Opinion: A Plea for Transparency, Accountability, and Critical Thinking

President's Power Limited, So Direct Your Complaints Elsewhere

• Bob Petersen, Austin

The president has no control over interest rates, fuel prices, border policies, or inflation. For clarification:

The Federal Reserve controls interest rates.

Our capitalist market system controls fuel prices.

Congress oversees border policies.

Supply and demand, along with the Fed's control of the money supply, influence inflation.

GOP and Law Enforcement: A Hypocritical Alliance with Trump

• Joe Pastusek, Pflugerville

"I would very much like to see a letter from someone who supports law enforcement and plans to vote for Donald Trump, explaining how you can do both with a clear conscience."

The Republican Party, known for backing law enforcement, now supports a presidential candidate who called the January 6 attackers "patriots" and would pardon them if elected. A clear conflict.

Ballot Privacy: Avoid Public Shaming and Encourage Participation

• Jack M. Wilhelm, Austin

"I have been publicly shamed by conservatives and liberals for my views. I rarely express opinions anymore. I hope that all will take ballot privacy seriously. I should not be faced with public shaming or abstaining from voting."

Abbott's "School Choice": A Misleading Ploy for Vouchers and Profit

• Mary Ellen Scribner, American Association of University Women Public Policy Committee, Austin

"Please don't be misled by Governor Abbott's 'school choice' rhetoric. He aims to destroy public education, funneling funds to private schools and vendors without transparency or accountability."

The goal is to put education in the hands of profiteers and religious leaders, threatening Texas' public school system.

Support Intelligent Debate: Keep Controversial Books in Public Libraries

• Hugh Winkler, Dripping Springs

"You don't want your librarian or county commissioners deciding what's crazy. Respect our intelligence. If someone wants to investigate controversial ideas, let them read the source material."

Controversial books stimulate critical thinking and must be accessible, especially those with political implications like Holocaust denial and Apollo 11 conspiracy theories.

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