Wharton Journal-Spectator (Wharton, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 11, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Page: 4 of 12
twelve pages : ill.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:
Opinion
Wtjarton Journal-Spectator
www. j ournal-spectator.com
Wednesday, February 5, 2014 • Section A Page 4
Sounding Board
To the editor:
Are you a rural voter in
favor of school choice? If so,
your view may not be repre-
sented in the Texas House.
In the last primary, Repub-
lican voters used Proposition
1 to vote on school choice. It
stated, “The state should fund
education by allowing dollars
to follow the child instead
of the bureaucracy, through
a program which allows
parents the freedom to choose
their child’s school, public
or private, while also saving
significant taxpayer dollars.”
In Rep. Stephenson’s district,
85 percent of GOP primary
voters agreed with Prop. 1, a
“landslide” for school choice.
Rep. Stephenson’s voting
record differs from this. On
April 4, during the 2013 regu-
lar session, an anti-school
choice amendment (No. 95) to
appropriations bill, SB1, had
a record vote. Its title stated,
“Use of Appropriated Funds
for School Vouchers or to
Support Tax-Credit Scholar-
ships [is] Prohibited.” Rep.
Stephenson voted for Amend-
ment 95, which is a vote
against school choice.
Why is he voting against
the view of 85 percent of the
Republicans in his district?
He is not alone. Thirty-one
(74 percent) of rural House
Republicans voted against
school choice, while 84
percent of their constituents
voted FOR school choice on
Prop. 1.
This problem, for rural
Republicans who want school
choice, goes far beyond Rep.
Stephenson’s district. We
will never pass school choice
unless this difference in the
rural districts is corrected.
Bob Schoolfield
Austin
To the editor:
This winter here has been
colder than most, and most
people and animals are not
used to it.
I wanted to remind us all,
we are in charge of all crea-
tures here on earth.
After seeing so many
homeless dogs and cats here,
it breaks my heart that they
are at the mercy of our hands.
And we neglect them.
Coming from Montana
where spay and neuter clinics
are held several times a year
to help prevent this, I place
an urgent call to be better
caregivers of what we are
given.
Patricia Lundgren
East Bernard
Agree, disagree or have something else to say?
Send letters to the editor under 500 words to:
P.O. Box 111, Wharton, TX 77488 or e-mail your letter to
kmagee@journal-spectator.com.
Include name, town, and phone number.
Get your
Mojo together
‘Doc’
Blakely
Pokin’ Fun
The word Mojo origi-
nally meant a charm or
a spell, but nowadays it
refers to appeal or tal-
ent. At my age, I think I
prefer the old definition
because if I can charm
somebody or put a spell
on them, I don’t need as
much appeal or talent.
I read a statement written
by Frankie McWhorter, who
was a protege of Bob Wills
and the Texas Playboys. He
wrote, “If I ever had anything
against anybody, like I want
to put a hex on’em or some-
thin’, I’d give’em a fiddle and
pay for three lessons.”
When asked why that
would be a hex, he replied,
“Because by that time you
would be caught up in the
spell and too late realize that
that you could never master
it and never give it up.”
Another spellbinder that
I knew was the legendary
Hondo Crouch, the “charac-
ter” who bought a town and
brought fame to it because
of his mojo. The town is
Luckenbach, Texas, 13 miles
from Fredericksburg. Hondo
used to say, “People are so
surprised that we have such
a large moon for such a little
town.”
I still have people tell me
that they drove down the
road to see Luckenbach but
there was nothing there.
That’s because the real road
to Luckenbach is not marked
as such and you have to know
to take the “loop” off the
regular county road. When
you get there you will find a
couple of houses, a dance hall
and a saloon.
Hondo was the propri-
etor of the town and conned
Waylon and Willie and the
boys to have a concert there.
Most everybody who listens
to CAY music knows the song
and CD that resulted. Hondo
himself never played a lot of
guitar but he had that mojo
that opened doors for him.
Once he saw an ad in the
paper from a fellow who was
in the hospital and wanted
a guitar instructor during a
long convalescence. Hondo
showed up and announced
that he’d take the job. After a
few minutes the fellow real-
ized that Crouch was terrible
and told him so. Hondo said,
“Oh, I know it. Tell you what,
let’s just learn together.”
Although Hondo is gone
now, his spirit still lives and
some of his descendants
manage Luckenbach. They
still pull off some pretty good
stunts. One of the most ambi-
tious was to break the Guin-
ness Book of World Records
mark for most guitar pickers
to play together continuously
for at least five minutes. They
beat the old German record
by 50 pickers. The official
count was 1,868 pickers. Elvis
Presley’s guitarist tried it in
Louisiana the day before and
could only recruit 800.
Recently Luckenbach tried
having Cowboy Church on
a Sunday. The band didn’t
know many religious songs,
so they just played Honky
Tonk stuff Later the band
leader called to apologize for
that lack of insight and was
told, “Hey, you guys were
perfect for a Cowboy Church.
The bar did great.”
That’s Mojo.
Doc Blakely is a humor-
ist and motivational speaker
who resides in Wharton. For
more information, visit www.
docblakely.com.
The Bushes known for
starting at or near top
The Bushes don’t hanker to inch up
the political ladder. They start at or
near the top. For four generations, it’s
either congress or statewide office.
George P. Bush, 37, is no exception.
Brandishing the well-known Bush
brand, he announced early in Sep-
tember 2012 that he would run for a
statewide office, and was considering
several, maybe attorney general.
He filed papers that November
to run statewide. The same month,
George P.’s father Jeb emailed a donor
list asking support for his son in 2014
for land commissioner.
In January 2013, Bush confirmed
he was running for land commissioner,
which incumbent Jerry Patterson was
leaving to run for lieutenant governor.
George P. had raised $1.3 million. By
July, it was $3.3 million.
The lone Democrat is former El Paso
Mayor John Cook. Libertarian Steven
Childs is also running.
The earlier Bushes’ initial races:
• Great-Grandfather Prescott Bush:
U.S. senator from Connecticut, 1950.
• Grandfather George H. W. Bush:
U.S. senator from Texas, 1964.
• Father Jeb Bush: governor of
Florida, 1994.
• Uncle George W. Bush: Texas’ 19th
congressional district, 1978.
All four lost their first race, but won
the second. More about the Bushes’
elective careers below.
And now comes George P.
Land commissioner is a well-used
springboard for higher political office.
Democratic Land Commissioners Bob
Armstrong (1971-83) and Garry Mauro
(1983-99) both ran for governor. Both
lost.
Republican Land Commissioner
David Dewhurst (1999-2003) ran for
lieutenant governor and won. Current
Land Commissioner Patterson (2003-
15) is running for lieutenant governor
against Dewhurst this year.
Every experienced Republican politi-
cian who might have wanted to run for
land commissioner backed out after
George P. got in. They didn’t want to go
against the huge name ID and fundrais-
ing Golden Rolodex of a George Bush.
The same thing happened when
Uncle W. ran for governor in 1994.
Even though it meant taking on
popular incumbent Democratic Gov.
Ann Richards, there were at least three
credible pols who’d wanted to run, but
backed off when W. said he’d run.
George P.’s lone opponent for the
March 2 Republican primary is David
Watts, a Tea Party candidate who, after
college in Kentucky, lost a 1992 race
for the Kentucky House of Representa-
tives.
Watts is an East Texas businessman,
preacher, teacher, novelist, commercial
pilot, and semi-professional photogra-
pher, according to his campaign web-
site. He and his wife and three children
live on 19 acres between Gilmer and
Longview.
Watts wants Texas to quit educating
the children of undocumented immi-
grants.
George P. has been doing everything
he can to encourage Republicans to
reach out rather than seek to punish
Hispanics.
Bush’s mother, Columba Garnica
Gallo, is from Mexico. Like the rest of
the Bushes, George P. thinks Republi-
cans should court Hispanics. He was
co-founder of the Hispanic Republicans
of Texas.
George P. in January told a Corpus
Christi group that, “For me and my
family, it’s not Hispanic outreach. It’s
Hispanic inclusion.”
When asked about Denton County
Republican chair Dianne Edmondson
described in an online newsletter the
likely top of the Democratic ticket,
headed by state Sen. Wendy Davis, as
“the super women ticket of Abortion
Barbie with Hispanic Sen. Leticia Van
De Putte as her running mate,” George
P. bristled.
“If we’re going to be successful and
be considered credible in the Hispanic
community,” he told The Texas Tri-
bune, “we’ve got to denounce some of
the ignorant statements that are made
about Hispanics and the contributions
we make, whether it’s to the military,
our nation’s economy or to the history of
Texas.”
Two predictions:
• George P. probably won’t copy
uncle George W. by having bumper
stickers with just his middle initial.
• If George P. wins, don’t look for
him to grow old in the land commis-
sioner’s office.
■
The Bush Dynasty’s electoral his-
tory:
• Prescott Bush: U.S. senator from
Connecticut.
Lost in 1950, but won a special elec-
tion in 1952 to fill a vacancy. Re-elected
in 1956, retired in 1963.
• George H. W. Bush: U.S. senator
from Texas.
Lost in 1964 to incumbent Democrat
Ralph W. Yarborough. Won Houston’s
re-drawn 7th congressional district
in 1966, re-elected 1968. At President
Richard Nixon’s request, ran again for
the Senate in 1970. Lost to moderate
Democrat Lloyd Bentsen, who had
beaten Yarborough in the primary.
Nixon’s Ambassador to the United
Nations, Republican National Commit-
tee chair during Watergate, President
Gerald Ford’s special envoy to China,
Ford’s head of the Central Intelligence
Agency. Candidate for president in
1980, elected vice-president under Ron-
ald Reagan. Re-elected 1984. Elected
president in 1988. Lost re-election in
1992 to Democrat Bill Clinton.
• Father Jeb Bush: governor of
Florida.
Lost in 1994. Won in 1998, 2002.
Possible 2016 GOP presidential candi-
date.
• Uncle George W. Bush: U.S. House
of Representatives.
Lost in 1978 to Democratic state
Sen. Kent Hance, Lubbock, in Texas’
19th congressional district. In 1994,
upset Democratic Gov. Ann Richards.
Re-elected 1998. Elected president in
2000, again in 2004.
Contact Dave McNeely at davemc-
neelylll@gmail.com or 512-458-2963.
Obama's address draws reactions
AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Percy and Lt.
Gov. David Dewhurst posted similar
takes on President Obama’s annual
state of the union address, televised live
on Jan. 28.
Perry said, “Texas has shown that
the way to economic prosperity and
significant job growth is through indi-
vidual freedoms and the free market.
Tonight, we saw a president with the
same old agenda and no real idea on
how to govern.”
Dewhurst suggested the president
“should take a page out of the playbook
for the Texas Miracle and cut taxes,
slash spending, and reduce the regula-
tions that kill jobs.”
In contrast, freshman U.S. Rep. Pete
Gallego, D-Alpine, on Jan. 29 posted
his reaction, referring to the president’s
speech “a call to action” that “requires
us to take steps forward, and we must
do so together. Though trust is lacking,
our courage must not fail us. If we fail
today to grow the bipartisan momen-
tum developed over recent weeks, we
will miss a critical opportunity. To move
the ball down the field, we all have to
play on the same team. I will continue
to play on the right team — America’s
team.”
In other news, on Jan. 31, Perry
reacted to the State Department’s envi-
ronmental impact study on the Key-
stone XL pipeline, a conduit being built
to move petroleum-bearing tar sands
from western Canada to terminals in
Nederland, Texas, near Port Arthur.
“If, as the president said in his state
of the union speech, he truly wants this
to be a year of action, there would be
no better way to kick it off than autho-
rizing construction of this important
project.”
Entities reach agreement
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency on Jan. 29 announced it had
Ed
Sterling
State Capital
Highlights
reached an agreement with the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality
for approval of Texas’ Flexible Permits
Program for air pollution.
Under the federal Clean Air Act, the
EPA was required to accept or reject
Texas’ air pollution rules within 18
months of the program’s creation in
1994. The EPA, however, rejected the
rules and disapproved the state’s Flex-
ible Permits Program in 2010, prompt-
ing Texas Attorney General Greg
Abbott to file a legal challenge, assert-
ing that the EPA failed to act within the
allotted time period. In 2012, the U.S.
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected
the EPA’s disapproval of the program.
TCEQ Chairman Bryan W. Shaw
said the agreement, while conditional,
“provides a resolution to implement
both the court’s opinion and the neces-
sary legal requirements for EPA ap-
proval.” Shaw added that at a Feb. 12
meeting TCEQ commissioners would
consider proposing rule amendments
to gain the EPA’s full approval later in
2014.
Donor registry grows
The Glenda P. Dawson Donate Life
Texas Registry is the state database of
individuals who have officially indicat-
ed their decisions to donate organs and
tissue to benefit thousands of people
currently awaiting transplants.
Some 4.8 million Texans had reg-
istered as organ and tissue as of Dec.
31, Texas Department of Public Safety
announced Jan. 30.
More than 11,000 individuals are
awaiting organ or tissue transplants in
Texas, the agency said.
SBOE OKs grad plan
A new high school graduation pro-
gram that gives students added flex-
ibility to follow their academic interests
gained final approval from the State
Board of Education on Jan. 31.
Last year, the Texas Legislature
created the 22-credit Foundation High
School Program that allows students
to earn performance acknowledgments
and four-credit endorsements in specific
subjects but left decisions about many
details of the plan to the State Board of
Education.
Last week, the board considered 34
amendments to the graduation plan
and approved most of them, the Texas
Education Agency reported. Details
may be found at tea.state.tx.us <http://
tea. state.tx.us> .
DPS reports total of arrests
Texas Department of Public Safety
on Jan. 31 reported state troopers made
1,490 Driving While Intoxicated arrests
during a holiday enforcement period
that began Dec. 13 and ended Jan. 2.
More than 24,800 speeding citations,
2,960 seat belt/child safety seat cita-
tions, 1,070 fugitive arrests and 790
felony arrests also were made in those
21 days when drinking and driving and
more motorists make roadways more
dangerous. The cost of having enhanced
patrols included funding from a Texas
Department of Transportation grant,
the DPS noted.
Ed Sterling writes a weekly State
Capital Highlights column for the Texas
Press Association, where he is director
of member services. Email: edsterling®
texaspress.com.
Wharton Journal-Spectator
Established 1889
Office Address: Telephone (979) 532-8840
115 W. Burleson St. FAX Phone (979) 532-8845
Wharton, Texas 77488 (USPS 681-400) ISSN 1076-7266
www.journal-spectator.com
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
Wharton Journal-Spectator P.O. Box 111, Wharton, TX 77488.
Published semiweekly on Wednesday and Saturday by Wharton
County Newspapers, Inc., Bill Wallace, publisher. Subscription in
county, $45 per year*; elsewhere in Texas, $60 per year; elsewhere
in U.S., $85 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Wharton, TX 77488.
‘Carrier delivery extra.
CORRECTIONS: The Wharton Journal-Spectator's goal is to provide fair
and accurate information regarding events and issues in the public
interest. Should we make an error, we ask you to call an editor at the
Journal-Spectator (532-8840). It is our policy to make corrections as
quickly as possible and in a position of prominence.
NEWS
Keith Magee
Managing Editor
Burlon Parsons
Associate Editor
Benjamin Sharp
Staff Writer
ADVERTISING
Bill Wallace
Jessica Dunn
Bill Wallace, Editor & Publisher
Natalie Frels
Graphic artist
Helen Sevier
Classified Manager
OFFICE
Frances Deiterich
Office Manager & Bookkeeper
Emma Jean Kohleffel
CIRCULATION
Clarence Owens
Distribution Supervisor
Richard Crabb
Beatrice Cano
Charley Perry
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.
Wallace, Bill. Wharton Journal-Spectator (Wharton, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 11, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 5, 2014, newspaper, February 5, 2014; Wharton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth655974/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Wharton County Library.