The Boerne Star (Boerne, Tex.), Vol. 103, No. 100, Ed. 1 Tuesday, December 15, 2009 Page: 4 of 24
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Page 4A
The Boerne Star
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2009
[ E W P O I N T S
Star Editorial
Governor blasts EPA health ruling on carbon dioxide
The word is out
Reminders not to drink and drive will be showing up everywhere
this holiday season - even in some bathrooms.
Texas Department of Transportation reminders to celebrate respon-
sibly are popping up in convenience stores, restaurants and even on
mirrors above bathroom sinks at bars and nightclubs as part of a cam-
paign to make holiday travel on state highways safer for everyone.
Though the percentage of alcohol-related fatalities in Texas has
decreased in recent years, Texas still leads the nation when it comes
to alcohol-related traffic fatalities, according to TxDOT. Last Decem-
ber, 85 people died in alcohol-related crashes in Texas.
This year, Santa’s reindeer will adorn bar coasters, bathroom mirror
decals, street posters and interactive digital jukebox advertisements
to remind patrons to find a sober ride home if they’ve been drink-
ing. Perhaps the most unexpected of these efforts involves reindeer
antlers, which will be placed on bathroom mirrors in bars and res-
taurants across Texas. When a patron glances in the mirror above the
bathroom sink, they will see their own head adorned with reindeer
antlers. Adjacent to the antlers will be a decal that reads: “Don’t
drive if you’re tipsy, buzzed or Blitzen. Call a cab or get a sober
ride home.”
Partners in this year’s DWI-prevention campaign include the Texas
Restaurant Association, Texas Petroleum Marketers and Convenience
Store Association, Texas Package Store Association, Texas Alcoholic
Beverage Commission and Texas Municipal Police Association.
We applaud the statewide program and encourage everyone to do
their part to prevent drunk driving.
If the reindeer-adorned image in the mirror is not sobering enough,
remember that penalties for a first-time DWI conviction include
driver’s license suspension for up to one year, a fine up to $2,000 and
up to six months in jail.
Celebrate safely this season!
AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry on
Dec. 9 wrote to Lisa Jackson,
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency director, in hopes of hav-
ing the agency withdraw a ruling
that admits to the health danger
of carbon dioxide in the air we all
breathe.
The EPA announced Dec. 7 that
greenhouse gases (water vapor,
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous
oxide and ozone) threaten the
public health and welfare of the
American people. EPA also cited
evidence that “GHG” emissions
from on-road vehicles contribute to
that threat.
Perry, joined by state officials and
industry chiefs, held a press confer-
ence in La Porte Dec. 9 to talk about
the EPA ruling.
“The unelected bureaucrats at
the EPA have effectively and uni-
laterally ended any honest debate
on this vital issue,” Perry said. “A
cap-and-tax system would force
Texans to bear more than their share
of negative effects, including an
average increase in annual living
costs of approximately $1,200 per
household and the loss of hundreds
of thousands of jobs. I’m a firm
believer that Washington’s one-
size-fits-all approaches don’t work,
whether you’re talking energy poli-
cies, health care reform or economic
development,” he said.
Perry refers above to “cap-and-
trade,” a federal plan to control air
CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS
Ed Sterling
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
pollution by limiting the amount
of pollutants a company may dis-
charge. If a company uses all of
its pollution “credits,” it may buy
credits from another company that
has some to spare.
Cap-and-trade operates under
the theory that companies will cut
back or clean up their emissions,
and cumulatively, the less pol-
lution, the cleaner and healthier
the air.
Public Utility Commission
Chairman Barry Smitherman said
cap-and-trade “will cost trillions
(of dollars) with no guarantee of
results, except lost jobs and higher
electricity prices.”
LETTERS TARGET UNIN-
SURED MOTORISTS
The Texas Department of Insur-
ance announced Dec. 8 that about
100,000 Texas drivers will receive a
one-page letter because they could
not be matched with an active auto
insurance policy for a period of at
least 60 days.
The letters come through Texas-
Sure, a vehicle insurance verification
program available to the state’s 254
county tax assessor-collectors since
June 2008 and state law enforce-
ment since October 2008.
The goal of the program is to
reduce the number of uninsured
drivers. The presence of uninsured
drivers on the road drives up auto
insurance costs for insured drivers.
APPLIANCE REBATE
PROGRAM IS SET
Texas Comptroller Susan Combs
on Dec. 11 announced the state
will use about $23 million in fed-
eral stimulus funds for a mail-in
rebate program for consumers who
purchase certain energy efficient
household appliances between April
16 and April 25, 2010.
The rebates are for consumers
who buy eligible Energy Star appli-
ances and replace the same type
of old appliance that is functional.
Included are Energy Star certi-
fied refrigerators, freezers, room
air conditioners, central air condi-
tioners, heat pumps, water heaters,
clothes washers and dishwashers,
Combs said.
An additional $75
recycling
rebate will go to
consumers who
buy an eligible appliance and recy-
cle the same type of functional old
appliance.
The 10-day purchase period was
set to coincide with Earth Day,
April 22, 2010.
STATE SALES TAX INTAKE
DECLINES
Comptroller Combs on Dec. 11
said the state collected $1.7 billion
in sales tax in November, down
14.4 percent compared to Novem-
ber 2008.
Collections were down in oil and
natural gas production, construction,
manufacturing and retail trade.
LANGUAGE EXTENDS
TOLLING BAN
U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison,
R-Texas, a member of the Sen-
ate Transportation, Housing and
Urban Development Appropria-
tions subcommittee, on Dec. 11
announced that her language rein-
forcing a current ban on placing
tolls on existing interstate high-
ways in Texas through September
2010 was included in pending leg-
islation she expects to be signed
into law.
BILL CONTAINS IKE
RECOVERY MONEY
The U.S. House on Dec. 10 and
the U.S. Senate on Dec. 13 passed
a$l.l trillion spending bill, which
includes funds to help Galves-
ton and other communities hit by
Hurricane Ike in September 2008.
The bill awaits President Obama’s
signature.
Language in the bill makes
matching community development
block grant funding available for
hurricane-damaged cities in Texas
coastal areas still in need of recov-
ery assistance. The language was
inserted into the bill by U.S. Rep.
Chet Edwards, D-Waco.
Letters to the Editor Policy
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.
Addresses and telephone numbers are for verification purposes
only and will not be published. Names and city of residence will
be published. Letters should be short and concise, long enough
only to make your point. We reserve the right to edit all letters for
style and content and refuse letters that would be objectionable to
readers. We also will not publish anonymous letters. Priority will
be given to letters 300 words or less that concern local topics and
written by people who’ve not published a letter in the last 30
days.
The Boerne Star does not accept letters to the editor urging
voters to vote for or against candidates in local elections.
Endorsements should be displayed in political advertising. In
light of this policy, we reserve the right to reject or edit letters
for references to candidates and whether or not they should be
elected.
Call 249-2441 with questions regarding the submission of letters
to the editor for publication.
Letter to the Editor
PO Box 820 Boerne, TX 78006
news @boernestar. com
AAAWelOHERAD
sovou)
ARRIVALS VEPARTURES
DELAYS
Ac
AICNW
Worth Quoting ...
“No pessimist ever discovered
the secret of the stars or
sailed an uncharted land,
or opened a new doorway
for the human spirit. “
- Helen Keller (1880 -1968)
Letters to the Editor
Bible Verse ...
“Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness
shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like
the noonday sun.”
- Psalm 37:5-6 (NIV)
Help dealing with holidays
Are you feeling depressed? Got the Holiday blues? I would like to
invite you to a nondenominational outreach program called Celebrate
Recovery. Meetings are held every Thursday evening (except the
week of Christmas we will meet on Tuesday that week) at the Fam-
ily Life Center at the First United Methodist Church here in Boerne.
Whatever your hurt, hang-up, or habit is, you can find love and heal-
ing at every meeting. Make this Christmas one to remember. Enjoy it
with newfound friends in a loving and safe atmosphere.
For more information, please call me at 210-846-4666. Merry
Christmas,
- Tony Stevenson,
Boerne
THE BOERNE Star
www.boernestar.com
PUBLISHER & EDITOR
Brian Cartwright
EDITORIAL
BOOKKEEPING
Managing Editor
Sports Editor
Copy Editor
Staff Writers
Candace E. Velvin
Kerry Barboza
Kit Brenner
Dave Pasley
Elena Tucker
Office Manager
Sandra Pfeiffer
CIRCULATION
Subscriptions Dana Smith
ADVERTISING
PRODUCTION
Graphic Design
Kristyn Bergman
Marketing Director
Sales
Sales
Sales
Frank Shubert
Kolleen Roe
Karen Raye Brown
JT Maroney
DISTRIBUTION
Circulation Manager Stephen Bartell
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Chris Woerner, Chris Tilton, Anya Maltsberger
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS
Mary Alice Yelverton, Dr. John Kelly, Natalie Morgan, Jan Wrede, Ed Davis, Anita
Porterfield, Vera D’Spain, Sharon Benedict, Paula White, Mary Alice Dell
Ken Nietenhoefer, Dr. James Dobson, Ellen Damstra,
Tom Harris, Tom Lanier, Kathy Senkbeil, Ron Warden, Krysta McDaniel,
Paul Barwick, Paula Horner, Bill Ward and Oscar Garcia.
MEMBER OF Texas Press Association, National Newspaper Association,
South Texas Press Association, Texas Gulf Coast Press Association
941 N. School Street • Boerne, TX (UPS 059-740)
830-249-2441 FAX 830-249-4607
THE BOERNE STAR is published twice weekly for $49 per year in Kendall County, $57
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Boerne, Kendall County, TX. 78006. Periodical postage paid at Boerne, TX. POSTMASTER:
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Cap and trade won't work
RE: Claire Oxley Gluck’s article on global warming:
I’d like to present a few of the reasons that many citizens are not
ready to have Cap and Trade passed, without even addressing the
obvious devastating financial effects it would have.
First of all, the level of government control and intervention would
skyrocket. This was never supposed to be the role of the federal gov-
ernment and we have allowed too many freedoms to be taken already.
I believe it is better to encourage conservation efforts of all kinds
through the free market. There is also a strong effort by worldwide
bodies to try to gain global power using this issue, and I believe in
our sovereignty.
Secondly, the players in this issue have often been deceitful and
have large investments at stake. Anytime you see people having to
skew information to get the result they want, it should be a red flag.
Thirdly, we have to have some questioning of the science involved.
According to a recent Pew poll, only 6 percent of scientists are
Republicans. The majority are liberals-Democrats and this is an ideo-
logical debate for them. There are many scientists worldwide who
disagree, and it is foolish to pass massive legislation!at this point in
the debate.
We have always taught our children to question everything; it’s a
healthy thing to do. Be discerning. Examine the sources of informa-
tion. Check other sources for other points of view.
When society moves towards discouraging debate (“The science is
settled”), we are in danger of losing our freedom.
- Michelle Horstman,
Boerne
Leadership should build concensus
Boerne has begun playing a zero-sum game. If you gain, that must
mean that I lose, thus I cannot allow you to gain. We do not seek win-
win solutions. This is in large part a failure of leadership. Effective
city leaders look for ways to bring competing interests together. They
build community consensus.
We are all familiar with the existing bridge over Cibolo Creek. I
would not want to look at it from my back yard. It looks like some-
thing that you might find in North Korea. The bridge would be much
more attractive if the city redesigned its upstream side to add a pedes-
trian boardwalk supported by well-designed ironwork. Not a second
bridge - a renovation. There could be planting boxes, perhaps trailing
vines. Maybe a row of evergreens could be planted between the traffic
lanes and the pedestrian boardwalk, screening some of the noise and
view of traffic from upstream. This would benefit the residences on
Evergreen Street while enhancing shopper access to the Arts District.
It would help several small businesses, increase sales tax revenues,
and improve property values on Evergreen. It would inject stimulus
money into the community.
An effective leader would have asked our city council - all of them
- to holster their weapons, file the application for federal funds, and
work on a win-win bridge redesign while waiting to hear how the
grant application turned out. Council could have used any of several
mechanisms to ensure that the bridge would not be built - even if
the grant was approved - unless an acceptable degree of consensus
was achieved. Instead, a roomful of adults resorted to angry denun-
ciations, NIMBY entrenchment, personal insults, and power-play
ultimatums. Who lost? Everyone lost.
Boerne badly needs a leader who knows how to, and wants to, build
community consensus. Will one emerge from the current pack, or will
we have to start making replacements?
- Jeff Morgenthaler,
Boerne
Lesson to be learned
Open letter to the driver who nearly killed my daughter and I
Returning home Wednesday December 9 at 10pm, my daughter and
I were nearly killed by a reckless driver on Hwy. 46. Heading west
we descended the hill preceding Enchanted
Springs ranch. Headlights forecasted a vehicle approaching. As we
neared a left bend in the road a second set of headlights suddenly
appeared in OUR lane. A pickup driver decided to pass another
pickup pulling a horse trailer. The on-coming pickup could not see
around the trailer but decided to pass on an outside turn, at night,
across a double line.
In 2-3 seconds that followed my mind thought 100 different things.
I swerved right and decelerated, my trunk straddled the pavement and
gravel shoulder, my back right tire locked up and my pickup fish-
tailed. I struggled to maintain my distance from the now occupied
westbound lane softening shoulder to the right.
We passed three abreast across the highway, swinging to the left I
returned to my lane. Unsure if calling the police would help without
a vehicle description, I continue home, taking the opportunity to
explain what happened and why to my future-driving daughter.
I hope the driver of the pickup realizes the dangerous situation we
were placed in because of his/her simple anxiety or frustration with
the vehicle in front of them. Had we been two or three seconds ahead,
I would be writing this from the grave.
Let’s all hope a lesson was learned and not lost.
- Edward Picioccio
Boerne
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Cartwright, Brian & Velvin, Candace E. The Boerne Star (Boerne, Tex.), Vol. 103, No. 100, Ed. 1 Tuesday, December 15, 2009, newspaper, December 15, 2009; Boerne, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1667465/m1/4/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Patrick Heath Public Library.