New lanes will fix Airport Freeway gridlock? Yeah, that’s what they said last time | Opinion

Congestion no better now

The headline on the Feb. 18 front page reads, “More lanes planned for Northeast Loop 820/Airport Freeway.” But we know that by the time it’s finished, we won’t see any relief. The last time, we had to endure construction for several years only to see the same result: It is as crowded now as it was before the work.

How can anyone believe this is going to alleviate the congestion?

The third paragraph of the story said that “the expansion should help decrease prices on the managed lanes,” according to a North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners spokesperson. There is a big difference between “should” and “will.” I’m not buying it at all.

- Cathy C. Seifert, Haltom City

Student loans wrong from start

The fact that Texas legislators such as Sen. Ted Cruz oppose student-loan cancellation makes no sense. Texans are crushed under $141 billion in mostly federal debt, and many are Republicans or independents.

The lending system is the most predatory big-government scam in U.S. history. Nearly $10 billion a year in interest alone on this debt leaves our state every year, accruing to the Department of Education.

The least that Cruz and other lawmakers could do is return constitutional bankruptcy rights to the loans. But frankly, at this late date, the loans should be canceled and the entire program scrapped.

- Jacque Abron, Midlothian

Paxton, Trump, Constitution

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he’s right to take taxpayer money to settle whistleblower claims against him because the liberals of Travis County have it in for him. He explains to Mark Davis that he’s on the side of Donald Trump and the Constitution. (Feb. 19, 5C, “Why did AG Paxton settle whistleblower suit? Let him explain”)

I am no constitutional lawyer, but I’m amazed that Paxton could align “Trump” and “Constitution” in the same sentence and keep a straight face. After he lost the 2020 election, Trump tried to stop the constitutionally mandated counting of electoral votes. He knew his followers had weapons and did nothing to stop them from rioting at the U.S. Capitol for hours. In short, Trump chose not to follow his sacred oath to uphold the Constitution.

If Paxton is pushing Trump as an exemplar of constitutional government, then he’s not being intellectually or morally honest.

- Ken Pardue, Fort Worth

No tax money for home-schoolers

Various Star-Telegram columnists advocate for school choice to give parents freedom to educate their children as they wish, but they ignore our rights as taxpayers to have control over how our tax money is spent.

Currently, if we don’t like how the public school system spends our taxes, we can complain to school officials who are responsible to elected officials. If schools fail to respond as we like, we can vote out the elected officials.

With so-called “school choice,” some of our tax money will go to private schools and home-schoolers, who are not responsible to taxpayers in any way.

Parents are free to educate their children as they like, but they should not use taxpayer money to do so unless we have some say in how that money is spent.

- Phil Love, Fort Worth

US made vow to Ukraine

Why must the United States continue to support Ukraine?

Because the U.S. government promised Ukraine we would support and protect Ukraine if it gave up its nuclear arsenal when the Soviet Union collapsed.

Members of Congress and the media should know this. I guess they do not believe the U.S. should keep our word to the Ukrainian people.

- Gabrielle Gordon, unincorporated Tarrant County

Texas youth mental health

School shootings are happening everywhere. It is time to start paying attention to adolescents’ mental health. The 2022 State of Mental Health in America report from the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Mental Health America tells us that more than 60% of youth with major depression did not receive treatment, and Texas is ranked the worst among all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

We must start educating our youth about mental health and disorders. Schools and educators must get training on warning signs for depression and anxiety. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, signed into law last year, will invest $1.7 billion in schools nationwide over the next five years.

Ask your state representatives and educators to take advantage of these grants so we can improve the mental health of our adolescents and stop school shootings.

- Amy Shelton, Abilene