Commentary Roundup: July 10, 2022

July 7 editorial, "Texas’ fentanyl problem is far worse than we know UT is discovering how bad."

An opioid crisis has engulfed the U.S. for over a decade. We’ve been in a federally declared public health crisis since 2017. But if you ask, “Where are the areas in my community that need the most help?” you won’t get a great answer.

A data desert exists for timely, statewide overdose numbers. A reliable national count for overdose survivors doesn’t exist, either. The federal government aggregates emergency room nonfatal overdose data, but misses large swaths of people who do not go to the hospital. And the official data we do have is often available months later, making it difficult to pinpoint present-day hot spots into which to pour resources.

It’s a problem that needs a solution as quickly as possible.

The University of Texas is trying to form a solution, and we are thankful for its efforts, especially after seeing a record number of drug overdoses in 2021 that killed over 100,000 people in the country. For the most part, the death trends have only gone up since the ’90s, with a brief and modest dip in 2018. This problem is persistent.

The UT project, called TxCOPE, works through community crowdsourcing to provide an instant understanding of nonfatal and fatal overdoses in neighborhoods and regions. Harm-reduction groups, which often informally track overdoses commonly recorded for wandering populations, can pool information with health care workers, families and drug users to report overdoses and get immediate help to high-need areas.

— Dallas Morning News Editorial Board

Houston Chronicle

July 5 editorial, "Abbott eyes school voucher fight and we’ve got a bad case of déjà vu."

Proponents of school voucher schemes have a number of reasons to cheer these days, from a Supreme Court ruling ensuring that they can be used at religious schools, to growing programs in states such as Florida, Arizona and — if Gov. Greg Abbott has his way — Texas.

We are not among those cheering.

Vouchers have long been framed as a matter of educational freedom and parental rights — but that misses their obvious downsides: A near-certain raid on public school funding and the fact that tax dollars spent on private schools likely won’t come with the accountability that lawmakers have had the good sense to attach to public spending.

Abbott has since promised he’d fund a voucher program without taking away from public schools, but given that school funding is largely based on average daily attendance figures, using tax dollars to encourage parents to send children to private schools seems likely to leave public schools short-changed.

— Houston Chronicle Editorial Board

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

July 7 editorial, "Unlike in Uvalde, Haltom City police, fire showed speed and courage that crises demand."

On Saturday, Edward Freyman, 28, killed a man and woman and wounded a neighbor before opening fire on several officers as they approached the home where residents believed he lived. After shooting Collin Davis, 33, and Amber Tsai, 32, both of whom died, Freyman killed himself about a half mile from Tsai's house. The neighbor and police officers who were shot are all recovering from their wounds.

A home-security video shows the officers standing outside the home where Freyman was holed up. As he fired upon three officers, more run directly towards the gunfire, no doubt saving lives.

This took incredible strength and bravery. It prompted discussion of the bravery and willingness to sacrifice that we count on in police in dire situations. Haltom City's officers passed the test.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram Editorial Board

San Antonio Express-News

July 5 editorial, “How overturning Roe impacts military recruiting, readiness.”

The military covers abortion costs for pregnancies that result from rape or incest or place the mother’s life at risk, and that will not change.

People who don’t meet these criteria must go off base and pay out of pocket. They also may have to use their paid time off. Those in states or countries where abortion is restricted also will incur travel expenses and have fewer options for care. The decision in the Dobbs case creates certain inequalities depending on where a person is stationed. It could impact recruiting or even base closure decisions.

People stationed in Texas will have to travel out of state. And a bounty clause lets people sue those who help others get an abortion for $10,000 plus fees. Theoretically, a citizen could sue military members for sharing resources or helping someone travel for abortion care.

Last week, the Defense Department published a memo acknowledging “the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision are complicated and must be evaluated against various state laws” with the Department of Justice.

And as the bureaucracies work through the specifics, the laws are already impacting DOD people.

— San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board

Lufkin Daily News

July 6 editorial, “ Trail Rides: Proposed regulations could help keep violence in check while keeping alive the forgotten history of Black cowboys.”

"It is no secret that over the past several years in the northeast Texas area, trail rides have occurred which culminated in attendees being shot and some killed," a press release from the Smith County Sheriff's Office states.

For decades, these have been peaceful events keeping the overlooked tradition of Creole trail rides alive. These country parties take place almost every weekend from the spring through the fall, combining horseback riding with food, vendors, DJs and dancing to Creole, zydeco and hip-hop music.

The tradition is rooted in the forgotten history of Black cowboys. Forbidden from joining white-only rodeos, land-owning Creoles and freed slaves practiced their own cowboy culture, which at some point in the last 50 years evolved into the trail rides.

But in recent years, the trail rides have surged in popularity, often drawing crowds of thousands — and, unfortunately, violence has started to take root.

It's clear to us these events have grown too large, are drawing the wrong crowd and that the security hired to man them isn't up to the task. That's why we support the regulations announced by the Smith County Sheriff's Office last week to shore up the safety of these trail rides.

— Lufkin Daily News

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin American-Statesman Commentary Roundup: July 10, 2022