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,
    There has always been a lot of mystery about the guitar Clarence White used on the Sweetheart album. I have been playing a B-Bender since 1980, and I always wondered, too. Over the years I have become great friends with Gene Parsons (co-inventor), so I asked him. This is his reply by email: 
   

The sunburst guitar (if my memory serves me) was the guitar Clarence used on the Sweetheart sessions and it was not fitted with the StringBender
   yet. Or … he may have used the white Tele that Bob Warford now has (also not yet fitted with a Bender), while I was working on the Sunburst one.
    There is NO STRINGBENDER being played on that album.
    Your pal,
    Gene

    The fact that it sounds like [White] is using a bender is a testament to where his playing was heading. Really enjoyed the article ["One-Hundred Years From Now," Music, Nov. 9], and am so happy to see Earl mentioned.

Dear Editor, 
    Only a bird brain rides a Bird or a Lime. 
    A new song idea for Ray Wylie Hubbard! 

   Editor's note: For more thoughts on scooters in Austin, see "'Best of' Scooter Outrage," Daily Chronolog, Nov. 7.

Dear Editor,
    I just read your article about Thunderstars bassist Omar Richardson getting beat up by a panhandler downtown ["Musician Hurt in Panhandler Attack Outside Show," Daily Music, Nov. 12]. I hope he fully recovers. It’s a disgrace what’s happening to our “live music capital of the world." In no time, even musicians aren’t going to want to come here.
    My wife and I have lived here since the Seventies. Going Downtown used to be a normal venture for us. We would stagger from bar to bar without a care in the world. As our lifestyle changed, we found ourselves Downtown less often.  But recently, we decided it was time to venture out to the Empire Control Room. As soon as our feet hit the Downtown payment we felt like we were in a demilitarized zone. Every step of the way we were confronted by aggressive panhandlers. When we didn’t engage, they threatened us and shouted profanities. We will never go back. Our spineless City Council has a let yet another thing that makes our city what it was turn to crap. 

Dear Editor,
    Just received my property tax bill for this year. Incredible. How can we allow our taxes to increase by 10% each and every year? Other states have been very smart to have propositions that limit the increases to much smaller amounts, like California (2%). Why wasn’t something similar to this [come up] in our recent elections? And what about [our] "Robin Hood" ... school taxes? That’s a long discussion for another day ….
    I’m also dumbfounded why Austinites keep voting for more propositions that just increase everyone’s taxes. Housing in Austin is even more unaffordable because our taxes keep going up! Where do you think this money comes from? Us, of course! Pretty soon many people will not be able to afford their taxes, but, of course, we will have overpriced nice city amenities. Perfect places to pitch tents for all the homeless people of Austin. More inefficient, wasteful, overreaching government isn’t the answer. 

Dear Editor,
    The 2018 election provides further example[s] of effects of gerrymandering in Texas. Travis County voters picked Democrats by a 71%-26% margin, yet ended up with four R [districts] and one D [district].
    Furthermore, if you look at the total votes, including other counties, for these five districts, Democrats just slightly edged Republicans by [approximately] 1,200 votes out of 1.35 million cast.