Don\u2019t let Dallas down<\/p>\n
Re: \u201cCity Hall has lost its ability to self-govern \u2014 Inaction is spoiling our best opportunities with the Mavericks and other businesses,” by Tom Leppert, Sunday Opinion.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve written several letters to The Dallas Morning News about the looming question of what to do with Dallas\u2019 City Hall.<\/p>\n
Perhaps no one has captured the issue better than Leppert in his column in Sunday\u2019s paper. This should be required reading by the mayor, City Council and all leading officials at City Hall.<\/p>\n
This is not about a building. This is about halting the dramatic decline of downtown Dallas. This is about saving downtown Dallas.<\/p>\n
Opinion<\/p>\n
Get smart opinions on the topics North Texans care about.<\/p>\n
By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n So, to the mayor, city manager and City Council, take heed. Former Mayor Leppert is talking to you!<\/p>\n With great power comes great responsibility. Don\u2019t let Dallas down!<\/p>\n Guy Mercurio, Dallas<\/p>\n An impactful column<\/p>\n This opinion piece by Leppert was stunningly impactful. It is too bad that we don\u2019t have a time machine, which could take this column back to the Dallas City Council 10, or even five years ago. <\/p>\n We have all watched the Dallas City Council become like much of today\u2019s United States \u2014 hopelessly divided and unable to reach mutually agreeable success. We can only hope that it\u2019s not too late to change.<\/p>\n Dan Siculan, Royse City<\/p>\n It\u2019s market distortion<\/p>\n Re: \u201cFree, Universal Pre-K Could be Game Changer \u2014 Dallas ISD proposal drops tuition for 3- and 4-year-olds, promotes school readiness,” Sunday editorial.<\/p>\n The editorial board is right: high-quality pre-K matters. But Dallas ISD\u2019s proposal raises a harder question: should school districts compete with private child care providers \u2014 using taxpayer-funded facilities and teachers \u2014 to serve children the state doesn\u2019t fund?<\/p>\n Texas ISDs do not receive state dollars for children who do not meet pre-K eligibility criteria. Offering free pre-K to ineligible children pulls teachers and resources from the K\u201312 infrastructure districts were built to serve. Meanwhile, private providers \u2014 who pay taxes, meet licensing standards and serve the full continuum from infant through pre-K \u2014 compete against a government-subsidized product they helped fund.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not education policy. That\u2019s market distortion.<\/p>\n Districts across Texas exploit the dual regulatory structure of the Texas Education Agency and Texas Health and Human Services to expand pre-K offerings while private providers absorb the competitive damage and communities lose infant and toddler capacity.<\/p>\n The governor\u2019s Quad Agency Commission is a meaningful first step. The most durable solution: raise the income eligibility threshold so more children qualify for free pre-K \u2014 and direct public dollars where they belong.<\/p>\n Robbin Wells, Lucas<\/p>\n Avoid partisan tropes<\/p>\n Re: \u201cTrump\u2019s gas price Teflon \u2014 Americans don\u2019t approve of the war in Iran or its economic cost. But will they hold the administration accountable?” by Abby McCloskey, Sunday Opinion.<\/p>\n I applaud The Dallas Morning News for enlisting Republican-leaning columnists like Abby McCloskey, Glenn Rogers, William McKenzie and Robert Jordan. They remind us of our bipartisan, respectful debate over issues rather than MAGA denunciation of opponents as evil and protestors as terrorists. <\/p>\n However, I was disappointed to see McCloskey justify the effects of the Iran\/Contra war on gas prices by citing record inflation under President Joe Biden. From the botching of early testing by fake military to the undermining of his own warp speed vaccine success by anti-science populism, President Donald Trump placed the U.S. first in per population deaths and economic disruption that bequeathed record inflation. <\/p>\n We desperately need rational, balanced and fact-based journalism that offsets the jingoism of internet silos and prevents illegal attacks on other governments and our own capital. <\/p>\n I enjoy reading columnists with differing opinions and hope they will fulfill our last hope for democracy \u2014 the fading voices of independent newspapers \u2014 by avoiding partisan tropes like the Obama recession, 2020 election fraud, Biden inflation or Nobel Peace Prize candidacy.<\/p>\n Golder Wilson, Dallas<\/p>\n Facts are stubborn things<\/p>\n After 35 years as a loyal Republican, I watched my party become unrecognizable \u2014 and now Sen. John Cornyn\u2019s transformation from principled conservative to full-throated Trump sycophant is complete.<\/p>\n In the span of a week, Cornyn reversed his longstanding defense of the Senate filibuster, bowing down to appease President Donald Trump and secure his coveted endorsement. <\/p>\n He also co-sponsored the SAVE America Act, which would eliminate the Texas driver\u2019s license as a valid voter registration document. You\u2019ll need a passport or birth certificate that matches your current surname. <\/p>\n And he blamed Democrats for the TSA meltdown at our airports, conveniently omitting that it is Republicans who are holding TSA funding hostage unless they get an additional $28 billion for ICE with no strings attached.<\/p>\n Facts are stubborn things, senator. Texas voters deserve better than scorched-earth partisan politics that divide our country and paralyze effective governance.<\/p>\n Malcolm Jacobson, The Woodlands<\/p>\n Let\u2019s help TSA agents<\/p>\n My heart goes out to the TSA workers who, through no fault of their own, are facing a staggering and ever-increasing workload of tired and grouchy travelers for no pay.<\/p>\n These agents are working to keep you safe \u2014 the least we can do is to help them out.<\/p>\n What if every traveler passing through a TSA station gave each agent there a couple of dollars a piece? Imagine the cumulative result at the end of the day.<\/p>\n Until our government steps up, let\u2019s do the right thing for our fellow man!<\/p>\n Mike Luckey, Fairview<\/p>\n We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n