Among the well-wishers and reminiscers who observed the retirement of Paul Burka with fond testimonials (some of which can be read below) were a number of Paul\u2019s media brethren and a handful of politicos he\u2019d spent his four-decades-long career covering. Wayne Slater (himself a recent retiree, from the Dallas Morning News) cited Paul\u2019s \u201cclear-eyed insights on Texas\u201d as \u201ca must-read,\u201d while former senator Kay Bailey Hutchison credited Paul with capturing \u201cthe culture of Texas politics better than anyone since Molly Ivins.\u201d Here at Texas Monthly, we choose to celebrate Paul not only with an ever-faithful commitment to fair and tenacious coverage of the statehouse\u2014just as he has taught us\u2014but also with renewed spirit on the softball field. The Burkas resumed play in April.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And now, a sampling of feedback from our readers.<\/p>\n
\t\tTexas, Our Texas<\/p>\n
My husband, daughters, and I very much liked the \u201cWelcome to Texas\u201d<\/a> guide: we laughed as I read aloud the \u201cUser\u2019s Guide to Tacos,\u201d<\/a> my husband making funny faces about the different varieties; he knew Pearl beer before I even said it when reading \u201cWhat the Texanist Drinks\u201d<\/a>; as current Ford F-250 drivers (and past owners of Chevy and GMC trucks), we related to Paul Knight\u2019s \u201cDrive a Pickup (or Don\u2019t)\u201d<\/a>; we were more than a little embarrassed when we learned that the San Jacinto Monument is taller than the Washington Monument (something that we probably learned, having been born and raised in Houston, but just forgot); and we howled when reading \u201cHow to Talk Like a Texan,\u201d<\/a> reflecting fondly on the words we use frequently, like \u201cblue norther,\u201d \u201cfeeder road,\u201d \u201cfixin\u2019 to,\u201d and, of course, \u201cy\u2019all.\u201d<\/p>\n Then we got to page 97. My tone turned from lighthearted to incredulous. I saw your disclaimer, but still, I couldn\u2019t believe that a magazine seemingly dedicated to celebrating Texas would ask\u2014and then actually pay\u2014someone to write what Dave Hickey did [\u201cDon\u2019t Move to Texas\u201d<\/a>]! We were appalled. And hurt! My husband told me to stop reading well before I finished\u2014he didn\u2019t want to hear anymore, and the things he said about Mr. Hickey are not publishable here. Why would\u2014and how could\u2014someone say such hateful things about the state that I and so many others love? After the initial anger subsided, I thought about how pitiful and miserable Mr. Hickey must truly be to write such insulting garbage and how glad I was that he didn\u2019t live here anymore. Good riddance.\u00a0 Who is Dave Hickey? This was a made-up name, right? You guys at TM are pulling our leg, aren\u2019t you? One of you wrote it just to try and get a rise out of us, didn\u2019t you? And don\u2019t you think that if there were truly a Texas ex-pat named Dave Hickey spewing this kind of narcissistic crap in Santa Fe, New Mexico would be shipping him back? It\u2019s sure that east of Eden there\u2019s no perfect place to live, but for me, and for those TM readers who still hang their hats here, Texas will do. You left out three very important words Texans\u2014and only Texans, I believe\u2014use in your guide for \u201cHow to Talk Like a Texan\u201d<\/a>: \u201cbar ditch\u201d (which I\u2014being a Dallas girl\u2014learned only while dating a boy from Seymour), \u201cchunk\u201d (when everyone else says they \u201cchucked a rock,\u201d we say \u201cchunk\u201d), and \u201ctump\u201d (the falling over of an object, as in, \u201cI don\u2019t know, Mom, it just kinda tumped over by itself\u201d). For you to exclude \u201cHook \u2019em\u201d and other rallying signals and\/or slogans from this list is an insult to the rest of us in this great state. A Texas playlist<\/a> without Buddy, Stevie Ray, Janis, Lyle, or Asleep at the Wheel? I\u2019ll pray for your Texas soul, Michael Hall.\u00a0 Kudos to Paul Knight for the short article on why trucks in Texas are so great to own,<\/a> numerous, and mostly impractical for a daily driver but still very much loved. My daily beater is a \u201999 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4\u00d74 for many of the same reasons, but I also own a \u201991 GMC Sierra Extended Cab short-bed that has been in our family since it was brand-new. My brother purchased it, then sold it to me about ten years ago. It is one of seven trucks that I have owned over the past 35 years. One of my twin daughters drove it while going to nursing school, and after that her twin\u2019s husband had it for a while until it conked out due to a fuel pump issue. It languished unmoved in their driveway for over a year until I replaced the pump, and it has since come back to live with me again. I use it when something won\u2019t fit in the back of my Cherokee, which is not all that often, but it\u2019s always there, waiting on me for when I need it. The old truck is beat to crap on the top and hood, having endured the hammering hailstorm in Fort Worth back in \u201995, but the side panels and interior still look good, the tires are new, and the driveline is in very good shape and rock-solid dependable. And not a rattle or a squeak. Honest! I wouldn\u2019t get rid of it for anything. I\u2019m sure it will still be there for any of my grandkids when they reach driving age. And likewise the old Jeep. But it squeaks. A lot! Bye Bye Burka<\/p>\n It\u2019s inevitable that as we get older, we will feel sentimental when good and familiar things come to an end. And so it is with Paul Burka. His farewell column [\u201cWhat I\u2019ve Learned\u201d]<\/a> hit this Texan hard. I\u2019ve always taken his insight and well-crafted commentary on state politics for granted. Now our regular rendezvous within the prized pages of Texas Monthly have ended. It\u2019s as if Willie stopped playing, Matthew McConaughey quit acting, and the San Antonio Spurs didn\u2019t make the playoffs.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 I have been a reader and fan of Paul Burka\u2019s since his earliest days at Texas Monthly. When someone lays their hammer down, there can be many different emotions. And Paul captured his in his usual blunt style.\u00a0<\/p>\n We hope you enjoy your new freedom, Paul, and keep us posted when the Legislature is in session, for we can\u2019t just quit cold turkey. As a native Texan who barely made it into the 1970\u2019s, I have grown up with Texas Monthly and Paul Burka. Over time I have even morphed from a very conservative Christian Republican into an extremely liberal Independent and now teach government at the college level. Both on a personal and a professional note, I am devastated by Paul Burka\u2019s retirement. Someone has awfully big shoes to fill.\u00a0 The Fabulous Baker Boy<\/p>\n I expected to dislike James Baker before I started reading the interview in the April edition [\u201cThe Fixer\u201d]<\/a>. After all, he gave us George W. Bush. But Mr. Baker won me over early. He recognizes that wrench in the machinery called \u201credistricting\u201d for what it is\u2014a political game that makes governing ever more difficult. As Mr. Baker correctly points out, it hollows out the middle of the political spectrum, the place from which you govern.<\/p>\n But Mr. Baker improved his standing further (with me, at least) when he portrayed both Fox News and MSNBC as outlets that pour gasoline on the fire. I\u2019m sure that each thinks it provides the counterweight to the other, but in fact all they do is work to spin their viewers farther to the edges.<\/p>\n Mr. Baker sealed the deal with his observations on Ronald Reagan. Reagan was never my favorite politician (due mainly to his over-the-top rhetoric), but he did know how to get things done by working with all sides toward a common middle ground. Today\u2019s wannabes who invoke his name as a guiding spirit (yes, Mr. Cruz, I\u2019m speaking to you) seem to have a very shallow understanding of his presidency.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not smart enough to know how to fix all this, but I do know that our current partisan trajectory is not sustainable. Yes, I have a left arm and right arm, but they only work through a solid connection to the body in the middle. Blades of Glory<\/p>\n
Kirsten McFarland, Midland<\/p>\n
John T. Johnson III, Arlington<\/p>\n
Howard Cox, Alto<\/p>\n
Beverly Walker, Plano<\/p>\n
Bobby K. Jameson, Paris<\/p>\n
Steve Brow, Kerrville<\/p>\n
Patrick Crabtree, Granbury<\/p>\n
Doug McMurry, San Antonio<\/p>\n
Morton Meyerson, Dallas<\/p>\n
Hollie Bartlett Dawson, Denton<\/p>\n
Niel Powers, Kerrville<\/p>\n