Commentary roundup: What newspapers around the state are saying
San Antonio Express-News
June 28 editorial, "Without reforms to immigration, horror will go on."
The death toll of migrants who have succumbed to the heat after being trapped in a tractor-trailer has risen to more than 50.
Discovered Monday night on a remote stretch on San Antonio’s Southwest Side, these migrants deserved a humane and fair immigration system — one that honors the rights of asylum workers, recognizes our workforce needs and reflects the inherent dignity in all people.
But what migrants navigate in the United States — whether in the back of a tractor-trailer, trekking across the desert or crossing the Rio Grande — is a broken and politicized immigration system that denies our shared humanity and forces many people to put their lives at risk.
We should all ask ourselves: Just what would it take to climb into the back of a tractor-trailer and risk such a perilous journey for a better life? Just what circumstances would lead a person to flee their home country? And just what hopes and dreams would that person be seeking?
— San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board
Dallas Morning News
June 29 editorial, "Mark Cuban and Medicare: a drug hookup America needs now."
Mark Cuban has been absolutely clear about his intentions in starting a direct-to-consumer, low-cost online pharmacy.
“The goal is to [expletive] up the pharmacy industry,” he told The Wall Street Journal earlier this year.
He’s not quite to scale on that effort yet, but he’s certainly proving his concept.
According to a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Co. could have saved Medicare up to $3.6 billion. Even by the federal government’s standards, we are starting to talk about real money here.
Cuban’s company started selling drugs in January and has already saved consumers, many of them uninsured, massive costs on prescription drugs. It’s done so by cutting out the middleman, or in this case, many middlemen who are part of a labyrinthine supply chain that lards costs onto common drugs.
— Dallas Morning News Editorial Board
Houston Chronicle
July 1 editorial, "The world is on fire. Supreme Court just took EPA’s fire hose."
The earth is aflame. On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court yanked away the fire hose.
In its latest disturbing decision, the high court drastically narrowed the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to fight the scorching ravages of climate change.
The court ruled 6-3 in West Va. v. EPA, a case challenging President Obama’s 2015 Clean Power Plan, a landmark effort to reduce carbon emissions nationwide. It never got implemented. The impact of the decision will go far beyond that plan, and even beyond the environment. In ruling against the EPA, the court adopted a strict standard for when any federal agency may impose rules the court deems likely to be especially disruptive to America’s economy and politics.
Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by the court’s five other conservatives, reasoned that in those instances, the agencies’ rules must have been explicitly authorized by Congress.
— Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
June 30 editorial, "Don't be the jerk who sets off July 4th fireworks in your neighborhood — especially this year."
Plenty of older neighbors don't want to stay up with you as your party stretches into July 5, either.
And yes, then there are the dogs. It may seem trivial, but our four-legged friends experience intense stress from big booms they can't understand. If you've ever had a trembling 60-pound dog crawl into your lap for comfort, you'd think twice before lighting that next firework.
Many of our municipalities will put on fine fireworks shows. They're bigger and brighter than anything you can set off yourself. Head downtown or enjoy any number of suburban spectacles.
Celebrating America is never a bad move. But this year, let the professionals handle the big booms, especially in fire-prone areas.
Your neighbors, your firefighters and dogs everywhere will thank you for it.
— Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial board
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin American-Statesman Commentary Roundup: July 3, 2022
