Recent editorials from Texas newspapers

Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Texas newspapers:

The Monitor. Oct. 21, 2018.

Voting is a right, and those qualified to do so have no reason to be intimidated or scared away - even if the person who hands them the ballot is packing heat.

Early voting began Monday for the Nov. 6 midterm elections. It’s an important election; in addition to key local races, all members of the Houses of Representatives in both the state legislature and Congress are on the ballot, as are one U.S. Senate seat and several major state offices.

Intimidation could be the purpose, if not the effect, of a recent ruling by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. He received a query by state Rep. James White, R-Woodville, who asked if election judges could carry weapons during the elections process.

The state Penal Code states: “A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly possesses or goes with a firearm … on the premises of a polling place on the day of an election or while early voting is in progress.”

However, Paxton noted that one of the duties of an elections judge is to “preserve order and prevent breaches of the peace and violations” of voting laws and procedures. This, the attorney general reasoned, makes them de facto peace officers. He also cited a 1913 court ruling that the elections judge at a polling lo-cation has the same authority as a district judge. Because district judges can be armed, then an elections judge can also, Paxton ruled.

He obviously recognized weaknesses in his ruling, such as the fact that many laws have changed since 1913 and that peace officers must be appropriately trained and certified. Only elections judges with handgun permits can carry weapons, and they cannot have them at locations that prohibit all weapons, such as posted private property or colleges that chose not to allow weapons on campus.

State Republican Party Chairman James Dickey issued a statement praising the decision, accusing gun prohibition of “making it difficult for our elections officials and voters to defend themselves against someone who may seek to do them harm.”

We know of no instances of polling site violence, even in instances when lines have been unusually long, ballots have run out or equipment has malfunctioned. Arming elections judges appears to be a solution without a problem.

Since taking control of state government, the Republican leadership systematically has imposed roadblocks on our elections process. It has required that voters carry specific forms of identification in addition to voting credentials; in some areas they have shortened early voting days and eliminated polling sites; some already have posted armed security guards outside of the entrances to elections locations.

Arming elections judges appears to be one more attempt to scare voters away.

Our form of representative government depends on voter participation; our founders described it as government by the governed - we decide who will represent us and make key decisions on our behalf in our seats of government.

Voters should not allow anyone to dissuade or intimidate them into not casting a ballot.

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Abilene Reporter-News. Oct. 21, 2018.

The total is staggering, $50 million more than the school bond election called in 2013.

Five years ago, those residing in the Abilene Independent School District voted at more than 70 percent for an $88 million bond that allowed the construction of three elementary schools and emphasized campus safety throughout the district.

A committee tasked with reducing a long list of needs to what it believed were the 10 most important advised us that this was just the beginning. If passed, the AISD would start chipping away at what needed to be done.

And here we are five years later with an almost $139 million plan in front of us.

This is a big-ticket plan that includes $36.6 million for a career tech center and, together, just over $69 million to build three elementary schools to replace aging facilities.

The plan designates $23 million for athletic and fine arts needs, and another $10 million on capital improvements, mainly heating and air conditioning systems.

The Abilene ISD, which serves more than 16,500 students, has put all its eggs in one basket. It’s all or none. They’re swinging for the fences or going deep.

Whatever cliche you want to use, this is a bold and ambitious bond.

We’re all for it.

The easiest part of this bond is school construction.

After building new facilities for Bonham, Bowie and Johnston students, it just makes sense to keep moving forward and replace three other campuses built in the 1950s and out of date with the needs of 21st century education. The campuses targeted are Austin, Dyess and Taylor elementaries.

Austin and Taylor are what is called “motel” designs, meaning classroom entry is from the outside instead of from interior hallways. Students are exposed to the weather and, obviously, not as secure.

Despite the district’s efforts to secure facilities - money was provided in the 2013 bond to do that - the designs at the three newer elementaries and Martinez Elementary, opened in 2012 but also upgraded after the 2013 bond, are much better.

Older classrooms are not designed for the technology used today to teach students and cafeterias are too small, forcing early or late lunches.

By itself, the bond should be passed to accomplish this goal.

The facility for career and technical education, which would be built adjacent to the new Texas State Technical College campus near Abilene Regional Airport, is a project whose time has come.

A lot of questions have been asked about this project, and some details still must be worked out. But, in short, it would bring together programs offered at either Abilene or Cooper - or not offered at all - to a single location. Also, the Academy of Technology, Engineering, Math and Science (ATEMS), would be relocated here.

ATEMS has been squeezed into the east end of a former hospital near downtown. TSTC has occupied the other half. The location is central but it was built as a hospital, never a school.

The new location, though distant from AHS and CHS, is next to TSTC and not far from Cisco College. This enhances a working relationship between the district and those two institutions.

The public’s perception and value of career tech education has changed dramatically since voters emphatically turned down two career tech bonds since 2005, the last by 60 percent of the vote. College remains a worthy goal but the opportunity to combine “book learning” with the teaching of job-ready skills is just as important.

A challenge to Abilene as a whole moving forward is having a skilled workforce in place. If we want good jobs to fuel our efforts to expand the tax base to pay for good streets, good facilities and city services including public safety, we need people qualified to fill those jobs living here.

Another plus is the district would expect participation to increase simply because a student at one high school would not have to be bused to the rival school for hours of instruction.

And while it’s no secret that the district is losing some students to the growing Wylie ISD, a strong career tech program could keep or even add students.

Here’s another caveat that should not be overlooked: by moving career and tech education out of the two high schools, the resulting free space can be used to improve fine arts programs.

This is the main reason why the bond is better as one package. Some individual parts cannot work if the overall plan is not approved.

To some, millions of dollars spent on athletics and arts is not money well spent. Focus should remain on the three Rs, they say.

But consider this: Studies show students who participate in athletics and the arts often outperform in the classroom those who do not. They learn time management and, to participate, must maintain their grades.

Also, these activities reach students who otherwise may not be interested in school. Like career tech skills, students may discover and develop athletics, music, theater and other skills that last a lifetime and lead to great careers.

Plus, folks, it’s fun. Nothing wrong with having fun at school.

Those who do not have students currently in school likely are not fully aware of the overcrowding and out-of-date facilities.

One huge plus in this vote falls to Abilene High (that is not ignoring Cooper, so read on). While both high schools would benefit from a bit of musical chairs as facilities go, Abilene High band students practice in a parking lot across busy Mockingbird Lane from the high school.

Back and forth they go, tying up traffic. Amazingly, there have been few incidents.

Bond approval would provide a turf field within the AHS block that can be used by sports teams and serve as an outdoor marching band practice area. This may eliminate the need for evening rehearsals at Shotwell Stadium.

Cooper also would get a turf field.

Moving career tech off campus creates room to better equip band, orchestra and choir facilities.

Arts projects in this bond total $8.2 million, or 6 percent of the total.

As for sports needs, while high school sports, particularly football, are of great interest in the community, residents often are hesitant about spending on athletic facilities.

Abilene has used Shotwell for almost 60 years, and other facilities are simply too small. Or non-existent. Putting off upgrades is discouraging to student-athletes and coaches, and has to have a negative effect on training and, ultimately, performance.

The amount designated for athletics is $14.6 million, or less than 10 percent of the total. There were no athletic asks in the 2013 bond, so in two phases, athletics is just 6 percent of the total.

The only Shotwell site improvement would add a competition track that also would serve as an alternative regulation sports field.

The last time bond money was spent on Shotwell was 2004, when funds were used to build new dressing rooms. Over the years, turf, the north-end scoreboard and restrooms and other updates have been paid out of fund balances or fundraising.

Why can’t the district pay for capital improvements, such as heating and air conditioning, with its yearly budget?

It does, but sometimes the projects add up and need a boost.

Abilene High, being older than Cooper, is heated and cooled with an outdated system. It’s either warm or cool, but sometimes not warm when it’s cool or cool when it’s warm. That’s uncomfortable for students, faculty and staff.

The system at Craig Middle School needs replacing, too, though it hasn’t been around as long as dear old Abilene High.

Part of the plan is to build practice track facilities at high school and middle school facilities, and a competition facility at Shotwell. The district is woefully behind similar districts but this is not about keeping up with Joneses.

Whether it’s high-tech learning or running on a track instead of a marked oval on grass, our students deserve to be provided the same opportunities as others. They should not always do the best they can with what they have.

Abilene residents have been asked several times in recent years to support bond packages.

But consider what was done 60 or so years ago, when Abilene High was relocated from what became the Lincoln Junior High campus and a few years later Cooper and two middle schools (Mann and Madison) were opened.

Then, beginning in the last half of the 1960s, residents were asked for money to build a city hall, the Abilene Civic Center and the Taylor County Coliseum, Taylor County Courthouse and relocate the zoo.

At no time was the price tag $139 million but those facilities drained our wallets.

It’s time to keep the momentum going. All 2013 projects have been completed, as promised.

The district’s tax rate comparably is low to other districts. By adding about 19 cents to make it $1.39 per $100 valuation, the district would move to the middle of the pack.

That’s just over $12 more a month for the average home ($107,000 value) in the district. If your home is valued lower, you wouldn’t pay that much. If it’s higher, you’d pay more.

The district has an A rating from the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, so we would get the best rates possible for these projects.

It’s a big chunk of change, folks. No doubt. And on top of what we have been asked to give in recent years, and will be again soon with the street maintenance fee.

The go-to phrase for the bond has been voting yes for Abilene kids.

Whether you have kids or grandkids in the Abilene ISD or not, this bond is about Abilene’s future.

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San Antonio Express-News. Oct. 22, 2018.

Man-made climate change is not a slow-moving environmental and humanitarian crisis. It’s not an unchecked burden for future generations. It’s not a hoax, or a leftist conspiracy theory to inject government regulation into the free market.

It is an imminent crisis that will hit hard as soon as 2040, well within many of our lifetimes.

These are the key and urgent takeaways of a report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report warns that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rates, the atmosphere will warm by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above preindustrial levels in a matter of decades. That’s warm enough to flood coastlines, exacerbate food shortages, spur wildfires and destroy coral reefs.

The report, written and edited by 91 scientists from 40 countries, and based on more than 6,000 scientific studies, essentially accelerates the timeline for the reckoning we will face if we don’t dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Previous reports had pegged warming of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above preindustrial levels as the point where the most severe impacts of climate change would take hold. But this study, done at the behest of small island nations imperiled by rising sea levels, analyzed 2.7 degrees and found many of those impacts would take hold at this lower threshold.

The report gives world leaders just years to make drastic changes to the world’s economy. These include significantly ramping up renewables, developing carbon capture storage, instituting a carbon tax in the United States and eliminating coal burning by 2050. It is an unprecedented to-do list. Whether global leaders are capable of such swift action is a disheartening question.

Global emissions continue to rise, and many nations are not on track to meet the targets outlined in the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which is aimed at capping warming to about 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century. The United States, the world’s second-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, is withdrawing from the agreement. President Donald Trump has mocked climate science and called climate change a “hoax,” even though his administration recently released a report showing warming of 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100.

Texas is uniquely situated to lead on the issue of addressing climate change. The Lone Star State is the nation’s leading producer in wind energy and has unbounded potential for solar energy. It is blessed with immense natural gas reserves. On top of this, the state has particular vulnerabilities from rising sea levels and a warming Earth. Yes, severe weather is a concern in a warmer world. Think of droughts, hurricanes and storm flooding. But so, too, is routine coastal flooding, which the Union of Concerned Scientists has warned could be present in Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula in as few as 20 years.

Scientists have been sounding alarm bells about climate change for decades, warning the political class and general public about the potential for environmental harm, human catastrophe and economic ruin that will come in a world where warming is left unchecked, resources are scarce and diaspora is necessary to survive.

For example, Texas A&M University’s Atmospheric Sciences Department has issued a unanimous statement that “humans are responsible for more than half of the global warming between 1951 and 2012.” And that global temperatures will continue to rise throughout the century if greenhouse gas emissions are left unchecked. Their business-as-usual scenario results in a warming range of 2.5 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century.

“Continued rising temperatures risk serious challenges for human society and ecosystems. It is difficult to quantify such risks, except to say that the potential magnitude of impacts rises rapidly as temperatures approach the high end of the range quoted above,” the statement says.

The Earth is warming, and we are running out of time to avoid catastrophe. Early voting has started. Make climate change denial, obfuscation or lack of urgency on this factors in your choice.

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The Dallas Morning News. Oct. 23, 2018.

If you wonder why holding public officials accountable matters, look no further than the cascade of corruption surrounding Dallas County’s now defunct school bus system.

Before investigative journalists, and then federal law enforcement, got involved, few people could tell you exactly what Dallas County Schools was. It was a line item on the property tax bill, a distinct and unnecessary government entity that provided bus service to local school districts and was managed by a bureaucracy that was supposedly answerable to an elected board. The agency’s obscurity gave it a bubble of secrecy that made it ripe for corruption and exploitation.

On Monday, another corrupt domino fell. Former Dallas County Schools board president Larry Duncan pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion in connection with $245,000 in campaign contributions he now admits he spent mostly on personal expenses. In August, former Dallas City Council member Dwaine Caraway pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges that included taking $450,000 in bribes and kickbacks in connection with the scheme.

Caraway and Duncan, to date, count as the big fish netted in this fraud that has hurt taxpayers and, most foully, has hurt the children DCS was supposed to serve. Where the investigation goes next, if anywhere, is a parlor game in town that we hope other greedy and corrupt politicians consider a warning.

Among the smaller fish here are former Dallas County Schools Superintendent Rick Sorrells, the erstwhile manager of this farce of an agency, who has pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud. Two other key figures, Slater Swartwood and Bob Leonard - the “businessmen” behind this mess - have entered guilty pleas in connection with their corrupt relationships to Caraway, Duncan and Sorrells.

The DCS scheme began in an outlandish and thoroughly botched plan to reap tens of millions of dollars in ticket revenue by attaching stoplight cameras to school buses and then milking drivers who those cameras caught failing to yield when the buses extended their stop signs. As it turned out, most people do stop for school buses, many of the cameras ended up in storage and the dreamed-of revenue never materialized. Good money went after bad, and bad money went into pockets. The whole matter unraveled after investigations led by KXAS-TV (NBC5) and joined in by The Dallas Morning News prompted the FBI and the U.S attorney’s office to pay attention. In the end, the failure of DCS’s board to provide anything like true oversight allowed this scheme to exist.

DCS had a simple mission: provide transportation services to area school districts. Instead, Sorrells and Duncan led the agency down a road of ruin, with no stop signs in sight.

In the depth of the scheme, as the bus system hemorrhaged taxpayer dollars, its leadership doubled down in a desperate plea to balance the books, engaging in a leaseback ploy that saw them sell valuable taxpayer-owned property - its own bus services centers - and then lease those properties back.

When the finances cratered, pressure grew to abolish the agency, which voters wisely did, returning student transportation services to local school districts.

Getting kids to school on time has been tough for many districts and the cities they serve.

But we are all better off without DCS. Voters showed little interest in the agency. Turnout was predictably abysmal for its board elections. But voters can’t fairly be blamed for knowing little about an agency that thrived on its own obscurity and that did its business in the darkest of darkness.

The sunshine of investigation torched DCS like the ghoul it was. Now, we need to see those responsible for its corruption - especially Duncan and Caraway, whom we trusted to be our leaders - go to prison and be an example to those who might come next of what a public servant must never be.

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Beaumont Enterprise. Oct. 23, 2018.

Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz both deserve re-election, but for different reasons. Abbott has been a stabilizing force in Austin, while Cruz has taken a more confrontational approach in Washington. But when these two Republican incumbents are measured up against their Democratic challengers, each can do more for the state with another term in office.

Abbott’s race is clear-cut. He’s been doing a generally good job, presiding over a booming state economy and managing state government competently. The economy is something he doesn’t control directly, though he has reaped its benefits. State government could be doing more to help Texans without health insurance, but a lot of that falls on the Legislature, too. Abbott hasn’t been pushing them in that direction, though the House and Senate might not respond if he did.

The Democratic candidate for governor, Lupe Valdez, disqualified herself from any serious consideration for this job when it was revealed that she was delinquent on $12,000 in 2017 taxes on seven properties is Dallas and Ellis counties. If candidates for public office don’t pay their tax bills, it’s hard to have confidence in them handling the tax revenues of other people. If nothing else, Valdez should have understood how embarrassing this would be in political terms and taken care of her obligations. The fact that she did not shows she is not ready for the highest job in state government.

If Abbott is re-elected as most observers expect, he should feel free in his second and final term to do the right thing for Texas even if it means occasionally crossing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and other hardliners in his party. Abbott was aware that Patrick might have challenged him for the GOP nomination this year, and it probably caused him to lean further to the right in his first term. That threat is gone - and so is House Speaker Joe Straus, a voice of reason for the Republican Party in Austin. If Patrick embraces divisive social issues that would harm Texas, like a bathroom bill that would spark costly boycotts, Abbott should speak up for common-sense conservatism.

The contest between Cruz and Beto O’Rourke was tougher for us to decide, as it probably will be for other Texans.

O’Rourke is one of the most exciting and dynamic politicians that Texas has seen in a long time. He has energized the state’s demoralized Democrats and given real hope that he might be the first member of his party since 1994 to win a statewide race in Texas.

But his views on key issues, such as more controls on guns and fewer on immigration, just don’t align with most Texans. Cruz is less likable, but that’s a secondary factor here. He is more tune with how a majority of voters think now, even if he is more conservative than some of them.

If Cruz is re-elected, he should use his experience and enhanced stature to step up for his state over the next six years. He’s a brilliant man with sharp political skills, and he can use those talents much more effectively.