The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 137, No. 33, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 21, 1990 Page: 4 of 34
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Thursday, June 21,1990
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THE BASTROP ADVERTISER
Issues & Opinions
Headline was in err
m •
Dear Editor: taught in land grant colleges na-
tionwide. The result is less depen-
Myth one: “A pesticide is safe dence on chemicals, higher quality
because it is registered by the U.S. crops and in many instances,
Environmental Protection higher crop yield, and clean
Agency produce on our grocery and kitch-
Jr.T us^S^fo wKjco- .o to food we
SSi^wjZ
Advertiser, I read in bold headlines produce and wonder about the
Myth three: “Pesticide residues no long-term effect of the accepta-
thjfeat ■’ ble’’ residues of pesticides that
Here are some facts. In 1982, a make cheap and perfect
U.S. Congressional report indicat- sible. Or we can but certified or-
ed that between 79 and 84 percent
of pesticides on the market have
not been adequately tested for their
ability to cause cancer; over 90
ganic prctduce.
Locally, our largest supermarket
has a small corner in the produce
section reserved for organic fruits
dUlIllY IU LdUjC kdlltci , y\J ° . * •
percent cause genetic damage, and; and vegetables. My occasional in-
between 60 and 70 percent have not spection of the offerings m this area
been fully tested for their ability to often seem to prove Myth four: Or-
■ • ■ ganic produce doesn’t look as good
as treated produce.
cause birth defects
How can we say that there is
“No Threat" when we haven’t ful-
ly tested a given chemical? Ask me
if I want to volunteer to be an un-
official pesticide test subject and
I’ll answer “No Thanks.”
Pesticides do not come to us only
from the produce we buy in super-
markets. We are exposed to them
in the workplace, in our drinking
water, through our own personal ---------- -----«-r - _ • -
use in our backyards, and through always taste better and I don t have
our proximity to dump sites and to worry about eating an unwashed
sprayed agricultural fields. grape or two on the ride home. It
But in Austin at the Whole Foods
Market, a supermarket that special-
izes in certified organic produce,
it is rare that the organic fruits and
vegetables don’t look significant-
ly better than what I find in other
stores.
than all the
ANP
together
RIGHT BOB?-
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Bat work
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Future uncertain for farmers
Whatever the appearance, they Dear Editor:
And the irony is that while farm-
ers continue to spend hundreds of perfect, but at least the blemishes
millions of dollars on agricultural can be easily removed with a knife,
chemicals each year, damage from The same cannot be said for pes-
insects, weeds and disease con- ticides.
tinues to increase dramatically. Ac- Consumers, the federal and state
cording to the April 23, U.S. News government agencies and an in-
and World Report, in 1940 less creasing number of farmers sup-
crops are harvested this way.
Watch Jack on his tractor in the
The lazy, hazy days of summer field as he cuts the hay. Watch Jill
fsTuVthaTorgan^c pmduTd^ the JwTmSg^H^Si^ lor pulUng°
cost more tmd may no.always look Bu, no. eve^one. can, si,aroundthe
than ten insects were resistant to
pesticides: today, nearly 450 in-
sects are chemically resistant.
Not only are these pesticides in-
creasingly less effective they do not
remain on the insects and crops
they are meant for. They make
their way into our underground
drinking water supplies, our lakes
and our streams. In fact, agricul-
tural chemical runoff poses a real
and serious environmental threat.
The EPA estimates that half of
all pollutants in our ground water
and rivers originate in agriculture.
And in Iowa, 18 percent of the
state’s private wells contain
agricultural chemicals, including
atrazine, a chemical linked to
cancer. And in Florida, the feder-
al* government last year filed suit
in an effort to control and restrict
the use of agricultural chemicals on
fruit crops because the runoff is
port the move towards sustainable
alternative agriculture. It is the
responsibility of our local
newspaper to provide accurate,
balanced information to its readers
about the significant impact of
agricultural chemicals.
pool with a tall, cool glass of
lemonade.
The crops are ready for harvest
and the farmers and ranchers
wonder about yields. This is the
third year of drought. In some
areas of Texas too much rain at one
time flooded the fields.
We need rain in Bastrop County
but crops have to be harvested
the hay and doesn’t stop until af-
ter dark, which is 9 p.m. in the
summer. Next day watch 12 year
old Jane drive a truck, with long
trailer behind, thru the field. Watch
Dick run along beside throwing on
the bales and Tim on top of the
traitor to stack under a hot, boil-
ing sun. Their T shirts are drip-
ping. Once loaded, they are on to
The latest statistics reported by
the U.S.D.A. show that the U.S.
government’s purchases of goods
and services amount to 968.9 bil-
lion. Tax dollars are used for these
purchases.
Farmers, Ranchers and timber
growers are hard pressed to keep
up with demand for U.S. consump-
,
Thanks for
show of
concern
Dear Editor:
I would like to thank everyone
for their concern and generous con-
tributions to help my mother and
myself return safely from Califor-
nia to Bastrop.
My mother survived her hospi-
tal stay and we plan to spend many
years together, after 40 years of be-
ing seperated. It’s great to be home
and back to work.
Thank you, Thank You, and
may God bless each of you.
Sincerely,
Carol Kropp
Bastrop
Statement is
clarified
Dear Editor:
In the wake of complaints
received over my comment to your
reporter regarding the option of
shooting stray dogs, I wish to clar-
ify myself.
Unfortunately, many people do
not have the time or room to keep
a stray until a home is found, and
cannot or will not pay to have it eu-
thanized; as a last resort, “taking
care of it themselves” is a regret-
table option.
I did say it, but I did not realize
how horrible and cold it would
Up W1UI UUlltUlU 1U1 W.U. WIIOMII.J/ UV7 *Y 11U1IU/1V " ------
tion and export. This year’s cereal sound in print. I merely mentioned
harvest may be equal to consump- it as an option that some people
tion demand for the first time since choose to take, and did not mean
1986, given normal weather for the to infer that I or the Bastrop Veteri-
remainder of the 1990 season.
nary Hospital suggest or condone
it.
Out crops nave to oe nai vcmcu ------------ --- ---
rapidly in case the rain does come. the barn to stack it and hopefully
Droughts severely depress profits. have a good winter supply. Last
If the rain doesn’t come, the hay season because of the drought most
crop is poor and ranchers have to barns were empty . Once in the
“hat the recent seToff llves^k All of this has left barn .2 year old Jane is helping*
1 m suuy IU say ui«i ___________1 I ark stark In the words of a
article about “No Threat” only
muddied our already dirty waters.
Sybil Miller
Bastrop
Jack stack. In the words of a
favorite song “Thank heavens for
little girls.” Also give thanks for
County road poll requested
some farmers and ranchers with an
unpredictable future.
Total hdirs of labor used for nine gins, tusu give ™ ------TTiT-I
farm work in 1988 were 2.5 bil- the farm mother who washes the looking hungrily for more dollars
lion 14 percent is contributed by dirty T shirts and feeds the hungry for their favorite projects^ Taxes
unpaid family labor. Most hay family who has worked a 12 hour continue to increase as land values
v y day. fall. Merchants are hard pressed to
It is easy to see one family work
However, the shoppers in super-
markets are well stocked with
shelves of cereal boxes and give lit- Diana Voytek
tie thought to the sources of sup-
ply. Cereal stocks are below safe ^ __ -
levels, and adverse weather could TU ofvlzc I Jo rl
result in sharply higher prices and A IiaiHV3 XSdXM. ^
jeopardize food security.
At the same time the tax folks are
Dear Editor:
In the home of Joe Hasler
Rabensburg, we have a man that
some people think works too hard.
Dear Editor:
Big business has a nasty habit of
turning into monkey business most
of the time.
Apathy is the only thing that
No news being good news, we’ll
go on to the next item on tne
agenda.
Being as how none of the four un,v~~..v, — -------
truit crops oecausc me iuhwi ia commissioners felt duty bound to ing businesses, I d say that maybe
rapidly poisoning the Everglades ten anyone of their concerns about the new money just might have a
water system, a water system that the county road situation, I am ask- chance to start making changes,
in one field. But try to visualize
298 million acres of cropland to be
harvested in the United States.
Also, for every worker on the
farms at least 5 nonfarm workers
are needed to provide services in
/\pamy is uic umj uin.g .--- r
keeps the old money in power in producing, processing, transport-
the county, but with the rate of fail- mg, wholesaling and retailing farm
products.
Part of the uncertain future for
farmers and ranchers and timber
sell enough goods and services in He normally works 12 to 18 hours
this depressed economy to pay their a day. He also put in a good busi-
taxes Watch for more store clos- ness called the Gin-u-wine Oyster
ings in the Mall the end of June. Bar. It s a wonderful place to eat!
Talk to merchants who have been In our business lives we should do
in business, in this area, for many, what we think is best and don t
many years and hear their concerns over work ourselves. Although he
about money to pay their taxes. js working day and night he is ov-
This is happening to old established mg and caring and always willing
businesses to lend a helPm8 hancL
Can the Tax Assessors and the
water system a water system that the county road situation, l am ask- nodvte for the better’ growers is the decline of values for
" fM S^^J^SSEto understand why pec: fgricullu^andtimberland. Baaed
fresh drinking water.
There is an alternative, but it will
only be used if the general public
eating an “average diet” realizes
that rather than there being “No
Threat” from agricultural chemi-
cals there is, in all likelihood, a sig-
nificant threat from chemical
residues in the food supply and in
the environment. To prevent such
..conn,......ana,..............
" “ * « X°go”grale t% Si?
to be past stupid. What will you do 1990. Farmland prices were at the
when there is no one left standing highest point in 1985.
department, or no,.we don’t want
the roads handled by one
department.
If there are enough “Ayes”,
then it will be a fait accompli, with
no bloodshed, as the commission-
ers are elected by us to do our bid-
Tax Payers devise among them-
selves a way of asking each other
questions and use wisdom to solve
these problems?
Martha E. Frampton
Rosanky
with much love,
Dara Rabensburg
Dara’s letter was submitted last
week in anticipation of Father’s
Day.
11IV Uliviiv/iiinvm. * v' f' * ~ ......... v i • > at v Uivvivu ——
potentially disasterous situations as djng. of course there is always the
the one facing south Florida, many fact that the latest equipment pur-
large-scale farmers are tuning to
regenerative agriculture, an ap-
proach to farming that uses highly
sophisticated organic growing
methods, including crop rotation,
natural fertilizers, and predatory
insects.
These methods are now being
chase can be audited, and the
amount of the commission paid,
and to whom, made a matter of
public record.
Might be more fun that way, as
then the populace will see why each
and every elected official has acres
and acres, while they have none.
to come to your defense? The ex
cuse that everyone else is doing it,
or that you didn’t know, flies out
the window if you're the last per-
son in line. “Lead me not into
temptation, and deliver me from
evil” apparently does not apply to
the powers that be, or their cohorts.'
Please arise from your bohemi-
Camp Swift sewer meeting reviewed
Dear Editor:
$1000 tap fees, as has been touted know that to be a fact,
so often by LCRA’s Paul Pape and Has any thought been given, by
u.t pv,wv.„ uh., ---------------- The public meeting Saturday was repeated after the meeting to Paul those who have claimed to be con-
Please arise from your bohemi- highlighted by Judge Copeland’s Hilgers, Congressman Pickle’s as- cerned, to the exorbitant cost to
an bohonkus and mail the postcard. pledge to the large audience that no sistant, and me, then the plan is in those who can be assumed to be
rw^at i ran live with hut the not county taxes would be used in con- trouble
nection, even remotely, with the
Defeat I can live with, but the not
caring keeps me peeling bananas.
Jeannie Krell
Bastrop
. . y.
(Du' HaetriTjj JVMierttser
TEXAS’ OLDEST WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Published 102 times a year (excluding Christmas Day and New
Year's Day), Monday and Thursday at The Bastrop Advertiser office,
908 Water Street, P.O. Box 459, Bastrop, TX 78602. Non-sectarian,
non-partisan, devoted to the welfare of the people of Bastrop County.
Subscription rates: $15.00 per year delivered in county, $18.50 per
year delivered out of county, payable in advance. Second class
postage paid at Bastrop, Texas 78602. POSTMASTER: Send address
changes to The Bastrop Advertiser, P.O. Box 459, Bastrop, TX 78602.
321-2557 -321-6444
Dave Smith - Publisher
Davis McAuley - Editor
Ellen Moore - Events/Sports Editor
Sherri Baker Bryant - Reporter
ADVERTISING
Erlene Goertz. Val Stubbs
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
LaVerne Glaeser
PRODUCTION
Wesley Norton Janice Butler Val Stubbs
BASTROP ADVERTISER (USPS045-020)
MEMBER TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
1990 _„
Single mother
requests help
Dear Editor:*
I am a single mother with two
young children. I am currently
staying at the Family Crisis Center - -rr------, —- —-
Shelter, trying to make a new start concurrent methods being const
for my children and myself. j—j r~ ™ Ractrr,,
We have been fortunate enough
to find affordable housing, but we
left our former situatiori without
any furniture or household items.
We would greatly appreciate any
short of funds? The very ones that
In viewing the project as it ap- this project was designed to help
Camp Swift sewer project. Mark plies to Bastrop County, it appears are the least likely to benefit in the
Rose the LCRA Acting General to be basically flawed; in its prac- end.
■ • • * — ■ ■ ■ tical application. According to Judge Copeland says that the
preference as to tne source or me LCRA figures the 40,000 gpd ca- grant he is applying for will pay the
funds to pay for LCRA’s extension pacity in the regional system will tap fees for 200 residents. Kesi-
of credit relating to the Capital provide 60 gpd for each of the 650 dents who have nothing to tap into.
- • - • • residents that Bastrop County is And the pollution goes on, Con-
committed to serve with gressman Pickle, and on, Paul
wastewater disposal. Even with Pape! la.
conservative use in my household
there is produced two times that .
amounf of wastewater for each Joe Qutnn
resident. Cedar Cfeek
There is no provision, no plan,
that I can discover, to give the resi-
dents a collector system to tap into
from their individual residences.
Capital Recovery fee. une was After Judge Copeland adjourned
described by Commissioner Seidel, the meeting, in response to a ques- Judge Copeland replies:
in her opening remarks, using tax- tion, he gave an example of how
— ■ ' ' he thought the collector would
work. In what could be considered
a wor4t case scenario, a resident
Manager, stated that LCRA had no
preference as to the source of the
funds to pay for LCRA's extension
of credit relating to the Capital
Recovery Fee. Judge Copeland
also agreed to insert a clause into
the contract for Service stating that
no county tax generated funds
would be used in any phase, now
or in the future, in connection with
the sewer project.
Apparently there are at least two
dered for financing Bastrop
County’s payment for LCRA’s
Capital Recovery Fee. One was
nc wuuiu Si«uj oFK.wu»v u..; es. The other was Judge he
donations of these items to help us Copeland’s application for a grant
get started in our new home. from a state agency that will, if ap- - -----—- - -- .
please call Family Crisis Center proved, pay LCRA’s fee and also with a malfunctioning septic sys-
321-7760, 705'Spring Street. help in other ways. tern who hvedyOOfeetfrom the
Thank you very much and God
bless you.
FACTORY DIRECT
FLOOR covering
prima Carpets
321-9252
&mm°S„e?y£,del expired IXRA imerceploMine would be ne origin* idea those
£
term of lVyears. This puts Com- If the line is installed on private struction cost and to ^elp build
missioner Seidel in the position of property there would have to be collector lines and tie on
favoring inequitable taxation, a po- easements from every intervening residents.
sition with which few tax payers, owner and, according to a former It does not matter to LCRA
as a matter of principle, would county official, it is unlawful for what the source of money is so
agree. If her plan calls for the a private citizen to use the public - long as the county pays its share
recovery of this tax money from roadway for this purpose. I don t for capacity in the system.
What I said at the meeting
Saturday is that is was never the
county’s intention to use fax
money for the Camp Swift
Regional Wastewater Project.
J
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McAuley, Davis. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 137, No. 33, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 21, 1990, newspaper, June 21, 1990; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth746567/m1/4/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.