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 was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and I hope to die here, too. Just not yet.
    Last week's event on Red River that resulted in three deaths and dozens of injuries was a tragedy. It is not, however, an isolated incident nor "extremely unusual," as quoted by APD Lt. Brian Moon. This is a frequent and serious problem in Austin. Drinking and driving is ingrained in the lifestyle here. Maintaining and growing our renowned entertainment district and nightlife takes precedence over common sense and appropriate punishment for serious crimes.
    I understand you can't account for the actions of a particularly violent individual, but this can serve as a wake-up call to us all. Harsher punishments for drinking and driving alone will not solve this cultural problem. Our city and our entertainment is amazing. We need alternatives to driving Downtown. It has come to be seen as a right, not a privilege, to park right Downtown. Only a portion of revelers Downtown on a given night are students or central residents who can walk, bicycle, or bus to our favorite dives, but a majority of Austinites drive from south of the river or our suburbs to join in. And they do have a right to join in. We have failed them. The Night Owl and MetroRail are great but severely undermarketed and limited in stations and hours; cabs are usually nonexistent. We all feel traffic expanding and costs increasing, but we need to bring back actionable discussions of monorails, light rails, and a car-free Downtown. We need to suffer the cost, the traffic, the construction, and the eyesores collectively. We shouldn't single out cyclists, pedestrians, and festivals but encourage their presence in our city. We need alternatives to driving. Our lives depend on it.

Dear Editor,
    As a longtime fan and attendee of SXSW, I and many others have become concerned about the Festival. The most frequent comment I heard about this year’s Fest was that SXSW has “jumped the shark” due to over-commercialization and overcrowding. However, I think that, as a community, we can turn a negative into a positive. The city of Austin, through the Department of Special Events, and SXSW can work together with event sponsors to raise money for I Live Here, I Give Here and the Austin Community Foundation to give to Austin nonprofits similar to what KGSR and KUT have done with their SXSW events. If all of the sponsors of SXSW day events request a $5-10 donation for their events, we could potentially raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to give back to the community. This would also alleviate some of the overcrowding and instead of locals feeling that commercial sponsors are exploiting the Austin community, they would be helping the community.

Dear Editor,
    At today’s City Council meeting, there is an excellent chance that they will vote to phase in a gradual increase to the over-65 and disabled homestead exemption on property taxes. This is long overdue and good news for some of Austin’s longtime residents who have been crushed by skyrocketing home appraisals and never-ending property tax increases.
    However, please be aware of a potentially negative spin that you may hear regarding this issue. There is a tendency by some to over-emphasize the alleged impact that these tax exemption increases may have on other taxpayers who have not lived in Austin and payed taxes for all the many years that seniors have.
    It is most important to recognize that the city has not increased this exemption in a very long time, possibly in decades. Therefore, the value of the exemption was much higher under the original ordinance, since residential appraised values were much, much lower back then.
    The problem is that in Austin, this exemption has never been indexed to keep pace with rising home values. I would encourage everyone to please research the history of this exemption, and you will readily see my point.
    Last year, Mayor Lee Leffingwell appointed a task force on aging, which has led to the formation of Commission on Seniors. The Mayor took this action when he learned from a Brookings Institution report that Austin has the fastest-growing pre-senior population in the United States, of citizens approaching age 65. Austin also has the second fastest-growing senior population.
    As for the budget impact of increasing the over-65 homestead exemption, the city can always tighten its belt to absorb the difference, rather than allowing it to affect other taxpayers. My belt hurts quite often from the tightening that I have to do just about every single month!

Dear Editor,
    I'm really looking forward to seeing how you will be covering the case of Rashad Charjuan Owens [“SXSW: Two Dead, 23 Wounded on Red River Street,” Newsdesk, March 13] in your Texas “Death Watch" column 10 years from now. I'm sure by then, once the memories of the incident have faded, you'll be very concerned about how the trial was unfair and mishandled and how his appeals process has not been given the utmost consideration. Be sure to imply that this grievous miscarriage of justice is every bit as bad as his crime. I know you won't disappoint us. Keep up the stellar work!

Dear Editor,
    I was leaving the Austin Music Awards when this tragic chase and subsequent accident happened [“SXSW: Two Dead, 23 Wounded on Red River,” Newsdesk, March 13]. I was walking unknowingly on the sidewalks Downtown a few blocks away. Having lived in Austin for 30 years, this is the sort of thing I don't expect to happen.
    This was a horrifying tragedy. I feel deeply for those and for the family of those killed, injured, and shocked.
    I must ask this question: What sort of policeman would pursue a high-speed chase in a highly populated area? Surely common sense, a level head, and good judgment which we should require of all on our police force, were shockingly and amazingly lacking here.
    I can't help but notice a trend, a string of accidents and tragedies over the last few years involving Austin police acting thoughtlessly, overzealously, and violently. What a contrast to the kind, loving, and peaceful spirit that is our Austin music community.