A _ DallasNews com The Dallas Morning News Established October

24 A _ DallasNews.com The Dallas Morning News Established October 1, 1885 Publishers George Bannerman Dealey 1885-1940 E.M. (Ted) Dealey 1940-1960 Joe M. Dealey 1960-1980 James M. Moroney Jr. 1980-1985 John A. Rector Jr. 1985-1986 Burl Osborne 1986-2001 James M. Moroney III Publisher and Chief Executive Officer Robert W. Mong Jr. Editor George Rodrigue Vice President, Managing Editor Keven Ann Willey Vice President, Editorial Page Editor Monday, February 21, 2005 EDITORIALS Advice From West Texas Let the sun shine, Speaker Craddick BRIAN DUFFY/The Des Moines Register LETTERS Six divided by 94? As a retired Dallas Independent School District math teacher, I get very confused with the terms “minority” and “majority.” According to The Dallas Morning News, 94 percent of the students in Dallas schools are “minority.” That means the other 6 percent must be the “majority.” This would lead one to believe that if we were blindfolded and given a choice of 94 dollar bills in one stack or six dollar bills in another, we would want the majority, which would be $6. No wonder DISD is $28 million in the red. Ray Kent Smith, Dallas H ouse Speaker Tom Craddick’s official position on requiring recorded votes in the Legislature: He’s keeping an open mind while members wrestle with the issue and conclude what’s best. Since the speaker has a vote, too, we decided to hear what advice his constituents in Midland would provide. We detected little sympathy for continuing the current system, which allows bills to pass with anonymous voice votes. Bill Dingus, oilman and City Council member: SHOULD DISD GO TO UNIFORMS? Less pressure, easier for girls to be modest Re: “Memo to DISD: Students will get used to uniforms,” by James Ragland, Wednesday Metro. I have been in uniforms all my life and have loved it. It lessens the pressure on students because there is no diversity among the outfits. Some days, my school gives us free dress days where we can wear anything we want. This creates an extra sense of nervousness and self-consciousness in my mind — and I presume everyone else’s. Uniforms also make it very easy for girls to be modest, something girls these days are having a huge problem battling. If everyone is dressed alike, people are not rated on their clothing but more for their personality. Although there will be many changes throughout DISD, I feel that the changes will be strictly positive. Claire Turner, 9th grade, FILE 1999 Providence Christian School, Dallas “I was unaware they didn’t [have mandatory recorded votes]. I think that sounds kind of hillbilly …You ought to be proud of the way you voted and would want people to know … As an elected official, as somebody who votes, I feel like the way I vote is important to my constituents. How are they going to know whether to vote for me the next time?” Midland College President David Daniel: RECORDED VOTES For added background, including a list of supporters, visit www.DallasNews.com/opinion and www.foift.org. Tomcat U.S.A. Inc. CEO John James: We need strong mayor The city of Dallas has recorded virtually no job growth over the past decade, due in large part to the perception by business that the city has become ungovernable. Instituting a strong mayor and council is a necessary, though not sufficient, condition for restoring the city’s economic vitality. Still, it’s an important first step. Bernard Weinstein, Dallas “I can’t imagine why a member would not want to record how he or she voted.” A guiding principle should be that lawmakers are “elected by the people, and the people have the right to know how they voted … As a taxpayer and member of the voting public, I would think it would only be right and proper.” Midland County GOP Chairman Sue Brannon: “Generally, I believe in very transparent government. I am not aware of what they go through on a daily basis — I’m not in their shoes — but on the surface I have no problem with every vote being a recorded vote. I don’t think you can go wrong.” Weigh pros, cons: 3 pairs of pants, 3 shirts Re: “Memo to DISD: Students will get used to uniforms,” by James Ragland, Wednesday Metro. Uniforms would be an incredible success in public schools. The pros will far outweigh the cons. One argument against uniforms is that they would cost too much for poorer families, but uniforms would cost less because a student would only need three pairs of pants and three shirts. Another advantage is that students can wear the same clothes two days in a row without being made fun of. Patrick Todd, 9th grade, Providence Christian School, Dallas No war of words for me Marcia Ingram, member of Texas State Independent Living Council, who wrote Mr. Craddick recently asking him to support a constitutional amendment requiring recorded votes: “I think it would be wise to have the votes recorded. I would be in favor.” She described the state GOP convention last year, in which delegates used voice vote to adopt a plank supporting recorded votes in the Legislature: “I hate to say it, but it was a shouting match. That’s why it’s a good idea to have recorded votes.” Midland County Democratic Chairman Manuel Lujan: “I support it completely. … I just totally support …[the] view that a legislator’s voting record is the only real measure of performance that counts. The equipment is already on their desks.” Sam Manning, chairman of social studies department, Midland Lee High School, who reviewed written material on the subject with two advance-placement classes and provided this report: “Once you vote for anything you need to stand firm and put your name on the bottom line. Your name has to be on how you vote. There has to be a recorded vote.” “The government students agreed that elected officials should record all of their votes since they represent our interest and we ought to have the ability to check on such representation. … Most of my philosophy students agreed that voters need to check records to ascertain how their legislators cast ballots in roll call votes to make certain that they are actually doing what we expect them to do.” Re: “Where’s the rage, Catholic men?” by Rod Dreher, Feb. 9 Viewpoints. I found out about Mr. Dreher’s excellent column when the Dallas Diocese e-mailed it to me. The message, signed by Michael McGee, director of the Dallas Diocesan Office of Communications, asked me (and every other Catholic in the area) to write a letter of protest to The Dallas Morning News regarding the column. So in addition to paying an $11 million settlement for Father Rudy Kos’ child abuse victims and now the lawyer bills for Father Matthew Bagert’s child porn defense, the diocese is using Catholic donations to pay for a propaganda war against the local newspaper? The poor and orphaned need my money more than Charles Grahmann’s diocese. When he’s gone, I’ll give again to my parish. Scott Stirling, Irving Fewer worries getting ready, more freedom Re: “Memo to DISD: Students will get used to uniforms,” by James Ragland, Wednesday Metro. With uniforms, I never have to think about what to wear, which makes getting ready for school so much quicker. Uniforms also remove most of the social pressure because I don’t have to worry about whether I’ve worn the same outfit twice in one week. In other words, uniforms give me freedom. Christiana Nielson, 9th grade, Providence Christian School, Dallas Deadly Behavior HIV ‘supervirus’ must be seen as a warning n a scathing screed delivered last November, AIDS patient and ACT-UP founder Larry Kramer roared, “One of these days the miraculous drugs we have to keep us alive are going to stop working … What are we going to do when they don’t work any longer?” We may be about to find out. Health officials in New York City have identified what they suspect is a drug-resistant “supervirus” form of HIV, one that can take the patient from infection to full-blown AIDS in only three months. The supervirus was discovered in an unidentified male patient who admits to unprotected sex with hundreds of men, often while high on crystal methamphetamine, which has become popular as a sex enhancer. It’s too early to know whether the mutation will spread, but AIDS activists fear the worst. The New York Times reports that some gay leaders are considering radical steps to fight risky sexual behavior in the gay community. Good. Silence or timidity could cost lives. AIDS experts have warned for some time that a reckless gay subculture, in which carriers of different strains of the virus have frequent unprotected sex, would eventually pro- I duce a drug-resistant HIV mutation. If that has happened, we must face the stark possibility that 25 years of progress in controlling AIDS could be in jeopardy. There are political risks as well: Those who peddle homophobia will surely exploit any evidence that gay men themselves are prolonging the epidemic through suicidal acts. For too long, well-meaning people, both gay and straight, have been reluctant to denounce this shadowy underside of the AIDS epidemic because of what New York City’s health commissioner referred to last week as “the population and political context in which it arose.” Yet who is served by such reticence? Deadly behavior is deadly behavior — whether sharing needles or indulging in unprotected sex. If we care about someone, we have an obligation to call them on it. Begging his peers to grasp the seriousness of the threat — even before the revelation of this new HIV strain — Mr. Kramer told them, “You cannot continue to allow yourselves and each other to act and live like this!” He’s right. Now is not the time for the band to play on, again. these students, especially from coaches and parents. And the players want to please their coaches and parents by picking the fastest and most effective way to succeed. The solution is to pay closer attention to these athletes. Testing would help. Parents and coaches Your blame misplaced should work together to catch Re: “Bush out of touch,” by these early signs through cooperative educational programs. John Lowe, Thursday Letters. Nickki Garcia, 9th grade, I’m constantly amazed by some Hebron High School, Carrollton of your letters, like this one from Mr. Lowe, concerning having to work three jobs to make ends meet What about victims? and blaming it on President Bush. Mr. Lowe is either ignorant or It becomes more and more apjust malicious. Outsourcing, parent that there is an overabundownsizing and multitasking dance of people eager to fight for started long before either Presi- the rights of convicted sex offenddent Bush took office. Please don’t ers and precious few who have any lay it at the feet of this president. concern about the rights of future W.D. Hutchins, Pittsburg victims. How many more victims must there be before we accept that Let’s do with less there are some forms of aberrant Every time the federal govern- behavior for which there is no ment approves a new assistance cure? Releasing convicted sex ofprogram for some of us without fenders back into society is simply the money to pay for it, it puts us providing them with new opportunities to find more victims. And further in debt. Under revenue sharing started all of us pay the price. Robert Gardiner, back in the 1970s, the federal govAlbuquerque, N.M. ernment provides only part of the money for a program and expects the states to pick up the rest. We must learn to do without and pay down the debt first. We value letters from readers. We James Sawyer, Duncanville Don’t sink rail lines Several buildings near Wood and Jackson streets downtown are ripe for redevelopment as apartments and condominiums. The city also hopes to enhance that area by replacing certain empty buildings and underused parking facilities with green space. DART has been planning a second light-rail line through downtown. If the east end of this new rail corridor were above ground, it would better support those planned developments and still be less expensive. Running one line west on Jackson and the other east on Wood would leave room for traffic lanes on both streets. These rail lines might then go underground near the West End to avoid traffic. A transit idea that costs less, serves more destinations, supports development and encourages foot traffic in a derelict area would be a winning proposition all around. Richard Schumacher, Dallas The Dallas Morning News Co. A Belo Corp. Subsidiary Publisher/Chief Executive Officer James M. Moroney III Editor Robert W. Mong Jr. Executive Vice President Evelyn Henry Miller Senior Vice Presidents Laura Bloom Gordon, Marketing John G. Walsh, Circulation Steven M. Weaver, Advertising Vice Presidents Nancy Barry, Community Services James T. Berry Jr., Financial Planning and Analysis Cynthia Schmidt Carr, Advertising Marketing Tom Caywood, Classified Advertising Jason Kays, Circulation Scott Messer, Controller Lorie Schrader, Information Technology Darryl G. Thornton, Human Resources Paul F. Webb, Production LETTERS POLICY Where are the adults? Steroid abuse is ruining high school sports. Everyone is looking the other way and blaming each other instead of taking responsibility. Where are the adults? It is no longer about playing the game with style and skill; now it is about winning. We are only concerned with statistics and these young athletes’ potential futures in professional sports. There is a lot of pressure on receive far more than we can print so we publish a representative sample. Letters are edited for length and clarity. Please include your name, address with ZIP code along with a daytime phone number. Letters become the property of The Dallas Morning News. 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