Postmarks

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Republican Lite?

Dear Editor,

Re: Your gubernatorial endorsement [Endorsements, Feb. 24]: Chris Bell? A touch of Republican lite? Oh fie, and shame.

Jesus B. Ochoa

El Paso

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Satire or "Coercive Ideology'?

Dear Editor,

In Sorry We Missed Church ["Letters @ 3am," Feb. 17], Michael Ventura has made a rare (for him) error: misinterpreting the tone of the bumper sticker he saw in Lubbock which he used as the theme and title for his article.

The two young women riding in the car with "Sorry we missed church, we were busy/learning witchcraft and becoming lesbians" on the back were being sarcastic, not courageous.

The bumper sticker speaks in the imagined voice of women who are not at all sorry they missed church, because they're nonbelievers. It implies that such women are homosexual witches, and it implicitly equates homosexuality with devil worship. Of course, there are also underlying stereotypes about women's proper role and outlook.

This bumper sticker is a tiny masterpiece of coercive ideology that means, "Women who don't go to church are lesbians and witches."

Such a message sounds courageous only to people in places like Austin, where it's interpreted as liberal; after all, who could be so crazy as to equate nonchurchgoing with lesbianism or devil worship?

Lynn Gilbert

[Michael Ventura responds: Dear Ms. Gilbert: I saw those young women, and I believe you are mistaken. I also spoke of the sticker to several Lubbock friends and their response was a whoop of admiration followed by comments like "Those girls have some cojones!" Some of these friends have lived in Lubbock most of their lives, some for merely a decade or two; their take on the sticker was the same as mine. ps: Ms. Gilbert, "witchcraft" is not "devil worship."]

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Need a Real Nose for News

Dear Editor,

One thing disappointed me about Andy Langer's interview with Kris Kristofferson ["Lone Star," Music, Feb. 24]: Even though the story reproduced your previous Kris cover from an '81 issue, Andy didn't even ask Kris about that 1981 interviewer, Mark McKinnon.

McKinnon has, on more than one occasion over the years, rightly noted his Kris connection to burnish his old-school "Austin-centric" bona fides.

That's fine, but now that Mark has become famous and wealthy by producing the TV commercials that elected George W. Bush in 2000 and – gulp – re-elected him in 2004, I have to think Kris would have had something interesting to say about that had only he been asked.

Perhaps someone with a real nose for news should have tagged along.

Jackson Williams

[Louis Black responds: I spent several days traveling with Kris Kristofferson last year, and he made it very clear that this was a topic about which he had nothing to say.]

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Eckhardt Supports Eckhardt

Dear Editor,

Thank you for your kind words about my candidacy for Travis County Commissioner in Precinct 2 [Endorsements, Feb. 24]. I hope to live up to your description as a "spring breeze" in county government. However, I do take issue with the assertion that I am insincere or politically opportunistic in my position against toll roads. I believe that tolling roads we have already paid for with the gas tax is regressive double-taxation. Further, it will cost our county far more than other reasonable alternatives for funding our transportation needs. CAMPO's 2030 plan to toll portions of existing highways such as 290, 183, 71, MoPac, and 360 will create a two-tiered transportation system – those who can afford the additional toll tax will have access to far better highways while the rest of us will be relegated to slower, inadequately maintained access roads. Such a two-tiered system is fundamentally unfair, and progressives like myself should work against it. Not all folks who live outside the city are "Rob Royalty" or "Circle C-vians"; per the last census the median per capita income is $25,883 in the county and $24,163 in the city (see quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/48453.html). The toll option will not be affordable to average people regardless of whether they live inside or outside the city limits.

As you mentioned in your endorsements article, toll roads are not my only issue. I will also work for the progressive goals of a viable public transportation system, land-use management that preserves our environment and promotes safe connected communities, better access to physical and mental health care, an end to jail overcrowding, and a genuine embrace of community policing.

Thanks again for your paper and, most of all, your readership.

Sincerely,

Sarah Eckhardt

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Shea Supports Eckhardt

Dear Editors,

You guys are great and our politics are generally simpatico. But I have to respectfully disagree on your abstention in Sarah Eckhardt's race for Precinct 2 county commissioner [Endorsements, Feb. 24]. I want an elected leader I can be proud of and someone I can count on.

I believe neither is true in the case of incumbent Karen Sonleitner. When so many elected officials took courageous action to protest Tom DeLay's butchery of Travis County, Karen was a coward. She voted not to join the legal fight, saying at the time, I can't go there. And she is misleading voters by claiming she voted against redistricting – she only voted to fund the lawsuits after they were under way.

As for your comment that she "almost always comes down on the side of good ... and open government," one of the greatest violations of open government and public trust was Sonleitner's vote to cram the ill-conceived toll plan down our throats. Regardless of your view on toll roads, no one supports the process that cut the public out and rushed passage of such a disastrous plan that they've had to go back repeatedly to revise it. We're still discovering massive problems with the plan like the fact that Round Rock will lose its I-35 access ramps because of toll roads.

Sonleitner could have voted with the other Democrats and Republicans who wanted to slow it down. But she not only rushed to pass it, she had a huge fundraiser with the toll-road interests less than two months later. And in the last two years, 74% of her campaign money has come from these same toll road interests.

Karen's not someone I can trust or be proud of. By contrast, Sarah Eckhardt is principled, courageous, and steadfast. I urge everyone to support her election.

Best,

Brigid Shea

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Age Discrimination by "Chronicle'?

Dear sir,

I'm writing in regards to the Feb. 10 article "The Primary Colors" [News] on the District 10 U.S. Congress race. I am a candidate in this race. Pat Mynatt RN, 68 years old. I'm the one who pointed out to Lee Nichols that he had the ages wrong on the other two candidates: We all are in our 60s. By the insurance mortality table, this makes the others a few years older than me!

I felt it was discriminatory against myself and Mr. Smith. I have a question. What does age have to do with anything? It's solutions to the problems of good jobs, health care for all, the safety of people, truth in government, and the accountability for your actions, whether elected or appointed, that's important.

It is wrong to have a picture of one candidate and not of all four candidates. I was not asked for one at the time of the interview.

Make your own conclusion!

Respectfully,

Pat Mynatt RN

Candidate

U.S. House District 10

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Why No Latin Bands?

Hi,

Although this has nothing directly to do with your publication, I thought this might be an interesting question for your writers to be asking when covering SXSW: no Latin bands at SXSW? What is that all about, have the organizers of this event forgotten they are in Texas, a state with one of the largest Hispanic populations in the country?

I have been to the last five SXSW festivals, and every year there are anywhere between 15-20 Hispanic acts, usually playing in clubs filled to capacity, with extremely long lines of people (with and without wristbands) hoping to get in.

In a city that has already made many of its minorities feel inadequate, for multiple reasons of which I am sure you are aware, is this truly the message the music community wants to be sending? Is this a cultural breakdown?

I for one am a huge supporter of the music scene and feel we deserve an explanation from the organizers. Maybe you guys could help us figure it out.

Thanks,

Eduardo Garza

[Editor's response: Perhaps if you had spent just a bit more time checking the SXSW schedule. When I asked SXSW about this, the reply was "There are already Latin band showcases booked, and we are working on more. It's taking some extra time this year (we work with several outside consultants when we book Latin acts). There will be a complete night of Latin rock at Opal Divine's on Wednesday, and there is a full night of Latino artists booked on one of the stages at Spiro's on Saturday. We are working hard to book another complete Latin bill at Spiro's. We also have a few other Latin acts scattered throughout the showcase schedule, including Los Abandoned, Caucasians Delenda Est, and Gecko Turner. And there will be more confirmed soon."]

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100% Against Toll Roads

Dear Editor,

Let me clear up a few inaccuracies in your recent column about toll roads ["Page Two," Feb. 24]. You say, "Texans want more roads. They just don't want to pay for them."

Texans already pay enough federal and state gas taxes for good roads. The problem began 25 years ago when the Reagan administration began diverting increasing amounts of our gas tax dollars into nonroad programs. After 25 years of losing 15% of our road funding annually, there are some congestion problems, especially in fast growing areas like Austin.

The public laws that created the federal and state gas taxes promised that all such monies collected would be put into a trust fund, to be used only for road construction and maintenance. If Democrats and Republicans can't be trusted with our gas taxes, why would anyone be so foolish as to permit them to collect tolls?

You say, "Politicians who defend toll roads are attacked as selling out the people and being corrupt." Duh! With nearly 100% of the people opposed to tolling, 100% of all of the Democrats and Republicans in the state House voted for tolls. (Most of them sheepishly admit that they never read HB 3588 before voting for it.)

Does the Chron now support a reformulation of democracy wherein a couple hundred professional politicians should rule against the wishes of the millions of proles who pay their salaries? Our "public servants" have become our slave masters.

Vincent J. May

Elgin

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The Public Not Clamoring for Roads

Dear Editor,

I disagree with certain of Louis Black's recent conclusions on toll roads ["Page Two," Feb. 24].

First, I disagree that the public is clamoring for new roads, other than projects intended to solve local, specific problems. If one goes to road hearings, those speaking most forcefully in favor of new highways are usually special interests that benefit from such roads, including road contractors, their engineering firms, real estate developers, chambers of commerce, and lobby groups. The politicians tend to favor such interests to get campaign money.

In Texas, road deals are guided by special-interest politics, centered around TxDOT and the road lobby. The biggest road contractors have given Gov. Rick Perry more than a million dollars. Perry appointed the TxDOT commissioners who endorsed his $185 billion Trans-Texas Corridor, despite a glaring lack of funds.

When there is insufficient money to build free roads, the easy way out is to issue bonded debt to build toll roads. There are two kinds of toll roads being planned and built. The first approach is to toll existing roads like 183, 290 W., and Loop 360, which generates strong public opposition. This approach generates reliable revenue, however, since existing suburban residents are trapped. The CTRMA, operating closely with TxDOT, has planned to use such revenue as collateral to help borrow the money to fund riskier "new start" toll roads like SH 130 and 183A, largely intended to serve future suburban sprawl.

These plans will come undone as fuel prices continue to soar in years to come, since the world is close to a peak in oil production. Driving behavior will change radically when the price of gasoline exceeds about $6 a gallon. The long-range toll-road bonds will then default, with serious effects on our municipal bond credit rating for this area.

Roger Baker

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Supports Montemayor Over Gómez

Dear Editor,

Re: The Chronicle's kind of, sort of endorsement of Gómez over Montemayor [Endorsements, News, Feb. 24]: It was a long criticism of 12 years of the performance (or lack thereof) from County Commissioner Precinct 4 Margaret Gómez and ended with only a short sentence about the opponent, Yolanda Montemayor's lack of familiarity with county government. I know I'm probably a little older than most of the Chronicle's staff and readers, but I would like to remind that Chronicle staff and those readers of another candidate who lacked any knowledge of county government before he became Travis County's first elected Hispanic official in 1970, Richard Moya. Commissioner Moya ended up serving as county commissioner of Precinct 4 for four terms from 1970 through 1986. And from what history tells us, the voters were so happy with the job this inexperienced candidate did, they gave him a total of 16 years in that office. Some might say, "Not too shabby!" for someone who had no prior knowledge of the workings of Travis County government before the voters of Precinct 4 decided to take a chance in 1970.

We know what Margaret Gómez can and can't do. She made sure we all knew her hands were tied in the Capital Metro/StarTran/Transit Workers negotiations so we really do know what she can't do. I'd like to suggest that for a change we consider a candidate that wants to tell us what she can do and vote for Yolanda Montemayor for Travis county commissioner Precinct 4. Face it, from your own weak endorsement it would be hard to imagine Ms. Montemayor doing any worse than Ms. Gómez has, and Commissioner Gomez has had 12 years in which to practice.

Sincerely,

Delwin Goss

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Skeptical About Wristbands

Dear Editor,

Maybe I am naive. No, I am naive.

Can you tell me why wristbands sold out in seven hours and 30 minutes at Waterloo, yet I can find them all over eBay, and at all the legal "scalper" locations in Austin for a $200 mark-up?

I thought there was a two-wristband-per-person rule in effect this year to curb "scalpers" and resellers from screwing the common music lover out of an affordable (well ... more affordable at $130-175) ticket.

Is SXSW profiting at all from these "after-market" sales, beyond the face value?

A likely response is "of course not," but guess what? The Chronicle profits. By selling ad space to organizations like www.austinticketcompany.com and www.ticketcity.com, the Chronicle is directly promoting (for a small fee) one of the problems with quasi-exclusive "conferences/festivals."

Who wins in this? The independent labels, the musicians, the venues, the people buying the albums, buying concert tickets for non-SXSW sponsored gigs? Just curious.

I will probably end up shelling out way more than I should this year.

Why? Because I care more about putting my skeptical ways aside and paying the artist the only way the fan can these days, with a clap or a cheer.

Sharpa Jenkins

[Louis Black responds: If SXSW wanted to they could charge more for the wristbands, but the desire is to get them out to as many Austinites as possible. People were limited to two wristbands per person. Scalpers had people in the line. Unfortunately, scalping is legal in Texas, limiting what can be done.]