East Bernard Express (East Bernard, Tex.), Vol. 69, No. 38, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 20, 2012 Page: 4 of 12
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age 4 Thursday, September 20, 2012
East Bernard Express
Bill Wallace, Editor & Publisher
bwallace@journal-spectator.com
Keith Magee, Managing Editor
kmagee@journal-spectator.com
Burlon Parsons, Associate Editor
bparsons@journal-spectator.com
P.0. Box 111 • Wharton, Texas 77488 • 979-532-0095 • 979-532-8845 fax
Periodicals Postage Paid at East Bernard, Texas 77435. Annual
subscription price $29.00 per year in Wharton County, Eagle Lake and
Wallis; $39.00 per year elsewhere in Texas; $59.00 per year out of state.
E ist Bernard
Express
Incorporating the
Cast Pernarb Cnbttue
Letters welcomed
Your point of view on local issues is important and deserves a hearing. The Express encourages
readers to express their opinions on a wide variety of issues. Please share them through letters
to the editor. All letters are subject to editing.
This column is intended for opinions, not as a bulletin board of news events or thank-you notes.
All letters must be signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be considered for publication.
Please include an address and telephone number (they will not be printed).
Send to P.O. Box 111, Wharton, TX 77488.
For complete information on publishing policy, call the editor at 532-0095.
Send letters to LETTERS, P.O. Box 111, Wharton, TX 77488.
Important deadlines coming up for Nov. 6 election
The Wharton County Elections
Office has been very busy the last few
months. With the primaries, runoffs
and local elections behind us, we are
now preparing for the Nov. 6 general
election. This has been a very chal-
lenging year for election officials with
redistricting issues and new laws
being implemented.
There has been much concern in
the news about letters sent out to
voters to verify they are not deceased.
Those letters were mandated by the
Texas Legislature who unanimously
passed House Bill 174 last year. HB
174 now requires the procedures
of the removal of deceased persons
from voter rolls to include matching
against the Social Security Admin-
istration’s Death Master File (Tex.
Elec. Code 16.001 (d). This bill has
been pre-cleared by the Department
of Justice in accordance with section
5 of the Voting Rights Act.
Notices of examination were sent
out to individuals who had a match
between voter registration informa-
tion and the data in the Social Secu-
rity Administration’s death master
file. Those with either a strong or
weak match were sent the letters.
A strong match is a match between
last name, date of birth, and all nine
Social Security numbers.
Topically citizens with strong
matches are automatically canceled.
This is not the case for those that
have a weak match. Weak matches
occur when two records have the
same Social Security number, same
date of birth, the last four Social
Security numbers, or one matching
name. Individuals who have received
this letter have 30 days to return
the verification letter back to our
office. Voters can also call our office
and verify they are not deceased. We
understand this may be disconcerting
for those persons who received let-
ters, but we hope voters understand
it is simply our office following the
law
Our office is also preparing for
important deadlines that are coming
up. The last day to register to vote or
change your address is Tuesday, Oct.
9. Citizens who will be age 18 or older
by Nov 6 are eligible to vote in the
Audrey
Wessels
Elections
Administrator
I i,
_V_M
November election. If you are unsure
if you are registered, you can verify
your registration at www.votetexas.
gov, or you can call the Elections Of-
fice.
Applying for an absentee ballot
began Friday, Sept. 7. Individuals
who have a disability, age 65 or over,
confined in jail or expect to be absent
from the county on Election Day and
during regular hours of early voting
qualify for a ballot by mail.
Qualified voters who wish to vote
by mail must submit an application
before a ballot may be sent to the
voter. Some candidates or parties
may send out applications. Those ap-
plications are considered valid; how-
ever, the voter needs to make sure
the application has their residence
address and the voter’s signature.
Absentee ballots must be received
by the elections office no later than 5
p.m. on Oct. 30.
If you do not qualify for an ab-
sentee ballot and would like to avoid
election day crowds, early voting is
available. Early voting begins Mon-
day, Oct. 22 and runs through Friday,
Nov 2. There will be two polling loca-
tions during early voting:
• Wharton: Wharton Civic Center-
Duncan Auditorium, 1924 N. Fulton
St.
• El Campo: Fire and EMS Build-
ing, 220 N. Merchant St.
Hours for early voting will be
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. On Thursday, Nov 1 and Friday,
Nov 2, the polling locations will be
open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Election
Day, 12 locations will be open from
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters are required
to vote at their assigned location
on Election Day. You may use your
voter identification certificate or some
type of identification to vote. It is not
required to have both.
Our office is working hard to make
sure this election runs as smoothly
as possible for our citizens. If you
have any questions about the upcom-
ing election, please feel free to call
(979) 532-0193. Our office hours are
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. We
will have extended hours during the
election. You can also visit our web-
site — www.co.wharton.tx.us — for
more information.
Audrey Wessels is elections admin-
istrator of Wharton County. She can
be reached at 532-0193 or audrey.
wessels@co. wharton. tx. us.
Some in New Mexico long
to be swing state again
Dave
McNeely
Texas Politics
SANTA FE, N.M. — TV station owners
here, and some editorial writers, tend to envy
Ohio, where the presidential campaigns have
dropped more than $112 million by early Sep-
tember.
That’s because Ohio’s 18
electoral votes are consid-
ered to be so up for grabs
that Democratic President
Barack Obama and Republi-
can challenger Mitt Romney
and their running mates
have been there so much
that they probably qualify
for residency.
Not so poor New Mexico,
which in some past elections has been courted
by both major presidential campaigns.
No, this year, in late August, it came as
little surprise when the Republican Senatorial
Campaign Committee pulled its advertising
dollars to shift them to more competitive states.
Polls have shown a continuing lead of at least 5
percentage points for U.S. Rep. Martin Hein-
rich, a Democrat and former Albuquerque city
councilman, over Republican former U.S. Rep.
Heather Wilson.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign
Committee soon followed suit, puffing back on
spending in the race to replace retiring U.S.
Sen. JeffBingamin, a Democrat.
Although New Mexico earlier in 2012 was
thought a possible swing state, Democrat
Obama has also maintained a 5-point advan-
tage over Republican Romney for New Mexico’s
five electoral votes.
New Mexico was a reliable state for Repub-
lican presidential tickets through 1988. But in
1992, it went for Democrat Bill Clinton, and
has remained Democratic since, except for
2004, when it backed George W. Bush’s re-
election.
In 2008, Obama beat Republican John Mc-
Cain with 56.7 percent. In Red State Texas,
which last backed a Democrat for president in
1976, McCain beat Obama 55-44.
The decision by the campaign committees
to shift money elsewhere is welcome news for
Democrats, as a vote of confidence.
For the Republicans in general and Wilson
in particular, it’s a sad indication New Mexico is
no longer considered very competitive — de-
spite making Republican Susana Martinez in
2010 the nation’s first Latina elected governor.
Her approval rating earlier this month was 69
percent.
In a recent editorial, the Santa Fe New Mexi-
can longingly hoped that the narrow five-point
spread — almost within the newspaper’s poll’s
3.8 percent margin of error — could put the
state back into competition.
"... Those numbers make the state almost a
battleground,” the newspaper wrote. ‘We could
get a presidential visit or a Romney rally, ads
from the candidates, not just their surrogates
— New Mexico could matter once again to the
national election picture.
“To be a battleground is to bask in national
attention, to feel the flood of political dollars
flowing, and best of all, to receive the candi-
dates in person, not just on television. We can
only hope that New Mexico really is a battle-
ground — perhaps caring about this state’s
votes will translate into more attention to
our issues, especially proposed cuts in federal
spending that could cripple the state’s economy.
“The true swing states — Ohio, Florida,
Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada,
Virginia, Wisconsin, and perhaps North Caro-
lina — will enjoy attention, advertising dollars
and plenty of visits from Obama/Joe Biden and
Romney/Paul Ryan...."
The Republican committee puffing its fund-
ing from supporting Heather Wilson’s race
comes despite some pretty strong credentials.
In 1998, she became the first Republican
woman elected to represent New Mexico in con-
gress, and also the first female military veteran
ever to win a full term in Congress.
A graduate of the Air Force Academy, Wilson
was a Rhodes Scholar and got a doctorate in
international relations prior
to a seven-year career as an
Air Force officer. She later
served as a foreign relations
adviser to President George
H.W. Bush.
She served a decade in
the U.S. House before trying
in 2008 to replace retiring
Republican U.S. Sen. Pete
Domenici. She lost the GOP
primary to another congress-
man, Steve Pearce. He then lost the general
election to yet another congressman, Democrat
Tom Udall, who got 62 percent.
Wilson, 51, hasn’t given up, and is still airing
TV ads in which she pledges to continue ben-
efits like Social Security for senior citizens. And
should the Senate race tighten up, the national
Republicans might reconsider and send some
or all of the $1.8 million it now plans to spend
elsewhere.
Wilson and Heinrich, at least for now, each
seem to have in virtually every local newscast a
positive TV ad pushing themselves, and a nega-
tive one calling the other a Washington junkie.
Heinrich, 40, in addition to service as a
member and then president of Albuquerque’s
city council, headed up the state’s natural
resources department under Democratic former
Gov. Bill Richardson before his election to the
U.S. House to replace Udall.
■
Poverty, uninsured: New Mexico ranks
highest in the nation of percentage of its people
living in poverty, at 22.2 percent. The percent-
age in Texas is 17.4 percent, or sixth among the
states. The national rate is 15 percent.
Texas regains first place, however, when it
comes to those without health insurance — at
25 percent. New Mexico is sixth, at 19.6 per-
cent. The nation uninsured rate is 15.7 percent.
Contact Dave McNeely at davemcneelylll@
gmail.com or 512-458-2963.
David vs. Goliath or Matt vs. Big G
Peter
Johnston
A Heritage
and a Hope
I tend to root for underdogs. Like David as in
David vs. Goliath. Or like the Buffalo Bills. Or
any team from Buffalo.
Or in the case at hand this relatively un-
known small businessman
and veteran of the armed
services from Iowa who has
the audacity to go up against
the President of the United
States, Congress and the
U.S. Supreme Court all of
which have endorsed at least
portions of the Affordable
Care Act (ACA).
That means Obamaeare.
His name is Matt, and he
is going up against Big Government.
Specifically he is challenging even the provi-
sions of Obamaeare which the U.S. Supreme
Court deemed constitutional according to the ar-
guments presented before it a couple of months
ago.
Since we are still in Constitution Week, this
individual’s fight for freedom and the Constitu-
tion is worth checking out. And even after Con-
stitution Week. After all it is We the People upon
whom our constitution and our nation depend.
This underdog’s name is Matt Sissel. The
Pacific Justice Foundation filed a suit on his
behalf without charge against the U.S. Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services in federal
court in the District of Columbia. Judge Beryl A.
Howell put the suit on hold pending the outcome
of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in a related,
though not identical suit, National Federation of
Independent Business (NFIB) vs. Sebelius.
Do you remember all the issues made when
Chief Justice Roberts wrote in his opinion on
Obamaeare in NFIB vs. Sebelius that it was
legal because the requirements upon citizens
who did not buy insurance could be considered a
“tax”?
The Court considered that argument because
the federal government argued it was a “tax” in
litigation even though Democrats denied it was a
“tax” while passing it in legislation.
That “tax” may be its demise according to the
Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) which has added
a new cause of action to its existing suit filed on
behalf of Matt.
How so? If the U.S. Supreme Court declared
it legal, isn’t it so?
Not so quick, according to PLF.
In the NFIB v. Sebelius the Supreme Court
was not asked to consider what PLF is now
adding as a cause of action in this existing suit.
Therefore the new issue raised by a different
party could be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme
Court and Obamaeare could be found wanting.
According to the U.S. Constitution, revenue
raising bills (i.e. taxes) must
originate in the House of
Representatives. Democrats
pushing Obamaeare were
not originally considering it
a revenue raising bill or tax.
Thus Harry Reid, Senate Ma-
jority Leader, introduced it as
an amendment to a bill in the
U.S. Senate. Consider this
explanation by PLF Principal
Attorney Paul J. Beard II in
a news release published by PLF last week.
“If the charge for not buying insurance is seen
as a federal tax, then a new question must be
asked. When lawmakers passed the ACA, with
all of its taxes, did they follow the Constitution’s
procedures for revenue increases? The Supreme
Court wasn’t asked and didn’t address this ques-
tion in the NFIB case. The question of whether
the Constitution was obeyed needs to be litigat-
ed, and PLF is determined to see this important
issue all the way through the courts.”
“When we focus on the Origination Clause,
we’re not talking about diy formalities and
this isn’t an academic issue,” said Beard. “The
Founders understood that the power to tax, if
misused, involves the power to destroy, as Chief
Justice John Marshall put it. Therefore, they
viewed the Origination Clause as a vital safe-
guard for liberty. They insisted that the power
to initiate new taxes should be left with the
lawmakers who are most directly accountable to
voters — members of the House, who are elected
eveiy two years by local districts.”
Subsequently in the lawsuit, PLF says, “[b]
the charge for those who don’t buy insurance
is so central to the structure of the ACA, PLF’s
lawsuit asks that the entire law be struck down.”
Matt Sissel, whom PLF represents says “I’m
in this to defend freedom and the Constitution.”
He’s an underdog. Matt vs. Big G.
Why not pull out your U.S. Constitution dur-
ing this week in which we celebrate the signing
of the U.S. Constitution and weigh in on this
argument.
If we don’t get involved, who among ‘We, the
People” will?
Peter Johnston, an East Bernard resident,
earned a history degree from Cornell University
and is a former high school history teacher.
Children's games, especially marbles, then and now
Last night, my granddaughter, the second-
grader, called to interview me for a class she
was taking. She wanted to know what games
we played back in the 1940s when I was in
the second grade. Well, I skipped the second
grade, so figured I could tell her what games we
played in the first grade and in the third grade
at Dime Box Rural School as they would be
about the same as in the second grade.
As strange as it may seem, my memory is ac-
tually getting better with regard to remember-
ing things that happened in the distant past,
while my recall of current things seems to be
diminishing. So the more I thought, the more
I could remember about the games we played,
though I don’t think they were actually that
different from the games kids are playing today.
I told her we played red light, red rover, come
over, hop scotch, tug of war, marbles (played
only by the boys) and jacks (played only by the
girls). She seemed annoyed that I could not
remember ever having played leap frog.
There were more games, but this apparently
was enough to satisfy her and her interview
assignment. I told her that of all the games,
we boys played marbles more often than any
other game, but the girls did not play marbles,
because they didn’t want to be called “tom-
boys.” My wife, a decade younger than I, was
listening to my end of the conversation, and
she commented that when she was in second
grade, girls, as well as boys, played marbles,
and it was a veiy popular game with both. My
g-daughter didn’t seem to know what marbles
were.
Dime Box Rural School (the official name
back then) was rather different from modem
schools today, and there was a sharp distinc-
tion between what boys did and what girls did;
there was nothing remotely unisex back then.
Girls did not play marbles, because it was con-
sidered too rowdy and uncouth for girls.
First, of all, many games ended up in
fights, because the guys gambled whenever
they played; by that, I mean they played for
marbles, and you could lose all your marbles
playing against some tough players. Some
marbles were worth more than others, though
most marbles were made of glass — manufac-
turers could make the smoothest orbs out of
glass. Some marbles were made out of stone,
including marble and agate — no doubt this is
why they were called “marbles.”
Agates — we called them “aggies” — multi-
colored stones, were the most valued, cost the
most, and were worth the most when trading
or winning. In England, in the 1800s, marbles
were often made of porcelain, some were
made of clay (not veiy desirable), and, in more
recent years, plastic. In my school days, plastic
had not been “invented” yet, so we definitely
didn’t have any plastic marbles. We did have,
however, what we called “steelies,” which were
actually steel ball-bearings and not really legal
in a game of marbles. Steelies were used by us
boys and hidden when teachers showed up to
supervise.
Second, shooting marbles took some strong
thumbs and strong knuckles, thus girls and
sissies were considered incapable of competing
successfully (so said our rural, redneck philoso-
phy). It took some pretty strong digit action
to slam a steelie into another marble. It was
believed girls couldn’t handle that with their
delicate, fragile little hands. A steelie and even
an agate could crack or even shatter a glass
marble, so you had to be tough, and no snivel-
ing if your favorite marbles got shattered. This
was the way the game was played out behind
the school wood piles, away from adult inter-
vention.
My twin brother was as tough and macho
as the school thugs, and that’s how I got to play
with the hardcore marble players (he would
give them his “you-accept-my-brother-or-suffer-
the-consequences” look). My granddaughter
wasn’t interested in any marble playing, just
annoyed that we didn’t play leap frog.
Ray Spitzenberger serves as pastor of St.
Paul Lutheran Church in Wallis, after retiring
from Wharton County Junior College, where
he taught English and speech and served as
chairman of Communications and Fine. Arts for
many years.
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Wallace, Bill. East Bernard Express (East Bernard, Tex.), Vol. 69, No. 38, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 20, 2012, newspaper, September 20, 2012; East Bernard, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth787498/m1/4/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Wharton County Library.