Abbott says Biden is to blame for 53 migrants’ deaths? Governor, it happened in Texas

Happened on whose watch?

Gov. Greg Abbott was quick to blame President Joe Biden for the recent deaths of 53 migrants found in a tractor-trailer, stating that it happened on Biden’s watch. (July 3, 17A, “Texas’ border mission grows, but crossings are still high”)

Look in the mirror, Governor. It happened in your state. It’s the typical Republican response: Deflect and blame.

- Betty Harrison, Granbury

Protest your high property tax

There is more to your tax bill than just the value the Tarrant Appraisal District puts on your property. (July 1, 8A, “Hundreds show support for Realtor who helps Fort Worth area homeowners protest appraisals”)

Residential values are way up, with sellers getting multiple offers above asking price. The taxing units — city, schools, county, hospital district and college district — set the tax rates to make up your final tax bill. In theory, if total values go up 25%, the tax rate should go down 25% to raise the same amount of revenue.

Ask your taxing units to reduce their rates, and make sure you have your exemptions. If you are older than 65, your tax bill is frozen, except for the hospital district.

Texas does not have a state income tax, so property taxes are high. Protest your value with good data, get your exemptions and ask the taxing units to keep the tax rate in line.

- John R. Marshall, Colleyville

Schools can’t be practice prisons

Republicans have made America dangerous by making it as easy as possible for lunatics to get mass-murdering weapons. And now their solution is to harden schools, basically to turn classrooms into minimum security prison cells?

This has nothing to do with educating kids. It’s preparation for prison life. Often, when there’s a dispute between a white student and a student of color, campus cops brutalize the minority student. We’ve seen video of a white school officer violently slamming a teenage Black girl onto the floor, among other incidents.

Republicans have set up a system designed to traumatize these kids for life to pipeline them from school to prison.

- Darrel Palmer, Fort Worth

Rep. Granger, we need you now

Thank you for Friday’s piece on the Supreme Court’s decision to limit the EPA’s ability to regulate carbon emissions from fossil fuel plants. As Joseph Majkut explained in his commentary “The climate-change agenda can survive the court’s EPA ruling,” (July 6, 13) this decision could alter the trajectory of the nation’s course to fight climate change, with long-term consequences.

The Supreme Court has ruled that it’s on Congress to deal with greenhouse gas emissions. So I ask Rep. Kay Granger to embrace that responsibility and support bipartisan legislation that will help us safeguard the health of our shared environment. A great start would be co-sponsoring the Growing Climate Solutions Act, which pays ranchers and farmers to implement sustainable soil practices.

- Robert Wilson, Fort Worth

Options for pregnancies

A July 3 letter writer argued for the need to change the laws and make a rape exception to abortion laws. (4C) There is an option, and it’s called the morning-after pill, which can be used several days afterward. There are also medications to induce abortion, as your newspaper noted Sunday.

I wish Democrats would stop scaring people by misinforming them that there are no options now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. Talk to your doctors and find out the facts before jumping to any unfounded conclusions.

- Donna Bierd, Keller