Citizens Journal (Atlanta, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 126, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 5, 1990 Page: 4 of 12
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4A Sunday. Aug. S, 1090 Citizana Journal
Viewpoint
EDITORIALS
Ryan pitches for Perry's election
S & L stench
Just when we thought the savings and loan scandal had bottomed out,
there comes one more seedy revelation of a government giveaway to yet
another politically well-connected Arizonian of dubious character.
Two years ago, James M. Fail was granted nearly $2 billion in federal
subsidies that enabled him, with a loan of $70 million, to purchase 15 in-
solvent Texas S&Ls.
It didn't seem to faze the federal regulators that Fail had been indicted
in 1976 by the state of Alabama for securities fraud and that the charges
against him were dropped only after he agreed not to conduct any new
business in the state. Or that Fail controlled a holding company that sub-
sequently pleaded guilty to defrauding its depositors.
Undaunted by his Alabama adventures that alone should had dis-
qualified his application, and that he could only post $1,000 of his own
money, the government enthusiastically embraced Fail as the proud
owner of Bluebonnet Savings, based in Dallas.
One must remember that in 1988 the federal government was busily
trying to unburden itself of financially shaky thrifts. Responding to this
buyer's market, the ubiquitous Fail stepped forward. Then again, it didn't
hurt that he had friends in high places.
Robert Thompson, the man who lobbied the now defunct Federal
Home Loan Bank Board in Fail's behalf, had served as congressional
liaison for George Bush when he was vice president.
Thompson prevailed upon M. Danny Wall, then chairman of the bank
board, to favorably consider Fail's application. Soon thereafter, the board
dropped the front-running applicant from the bidding process even
though his bid for the ailing Texas S&Ls would have cost the government
about $97 million less than the sweetheart deal award to Fail.
A year after Fail's bid was approved, companies controlled by him lent
Thompson $500,000, most of which went to purchase a home in
Washington, D.C.
Neither Fail nor Thompson is talking to the press at this point. In fact,
Fail is currently in Europe on a business trip, which is being underwritten
no doubt by the taxpayers whose generosity has already enabled him to
make a handsome profit as Bluebonnet's top banana.
Not bad for a man who was one step ahead of the sheriff two years
ago.
AUSTIN — The public school finance reform
plan got a temporary nod of approval from a
presiding judge last week, but voters may wit-
ness a bloodier political battle just before Elec-
tion Day.
Meanwhile, as Clayton Williams and Ann
Richards campaigned in East Texas, down-
ballot candidates swapped potshots:
•In the lieutenant governor race, Democrat
Bob Bullock drew a little blood with his official
complaint that Robert Mosbacher's campaign
improperly reported political expenses.
•Rangers pitcher and modern day hero Nolan
Ryan endorsed state Rep. Rick Perry for
agriculture commissioner in radio ads; incum-
bent Democrat Jim Hightower fired back at Per-
ry's backers.
•State Sen. Buster Brown and state Rep. Dan
Morales agreed to a roundtable series, with
Morales claiming he was ahead in the polls and
fundraising.
Judges, Tax Hikes
Austin State District Judge Scott McCown
said the school finance reform bill is a "sig-
nificant step forward," but said he has not
decided whether it is constitutional.
McCown spoke at the conclusion of the 12-
day trial in which 68 property-poor school dis-
tricts challenged the law. Although McCown ini-
tially indicated he would rule on the case by
Sept. 1, he now says the decision will be issued
in September or October.
The timing means that Judge McCown could
rule whether it is constitutional just a couple of
weeks before Election Day, holding promise
that the issue could ignite voters one way or the
other in the campaign's last days.
If his ruling, as perceived by lawmakers and
voters, directs the Legislature to raise school
property taxes next session, then the Texas
Supreme Court justice races could heat up, be-
cause that is where his ruling will be appealed.
CapitaI
HiqMiqhTS
■ ♦ ' BY LYNDELL WILLIAMS
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
Mattox Raids Theater
Attorney General Jim Mattox sent his staff to
help Pharr city officials battle sexually oriented
businesses by closing an adult movie house.
The city asked for help because its police
force does not have enough officers for a vice
squad.
That same day, a Pharr municipal court ruled
that previously seized sexually oriented
materials worth $75,000 were forfeited to the
state.
Bullock's Complaint
In a letter to the Texas Secretary of State,
Bullock charged Mosbacher with violating the
election code by not filing details on $260,000
his campaign paid his company, Mosbacher
Energy Corp. in Houston.
Mosbacher explained his compaign operated
in the company building and that payments
were expenses for office rent, salaries, phone
bills and contract labor.
Bullock said the expenses were filed as a
lump sum and not broken down as they should
be.
Ryan Pitches Politics
While trying for 300 wins, Nolan Ryan also
pitched radio ads for Perry's candidacy, but
Hightower threw strikes at a political action
committee for illegal contributions to Perry.
Ryan has farmed several years near Alvin.
In a responso characteristic for the feisty
Hightower, he wished Ryan well in getting his
300th win, but said voters will decide them-
selves to elect him to a third term.
A citizens group charged that south Texans
for Rick Perry violated election laws by not filing
a campaign treasurer before giving $35,000 to
Perry.
Perry's campaign later placed the $35,000 in
a separate bank account until the South Texas
group files the proper information.
AG Roundtables
Brown and Morales, AG opponents, agreed
to a series of roundtable talks with reporters,
and swapped complaints.
Morales said Brown's "name calling and
screaming for debates" is a sign that he
(Morales) is ahead in the polls and raising
funds.
Brown retorted "Morales can speak for 20
minutes and still not say anything."
At last report, Brown was significantly ahead
in fundraising and led in some polls.
Other Highlights
•The Battleship Texas returned home to the
San Jacinto State Park, painted navy blue in-
stead of gray, after spending more than a year
in repair dock.
•Gov. Bill Clements named Douglas Jeu, 43,
a Houston lawyer, to the Texas Board of Par-
dons and Paroles. Jeu replaces Esther Yao of
Houston, who resigned.
•Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby and House Speaker Gib
Lewis are creating a bipartisan task force to op-
pose a U.S. Defense Department recommenda-
tion to end federaal funding for the V-22 Osprey
aircraft being developed by Bell Helicopter-
Textron in Fort Worth.
•Agriculture officials from 32 states met in
Weslaco last week to coordinate defending the
honey industry against "Killer Bees."
The hybrid bees are the offspring of a swarm
of African bees which escaped a Brazilian re-
search project in 1957, migrated north to
Mexico and are due in the U.S. next year.
JUS. CPS
Letters to the Editor
Just say no to tests
Dear Editor:
I read with disbelief about the "voluntary" drug
testing program being considered for our Atlan-
ta School students.
In the last several years, we have expended
thousands of dollars to establish anti drug
programs to educate our students about the
dangers of drug usage. These programs also
endeavor to raise the child's self esteem and
equip them to resist peer pressure to use drugs.
We have, hopefully, given our children the infor-
mation and training to make an intelligent, in-
formed choice about drug usage.
The key word here is choice. This is a prin-
ciple our country is founded upon. Another prin-
ciple states a citizen should not be compelled to
incriminate himself. Another guards us against
unreasonable search and seizure.
From a student's point of view, you are telling
them that our constitution does not apply to
them, you do not trust them, you find it accept-
able to use peer pressure for your agenda, that
they must accept any proposal by government,
and that they are not morally or intellectually
able to choose correctly.
How many of you have been drug tested? I
have, and I can tell you it is demeaning. I had
no choice, though, because I was in the military.
My individual rights had been suspended for a
time for the welfare of my fellow soldiers. The
courts have found these tests permissible only if
the public safety is as stake. We do not have
this situation here.
These tests can be inaccurate. Urine samples
can be switched or mixed up. Make no mistake,
a child will be affected by a positive test, even if
a mistake was made. The cloud of suspicion will
color his relations with peer and teacher alike.
Is this the kind of big brother environment we
want our children to grow up with?
You can search public property and cars
parked on public property. A good visible en-
forcement program sends a clear message. Let
us play by rules and principles established by
law. Any worthwile goal is desirable only if the
means used to achieve it are acceptable and
principled. Let us not allow our fear of drugs to
destroy our honor, mutual trust and constitution-
al principles.
You cannot legislate morals. Families imparl
values and moral training. Some of the most
tragic events in history have occurred when
these truths were ignored. Let us teach our
children the right ways, and programs such as
this will be unnecessary.
I will not allow my children to be tested. I am
not willing for them to be subjected to a big
brother police state environment and to think
that this is proper in a free country that values
individual choice and freedom.
Charles Riley
Stick to your guns
Dear Editor:
An open letter to Clayton Williams, candidate
for governor.
Dear Claytie:
Please stick to our guns! You were dead right
when you recently broached the possibility —
even the necessity — of armed intervention in
the mess in Washington D.C.
Amendment II of our U.S. Constitution states,
"A well-regulated militia being necessary to the
security of a free state, the right of the people to
keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Not only does this amendment have ab-
solutely nothing to do with "sporting" or "hunt-
ing" arms, but it specifically guarantees the right
of the people (you and me) to keep and bear
military arms so that we can protect ourselves,
our rights, our resources and our hard-won
freedom from an all-powerful, centralized
federal government.
Yet today, we face all of those problems an-
ticipated by the founding fathers, with a
monolithic bureaucracy in Washington arrogant-
ly stealing our resources, methodically stripping
away our few remaining rights and rapidly
destroying our freedom.
And in addition, we are confronted with venal
politicians, crooked bankers, illegal aliens, wel-
fare fraud, drugs, AIDS and rampant crime of
every conceivable nature. All resulting from a
perfasive federal government policy of taxing
the productive to reward the shiftless; of
protecting criminals while penalizing their vic-
tims; of wasting our resources on "social en-
gineering" while refusing to pay our national
debts.
In view of this mess, I propose that our right
to bear arms should be strengthened, not
weakened. How about declaring an open
season on bureaucrats and politicians?
William T. Harlan
Linden
wwy is rr
EVERY TIME YOU
CLOWNS GET COVERED
WITH RED INK,
I GET TAKEN TO
THE CLEANERS?
In
YMMUAJ
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Citizens Journal (Atlanta, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 126, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 5, 1990, newspaper, August 5, 1990; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth348175/m1/4/?q=%221964~%22: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Atlanta Public Library.