The Boerne Star (Boerne, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 38, Ed. 1 Friday, May 16, 2003 Page: 4 of 30
thirty pages : ill. ; page 23 x 14 in. Scanned from physical pages.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
PAGE 4A
The Boerne STAR
Friday, May 16, 2003
i ewp oinlts
Strayhorn’s plan calls
for adding sales tax
holiday in December
Across-the-board tax cuts will create jobs
State spending has skyrocket-
ed over the last decade. From
1990 through 2001, spending
increased by more than 131
percent — an enormous in-
crease considering that our
state's population rose by just
23 percent over the same peri-
od.
Today, the bill is coming due.
Ten Principles for Texas in the
21st Century
1. Develop a better-educated
workforce
2. Direct more of every edu-
cation dollar into the classroom
3. Raise the bar on student
performance
4. Cut taxes in Texas
5. Introduce competition into
Texas government
6. Improve government per-
formance and accountability
7. Reduce the size of govern-
ment
8. Bring common sense to
regulations
9. Use technology to cut costs
and increase quality
10. Return control to commu-
nities and individuals.
The biggest reason we have a
problem is because we didn't
have any fiscal tools in place to
prevent it.
I have a plan — “Returning
the Favor” — to direct any sur-
plus revenues back where they
truly belong —in the pockets
of Texas taxpayers-and to pro-
vide economic security to our
state for times when we face a
true crisis.
Any surplus would be split in
half between the Rainy Day
Fund (Economic Stabilization
Fund) and the Returning the
Favor Fund. The Rainy Day
Fund is only to be used in a
true emergency. And God help
us, after September 11, we
now know what a true emer-
gency is. -
The “Returning the Favor”
dollars will finance a new sales
tax holiday (in addition to our
August sales tax holiday) dur-
1 Worth Quoting ...
GUEST EDITORIAL
Carole Keeton Strayhorn
COMPTROLLER
STATE OF TEXAS
ing the following two Christ-
mas seasons — with an ex-
panded list of items eligible for
tax savings. The length of the
tax-free holiday would be de-
termined by the extent of avail-
able surpluses.
As you know, I am a staunch
supporter of the sales tax holi-
day. I love it because it is one
time when hard working Tex-
ans keep their dollars in their
pockets for their family's prior-
ities.
It may seem unusual to be
talking of returning tax dollars
to the taxpayers at a time of
budget shortfalls. But today's
headlines mask the fact that the
last Legislature started out with
a surplus of nearly $3 billion
and spent every dime available
to boot. This plan will ensure
that we do not fail in the lega-
cy we leave to the next genera-
tion.
Our last sales tax holiday
saved Texas families an esti-
mated $42 million including
both state and local sales taxes.
If we had "Returning the
Favor" in place last session,
Texas families would have
saved about 20 times that
amount each of the last two
Christmases, and we would
have $2.5 billion in our Rainy
Day Fund.
We Texans are made of strong
stuff--we will come through
this tough economy and
emerge both stronger and wiser
for the effort. Our bootstrap
mentality has served us well. I
believe it will continue to do so
in the future.
My bottom line is the same as
Sam Houston’s “Govern wisely
— and as little as possible.”
Last week I voted for legisla-
tion that creates 61,000 new
Texas jobs and 1.2 million new
jobs nationally by the end of
2004. It will also pump $200
billion into our economy.
We need to create more jobs
and the best way to help com-
panies, investors and entrepre-
neurs to create good, private-
sector jobs is to reduce taxes
across-the-board. That will re-
fuel the economy and keep
Texas competitive and growing.
The centerpiece of the jobs
package is the rate reduction on
both dividend income and capi-
tal gains. It will provide relief
for the 50 percent of Americans
who are invested in the market,
as well as the 70 million Amer-
icans who own their homes.
The tax on dividends and cap-
ital gains will be reduced to
five percent for the lowest two
brackets and 15 percent for the
remaining brackets, putting
Public education worsens with time
In 1981 the Secretary of ed-
ucation commissioned a re-
port on the quality of educa-
tion in the United States. The
report’s title, “A Nation at
Risk: The Imperative for Edu-
cational Reform,” summed up
the stark findings of the two-
year study.
The report noted that if a
“foreign power had attempted
to impose on America the
mediocre educational perfor-
mance that exists today, we
might well have viewed it as
an act of war. As it stands, we
have allowed this to happen
to ourselves.” Strong words.
Unfortunately, despite the
expenditure of billions of tax
dollars, the “Nation at Risk”
report rings as true today as it
did 20 years ago. Ask any
parent of a child in our public
school system and most will
tell you they received a better
education than their children
are now receiving.
The situation we find our-
selves in is not for lack of
ideas. Numerous proposals
have been brought forward
through the years to improve
the education our children re-
INSIDE THE U.S. HOUSE
Lamar Smith
U.S. REP.
R-TEXAS
dollars back into the pockets of
millions of Americans. The
provision not only will in-
crease economic growth, but
also increase incomes for work-
ing Americans.
A key element of the plan is
the acceleration of the rate re-
ductions for individual taxpay-
ers scheduled to take effect in
2006. The reductions will be
implemented this year. Ameri-
cans immediately will have
more take-home pay.
The bill increases the child
tax credit, reduces the marriage
penalty and brings relief to in-
GUEST EDITORIAL
Bill Hammond
PRESIDENT & CEO
TEXAS ASSOCIATION
OF BUSINESS
ceive, but obstructionists have
consistently thrown road-
blocks in the way of innova-
tion. Some progress has been
made in Texas, but the gains
have been hard-fought and
unduly delayed.
Two proposals by Texas
House Public Education Com-
mittee Chairman Kent
Grusendorf that are currently
under consideration in the
Legislature illustrate this
point.
* House Bill 318 allows
schools to hire people who
hold a bachelor’s degree to
teach their major as long as
they pass the teaching exam.
For several years, Texas
schools have faced a growing
teacher shortage and tradi-
tional and alternative certifi-
cation programs are not meet-
ing the demand for certified
teachers. This legislation will
dividuals subject to the alterna-
tive minimum tax. These pro-
visions provide stimulus by
giving more money back to
families, which increases con-
sumer demand, helping our
economy continue on the road
to recovery.
Today 23 million small busi-
ness owners are classified as
“rich” taxpayers because they
file and pay their taxes at indi-
vidual tax rates rather than cor-
porate rates. Why should we
punish them with higher taxes?
Small business relief is a criti-
cal component of our economic
growth strategy.
The plan I support includes a
provision for increased acceler-
ated depreciation for compa-
nies. This incentive will help
businesses invest in goods re-
quired for operation, such as
equipment and software. The
bill also increases the amount
small businesses can expense
help ease the teacher short-
age. People who have earned
alternative state certification
and who currently are teach-
ing in our public schools are
exceeding the productivity of
the average teachers.
The current certification
system excludes many talent-
ed people who have vast ex-
perience in their fields from
becoming teachers. It instead
ensures only that teachers
know how to tech in the tradi-
tional method.
* House Bill 973 will pro-
vide exemplary public school
districts and campuses the
same level of regulatory relief
from state mandates that is
now provided to open-enroll-
ment charter schools. Charter
schools are one of the recent
bright spots in public educa-
tion. The Texas Education
Agency ranks exemplary
schools as the highest achiev-
ing schools in the state. Pro-
viding them relief from man-
dates such as class size limits,
duty-free lunches and the
length of school days and
school years will allow them
to innovate and continue to
from $25,000 to $100,000.
Lowering taxes across-the-
board means every American
who pays taxes - whether
rural or urban, wealthy, mid-
dle class or poor - will receive
some relief. This is money
that can be used for education,
a new washer and dryer, or to
help pay credit cards and
loans.
The goal is job creation. Ac-
cording to an analysis released
by the Heritage Foundation, the
tax reduction plan we passed
will create 61,000 new Texas
jobs by the end of 2004 and
200,000 new Texas jobs by
2008.
Americans looking for work
need jobs, and the economy -
while improving - needs help.
Our legislation will have a pos-
itive impact both in terms of
stimulus and long-term eco-
nomic growth. That will benefit
everyone.
succeed.
These proposals will shake
up the status quo. So long as
decisions regarding the public
education system are based as
much on school district jobs
as they are on truly educating
public, this state’s progress in
overcoming the shortcomings
outlined in “A Nation at
Risk” will be halting.
The quality of the workforce
of tomorrow depends largely
upon the education founda-
tion we lay today. We can’t
afford to let the public educa-
tion system in this state erode
for another 20 years. But that
will be the result unless the
bold changes envisioned by
Chairman Grusendorf and
others enacted. A good start-
ing point is for the Legisla-
ture to approve HB 973 and
HB 318.
Bill Hammond is president
and CEO of the Austin-based
Texas Association of Busi-
ness, a broad-based, biparti-
san organization representing
more than 140,000 small and
large Texas employers and
200 local chambers of com-
merce.
Anything that is too stupid to
be spoken, is sung.
— Voltaire (1694-1778)
Letters to the Editor
Bible Verse ...
He who gives to the poor will
never want, but he who shuts
his eyes will have many curses.
— Proverbs 28:27
THE BOERNE Star
www.boernestar.com
EDITORIAL
EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Brian Cartwright
Managing Editor
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Sports Editor
Typesetter
PRODUCTION
Valerie Collins
Matt Bartosh
Christianne Young
Kerry Barboza
Molly Meckel
Sales
Sales
Sales
Coordinator
ADVERTISING
Brian Cartwright
Joseph Casanova
Anita Anderson
Krysta McDaniel
Graphic Design
Subscriptions
CIRCULATION
Carla Wilson
Dana Smith
FRONT DESK/CLASSIFIEDS
Receptionist Elaine Provenzano
Receptionist Dana Smith
BOOKKEEPING
Miracle
workers
Dear Editor:
From the bottom of my
heart Thank You!
Caused by an accidental fall
. eight weeks ago in our home,
my dear wife of 57 years, Lia
1 Scheffrahn, broke both her
left hand and her spine, caus-
ing her excruciating pain and
suffering. Our primary care
physician, Dr. Clemons,
Boerne office of the S.A Pre-
vention and Diagnostic Medi-
cine, arranged the continued
help of Drs. Rowland and
Kuwamura, both with the San
Antonio Orthopedic Group.
Dr. Rowland healed Lia’s
broken wrist by putting it in a
cast for four weeks. Dr.
Kuwamura performed the
surgery on her spine.
Following the operation, a
developing heart condition
made the immediate admit-
tance to North Central Baptist
Hospital’s Adult Intensive
Care a necessity. Following
two additional days in the
hospital, on March 30 Lia
was transferred by ambulance
to Town and Country Manor
Nursing Home in Boerne.
While there, in the best of
hands and with good care
considering her fragile condi-
tion, slowly but surely she
mad good progress and final-
ly came home on May 9.
My appreciation goes to
everyone at the Nursing
Home, its administration,
nurses, around-the-clock at-
tendants, medical supervision
and the homes excellent
physical therapy department,
improving her use of limbs,
hands and speech. Also to the
K.C. Transport for doctors
appointments. For Mother’s
Day, my dear Lia was home
again, giving me the opportu-
nity to assist her in her final
recovery.
My profound gratitude to all
the participating medical pro-
fessionals and their support
personnel,, X-ray, casting
technicians, helpful recep-
tionists, the hospital’s inten-
sive care nurses, the ambu-
lance medics and the Kendall
County Transportation. What
would we have done without
your help! Also all those
kind Get Well cards, flowers
and phone calls from our
Boerne friends and neighbors
has been most appreciated.
To all the members of our
family, living in North and
Northeast Texas, Florida and
Illinois, very special hugs and
kisses! Your visits, cards,
gifts, phone calls, flowers and
more flowers was over-
whelming. Your love to your
Mama and Omi helped
tremendously in her recovery
and recuperation.
Again - Thank You!
Rudolf R. Scheffrahn
Boerne
Leftist
insurgence
Dear Editor:
Many think of America as
just a place to live, a society
just trying to get along. They
don’t see the angry left that is
leading the country and has a
strangle hold on our govern-
ment as well as the media,
our children’s education and
the entertainment industry.
Our Founders gave us a
government that is limited by
the Constitution to the protec-
tion of liberty and private
property ownership, but the
perfect government is only as
perfect as the people who are
running it.
We know, as our Founders
knew, people are not perfect
and never will be. So a per-
fect system of government is
impossible. That’s why the
Founders laid the burden on
us, the regular people, the
ones whose rights the system
is designed to protect, to be
the ultimate check and bal-
ance.
There will always be
threats, not just external, but
insidious internal threats
from incompetents and das-
tardly types who rise to posi-
tions where they can do
harm.
While you are snoozing, the
left is taking control and
seizing power. They are
fighting appointments of non-
leftist judges tooth and nail.
They will not be satisfied
until they have destroyed or
Constitution and have com-
plete control of all our rights.
Our Founders said “eternal
vigilance is the price of free-
dom.” We must stay vigilant,
keeping constantly in touch
with all our elected officials
and reminding them that they
solemnly swore to uphold the
Constitution (our Constitution
as it was intended, not some
modern interpretation) and
that they do so if they wish to
be re-elected!
Sincerely,
Ed Spreen
Boerne
Office Manager
Maria Huerta
WRITE ’EM!
• MEMBER
TA4 2002
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
MEMBER OF Texas Press Association, National Newspaper Association,
South Texas Press Association, Texas Gulf Coast Press Association
282 N. MAIN • (UPS 059-740)
P.O. Box 820 • 830-249-2441 FAX 830-249-4607
THE BOERNE STAR is published twice weekly for $35 per year in Kendall County, $42 else-
where in Texas and $50 per year outside of Texas by The Boerne Star, 282 N. Main, Boerne,
Kendall County, TX. 78006. Periodical postage paid at Boerne, TX. POSTMASTER: Send changes
of address to THE BOERNE STAR, P.O. Box 820. Boerne, Texas 78006-0820.
The Boerne Star welcomes letters on any public issue. Letters may be mailed, faxed, e-
mailed or hand-delivered but must contain the writer’s name, address and phone number. Let-,
ters should not exceed 300 words. Addresses and telephone numbers are for verification pur-
poses only and will not be published. Names and city of residence will be published. We re-
serve the right to edit all letters for style and content.
KENDALL COUNTY
JUDGE EDDIE VOGT
204 E. San Antonio
Boerne, Texas 78006
249-9343
Commissioners
JOHN KIGHT
GENE MIERTSCHIN
DARRELL LUX
RUSSELL BUSBY
204 E. San Antonio
Boerne, Texas 78006
249-9343
BOERNE ISD
School
Superintendent
JOHN KELLY
123 W. Johns Rd.
Boerne, Texas 78006
249-5000
COMFORT ISD
School Superinten-
dent
MARLIN MARCUM
232 High
Comfort, Texas 78013
995-3664
CITY OF BOERNE
MAYOR PATRICK
HEATH
402 E. Blanco
Boerne, Texas 78006
249-9511
STATE LEVEL
STATE REP.
CARTER CASTEEL
District 53
P.O. Box 312404
New Braunfels, TX
78131
(830)627-8820
fax. (830)627-8895
STATE SENATOR
JEFF WENTWORTH
District 25
1250 N.E. Loop 410 St.
720
San Antonio, Tx
78209
(210) 826-7800
U.S. REP.
LAMAR SMITH
District 21
2231 Sam Rayburn
Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
20510
(202) 225-4236
Smith - Locally
1006 Junction Hwy.
Kerrville, Texas 78028
(830) 895-1414
1100 N.E. Loop 410,
Suite 640
San Antonio, Texas
78209
(210) 821-5024
U.S. SENATOR
JOHN CORNYN
Russell Bldg. Rm. 179
Washington, D.C.
20510
(202) 224-2934
KAY BAILEY
HUTCHISON
703 Hart Senate
Office Building
Washington, D.C.
20510
(202) 224-5922
GOVERNOR
RICK PERRY
State Capital
Room 200
Austin, Texas 78701
(512) 463-2000
STATE BOARD
OF EDUCATION
District 5
205 W. Travis
Fredericksburg, Tx,
78624
(830) 997-9759
PRESIDENT
GEORGE W. BUSH
White House
1600 Pennsylvania
Ave.
Washington, D.C.
20000
BOERNE
CITY COUNCIL
7:30 p.m.
second and fourth Tuesday
of the month, City Hall
402 E. Blanco
KENDALL
COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
9 a.m. second and fourth
Monday of the month,
Kendall County
Courthouse,
204 E. San Antonio
BISD
Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
second and fourth Monday
of the month
BISD boardroom
COMFORT ISD
7 p.m. second and fourth
Wednesday of the month
at the board offices
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Cartwright, Brian & Collins, Valerie. The Boerne Star (Boerne, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 38, Ed. 1 Friday, May 16, 2003, newspaper, May 16, 2003; Boerne, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1632871/m1/4/: accessed June 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Patrick Heath Public Library.