Letters to the Editor – Politics, Texas schools, social media, population, paper tags

Think about whom to blame

Re: “Something to think about,” by Jimmie George, Nov. 14 Letters.

First, I would really like to supply my honest condolences to Mr. George for the lack of his spouse. While he complains about “failed policies” of the present administration, he seemingly doesn’t acknowledge that many individuals died of COVID-19 due to the former president downplaying the sickness and plenty of Republicans scoffing at the use of vaccines and masks.

Those identical outstanding politicians claimed it was towards their rights and freedoms to be made to put on a masks, but they took away the rights and freedoms of ladies to selected physique autonomy. If you really care about youngsters, maybe think about to the 30,000 youngsters in the Texas foster care system. Also, Texas maternal dying numbers are abysmal.

Inflation is worldwide and we aren’t struggling as a lot as some and once more, fuel costs will not be dictated by any administration, however by OPEC. Those issues will enhance with this administration targeted on all residents and on engaging in objectives comparable to the infrastructure invoice. That is the path for which you need to vote.

Patricia Williams, Waxahachie

Why STAAR?

Re: “Texans want better ways to measure schools — Legislature has opportunity to improve accountability system,” by Brian Woods and HD Chambers, Sunday Opinion.

I’ve labored with quite a lot of college students all through the years, from those that had been immigrants to the United States and Texas, these with studying variations and who struggled with arithmetic and studying, those that had been a number of grade ranges under, those that have had extreme absences and even some very shiny and gifted college students.

Students (and doubtless most adults) get take a look at anxiousness when the pressures are nice to move. Imagine taking your first written or driving take a look at or a school entrance examination. There are adults who wrestle and get take a look at anxiousness to move it the first time. In actual life, it’s not an enormous deal and adults will return and assessment the materials to take it once more.

Students will not be emotionally ready to do that. Students do get wired. I don’t agree with simply having an annual take a look at for all college students.

Schools and lecture rooms will not be equal. One might need gifted/gifted children and one other might need college students performing a number of grade ranges decrease.

Students can get into school with a GED, personal college diploma and even by means of residence faculties. They do not need to take the STAAR Exam.

Why ought to we require our Texas public excessive faculties by means of the Texas Education Agency to do the identical?

John Ok. Wright, Plano

Reform communications act

Re: “Conspiracy Theories Spew Forth — Elon Musk’s Paul Pelosi tweet, suspect’s online history show why we need social media reform,” Nov. 2 editorial.

The editorial was proper-on when it said that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act must be reformed in order to limit the potential of social media operators to management content material posted on their platforms primarily based upon their very own private philosophies.

Reform should begin with a dialogue amongst folks from each the proper and the left on what foundation social media corporations must be granted safety from legal responsibility for what’s posted. At a minimal, any immunity should be primarily based upon an obligation (and never the discretionary proper) of those corporations to take down incitements to violence, true threats, deliberate and intentional harassment and content material that’s in any other case unlawful underneath legislation, comparable to language constituting libel.

Immunity should even be primarily based upon clear requirements, in order that it’s clear what speech social media should and can’t permit. A listing of the forms of prohibited speech with particular examples might be written into Section 230 in order to information social media in assembly their obligations.

Reform of Section 230 can be an necessary step in limiting the abuse of free speech and in constructing tolerance.

Raymond J. Termini, Dallas/Turtle Creek

The risks of extra

I simply heard that the world inhabitants has surpassed 8 billion. Perhaps a easy remark might assist clarify why we’ve got hassle with divisiveness, caustic social media, immigration, inflation, crime, starvation and vitality shortcomings: Too many people have an excessive amount of. Too many people have too little. And, in each a nationwide and world sense, there are simply too darn many people.

Ted M. Moore, Dallas/Preston Hollow

Do away with paper tags

We have obtained invoices from the North Texas Tollway Authority on two events in the final yr for toll costs for autos with paper tags which had been listed in our title. Both incidents had been ultimately cleared up by going by means of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to make clear that we didn’t and by no means did personal the autos in the photos taken at the toll cubicles.

Back in the day, everlasting tags had been obtained and positioned on vehicles by the dealership at the time of buy. Dealer tags had been utilized by dealerships for demonstration and take a look at drives earlier than the buy. No paper tags existed.

It appears to me that the DMV wants to revert to the outdated system that labored earlier than paper tags existed — no extra ready in lengthy strains at tax places of work to get everlasting metallic tags, no fraud at toll cubicles, no confusion or fraud relating to validity of paper tags, no extra pursuit of vehicles with fraudulent or out-of-date paper tags and hopefully, no extra lack of life due to excessive-pace pursuit of paper tag offenders.

Cecil L. Hale, Far North Dallas

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