Opinions

Even though it was back in 2011, I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a youth pastor in San Antonio, TX. One of my youth students came in beaming from ear-to-ear. The reason? His dad had managed to get 3 tickets to the Super Bowl. That’s right, the Super Bowl! The Packers were going to play the Steelers. I didn’t care about the teams (Go Cowboys!), but I had always dreamed of going to the big game. I was a bit envious of this kid, to be honest. But, all of a sudden, I became incredibly intrigued. Do you know why? He shared that he and his dad were going to give one of the tickets away.

On a recent whirlwind trip to my hometown, I drove five hours and had exactly 15 minutes to get my luggage out of one car before driving another one, with my aunt in tow, to Broadway Under the Stars, on the grounds of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, Ala.

During the inky darkness of a moondeprived night, we heard the dog barking furiously at… something. Although we were disturbed by the barking, we were also pleased to know that the dog stands watch and promises to remove the legs of anyone who crosses the invisible line near his sleeping quarters.

I'll Tell You What

What unites Texans of all political persuasions is the nonpartisan principle that our government must operate in the sunlight. We have the right – and responsibility – to keep watch on how tax money is spent and how public officials make decisions. But it takes access to information to do it. Our state transparency laws envision citizens having power over government. Every legislative session, updates and improvements are needed so that the Texas Public Information Act and the Texas Open Meetings Act function as intended. The Texas Sunshine Coalition, representing 16 organizations with varying interests, works to protect the public’s right to know. Supporters of the coalition testified this month before a key Texas House committee on enhancing public information laws. As we embark on national Sunshine Week, March 16-22, and call attention to open government, let’s embrace these bipartisan sunshine proposals in the Texas Legislature: Enforcement. When governments don’t respond to information requestors or don’t provide all the releasable records, common sense enforcement is necessary in the Public Information Act. Requestors deserve a solid system for filing complaints with the attorney general, and government officials found to have acted wrongly should face consequences such as additional open government training. Senate Bill 919 by Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, and House Bill 4219 by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, would achieve this.

The dog is celebrating a landmark birthday at the end of this month. He will be 10. In the human equivalent, that is 70 years of life.

When I was young, learning the rules was important. Growing older, lying about your age is fool’s gold, while learning the exceptions often gets you a better ticket, a cheaper meal or a benefit under the table. A few years back, a person I admired always appeared to have a financial edge. Then he explained some things he does to chisel out extra benefits and perks, all the while boasting how legal they were. His family vacations to far away places were always written off because he would find a way that showed he worked or made some calls while away that would legitimately make his trip a business expense.

I think of Monsieur Browder on mornings when I crank my car before I raise the automatic garage door, which is no longer automatic. I crank my car and then hurry to manually raise the garage door in what appears to be a Herculean action but really isn’t that difficult. I’m hurrying because I don’t want the fumes of my cranked car to kill me before I get the door open. “That’s how Monsieur Browder died,” I said to the husband one day, who appeared at just the right moment to lift the door on my behalf.

There are days when it is obvious to me that I should retire. I’m willing to retire, mind you; I’m just not able. But my filter is all worn out—I’m a threat to say something I shouldn’t—and my enthusiasm for the eccentricities of this world has waned too. So I ask you: what prompts a person to dribble a basketball all across Georgia, to ride a bicycle from Texas to Miami, to saddle up a horse to cover the nation from coast to coast? I’ve had many urges in my lifetime: to empty the bank account and escape to Bora Bora, or to sell the house and buy a cabin in the woods, but never have I awakened, eaten cereal and said, “I think I’ll ride a unicycle to Jacksonville today to bring attention to ________ (you fill in the blanks).”