resources meet the growing demands of more people, thirsty business and stricken agriculture.
The Texas Legislature could certainly require water storage and maximum recycling of water, much as Las Vegas, Nevada does. However, even stringent conservation rules and practices will not produce additional water sufficient to meet the needs of our burgeoning communities, and ranches and farms. This budget surplus should be spent to build underground reservoirs.
If we don’t use our unusual budget surplus to accomplish a bold project like interstate, or even intrastate, water management, we could lose all the people and businesses we’ve attracted. Water is a more crucial resource than energy – one with no alternatives. Do something far-sighted for the future of Texas. Ensure our future water supply.
Elizabeth Hinson, Austin
Paper ballots much more secure than internet voting
Re: March 15 article, “Martin Luther King III, civil rights leaders remind SXSW to ‘stay engaged’ in voting.”
I agree with Martin Luther King III that more people need to vote so that we have a true representation of the public interest.
King suggests that voting by cell phone would be popular among younger voters. I do agree that young people should participate in elections, but any kind of cellphone or internet voting is fraught with peril.
Paper ballots are the gold standard for secure election systems. Mail-in ballots are paper and thereby more secure from electronic hacking. Secure elections need a voter-marked paper ballot trail so that recounts and audits are reliable.
Internet voting systems would allow hackers to alter true election results. Online voting is an open invitation for bad actors and cybercriminals to corrupt election integrity. For secure elections, internet voting should be banned. Your vote is your voice with a secure paper ballot. Election security experts agree that online voting is a bad idea.
Jenny Clark, Austin
How to submit a letter to the editor
Send letters of no more than 150 words by noon Thursday by using our online form at https://bit.ly/3Crmkcf or send an email to letters@statesman.com.
We welcome your letters on all topics. Include your name and city of residence; we do not publish anonymous letters.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin American-Statesman Letters to the Editor: April 2, 2023
