Letters to the editor: Mass killer's motive was immaterial

Mass killer's motive is immaterial

as long as these guns are available

I don't understand the obsession that the press has with learning the motive of the mass murderer in Maine. The motive is immaterial as long as any angry, obsessed mentally ill man can legally buy a military-style assault rifle with extra capacity magazines designed by the military to shoot numerous bullets a minute and kill as many of the enemy as quickly as possible.

Now that gun violence is the leading cause of death in children, I'm afraid that the daily mass murders will continue until grieving families can find a way to make gun manufacturers pay more in damages for the tragic loss of their loved ones, than the NRA is currently making in the bloody profits from selling those lethal weapons of war.

Sharon Austry, Fort Worth

The point about history is learning

about the unpleasant parts, too

Republicans always like to present themselves as rugged individualists, tough in enforcing “law and order,” staunchly pro-gun, fierce patriots, and forceful and heroic in putting marginalized folks in their place.

Yet, when it comes to American history, they’re absolute wimps - afraid that their delicate feelings will be hurt by an honest accounting of our racial past.

Never mind that the point isn’t to dwell on the unpleasant parts of our history but to learn from them so as to keep improving our great nation.

Stephen Shackelford, Austin

Wasting time on distractions from

the unsolved school finance problem

Texas has long struggled with school finance. Local property taxes provide an increasing portion of public school funding compared to state contributions.  Governor Abbott wants to eliminate property taxes. He proposes state-funded vouchers for private schools.

The Texas Private School Accreditation Commission is a Texas Education Agency-recognized authority on private schools.  Scrolling through their private school list I see that most are religious.

Our governor, leading the state 37^th in funding for Pre-K-12 education in the country (U.S. News and World Report), is focused on benefiting students attending religious schools instead of fixing school finance. 

Freedom of religion doesn’t mean funding of religion. State spending should go to public schools, which need reliable state funding. Let’s stop wasting taxpayer money on special sessions that distract from the unsolved problem of school finance. The school funding formula needs a firm foundation of state funding and property tax secondary.

Patricia Raine, Smithville

Vouchers plan raises a question: What

about the separation of church and state?

I’m confused. So the governor wants to have a school voucher system that is allowed to give money to a private religious school for Christianity indoctrination but not to help students and staff in public schools for a basic education. That makes no sense!

What happened to the first clause in the Bill of Rights – separation of church and state? If this is allowed, why can’t churches and religious organizations be directly funded by the state or federal government? This sounds like a wasted effort by our governor that will undoubtedly land in an expensive court hearing.

Denny Biggs, Austin

Opinion piece missed the mark; federal

online safety bill will protect children

Re: Oct. 18 commentary, 'Why the Kids Online Safety Act Won’t Protect Your Child'

In 2016 my youngest son, David, died by suicide after months of relentless cyberbullying. I channeled my grief by successfully advocating for cyberbullying legislation in Texas called “David’s Law.” But it’s not enough. What we need now is federal legislation, specifically, the Kids Online Safety Act.

Dane Witbeck’s opinion piece misses the mark. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) does not require driver license or age verification. It puts the responsibility on Big Tech (not parents) to put common sense safeguards in place to protect minors online. While I agree that “app ratings” may help parents in some regard, it is certainly not the “best” solution. KOSA is! It will provide parents with tools to help protect their kids online while requiring platforms to protect minors from dangerous and toxic patterns and content, all things that could have saved my son’s life.

Maurine Molak, co-founder David's Legacy Foundation, San Antonio

The top causes of teen deaths in U.S.

are all linked to substance abuse

Despite it being illegal, youth under 21 continue to experiment with alcohol. Teens try alcohol for a variety of reasons, often without recognizing alcohol's negative effects. People ages 12-20 drink 3.4% of all alcohol consumed in the U.S., according to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

The Travis County Attorney’s Underage Drinking Prevention Program conducts presentations in Travis, Hays and Williamson Counties. The program partners with schools to commemorate Red Ribbon Week, a national drug and alcohol awareness campaign.

The top three causes of teen deaths in the U.S. are accidents, homicide and suicide, all linked in some way to substance abuse.

Letting your teens know you disapprove of alcohol/drug use makes them less likely to use these substances. Talk to your teens about DUI. Discussion on the dangers and consequences of poor choices around fentanyl, opioids, other drugs, and alcohol may help save a teenager's life.

Sarah Martinez, Travis County Attorney’s Underage Drinking Prevention Program director, Austin

The public education system in Texas

has always fostered this common value

Public education’s death is popular in Texas. In fact, the school voucher bill marks an unstable form of bipartisanship. The left wishes the curriculum was more honest about history, while the right demands a curriculum free of “wokeness.”

The proposed solution? Individualize both groups by sending them to their respective echo chambers, sewing further division, which Abbott is happy to oblige. But even if both sides agree that this system might liberate them from the other side’s meddling, who benefits from this unprecedented shift in education?

Public education creates a cultural throughline; even with its inequalities, standardized education has always fostered common conversation between citizens, especially among the Texans who in a more independent system would never interact. This is the inherent value of public schooling.

Don’t let the governor pull the wool over your eyes, public education is an institution that must be protected.

Ben Catterton, Austin

Abbott stubbornly champions a cause that

benefits a few at expense of greater good

For nearly 10 years Greg Abbott has been disparaging public schools K-12 and done little to make them better. Much to Abbott’s chagrin, the House did not pass the private school voucher measures that he has been obstinately championing, so he called a special session to give it another shot – holding public school funding hostage in the meantime. Unfortunately, those representatives who are not willing to do the governor’s bidding will face the threat of political backlash, a regrettable tack which seems to sway the approval or not of many legislative initiatives, regardless of the will of the constituents.

There are many reasons for parents to support and improve our teachers, administrators and our public school system. Regrettably, the state is spending all this time and energy on private schools: a cause that likely will benefit only a few at the expense of greater good.

Peter Ellis, Austin

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Letters to the editor: Mass killer's motive was immaterial