Letters are posted as we receive them during the week, and before they are printed in the paper, so check back frequently to see new letters. If you'd like to send a letter to the editor, use this postmarks submission form, or email your letter directly to [email protected]. Thanks for your patience.

Dear Editor,
    I just want everyone to know that in my secret laboratory I've been working on a special device that will record politicians' thoughts. It's harmless and easy to install. These new thought recorders will allow us citizens to truly get inside our elected officials' heads. We'll be able to monitor every untoward comment before it even gets into the council members' e-mail or text message. All thoughts will be instantly encoded and streamed live to the Web. The open source code generating the thought stream is based on the RSS 2.0 specification. The thought recorder will provide unfiltered, uncensored raw data for all thoughts created inside every politician’s mind. Categorization of thoughts will be crowdsourced. End users will tag thoughts using a folksonomy system combining both user-generated and predetermined tags. The incredible revelations we've learned so far, such as Mike Martinez's use of the word "jokes" to describe upper echelon city staff and Randi Shade's declaration regarding Robin Rather's sanity level, will pale in comparison to the wealth of knowledge that the thought recorders will unleash. It's estimated these innovative devices have the potential to save a significant amount of taxpayer dollars and staff time by eliminating the need to defend against open records lawsuits. The good news is that the thought recorders have been specially designed to only work on government officials. Average citizens need not worry about prying eyes reading their thought streams.

Dear Editor,
    Despite “Slick Rick” Perry's view that all is well in Texas, it is clear that school districts statewide are facing severe problems from a lack of funding. State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, has called this shortfall “devastating,” and that “money is not out there.” We can continue to mortgage the future of this great state by shortchanging Texas school children, or we can do what needs to be done and fund our school system. It had been suggested that school property taxes increase by one-third to help cover the looming deficits. This would increase the annual tax bill on a $200,000 home by less than $47 a month – less than a carton of cigarettes. Sen. Shapiro's comment on this proposal reveals what is wrong with the attitude of our state leaders when it comes to dealing with this “devastating” situation. Her reaction to a relatively small tax hike? “Don't even go there.” If our state legislators refuse to “go there,” well, our kids are going to go down the drain. I don't like paying higher taxes – but, I dislike even more seeing the schools and teachers of this great state being told to do more with less. I would be much more likely to vote for a candidate in the future who will “go there” and promise to make the necessary hard choices instead of one continue to insist that the status quo is just fine. The children of Texas deserve that.

Dear Editor,
    It seems that every time Republicans become the party in power, we re-enter the Dark Ages.
   When Eisenhower became president, "under God" was added to the pledge of allegiance, a violation of the First Amendment.
    "In God We Trust" was placed on American currency I don't know when. Also a violation of the First Amendment.
    Billy Graham became the "pope" of America also under Eisenhower. He was always present with the presidents.
    And now we are in the "afterlife," it seems, since the last Republican administration effectively killed the economies of the world.
    Is there a corporate afterlife?
    We now have Republican control of Congress and statehouses and they have begun the cuts to begin the "bleedings" to cure the illness they have created.
    What's next? Leeches?

Dear Editor,
    The problems Paul Krugman described in his op-ed column in The New York Times “Leaving Children Behind” are happening right now here in Austin!
    My grandson, Isaac, goes to a very fine elementary school that was attended by his father – my son, Gabriel – and Isaac's uncle Travis. On Saturday a gentleman in his 80s, Walter Timberlake, told me that he, too, had gone to Pease Elementary – an exemplary school in continuous operation for 137 years! Sadly Austin ISD plans to close it along with eight additional Austin schools, laying off 1,200 teachers and support employees due to funding shortages!
    Why? Because Rick Perry lied about the economy of Texas until after his re-election, surprise! We are really $27 billion behind! He refuses to accept the funded-mandate-infusion of federal money for the schools because Congressman Lloyd Doggett put a rider on the funding that it must not substitute for state funding. That federal money is intended to supplement the state education budget, not substitute for it! Does Rick Perry want the feds to come in and take over the operation as well as funding Texas public schools? It sure appears that way.
    I believe that most Texans are willing to pay new taxes in support of education – if it's used for that! How about those "individuals," corporations, how much tax money do they contribute? Right now business real estate property transactions are hidden behind a Texas law, doggedly guarded in the "business" Legislature, which allows them to avoid paying school tax! Isn't it time that businesses step up to the plate and contribute to the education of future Texans like other property owners. These children could become their employees of the future. Shouldn't they willingly contribute something to their training?