Re: “The consequence of tragedy,” Sunday Opinion.
Your piece on Camp Mystic stated that “young adults spend their summers differently now, taking summer classes and working in pre-professional internships, which is probably making it harder for camp directors to find young people to work as camp counselors.”
An addition to this is that counselors are paid a pittance. It seems all camps believe it is a privilege to work at a summer camp, and the salary reflects this.
These camps make millions, charge thousands per camper, and yet counselors are underpaid. Many can’t afford to work at a camp.
My kids worked at Camp Ozark, and the pay was not commensurate with the amount of work or responsibility that was required.
Kathryn Mulac Goss, Houston
Re: “Hard truths from a good man — Ben Sasse urges Americans to invest in local communities and reject hate,” by Ronell Smith, Sunday Opinion.
Smith’s column detailing former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse’s battles is a profile of courage. When Sasse voted to convict President Donald Trump after the Capitol riots, he heard that Nebraska leaders were considering censuring him for not bending his knee to Trump.
In 2021, Sasse said, “Politics isn’t about the weird worship of one dude.”
It’s unfortunate that only a handful of Republicans have the intestinal fortitude to stand up and disagree with Trump. Sasse had the courage to do that.
He resigned from Congress in 2023. In 2025, he was diagnosed with metastasized stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Since this bad news, he has been advocating for Americans to reject hate, prioritize local communities and to work together. He truly epitomizes what courage really is.
J. R. Krystinik, Dallas/Preston Hollow
Re: “A Breach of Trust — Homeschool group cannot excuse sex offender hire,” Thursday editorial.
This editorial calling for greater oversight of homeschooling in Texas relies on a troubling assumption: that the failures of one organization justify increased state control over all families. That conclusion misses the mark.
The incident involving the Texas Home Educators Sports Association is serious and deserves scrutiny. But it does not follow that homeschooling families should be subject to broader government regulation. Public institutions, despite layers of oversight, have faced similar failures. More regulation is not a guarantee of better protection.
More importantly, the editorial overlooks a foundational principle. Parents are not agents of the state; they are the primary stewards of their children’s upbringing. As the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed, “the child is not the mere creature of the State.” (Parham v. J.R.) Our legal tradition begins with trust in parents, not suspicion of them.
We are already seeing where the editorial’s logic leads. In Connecticut, lawmakers are considering requiring background checks for all families before they can homeschool — treating every parent as a potential risk rather than a responsible guardian. That approach turns a rare and tragic exception into justification for broad intrusion into family life.
As the court said in the Parham case, “The statist notion that governmental power should supersede parental authority in all cases because some parents abuse and neglect their children is repugnant to American tradition.”
We can safeguard children without abandoning the principle that parental rights are fundamental, and should remain so.
Robert Choate, Little Elm
Re: “How tall is too tall,” by Nick Wooten, Sunday Business
Nick Wooten’s article about future development plans for the Preston Royal area makes me wonder if Burk Interests and Greenway Investment Co., City Council representatives, and zoning committee members think Dallas citizens are gullible, ignorant or both.
Traffic studies paid for by Leland Burk’s company minimize the impact on an already-challenged Preston Road. Ask the people who try to travel it now between early morning and evening hours — we know. Also ask the people in Far North Dallas near Preston and Beltline roads how their protests against the major developments at that intersection went for two years. As a lifelong resident, I do love this city and am sad to see her beautiful neighborhoods sold out. Preston Royal fought hard to come back from the devastation of the 2019 tornado only to now experience future devastation disguised as “progress.”
Good luck to Preston Hollow Preservation – you need it!
She blames Elizabeth Warren
Re: “Spirit blames higher oil prices for its decision to shut down,” Sunday news story.
Your story left out substantial context on the demise of this airline. Your ending paragraph says the White House says it was President Joe Biden’s fault. That’s partly true. But it was more Elizabeth Warren, the socialist crusader who must be so proud to add another casket to her accomplishments.
JetBlue offered $3.8 billion in cash to buy Spirit in 2022. Shareholders, the flight attendants’ union — literally everyone voted yes. The combined company would have held 9% of the U.S. market, against the Big Four that already owned 80%.
Instead, thanks to her, 14,000 jobs are gone and 30-plus smaller airports lose service.
Concerns about our water supply
We moved to Dallas from Abilene 20 years ago. Abilene uses effluent water to water parks and golf courses — with signs posted not to drink. As I read about water shortages in The Dallas Morning News, I wonder why effluent water is never mentioned. Yes, it would be expensive. What price do we put on our water supply?
Because of the impending water shortage, I have seen more ads for artificial grass and shrubs. Which direction will be our choice in the future?
Leilani Salisbury, Dallas
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