The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 162, Ed. 1 Monday, May 8, 1989 Page: 4 of 14
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THE BAYTOWN SUN
Monday, May 8, 1989
*
SUN
EDITORIAL
Baker fights PLO
in U.N. agencies
Although there have been indications of a softening of
U.S. attitude toward the Palestine Liberation Organiza-
tion in recent months, it apparently does not extend to
PLO membership in any United Nations agency.
Secretary of State James A. Baker III warned U.N.
agencies he will recommend to President George Bush
that the U.S. sever financial support to any U.N. agency
that approves admission of PLO as a frill member.
Until such time as the PLO can broaden its political
power base beyond the confines of its Middle East role
while it tries to work out a compromise with Israel, it
cannot become an effective factor in achieving peace in
that troubled area.
Baker’s rebuke followed the PLO’s application for
membership in the World Health Organization, the U.N.
agency that sponsors public health programs in the
Third World.
The Secretary pledged U.S. efforts to convince other
nations that the PLO’s admission would bring harm to
the Middle East peace process and to the U.N. itself and
asked that the application be withdrawn.
The U.S. warning may have set the stage for a major
; confrontation between the U.S. and Third World coun-
tries over PLO representation in a large number of U.N.
agencies.
! There was no immediate word from the PLO whether
it would reconsider its request to avoid confrontation
with the Bush administration that could wreck the
recently established PLO-U.S. dialogue designed to con-
• vince Israel it should try to reach agreement with the
PLO on at least some points that might brighten the
ultimate peace picture.
From Sun files
Distinguished Flying Cross
awarded to Harbers, '69
Jack Anderson
Bailout^costs taxpayers
WASHINGTON — American taxpayers
will be asked to dig deep in their pockets for
as much as $200 billion to bail out hundreds of
savings and loans that were run into the
ground by crap-shoot management. You can
send your thank-you notes, to Federal Home
Loan Bank Board Chairman Danny Wall,
former Treasury Secretary James Baker
and the spineless members of Congress who
were in the pocket of special interests.
The salt to rub into the taxpayers’ wound is
the fact that a bailout would have cost only
about $10 billion — relative pocket change —
if government officials had acted when the
experts were still smelling smoke.
Here’s one glaring example. In early 1985,
William Isaac, who was then chairman of the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., implored
Baker to make solving the thrift crisis a top
priority. On June 5, 1985, a letter stamped
“highly confidential” was sent by Isaac to
Baker, who had recently been named
Treasury secretary.
It read: “When we got togethera few mon-
ths ago in your office, I told you that one of
my principal concerns about the financial
system was the condition of the thrift in-
dustry and the ability of the (depositor in-
surance fund) to cope with the problems.
About that time, I requested our staff to
prepare an analysis of the thrift industry....
(T)he study concludes that the problems of
the tjirift industry are of such proportions
that they will SQon overwhelm the ability of
the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance
Corp. to deal with them unless something
major is done to shore up the FSLIC.”
Isaac was in a ticklish position to be soun-
ding the alarm. He ran the FDIC, which in-
sures commercial bank deposits. He was
smart enough to know that something was
grossly wrong at his sister agency, the
FSLIC, which insures savings and loan
deposits. But he didn’t want to look like a
meddler. So he prepared his study secretly
and sent it to Baker with a note that it was
done “without benefit of direct access to the
FSLIC which does not know that we have
done thisWork.” Isaac parenthetically added
that he “did not want to stir up any more
political concerns that necessary at this
time.”
What was Baker’s response to Isaac’s
financial S.O.S?
According to our sources, the unspoken
policy was that if a crisis was brewing, make
sure it didn’t erupt on Ronald Reagan’s
watch. In other words, save it for the next
president. That turned out to be Baker’s good
friend George Bush, who may be wondering
now what friends are for. Had Baker used
some of his legendary savvy to resolve the
thrift crisis then, the cost would have been a
fraction of what it will be today.
When Baker’s Treasury Department
belatedly kicked into gear, it simply put its
finger in the dijfe and lobbied for the
recapitalization of the depositor insurance
fund. Baker let a much lower man on the
totem pole, Edwin Gray, propose tough
reforms in the industry and take the heat for
those proposals. Gray was Wall’s
predecessor as chairman of the Federal
Home Loan Bank Board.
In July 1987, Wall took over that job and all
hope of reform flew out the window. Where
Gray yelled “fire” from the rooftops, Wall
couldn’t even smell the smoke. Where Gray
refused to let the industry call the shots, Wall
laid down to be their welcome mat.
Wall quickly lost the respect of some of his
staff, some General Accounting Office in-
vestigators and key members of Congress.
Accentuate the positive was Wall’s imbecilie
theme in office. It is a perfect epitaph for the
thrift industry.
STROESSNER’S RETIREMENT FUND -
Like other dictators before him, Alfredo
Stroessner of Paraguay has followed an
honored tradition. He looted the treasury on
his way out of the country after he was
disposed and is now living in splendid exile.
Stroessner’s retirement home is Brazil. One
report estimates that he and his cronies stole
more money than Paraguay’s $2.2 billion
foreign debt. The deposed dictator allegedly
depleted an entire multi-million-dollar bank
account that was funded by a surtax on
gasoline. According to intelligence reports,
Stroessner paid himself $140,000 a month
from this account while he was in office. He
also stole other government funds that he us-
ed to make overseas investments. Reported-
ly, those investments are hidden under the
names of his trusted friends.
MINI-EDITORIAL — Robert Peary’s claim
in 1909 to be the first American explorer to
reach the North Pole is under review. Maybe
Peary and his dog sled didn’t make it after
all. And that means the first American to
really reach the pole by surface transporta-
tion could have been Ralph Plaisted of Min-
nesota. Unfortunately for the romance fac-
tor, Palisted did it in a snowmoblie in 1968.
Our apologies to Plaisted, but we hope Peary
and his trusty dogs are vindicated. It doesn’t
seem quite right to have the polar frontier
conquered by the equivalent of a lawnmower
on skis.
United Feature Syndicate
* From The Baytown Sun files,
this is the way it was:
55 YEARS AGO
Rea Gilbert conducts a cook-
ing school on the stage of the Ar-
cadia Theater.
Beginning next fall, Cedar
! Bayou School District will offer
i a fully accredited high school
; program and graduates will be
> entitled to enter the University
I of Texas and other!* schools
; without examination.
| The present staff of 11
; teachers for the schools for
»white children and one Negro
! teacher has been elected by the
; Cedar Bayou board for the com-
; ing year. They are G.L. Bennett,
j superintendent; T.P. Evans,
I coach; Elizabeth Hotchkiss, Nell
; Cramer, Erma Leslie, Belle
; Smith, Verna Compton, Mrs.
i^G.-L. Bennett, Mabel Matthews,
ftiazel Casey and Mrs. Frank
•Smith. Teacher for the Negro
j&chool is Victoria Taylor.
f “I have been captured by the
* Dillinger gang ... They are tak-
Sing me across the Tri-Cities
jFerry ...” A cough medicine
| bottle containing this note is
! found on Evergreen Beach by
! the two small sons of Bill
J Westfall.
20 YEARS AGO
| Warrant Officer Richard H.
’Harbers receives the
S Distinguished Flying Cross for
j “heroism ... above and beyond
; the call of duty in Vietnam.”
j A committee is named to study
* the possibility of erecting a land-
! based temporary levee in
I
Brownwood. Those named to the
study group are Thad Fennema,
Bill Frazier, Bill Floyd, Dr. C.L.
Umholtz, Roger Wylie, Mike
Larson, A.H. Schoyen, Bill Harp
and Councilman David Evans.
The recommendation to form
the committee was made by
Mayor Glen Walker.
U.S. Sen. John Tower, in a let-
ter to Civil Defense director
Fletcher Hickerson, pledges his
support in seeking funds for a
study of the flood problems on
Burnet, Crystal and Scott’s
bays.
Kathy Sheley is valedictorian
of Anahuac High School. Saluta-
torian is Kevin Griffin.
In teen reporter Cuba Joy Fer-
rell’s column: Horace Mann
Junior School twirlers next year
will be Cindy Jackson, Barbara
Evans, Libby Beavers, Tina
Coker, .Kathy Branscome and
Sandy Donnelly, alternate.
Daryl Start will be president of
the student council next year at
Sterling High School. Scottie
Worden wins the runoff election
for senior girl cheerleader.
10 YEARS AGO
U.S. Steel plans to phase out
marginal facilities which cannot
be justified but Texas plants —
and Baytown in particular —
will not be affected. These
remarks come from David
Roderick, newly elected chair-
man of the board, in a news con-
ference in Houston.
A 15-year-old juvenile con-
fesses that he and a 14-year-old
youth burned and burglarized
The Baytown Sun May 2.
"WAIT. TEESBSLNT BUSH ...WE'RE DOING THINGS DOTERENTLY MOW.
CONGRESS WILL WIHE THE ATI) MONEV TO THE CONTRAS'"
Readers views
Bible verse
For a good tree bringeth
not forth corrupt fruit;
neither doth a corrupt tree
bring forth good fruit.
Luke 6:43
To The Editor:
In reference to the letter from
Raymond Sanchez (April 28), he
claims the meeting on Saturday
was a complete failure for those
sponsoring it. The purpose of a
press conference is to get in-
formation to the public, since
The Baytown Sun reported it
April 27, I fail to see how this
qualifies as a complete failure.
It appears the only one that an-
ticipated hundreds of people was
Mr. Sanchez. TAP only invited
the news media and 10 persons of
whom only one did not attend.'
No, this was not a disappoint-
ment, our objective was to in-
form the voters of the letter’s ex-
istence, which thanks to The
Sun, we did.
Taxpayers Advocating Pro-
gress was formed to be a vehicle
by which the taxpayers of this
community could be educated as
to their rights in the process of
government and informed of
current events which affect
them.
Voters, this is the opportunity
we have been waiting for, so get
out and vote. Remember you
don’t need an excuse to vote
absentee.___„
Rocky Rodriguez
Baytown
To The Sun:
I am neither boasting nor com-
plaining, just quoting facts, and
question all wheels — both large
and small of the universe. Also
the millions of people, especially
the less fortunate, under-
privileged, low-income working
folks; That are necessary in
making the materials of the
small wheels, cogs and pins to
assist the big wheels to function.
In proportion, the “little
wheels” are many to support the
“big wheels” of our fields of
endeavor throughout the
universe. This includes all peo-
ple, rich and poor, less fortunate
as well as fortunate in all walks
of life. Both human as well as
animal power are needed to
operate machinery. Skills of the
world need all peoples young or
old, educated or not. “Time and
tide await no form of life.”
“May this government be of
the people, by the people and for
the people of all lands - the
universe.”
Inflation in all phases of need
should be corrected to fit
everyone’s budget; rich and
poor alike, Z ,
Tex O. Dittman
Baytown
i^aptobJit dun
1 Leon Brown.....
. Fred Hartman ..
. Wanda Orton ...
Bruce Guynn....
Russell Maroney.
Janie Halter.....
Gary Dobbs.....
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
CIRCULATION
...........Editor and publisher
Editor and publisher, 1950-1974
T tWPeR THii STaTe’s ToUGH
SeNTeNCiNG Laws, i Have To
SeMP V>U To FKiSdtf. TRY To
. sraY our OF TRouBLe UNTIL
W We BuiLP oNe.
To The Sun:
I am honored to present an ex-
cellent report on behalf of Of-
ficer Gene Zunker, Baytown
Crime Prevention Unit. Officer
Zunker gave our organization an
excellent presentation on July
21,1988.
By popular demand, Officer
Zunker was invited to return to
our, group as he had made a
previous presentation to our
ladies in 1986. I would like to
know that all Baytonians
would have this valuable
knowledge and awareness of
crime prevention in our town.
We are deeply honored to have
this very dedicated officer of the
law, Officer Gene Zunker, on our
Baytown Police force.
May I also express the fact
that we are campaigning for an
increase in salaries on behalf of
our Baytown Police Department
officers and staff, of whom we
are deeply proud. They are very
deserving of this increase. Our
police farce provides our com-
munity with excellent safety
protection and harmony for our
environment in Baytown, Texas,
USA. We are proud of our
outstanding, dedicated, and
honorable law enforcement,
Baytown Police Department.
Kathy Barbee Ledford
Baytown
.....Managing editor
. Associate managing editor
......Advertising manager
........Classified manager
......Circulation manager
PRODUCTION
J Buddy Jones...............................
* Lynne Morris...............................
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matter at the Baytown, Texas Post Office 77522
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J not otherwise credited in this paper and local news of spontaneous ojigin published herein. Rights of republication
j of all other matter herein are also reserved. The Baytown Sun retaink nationally known syndicates whose writers'
j bylined stories are used throughout the newspaper. There are time* when these articles do hot reflect The Sun's
lETTI* POilCT
Only signed letters will be considered for publication. Names will be withheld upon request for good and sufficient
ason. Pleose keep letters short. The Sun reserves the right-16 excerpt letters.
edSle/M'#
RWMtN.
By the ASSOCIATED PRESS
Today is Monday, May 8, the
128th day of 1989. There are 237
days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On May 8, 1945, President
Harry S. Truman announced in a
radio address that World War II
had ended in Europe.
On this date:
In 1541, the Spanish explorer
Hernando de Soto discovered the
Mississippi River.
In 1846, the first major battle of
the Mexican War was fought at
Palo Alto, Texas, resulting in
victory for \Gen. Zachary
Taylor’s forces.
In 1884, the 33rd President of
the United States, Harry S.
Truman, was bom near Lamar,
Mo.
In 1886, Atlanta pharmacist
John Styth Pemberton invented
the syrup for a beverage that
came to be known as Coca-Cola.
In 1958, Vice President Richard
M. Nixon was shoved, stoned,
booed and spat upon by anti-
American protesters in Lima,
Peru.
In 1970, helmeted construction
workers broke up an anti-war
protest on New York’s Wall
Street.
In 1973, militant Indians who
had held the South Dakota
hamlet of Wounded Knee for 10
weeks surrendered.
In 1978, David R. Berkowitz
pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn
courtroom to the six murder
charges against him in the “Son
of Sam” shootings that had ter-
rified New Yorkers.
In 1980, Philippine opposition
leader Benigno Aquino was
released after 7V2 years of deten-
tion and allowed to fly to the
United States for medical treat-
ment.
In 1987, an angry and defiant
Gary Hart, dogged by reports
about his relationship with
Miami mod6l Donna Rice,
withdrew from the race for the
Democratic presidential
nomination.
Ten years ago: California
Governor Edmund G. “Jerry”
Brown Jr. signed an executive
order, effective the following
day, establishing an “odd-even”
license plate system of gasoline
rationing in his state.
Five years ago: The Soviet
Union announced it would not
participate in the Los Angeles
Summer Olympics, charging the
United States did not intend to
ensure athletes’ security.
One year ago: French Presi-
dent Francois Mitterrand was
elected to a second seven-year
term, defeating conservative
challenger Jacques Chirac.
Birthdays: Comedian Don
Rickies is 63. Environmentalist
Sir David Attenborough is 63.
Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.)
is 52. Author Peter Benchley is
49. Jockey Angel Cordero is 47.
Singer Toni Tennille is 46. Ac-
tress Melissa Gilbert is 25.
Thought for Today: [“Never
think that war, no matter how
necessary, nor how justified, is
not a crime.” - Ernest Hem-
ingway, American author (1899-
1961).
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Brown, Leon. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 162, Ed. 1 Monday, May 8, 1989, newspaper, May 8, 1989; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1051373/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.