Opinion

It’s no secret that average folks can’t stand most politicians, even local ones. One of the reasons why is that some live like arrogant reality-TV stars, obsessed with power, materialism and sex. No, we’re not talking about “The Real Housewives of Plano.” It’s the latest revelations in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment.

There’s a lot of sad news to go around, but this Vox story really breaks my heart: animal shelters are overflowing with abandoned dogs and cats again.

The agency that operates the power grid for much of the state asked Texans to conserve energy use several times last week as the grid was beset with high demand and low wind-power generation, according to the Austin American- Statesman.

Clean energy alternatives aren’t the enemies of fossil fuels.

These days, getting all three of my semi-grown daughters together for a family activity is like herding cats who have cars, jobs at coffee shops and their own debit cards. So, when our girls were able to pencil us in for a quick weekend trip to San Antonio, my wife and I jumped at the chance ... or sort of hopped. Our backs hurt.

Pornography seems ubiquitous now that the Internet is available at any time and via so many devices, from computers to smartphones, at school, home or work.

No matter how you look at it, Babe Ruth swung a big stick.

As the Texas Hill Country landscape continues to change, local wildlife is being pushed to its limits. Golden-cheeked Warbler populations are declining, indicator species in our waterways are disappearing, and migratory birds are being directed off their natural flight pathway.

On Wednesday, August 18, the Daily Record published remarks by Bryan Daniel, Chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission, in which he rightly lauded Texas for its economic strength. But he didn’t stop there. He further added that “Texas is the greatest state in the nation . . . just because we’re Texas.” This statement carries Texas exceptionalism too far.

Texas public student scores in standardized testing continue to improve since the pandemic, but more than half of those taking the test still struggle with math and just under half read below grade-level, the Texas Tribune reported.

Amtrak may be able to nudge Dallas to Houston bullet train project along in this decade?

I realize such headgear has fallen out of style in our self-esteem-obsessed culture, but maybe I should belatedly don a dunce cap.