Letters to the Editor – Tornadoes, Olympics, Texas grid, school vouchers, inflation

We need basements

The recent spate of tornadoes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area prompts me to ask a question that might shed some light on a potentially dangerous situation. Why is it that Texas, a state where tornadoes are not rare and in some years, pretty common, does not have basements?

Visiting my son and his family in the Fort Worth area, I was amazed that even in public schools, basements are a rarity — as rare as tornadoes are common in Texas. Thousands of new homes are going up across North Central Texas, but no basements. This is not logical.

Yes, basements may add to the price of housing, but the protection offered plus the additional storage space make basements worth the extra cost.

Brian Muldoon, Columbia, Md.

A wrong finally righted

Re: “IOC rescinds 1972 ban over racial protest,” Tuesday SportsDay Briefs.

Having just read Path Lit by Lightning, David Maraniss’ superb biography of Jim Thorpe, I was struck by this item about the International Olympic Committee rescinding its 1972 lifetime ban of Vince Matthews, a gold medalist in the 400 meters at the Munich Olympics.

Matthews and American silver medalist Wayne Collett were banished for not standing at rigid attention for “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the medal ceremony. Avery Brundage, then-IOC president, imposed the punishment for the runners’ “disgusting display.”

Brundage was a central figure in the unjust stripping of gold medals and trophies Jim Thorpe received at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics for winning the decathlon and pentathlon. The same Brundage who for decades turned a deaf ear to pleas — and a blind eye to evidence — that this injustice be reversed.

This wrong was eventually righted but only after Brundage was gone. Even then, the IOC, kicking and resisting, only reversed course because of persistent public clamor from scores of notable people, including U.S. presidents.

Allan Chernov, Irving

Look at nuclear power

Re: “Fix Our Grid? PUC Has a Plan — Legislators should pay attention, because extreme weather isn’t the biggest problem,” Dec. 4 editorial.

This editorial points out the difficulties created by the current dysfunctional energy market. Much dysfunction is caused by the government subsidies provided to wind and solar, allowing them to underbid reliable coal, nuclear and natural gas power. Without subsidies, wind and solar are the most expensive.

Coal, natural gas and nuclear power are essential because they are reliable. In contrast, wind and solar have capacity factors of less than 30%, and even lower during periods of extreme heat and cold.

For the near future, combined cycle natural gas power is the cheapest and most dispatchable and reliable alternative for new generation plants. Long term, nuclear power from small modular nuclear reactor plants can provide reliable, dispatchable, carbon-free electricity.

Eleven European nations are currently planning or constructing nuclear plants for future electrical power.

Robert P. Smith, Dallas/Preston Hollow

This isn’t ‘school choice’

When discussing taxpayer-funded private school vouchers, I ask that you do not use the inaccurate slogan “school choice.” The truth is private schools choose who they want. Voucher schemes divert public money to a private use without transparency. In Arizona, New Hampshire and Wisconsin, the vast majority of voucher users never attended a public school.

Vouchers programs subsidize tuition for students who already attend a private school, expanding the taxpayer burden. Vouchers could fuel tuition inflation since private schools know how much their customers are willing to pay. Tuition could easily be raised by the voucher amount.

The Texas Constitution provides only for a system of free public schools. Taxpayers are not responsible for private entities. Our property taxes are high enough.

Dinah Miller, Dallas/Prestonwood

Make parents responsible

Re: “Do all Texas students have access to free school meals? No. Eligibility requirements and paperwork hinder vital access to important nutrition,” by Bob Sanborn and Laura Hayes, Monday Opinion.

This is an interesting Opinion column co-written by the CEO of Children at Risk. He is pushing for free meals for all students in school in Texas. He says, “The state of Texas holds the power to make the best decisions for our children.” Really? The government and not the parents?

Well, if the parent cannot decide to feed their kids, then yep, the state should step in to protect the children and remove them from the situation. Not feeding your children is child abuse.

I will kick it up a notch. I propose that the state operate, perhaps in conjunction with religious or charity organizations, a network of villages to raise children whose parents cannot or will not accept the responsibility. My model for these villages would be Nebraska’s Boys Town.

Remember it takes a village to raise a child, but giving it the power to make the best decisions for a child is a very slippery slope.

Ted Gold, Plano

Inflation a global issue

One might think that inflation is so high that the world will end and the only way to solve it is to throw out the existing government and replace it with a new one. But let’s check the facts.

Inflation is a global, not a national issue. The U.S. rate of inflation is within +/- 1% of the lowest rates in the world: Canada, Spain, France, Norway, Brazil, Australia, India. Only Japan and China (caused by a dramatic drop in gross domestic product) have a lower rate of inflation.

Compare to some recent rates in these countries: Russia, 12.6%; Sweden, 10.9%; United Kingdom, 11.1%; Belgium, 12.3%; Egypt, 16.2%; Ukraine, 26.6%; Iran, 52.2%; Turkey, 88.5%; Sudan, 103%; Venezuela, 156%.

Are we really going to complain that this is “President Joe Biden’s fault?” C’mon. Really? And how does one country or one leader fix it?

Steve McCluer, Far North Dallas

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