Taking fun out of track meet
This week my ninth grader competed in the DISD district track championships, but we did not have a good time.
The problem begins with the event organization and goes down to the policing of people. Athletes and parents are separated in the parking lot, with athletes allowed on one side of the stadium and parents confined to the other side. Despite my 14-year old being unfamiliar with the grounds and not knowing where to find her team, I was not allowed into the athletes’ side to help her navigate. Parents are sent to the other side and forced to purchase a ticket.
Nor were athletes permitted to even approach their parents on the other side. After my daughter won her race and ran over to share her joy, she was yelled at by officials and threatened with disqualification.
Overall, this was not a happy afternoon picnicking with family and friends while we watched our children engage in activities they love.
The goal of the sport and the competition should not be efficiency and organization, but rather community involvement. The district could facilitate this with less policing and more openness.
Macabe Keliher, Old East Dallas
Girls falling behind
Re: “Why are Texas girls falling behind?” by Janet Bartkowski, Monday Opinion.
The Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas report highlights an urgent reality: Too many girls in Texas are being left behind. Behind these outcomes are systemic gaps we cannot ignore.
Texas continues to face teen birth rates well above the national average, 47% higher, placing it among the highest in the country. In Dallas, the challenge is even greater with one of the highest rates among major U.S. cities. At the same time, rising sexually transmitted infection rates point to a growing gap in access to information and care.
These challenges are compounded by broader barriers. In Texas, one in five girls lives in poverty, and many young people lack access to health insurance, limiting their ability to receive care and make informed decisions.
The good news is that solutions exist. Most Texas parents support school-based sexual health education that includes information on healthy relationships, prevention and care.
If we are serious about helping girls succeed, we must ensure they have access to healthcare and the knowledge to navigate it.
Terry Greenberg, North Dallas
Ten Commandments of Success
In looking through some old family items, I found a 1933 high school report card of my mom’s with an educational Ten Commandments of Success printed on the back. I believe they would be appropriate today rather than what is currently being pursued.
1. Thou shalt be honest.
2. Thou shalt be fair.
3. Thou shalt work.
4. Thou shalt have ambition.
5. Thou shalt have will power.
6. Thou shalt be clean – both mentally and physically.
7. Thou shalt be kind.
8. Thou shalt have service as thy motto in this life.
9. Thou shalt have culture.
10. Thou shalt develop the spirit of love.
James A. Camey, Carrollton
Let’s vote on City Hall
Re: “City Hall has lost its ability to self-govern,” by Tom Leppert, March 22 Opinion.
Although I agree with the former mayor that our current absentee and party-changing mayor was asleep at the wheel losing AT&T and Bank of America, I wholeheartedly disagree with his criticism against City Council members proceeding with caution and questioning numbers that clearly defy logic.
A recent analysis of outstanding items from a more thorough three-year 2018 study came to only $25.4 million to $31.4 million after adjustments for inflation — a far cry from the $1 billion price tag currently being used as a scare tactic.
Think about it: That is more than the cost of restoring Notre Dame Cathedral, which was nearly burned to the ground and required precious materials and highly skilled artisans and engineers to restore.
Leppert suggests the loss of AT&T and Bank of America justifies handing the keys of the city to a billionaire family that’s clearly used to getting what they want whether it makes sense or not. They traded away a once-in-a-generation talent in Luka Doncic. They have run off the Dallas Stars. They expect us to demolish City Hall for one sports team and half the revenue we were getting from the city-funded American Airlines Center, which is barely 25 years old.
Our City Hall, designed by one of the world’s greatest architects, is a symbol of Dallas’ innovation and vision to be reborn after the Kennedy assassination. Put it on the ballot and let the citizens decide if we want to demolish the icon of an architectural talent and end up with a demand for a new arena 25 years from now.
Rachel Rose, Dallas
Wanting utopia
Re: “Serve the people,” by Kay Lynn Viney,” Monday Letters.
Some people want a type of utopia, but I don’t think they understand the problem. What does affordable housing mean? Does it mean the taxpayers should pay part of the rent so folks can live in a house they cannot afford? How many people even have a budget?
When I was young, I did not want to live in the house I could afford, so I teamed up with two others to rent a nice house.
Immigration? Let’s enforce the immigration laws we have now. World conflicts? Congress has not declared war since 1941; how many conflicts have we had since then? I was in Vietnam for 19 months with no declaration of war by Congress. By our Constitution, Congress is not tasked with keeping us safe. The president has that job.
IDs to vote? The SAVE Act creates no barriers to voting. I am leery of a party that insists on no ID to vote because unless they can cheat, they fear they will not win. Some people would like to vote by phone — this is the way American Idol picks a winner.