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 mail@austinchronicle.com. Thanks for your patience.

Dear Editor,
    It's about time someone says this: Black Fret is a country club for music fans. I know that every musician in Austin is excited that they might be the next band to get 10 grand from this organization, so they don't say anything negative. I actually think that their intentions are good. But, it costs $1,600 to join ($100, plus $1,500 for first year dues).
    So, who makes the decisions about which artists get the money? People with money. They also get benefits from being in the club. Certainly none of the musicians I know could spend $1,600 out of pocket. I don't know many fans who could either. Therefore, the pool of people who can be in Black Fret is far from heterogeneous. It's people with money who use that money to gain power and influence to pick their personal favorites.
    Being who I am, a local musician, this all sounds like sour grapes. But, I've never applied to be a Black Fret grant recipient for this very reason. I'm also not a person who simply complains without offering a solution.
    So, I ask the folks at Black Fret to consider these changes: 1) Make the membership a percentage-based fee. Just have a drop-down menu for income brackets. Then have the rates for membership correspond. You might just get a lot more members. 2) Each member's vote counts the same. You'll definitely get a lot more credibility in my book.
    Until then, enjoy your musical equivalent of iron gates, golf courses, and polo shirts down at the country club. I won't be there.

Dear Editor,
    Some jurisdictions in California have quit issuing building permits. They justify this by declaring that it makes no sense to construct more homes if there is no water for them. Your April 3 story on the building boom in Hays County [“Hays County Water War,” News] and the resulting scramble for water leads to the conclusion that authorities in Hays County have never heard of the words “limits” or “sustainability.”

Dear Editor,
    Straight, white Christian males have been running this country for nearly all of its history. But now, demographics are slowly changing the face of the electorate, and these guys aren't happy about it. So, like the folks in those old, awful Westerns, they're drawing their wagons into a circle and shooting at anything that moves.
    Consider the recent, thinly veiled anti-gay legislation in Indiana and Arkansas, the efforts to disenfranchise black voters in North Carolina, the anti-labor flap that happened in Wisconsin a few years back, and – here in Texas – the legislative assault on women's health, HIV services, and the DREAM Act.
   Let me connect the dots: The Republican Party is behind all these efforts, and if you are anything other than a straight, white Christian male, you are a target.
    The only way to fight back is to vote these guys out. What? Your vote doesn't matter? It does. What? The political parties look the same? Check out the party platforms. They are quite different. What? The Democrats are boring? Better to hold your nose and vote for them than put up with the stink the Republicans are going to make if they're left unchecked.

Dear Editor,
    On December 11, 2014, the outgoing Austin City Council passed a resolution in support of immigration reform and, more specifically, for President Obama's Immigration Accountability Executive Action. This resolution follows the spirit of immigrant-friendly welcoming cities and counties, a movement also backed by the past Austin City Council. With a new mayor and nine out of 10 new Council members, it's time for Austin's elected leaders to renew their support for policies that bring needed relief and assistance to immigrants and their families.
    All too often, city support for immigrants and their families who are currently seeking a legitimate way to live, work, and attend school in the Austin area seems uneven and reactive rather than proactive. The Austin Commission on Immigrant Affairs failed to meet for almost three months – a period in which the president's executive action was created and subsequently tied up in court.
    It's time for the current City Council and mayor to pass a new resolution that provides concrete support for the Immigration Accountability Executive Action. This could be done by enlisting city resources to extend a welcoming hand to those immigrants and their families who are currently seeking a legitimate way to live, work, and attend school in the Austin area. Additionally, the current Council should sign an amicus brief in support of the executive action. Wherever possible, city officials need to show that their support for immigrants and their families goes beyond the signatures on past resolutions.