El Campo Leader-News (El Campo, Tex.), Vol. 98, No. 79, Ed. 1 Saturday, December 25, 1982 Page: 9 of 29
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Wharton County Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Wharton County Library.
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CulubraHng Our 30th Anniversary . . . Merry Chriitma%
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Friday, December 31
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Year’s End Banking {
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December 30
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Page lo-A El Campo Leader-News, El Campo. TX, Sat I j.».
New Tax Law May Change
Certain Medical Deductions
Taxpayers who itemize
deductions on their in-
come tax returns need to
give careful considera-
tion to medical expenses
and casualty loses as
they look at their 1962 in-
come tax situation.
“This year's tax iaw
(the Tax Equity and
Fiscal Responsibility Act
of 1982) brings about
some changes in filing
tax returns that tax-
payers need to be aware
of,” says Dr. Ashley
Lovell of Stephenville, an
economist with the Texas
Agricultural Extension
Servie, Texas A&M
University System
Effective Jan. 1, 1983,
the new tax law increases
the exclusion on medical
expenses deductions to 5
percent of adjusted gross
income from the present
3 percent.
Also, all health in-
surance premiums paid
by the taxpayer are
treated as just another
medical expense item
and are subject to the 5
percent exclusion This
compares to 1982 and
earlier years when tax-
payers could deduct one-
half of their health in-
surance premiums, up to
$150, with the balance
subject to the 3 percent
limitation.
The current 1 percent
exclusion for drugs and
medicines will remain
the same in 1983, notes
Lovell.
“All this means that in
1983 many individuals
will not exceed the exclu-
sion requirements and
will not have deductible
medical expenses except
in extreme situations,”
the economist points out
Thus Lovell advises
cash basis calendar year
taxpayers to consider
paying outstanding drug,
doctor and hospital bills
by Dec. 31 if they intend
Christmas Bike Rides
Can Be Made Safe
Imagine the joy of a
child upon discovering a
brand new bicycle under
the Christmas tree Make
sure the first tyke ride
begins a lifelong habit of
safe bicycling. Don’t let
safety go out with the
wrapping.
The very first thing a
child should learn about
riding a bike is how to
ride it safely. Bicyclists
must follow the same
rules of the road cars
follow.
Nelson Mueller, head
of the Texas Safety
Association’s section of
home and leisure ac-
tivities urges parents to
teach their children to
ride safely, even on
Christmas day.
“About half the people
killed each year in car-
pedal accidents are
children under 14 years
old,” Mueller warns.
The following
guidelines can help
parents teach safe bike
riding:
• Bike operators must
Obey traffic regulations,
signs, signals and mark-
ings just like cars.
• Observe all local or-
dinances pertaining to
bicycle operation.
• Keep right, drive with
traffic, not against it.
Ride single file.
• Drive bikes defen-
sively by watching out
for the other guy.
• Watch out for drain
gates, soft shoulders and
other road surface
hazards.
• Be alert for car doors
opening or for cars pull-
ing out into traffic.
• Don’t carry
passengers or packages
that interfere with vision
or control.
• Never hitch a ride on
a truck or other vehicle.
• Exercise extreme
care at all intersections,
particularly when turn
ing left.
• Use hand signals to
indicate turning or stopp-
ing.
• Bikers should be pro-
tected at night with the
required reflectors and
lights.
• Ride a safe bike.
Have it inspected to en-
sure good mechanical
condition.
to itemize medical ex-
penses on Schedule A of
their 1982 tax return
Another consideration
would be to move surgery
and dental work schedul-
ed for early 1983 into this
year Moving up surgery
and dental work also
might be advantageous
from an insurance stand-
point, since insurance
deductibles may already
be met for this year.
Besides realizing a
larger benefit from
medical deductions this
year, taxpayers also get
the deductions a year
earlier and before tax
rates are reduced in 1983,
says Lovell.
As far as casualty
losses are concerned,
each casualty or theft
loss is currently deducti-
ble to the extent that it
exceeds the $100 exclu-
sion Beginning in 1983,
the total of unreimbursed
personal casualty and
theft losses is deductible
to the extent that it ex-
ceeds 10 percent of ad-
justed gross income. In
addition, each incidence
is reduced by the $100 ex-
clusion.
“This means that only
low-income taxpayers or
taxpayers suffering large
unreimbursed losses will
qualify to itemize these
losses on Schedule A
beginning next year,”
says Lovell.
He advises taxpayers
with 1982 casualty losses
to consult their tax ad-
visors regarding such
things as the new alter-
native minimum tax,
unsettled casualty claims
that fall into 1983. and
carryback of casualty
losses to the previous
year.
With the change in
casualty loss deductions
as well as inflation, the
economist advises tax-
payers to evalute the ade-
quacy of casualty in-
surance coverage on
homes, autos and other
assets. Since the federal
government will be
assuming a much
smaller share of the in-
surance deductible, it
may be necessary for
many to choose smaller
deductibles in insurance
policies unless they are
financially able to
assume greater losses.
Little Sweetheart
Jesse Hubenak, president of the El Campo
Volunteer Fire Department, presents Christie
Charbula. the department's sweetheart, a trophy
during Monday’s annual Christmas party.
L-N Photo by Chris Barbee
Shop El Campo
Mombor: FDICftl Campo Bancihmro%
isLl.ikk.
Jack Maguire’s**Talk of Texas”
FOOTNOTE TO HISTORY — Sam Houston required only 14 days and
no expense whatever to win election as president of the Republic of Texas
in 1836.
David G Burnet, the first president, hadn’t faced an election at all. The
Convention of 1836, meeting on March 16, named him to head the interim
government The eight months that he held office were among the most
turbulent in the history of the Republic, and when he called for a formal
election, he refused to be a candidate for another term.
Stephen F Austin wanted the job, however, and followers of Henry
Smith nominated him for the office. Smith insisted that he didn’t want it
and said he would support General Sam Houston, the hero of San Jacinto.
Houston was the most popular man in Texas, but refused to become a
candidate.
Two weeks before the election, however, Houston had second thoughts.
Both Austin and Smith had made political enemies before and during the
revolt against Mexico and Houston feared that neither could sustain a
strong government. He decided to enter the race
No candidate in the history of Texas ever won so handily by campaign-
ing so little Houston got 4,374 votes to 743 for Smith and 587 for Austin
Mirabeau B. Lamar was elected vice president and the voters also chose
members of the first Congress of the Republic.
Houston’s toughest job was to try to bring the dissidents together He
did this by asking both of his opponents to join his cabinet. Smith was
named Secretary of State. Austin became the Secretary of the Treasury.
By the time his term ended two years later, Houston had given the young
Republic a stable government.
THE CHANGING TIMES — Texas judges used to have much more
latitude in sentencing wrong-doers than they have under today’s laws.
The first trial to be held in the Republic of Texas was at Columbia, the
first capital, in 18116. The defendant was charged with murdering a friend
after a quarrel over a card game. The judge found him guilty and ordered
him to “be hanged by the neck until dead.”
The defense attorney gave immediate notice of appeal, to which the
judge replied:
“Go ahead and appeal. But in the meantime, the prisoner is going to be
hung.”
TRAVELING TEXAS — Fredericksburg, Gillespie County, may be the
only town in the state with three jails All are located within a single
block.
The only functioning calaboose of the three is the Gillespie County I.aw
Enforcement Building The old county jail is a museum devoted to law
men The third prison is atop the county courthouse but is used now for
storage.
(Copyright, 1982, by Jack Maguire)
STATE BANK
Of El Campo
Will Be Closed
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Barbee, Chris. El Campo Leader-News (El Campo, Tex.), Vol. 98, No. 79, Ed. 1 Saturday, December 25, 1982, newspaper, December 25, 1982; El Campo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1006622/m1/9/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Wharton County Library.