Embrace density, efficiency

Re: “Promise or Peril? Initiative tracks key indicators as area transforms,” Sunday news story.

Metrics tell us a lot about what North Texas must do to thrive in the future. But culture drives a lot of those numbers. Sufficient energy, water and transportation resources are critical.

The predominant culture in North Texas embraces a 1950s aesthetic: single-family houses with lawns and cars as the primary mode of transportation.

When we moved from North Dallas to Uptown, we adopted a more energy- and water-efficient lifestyle. Because I walk and take public transit, I drive many fewer miles than I used to.

The quality of life in this densely populated neighborhood is fantastic. Density can be added without damaging existing neighborhoods, but it must be served by transit and have ground-level retail and services that encourage walking.

Too many people resist that type of change. Low-density, car-centric Plano is trying to cripple, if not destroy, our public transit system. Planning for the future should mean more resources for DART, not fewer.

Resource supply is only half of the story. A culture change that embraces density and its efficiencies to conserve limited resources, including the money needed for infrastructure, would be the truly conservative pro-growth strategy.

Ann Drumm, Dallas/Uptown

Stop wasting water

Texas needs to conserve water. I can’t imagine how many thousands of gallons of water are wasted in restaurants. All restaurants should be forced to ask customers if they want water. The only reason a glass of water should be on a table is if the patron requested it.

Many people over-water their yards. They don’t pay attention to the rainfall or if it is going to rain within a few days. Most people who have sprinkler systems think that their yard will not get watered if it has rained. This is not true. The only time a system won’t water (unless the system is turned off) is if it is raining while the system is watering. The system doesn’t know if it rained 15 minutes ago or is going to rain in a half hour.

Building reservoirs is not necessarily the answer if we don’t conserve.

Deborah Greenlee, Arlington

One reason jail is full

Re: “Jail hits capacity again — Tech issues in urgent need of addressing in crisis, DA says,” Thursday news story.

One of the reasons that the Dallas County jail is full is the Texas law that makes it a felony when a person in a mental hospital or any hospital intentionally or knowingly causes physical contact with another when the person knows or should reasonably believe that the other will regard the contact as offensive or provocative. The hospital staff does not have to be injured at all. They just have to say that the patient touched them.

When people with a mental illness are a danger to self or others, where do they go? They usually go to a hospital to be safe. If the hospital changes or reduces their medication that they need to be stable, an unstable person may touch a staff member while walking away or if the staff member is blocking them in and yelling.

One hospital in the Dallas area is known for charging people who are very unstable in a behavioral health hospital with a crime. Some spend a year or more in Dallas County jail since the jail may not give medication for a week or more after arrival. Then, the inmate can be declared incompetent to stand trial. It is a long process to be declared competent again. It is hard to get medical help in jail.

Joy Bergmann, Plano

Are troops coming?

Considering the high occupancy of Dallas jails, will we see National Guard troops being stationed in Dallas?

James J. Horn, Carrollton

Turn to clean energy

My home insurance premium has skyrocketed partially due to the rising cost of natural disasters. We have in recent years also personally suffered from severe storms, flooding and tornadoes.

Many types of natural disasters are made worse by climate change. People and governments around the world understand this, and therefore the world is decarbonizing and moving toward clean energy.

Now is not the time for us to roll back funding for research on clean energy, weather prediction and adaptation. We need to preserve critical science and research around our changing climate.

Robust funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA and the Department of Energy is essential to strengthen U.S. energy leadership and competitiveness. We do not want to lose our energy dominance to, for example, China.

I am asking my U.S. representative, Beth Van Duyne, and Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz to reject the recently proposed cuts to these agencies.

Thomas Wikman, Dallas

Evaluate mental health

Every time another mass shooting makes the headlines, we hear the same tired refrain: “thoughts and prayers,” followed by little to no action.

One commonsense step we continue to ignore is implementing mental health screenings and social media checks as part of the gun purchasing process. We require vision tests to drive a car, background checks to work with children and even credit checks for renting an apartment. Yet, purchasing a firearm often involves less scrutiny than getting a driver’s license.

Mental health evaluations could help identify individuals who are struggling and should not have access to lethal weapons. Social media checks could reveal red flags — violent threats, extremist ideologies or signs of radicalization — that too often are ignored until it’s too late.

This isn’t about taking away rights. It’s about using the tools we already have to keep our communities safe. Responsible gun owners should support measures that prevent firearms from falling into dangerous hands.

If we can agree that not everyone should own a gun, then we must be willing to identify who shouldn’t, and act accordingly.

Eric Stengel, Richardson