Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 116, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 1, 2009 Page: 4 of 10
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Viewpoints
Page 4 ■ Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Sweetwater Reporter
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
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Sweetwater
* oweeiwaiei ,
Keporter
P.O.Box 750/112 W. Third
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
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Fax: 325/2354967
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EDITORIAL POLICY
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sion of a variety of viewpoints. .All articles except those labeled
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the Sweetivater Reporter.
HEST COLIMN
How to have a safe and healthy picnic
SWEETWATER - The sun
is shining, the trees are
blooming, the children are
restless. What could be a
better cure for Spring
Fever than a good
old-fashioned pic-
nic?! As fun as they
are and as much as
we love them, we
have to be careful not
to start our summer
off with food borne
illness, a.k.a. food
poisoning.
Many people may
think this message is
overrated. They
think, “We’ve been
having picnics forev-
er and we’ve never
worried about food poison-
ing. Why should 1 worry
now?”
The reasons are simple.
First, bacteria are getting
stronger. More and more
strains of bacteria are
becoming resistant to many
of the common antibiotics
used to treat them. Second,
LynnAnn
Duniven
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
Some thoughts from a
very disgusted taxpayer. We
are in desperate need of
term limits for people in
Congress.
Congress makes all the
laws, votes to pass or fail on
all bills, sometimes at the
insistence of the President.
Congress is rarely at work.
You might say they are on
constant vacation, flying
here and there, sometimes
to foreign countries. On
your dime! Oh they some-
times attend sessions to
vote on a bill that has a
crowd giving a big award to
someone (corporation or
whatever) who make huge
contributions to their cam-
paign. They make deals with
others. ” You vote for my bill
that gives a contract to my
campaign contributor to
build a bridge to nowhere
and I will vote for your bill
that gives millions to your
contributor to explore why
fish swim upstream," or
some such nonsense. Were
you aware when they gave a
contract to a company to
sell washers to the U.S.
Army for $80.00 each when
we could have bought the
same thing for eight cents.
This may not be exact, but it
was something to that
effect. Remember when a
reporter dug out the facts on
a congressman who had rel-
atives and friends on the
government payroll who did
not work for the govern-
ment or the congressman. If
vou took notice of what has
been going on you could
relate many such things
they have done. T hat is our
money being spent. The
government has no money
except what they get from
taxpayers.
You are probably up in
arms about the hundred of
billions in "bail out" money
given to huge corporations
whose fat cat executives
spent millions at fancy vaca-
tion spots, refurbished the
digs they call their office,
etc. Plus many millions for
bonuses to the top brass
that had bankrupt the cor-
poration. If you screwed up
your business and went in
debt so far there was no way
out, would the government
come to your rescue with
that money to the people
who ran your business into
the ground?
You are so angry you are
ready to blow a cork, right?
Who is to blame? You Are!
You keep sending the same
people back to Congress
where they stay until they
get arrested, cause their
party embarrasment with
some scandal or die.
Senators take trips over-
seas, taking a group with
them. It was reported their
booze hills ran into the
thousands per trip, not to
count all the other expenses
these trips cost us. They
charge it to the taxpayers
and a business expense.
Your President stated he
would make up some of the
cost of the bail out money he
and congress are handing
out by raising taxes on ciga-
rettes. Sure enough, tax on
cigarettes have gone up a
dollar per pack. It would
make as much sense for
smokers to claim the cost of
their cigarettes as a busi-
ness expense and have the
government pay for them as
it would the senators claim-
ing their booze, etc as a
business expense.
In the bail out bill, all
those billions of dollars, was
voted on by Congress with-
out some of them, if not all
of them, not even reading
the bill as some have admit-
ted. It was a rush job and
contained so many pages
they probably didn't have
time to read it all. The
Democrats needed another
vote to pass the bill so they
flew a senator from his
mother’s sick bed to vote,
then back to his mother.
Most senators are
lawyers, yet some claim they
were not aware or didn't
understand some things
that were in the bill. As
lawyers, they should cer-
tainly have known and com-
pletely understood what was
in the bill. IF not they
should have postponed the
voting.
Your President has been
trying and in some cases
succeeded to appoint people
with skeletons in the closet
and who had failed to pay
their income taxes. Just let
us fail to pay every penny
the government thinks we
owe them and we would be
in a world of hurt.
It's said that since we put
the people in the White
House and pay their salary,
we are the boss. They work
for us. NO, they don't! They
work for the party, and the
people who make large con-
tributions to them. Senators
have many people working
for them, on our money,
who run their offices (each
senator has several offices)
keep up with what is going
on in their states, advise
them on what to do to look
good and what statements
to make.
Many times I've heard
people say "I'm a
Republican and I vote a
straight Republican ballot,"
or "I’m a Democrat and I
wouldn't vote for anyone
who isn't a Democrat."
They often would vote for
the devil if he was on their
party ballot. I've been regis-
tered as a Democrat over
fifty years, but I've never
voted a straight Democratic
ticket. I vote for the person,
not the party.
Wake Up! At times candi-
dates switch parties, just
depending on how many
people in the district are
register to which party. At
that time they don't care
about which party just as
long as they can get elected.
It would help if everyone
would call the person who
are supposed to represent
us and demand they get
their fanny to work and do
what we sent them to
Washington to do or they
can get out of Dodge. Only
the voters can force them to
change. If we don't they will
keep on keeping on with
their passage of bills putting
money in their pockets of
their contributors, taking
enjoyable trips, lavish par-
ties and get their bucks with
girl friends, little boys and
call girls, while we forever
try to dig our way out of
debt. They vote themselves
a raise while some of us are
trying to figure out how to
put food on the table.
I apologize to any in the
White House who are trying
to do the right thing. I real-
ize at most times you have
to play ball with your party
or they will blackball you.
give you problems and you
don't get reelected.
It's not only the things
congressmen do or the bail
out mess we need to worry
about. They fail to police
agencies or whoever is
responsible for keeping our j
food safe, protect our bor-
ders and airports, keep our
fuel supply ample, and so
many things to keep our
country looked up to as the
leader of the world. That is
the responsibility of
Congress and our President, j
They give the excuse it is
the fault of previous admin-
istrations. Fact is, most of
congress were in the previ-
ous administration! A
President has a limited
number of vetos so senators
can pass or reject bills with-
out the sanction of the
President, unless they are in
the pocket of the President.
We need honesty in our
government. We do not
need a government that pats
fat cats on the back as they
make a large contribution
knowing they will get it back
tenfold plus.
Some people in
Washington are so crooked
they have to screw their !
socks on.
We need honesty in our
government.
Where were the senators
who head committees that
police the banks, Freddie
May and Fanny Mae and
other lending agencies when
we get in this mess.
Senator Dole denied he
had anything to do with the
clause that made it manda-
tory that the top executives
get all those millions in
bonuses. When it was
proven he was responsible,
he gave limp excuses.
Isn't it time we got our
head out of the sand and do
something about those
crooked, lying eggheads in
Washington. This includes
the President who has gone
back on promises he made
when he was campaigning.
He plans to spend more
than a trillion more to shape
up the economy.
I am worried that the peo-
ple we now have in
Washington will bankrupt
the good ol' U.S.A.
Could it he that our
descendants will be living in
what is referred to as a third
world country!
Gladys Rales
Sweetwater
we, as the human race, are
getting weaker. Our
immune systems are weaker
because we simply aren't as
healthy as past
generations.
And finally, it
simply isn't
worth the risk.
With the cost of
health care
increasing, a per-
son suffering
from food borne
illness may have
a co-pay for a
doctors visit that
is anywhere from
$10 to $45. A
prescription to
treat the illness
could be costly. Trips to the
emergency room are even
more expensive, much less,
the cost if you have to miss
work.
So, let’s make sure that
are picnics are as safe as
possible when it comes to
the food we prepare and
pack. Here are ten tips to
keeping your picnic safe:
1. Prepare food safely in
the home. Make sure hands
are washed often. Do not
prepare foods more than
one day ahead of time. Cook
foods thoroughly. Chill
foods properly by refrigerat-
ing foods immediately in
shallow containers. Store
foods below 40 degrees
Fahrenheit.
2. Pack food safely and
keep cold food cold! Avoid
the temperature danger
zone - 40 to 135 degrees.
Pack cold foods in sturdy,
insulated coolers with plen-
ty of ice or frozen gel packs.
If you don't want ice to melt
on your food, consider
putting food in water proof
containers or fill several zip-
per-type bags full of ice and
place throughout the cooler.
Remember to place ice
between foods as well.
Never pack food solely on
top of ice. Also, keep raw
meats and ready-to-eat food
separate at all times.
Do not transport coolers
in the trunk of your car
where temperatures may
exceed 150 degrees.
Transport them in the pas-
senger area of the car. Once
you arrive at your picnic
site, place the cooler in the
shade covered with a blan-
ket.
3. Pack food safely and
keep hot food hot! Again,
avoid the temperature dan-
ger zone. If taking hot food
to your picnic, keep foods
HOME COUNTRY
hot on a low-fire grill. If you
can’t keep them warm, it is
important to consume these
foods within two hours of
being cooked.
4. Pack beverages in a sep-
arate cooler. Chances are
that your picnic guests will
be reaching more for drinks
than they will be reaching
for food. This way the cool-
er containing the food won’t
be opened and closed
repeatedly.
5. Consider foods that
don’t require temperature
control. If you cannot keep
cold food cold and hot food
hot, consider taking foods
that don’t require tempera-
ture control:
-peanut butter sandwiches
-dried fruit, nuts, washed
but unpeeled fruit like
apples, oranges, and
bananas
-unopen canned goods
with rinsed can lids
-cookies, cakes and other
similar baked goods
-crackers anti chips
-jerky
Remember that all fresh
fruits need to be rinsed
prior to cutting or peeling.
This includes melons such
as watermelons and can-
taloupe. Bacteria are often
present on the rinds of these
fruits and can be spread
throughout the melon dur-
ing cutting. Also, once fruit
has been peeled or cut it
becomes a perishable food
requiring refrigeration with-
in two hours.
6. Wash your hands often.
While preparing, setting up
and serving your food dur-
ing a picnic, it is always
important to have clean
hands. If there isn't running
water at your picnic site,
make sure and pack some
moist towelettes for clean-
ing hands.
7. Pack plenty of utensils
and dishes. If you are plan-
ning to grill raw meats, it is
important that you never
reuse utensils and dishware
that has touched raw meats
for prepared foods. Because
proper washing may be dif-
ficult, pack extra utensils.
8. Cook food safely. If you
are cooking food during
your picnic, don’t forget
your meat thermometer to
ensure your meat is cooked
to the proper internal tem-
peratures. Never partially
cook foods. And remember
to consume these foods
within two hours.
9. Prevent contamination
from unwanted guests. Be
sure to keep food covered to
avoid flies and insects.
Many insects can carry
harmful bacteria and virus-
es on their bodies.
10. Throw out leftovers!
Chances are that following
the picnic most of the food
has been in the temperature
danger zone for more than
two hours. The more food
has been sitting at unsafe
temperatures, the more
likely bacteria have grown
and multiplied. Again, it
isn’t worth the risk of some-
one getting sick. WHEN IN
DOUBT, THROW IT OUT!
For most people, the
health and safety of their
picnic guests is priority. For
more information regarding
food safety, please contact
your local Texas Agribife
Extension Service office at
235-3184.
LynnAnn Duniven is the
County Extension Agent for
Family and Consumer
Seiences in Nolan County.
Comments about this col-
umn may be e-mailed to
editor (ffi s weetwaterre-
porter.com.
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The Bahdziewicz clan
The Bahdziewicz clan
trooped into the Mule Barn
for lunch the other
day, happily and
noisily as only eight
Americans totally in
love with spring can
do. The patriarch of
the clan, Abraham
Lincoln Bahdziewicz,
led the way to a large
round table and L
seated bis wife,
Sally, before point-
ing to which chairs
the kids should use.
Some people can
make a celebration out of
sitting down to eat, and
Abe's gang knows how to do
it.
The children, clockwise,
were Woodrow Wilson
Bahdziewicz, Betsy Ross
Bahdziewicz, Neal
Armstrong Bahdziewicz,
John Kennedy Bahdziewicz,
and Franklin Delano
Bahdziewicz. Sally got a
high chair for the youngest
family member, Laura Bush
Bahdziewicz.
We watched them order
four meals for the seven of
them, along with some
empty plates for divvying
things up. Then we took
bets on whether or not they
would have to ask for a "to
go” box or two to take home
with them. They didn't.
Laura Bush Bahdziewicz
had to have chocolate cream
pie wiped from her face
Slim
Randles
when
shake
twice during dessert, too.
Before they packed up to
go, Abe came over
to shake hands with
the members of the
World Dilemma
Think Tank here at
the Philosophy
Counter. He always
looks as though he's
just headed home to
open Christmas pre-
sents, and we
envied him that
wonderful zest for
life.
“Abe,” said Doc,
it was his turn to
hands, “we've been
wondering. You're named
after a president, and all
your kids are named for
famous Americans.”
“That's right," Abe said.
“My brothers and sister,
too. All of us but my wife,
Sally, and I call her Sally
Ride Bahdziewicz some-
times, just for fun."
“How did all that naming
come about?”
Tbe SWEETWATER REPORTER
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“Well," Abe said, “my dad
came from Poland as a kid,
and the other kids at school
teased him about not being
a real American, you know?
So he decided his kids
would never have that prob-
lem. They may have some
trouble pronouncing the
last name, but at least they
know we're Americans.”
Drought to you by
,’jRivers Archery, for
the traditional archer
in all of us. Visit them
a t;{R i vers A rehery. com.
Correction Policy
Editorial:
As a matter of policy, the
Sweetwater Reporter will
publish corrections of errors
in fact that have been print-
ed in the newspaper.
The corrections will be
made as soon as possible
after the error has been
brought to the attention of
the newspaper's editor at
236-6677.
Advertising:
Publisher reserves the right
to reject, edit or cancel any
advertising at any time with-
out liability Publisher's liabil-
ity for error is limited to the
amount paid for advertising.
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Rodriguez, Tatiana. Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 116, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 1, 2009, newspaper, April 1, 2009; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth559630/m1/4/?q=%22~1~1~1%22~1&rotate=90: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.