Editorials

As we prepare for our own elections in November, let us take note of what has happened in Venezuela, Russia and other countries where the legitimacy of their voting has come under question, and the desperation of the thousands of people who flee regimes where officials purport to be authoritarian leaders rather than public servants.

Texas officials like to brag that we’re not California. They constantly crow — with good reason — about the steady flow of residents and businesses that leave the Golden State and come here, to live and do business in a state that has less regulation and no state income tax.

Our country has not drafted anyone to serve in our armed forces since 1973. However, young men ages 18-25, including U.S. citizens living abroad and noncitizens living here, still have to register for possible military service.

Parts of the Rio Grande Valley have had a bit of good luck in the past couple of weeks with regard to our ever-worsening water shortage. The region was spared the brunt of Hurricane Beryl, which shifted north and caused widespread flooding and power outages in the Houston area. Our water needs have been so great that some people actually hoped the storm would hit us.

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks on the political scene, with an attempted assassination, a raucous nominating convention and the incumbent president’s announcement that he’s abandoning his campaign for reelection. Congress members continue to spend their time waging partisan battles instead of offering and debating substantive legislation, and global climate experts are telling us that recent days have given us the hottest week in recorded history.

In a little more than a week, Americans have been forced to come to grips with the possibility of losing both major presidential candidates — scarcely more than three months before the election. Republican Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at a July 13 campaign rally, and eight days later Democrat Joe Biden, the incumbent, ended his reelection campaign in response to mounting concerns about signs of physical, and possible cognitive, deterioration.

Texas once sought to be a leader in the fight against lawsuit abuse and nuisance legal attacks. Today, state officials are perhaps the worst at misusing our legal system — and taxpayers' money — to score political points.

We welcome news that Elon Musk plans to move the headquarters of Space Exploration Technologies Corp to the Rio Grande Valley. The move should greatly increase development Musk’s Starbase complex near the SpaceX rocket development and launch site at Boca Chica Beach.

Recent shark attacks off the coast of South Padre Island, just weeks after a teenage swimmer drowned in the same waters, are an alarming reminder that a refreshing dip in the Gulf of Mexico always carries risks.

We join the many people who are celebrating Guy Bailey’s 10 years as president of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It’s a decade marked by rapid successes and growth — and recognition by education analysts and experts.