Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 106, No. 50, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 10, 1992 Page: 4 of 20
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Taft 4, The Hondo Anvil Herald, Thursday, December 10,1992
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State 4 Capital
HIGHLIGHTS
—*
By Lyndell Williams
r • TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
Gridlock hits Texas House
AUSTIN — Three weeks ago,
‘-Democrats in Washington announc-
’ ed that political gridlock was ended
(jto the nation’s Capitol.
U But last week, Democrats in the
Texas Legislature watched gridlock
bare its ugly teeth arid cut short
/ov. Ann Richards’ special session'
5n school finance reform.
With a full week remaining
the 30-day session, House
ESpcaker Gib Lewis, recogniz-
ing that Democrats and Republi-
can were hopelessly deadlocked,
maveled adjournment,
g Lawmakers went home, having
accomplished nothing except to
Sfcnew fears that the Texas House
■Arill soon be organized along party
|jnes like the U.S. House.
Gov. .Richards had called the
•jjpccial session to showcase her
pjFair Share Plan,” a proposed
aphool finance reform drafted with
'.die help of Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock
and Lewis.
jjJj Democrats Point Fingers
House Republicans, controlling
57 of the 150 votes, kept Gov.
Richards from getting the 100 votes
needed to offer a constitutional
amendment.
Plenty of blame was passed out
as the frustrated leadership on both
sides battled to no resolution.
Richards blamed Republicans’
“cynical partisan politics” for the
defeat.
“There are a lot of influential
members of the business commu-
nity who are unhappy with what
they’ve seen,” Richards said.
Bullock accused the GOP of try-
ing to embarrass Richards, at one
point comparing them to traitors at
the Alamo.
Top speaker lieutenant Rep.
Hugo Bcrlango, D-Corpus Christi,
said Republicans were “trying to
hold the Legislature hostage. ”
Republicans Unapologetic
GOP members didn’t apologize;
they opposed the plan to share local
property taxes statewide.
But they also savored the oppor-
tunity to teach Richards and Bul-
lock a lesson for excluding Repub-
licans on other issues.
Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland,
chairman of the Republican caucus,
fired back at Richards: “From a
political aspect, she is the one
that’s played the school issue like
a yo-yo. And I think there’s been a
real void in her leadership.
“She chose to concoct her plan
without consulting any Republican
leaders in the House,” Craddick
said.
“She should have called this
session last spring if she wanted to
solve it before the regular session.
She didn’t ask us (Republicans)
for any input. She didn’t want our
help until she couldn’t get her bill
passed,” Craddick said.
Craddick said Richards was more
concerned with the Democratic
convention and electing Bill Clin-
ton.
Dear
Boss
• • •
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a
|?it about a Duncanville man dislik-
ing the Hondo City Council policy
of not refunding sales taxes to manu-
facturers, processors and fabricators
(under certain conditions).
-Councilman Bill Cogbum took
umbrage that what I said referred
directly and solely to the present
City Council.. Not exactly so.
In the column I stated: "The City
Qpuncil decided a year or two ago it
wjipuld not research the records and
give back any money to any firm."
gSincethe presentCityCouncil has
not changed that policy, then it still
sticks. And until it is rescinded or
changed then the present council is
on the hook for any comments.
, I was not condemning the City
Council, but was attempting to show
that the man from Duncanville was
more than upset with the policy.
<-But, I will take another step for-
ward and say that no member of this
city council or past city councils
should get angry at what anyone
says, because they have, through
many actions, thrown themselves
Wide open for criticism.
This is not to say, by any means,
that they haven't accomplished
much good, because they have. It is
j*st thatonsome occasions they pull
some actions which lay them open
fpr criticism. .
j People, including me, are prone to
criticize too quickly at times. But all
persons who seek and get any kind of
elected office should realize they are
going to be in the eye and on the
, tongue of the public.
That is just one of the fringe bene-
fits earned through voter acceptance
at the ballot box.
LPy the way, Mr. Cogbum has a
loUer to the editor in this issue of the
pSfter on that column. I recommend
you read it and hear his feelings on
the-subject.
chair accessible. That agency was
sued because of that.
Now, boss, I certainly am not
speaking orit against making all nec-
essary structures accessible to people
with disabilities. They should be.
'However, armories are not de-
signed to include activities for par-
ticipants with disabilities.
That is why they they are not made
accessible.
So, I suppose the brass figures the
best way to prevent any suits is to
restrict* the activities that could be
conducted at the armories.
The end result is that communities
will lose out on another great asset
Officials in the Medina Economic
Development Foundation are excited
and appreciative this week over the
contribution of $10,000 made by the
Medina County Commissioners
Court.
The premise on which the contri-
bution was made fits into the soon-
to-be MEDF structure which stresses
working for the entire county.
Already completed is a facts book
on the areas of Castroville, Devine,
Hondo, LaCoste and Natalia, plus the
county as a whole. This book can, and
will be distributed to industries
thinking about moving to this area.
The facts book was made possible
by a $5,000 grant from Southwestern
Bell and over the years will be put to
good use-for Medina County.
The contribution from the county,
along with other contributions ex-
pected to be made within the next
few weeks, will be put to the same
use.
"We will work hard to achieve the
goals of this organization," said a
spokesman, "and if we can do that the
whole county will be better off."
S/Sgt Robin Green at the National
Guard Armory here in Hondo
phoned the other day to give me an
insight to what I would call bad re-
sults from the recently passed
American Disabilities Act
■Over the years the National
Guard Armory in Hondo, as well as
other towns throughout the nation,
have served their communities well
as meeting places for all kinds of
gatherings.
’But apparently that service to the
community is in the past. It is no
more. It is kaput.
•Why?
Because of the American Disabili-
ties Act!! They cannot risk some
pqrson with a disability showing up
f$ a party, a dance or any gathering
and claiming non-accessibility.
•Then comes a court suit.
fro, boss, this is not just a possibil-
ity. It has already happened to a
Texas agency. This agency had some
kind of gathering in Austin andit was
held in a building that was not wheel-
Bird hunting season always re-
minds me of the time Old Unk decided
to purchase himself a bird dog.
He had heard of this man over in
the next county who sold "the best
dang bird dogs in the country".
Being a natural born trader, he
headed over there with malice in his
mind and larceny in his heart.
"I want the best bird dog you've
got," Old Unk declared.
"That's him right there," the man
pointed to a beautiful pointer.
Old Unk bought him and took him
out to hunt the next day.
A couple of days later he ran into
the man at an auction. "Have you
hunted with the dog yet?" the man
asked.
"Yep," Old Unk grunted.
"Well, how did he do?"
"Well," Old Unk answered, "at
first all he would do when he saw a
bird would be stick his tail straight
out and lift one foot and just stand
there. But, after l beat the heck out of
him with a sapleen limb, I broke him
from that dang habit."
Your Roving Reporter,
BKL
Bentsen for Treasury
Indeed, the governor travelled
around the country stumping for
F’linron, and his election promises
some mighty maneuvering within
the Texas Democratic Party.
As U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen
looks more and more like he
has a lock on Treasury secretary,
Richards is being approached by
persons wanting her appointment as
Bentsen’s successor.
Two major players are former
San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros
and Texas Comptroller John Sharp.
Cisneros, sources said, doesn’t
want to give up his lucrative San
Antonio assets management com-
pany to become transportation sec-
retary. He could keep the firm if he
were a U.S. Senator or United Na-
tions ambassador.
Sharp, a former state senator
who led the ‘88 Dukakis campaign
in Texas, is an experienced cam-
paigner who would need less on-
the-job training on Senate power-
wielding.
Mauro, Armstrong
Insiders say Land Commissioner
Garry Mauro almost has his bags
packed to go with President-elect
Clinton, and Richards might fill
that vacancy with former Land
Commissioner Bob Armstrong, a
long-time Austin friend.
Armstrong already knows the
agency, and the governor could
avoid making enemies among mi-
nority factions who strongly uesiie
the appointment.
Lawmaker Touts Record
According to House records,
state Rep. Randy Pennington, R-
Houston, has been recorded as
absent every day of the special
session save one, the day the
House voted on the constitutional
amendment on school finance.
But Pennington disputes the ac-
curacy of those records.
He says he wasn’t there that day,
either.
“I think what they are doing is a
total waste of time and taxpayers’
money, said Pennington, a lame
duck.
Other Highlights
■ As usual, the House began
its last day of the special session
with a prayer: “Father, after all
of the discussions and debates in
this session, we’ve finally come
down to prayer. God heip us,” said
the Rev. Gerald Mann of Austin,
minister of the day.
■ Scott Sudduth, chief of staff
for U.S. Rep. Pete Geren, D-
Fort Worth, has been named the
assistant vice chancellor for federal
relations for the University of Texas
System.
■ U.S. District Judge Harry
Lee Hudspeth threw out a lawsuit
filed by two El Paso chiropractors
against the state attorney general’s
office. W.C. LaRock and Joseph
Superville had hoped to use the
federal suit to block a state suit
filed by Attorney General Dan
Morales, who has accused them of
deceptive trade practices.
“Oh, and your paperboy called. He wants a Slate Department |ob.’
Letters
Hi
iillilliii
P.O. Box 400
Hondo, Tx 78861
to the Editor
• c
Itllltlif
Column erroneous, misleading
Dear Editor:
Having been an avid reader of
‘Dear Boss’ for some time, 1 was
chagrined to see the sloppy reporting
job that was displayed in the Nov. 26
edition of the Anvil Herald.
In that column, the author begins,
"Let me be correct," and then pro-
ceeds to engage in a factually errone-
ous, and intentionally misleading
exercise in poor journalism.
The article implies that Mr. Upde-
graff had some business pending
before the City Council when he
"blew into town last week." The truth
is that Mr. Updegraff, nor any of his
agents presented anything for the
council’s consideration. It is apparent,
though unstated, that Mr. UpdegrafFs
purpose in coming to Hondo was to
actively solicit business for his per-
sonal enrichment, by attempting to
con the city into reimbursing busi-
nesses a percentage of the sales taxes
they have paid those businesses who
purchase their product.
The quote ascribed to Mr. Upde-
graff that "I cannot understand a city
council that would deliberately de-
cide not to help businesses in its own
town" must be placed in the correct
context by noting that City Council
has already taken steps necessary to
make sure that local businesses don’t
pay any more taxes than necessary by
simply preparing a letter and submit-
ting the appropriate documentation,
all of which can be done quickly,
inexpensively and without filling the
pockets of a profiteering Carpetbag-
ger from Dallas, no, let me be correct,
Duncanville. We follow and comply
with the law regarding sales tax col-
lection from businesses without
costing them 50% of the total.
As a member of the City Council, I
am proud to serve the citizens of
Hondo and take the responsibilities
associated with that position in a seri-
ous vain. For that reason, I am person-
ally insulted in the Nov. 26 column.
The egg that was laid in that column
stayed in the henhouse too long.
Bill Cogbum
Hondo
HONDO ANVIL HERALD
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Views expressed by colum-
nists are the personal views
of the writer and do not
necessarily express the
opinion of die newspaper.
SPARKS
By Bill Berger
Great Cowboy coverage
Dear Editor: Thursday to get my paper and see if
Many, many thanks to Jeff, my son’s name is in the story!
Carolyn, Shauna, and everyone at the And also, Jeff, the football supple-
Hondo Anvil Herald for such great ment was exceptional and I know
D’Hanis football coverage. I know I how much work everyone puts in to
speak for every parent and football make it special. Thanks!
fan in D’Hanis. I just can’t wait until Name withheld by request
Worried for daughter
Dear Editor: daughter is being recruited by a les-
As a Christian, I try to set a high bian here in Hondo,
moral standard for my family. I do not I have appealed to the school ad-
approve of homosexuality. This does ministration for help, but they seem
not mean that I approve of hating unwilling to help prevent this activ-
homosexuals. I do not approve of ity. Homosexual activity between
beating them or being unkind to them, consenting adults, though a sin, is
However, I do not believe they should their own business. But when homo-
be allowed to recruit minor children, sexuals recruit minor children, we
I am having a very difficult time need to draw the line,
right now because my school-age? * A concerned parent
World leaders then,
world leaders now
Fifty one years ago this week was the date which still lives in
infamy, December 7, 1941. There are very few .who don’t remember
what happened if they were then alive, and almost everyone who has
gone to school since then has read about it. The sneak attack on Pearl
Harbor was made in Japan.
Since then, millions of automobiles and electronic devices have
also been made in Japan, and sold to the citizens of the United States.
Many of the U.S. industries have fallen on hard times because of
this, and we have to admit, we did it to ourselves.
Why? Perhaps it is because we are the one nation which considers
itself to be Christian.
Many of us have learned from the Bible, Sunday School, and
millions of sermons that it is proper to "love thine enemy."
In the grand scheme of things, this is probably the best way to be.
After all, since the days when we turned the other cheek and gave both
Nazi Germany and the Japanese our helping hands, most of those
considered our enemies have cut back their efforts and the "evil
empire" has broken apart.
The United States stands as the only super power left in the world.
If we are careful, and keep enough military strength to back up our
words, we have the potential to lead much of the world to better days.
We stood back and waited for the black nations and the Moslem
nations near Somalia to step in and try to save jives, but almostnothing
was done until President George Bush finally acted.
This military move we are making into Africa may be one of the
first times in history that a great nation has moved for strictly humani-
tarian reasons. There is no oil supply, there are no gold mines, there is
nothing there but millions of blacks being robbed and left to starve by
other blacks-their very own countrymen.
Because we have seen starvation for months on almost every tele-
vision news program, we have decided to once more do the Christian
thing, and try to help the starving.
There is nothing in it for us as a nation. However, it does make me
appreciate the humanity shown by President Bush, and we can only
hope that the effort will be successful, and understood as the great act
of charity it really is.
As for me, it makes me proud to be an American.
##
President-elect Bill Clinton has learned since the election that
some promises can come back to haunt him. He told the queers that it
was going to be all right to go public and be in the rhilitary services and
got their public endorsement plus a few millions in cash. Now for the
first time in his life he finds himself about to be seriously involved with
the military, starting out at the very top as commander in chief. And his
generals, officers and enlisted men are letting him know there is a real
reason why the military has been firmly against the queers. This is not
to say there are not and have never been a few of them in all branches.
They simply are on notice that it is grounds for immediate discharge if
they are caught, and this undoubtedly keeps them from making passes
at most of their comrades.
A few days ago I was visiting with a veteran of the Navy, who was
a carrier pilot during World War II. He has had a distinguished career
since then, and has been a publisher. The subject of Clinton's proposal
about the queers came up, and he told me that after WWII, the carrier
on which he was stationed was turned into a troop ship, with planes
removed, and double deck bunks built all over the hangar deck. They
picked up several thousand Marines from Pacific Islands, and headed
for home with them. He said these men had all gone through hell, and
were among the toughest collection he had ever seen.
They were all counted aboard by name and number, and an exact
count was made. When it was time to land, about a dozen were missing.
They had come aboard, but they didn't get off.
My friend inquired as to what had happened. Nobody seemed to
know anything, but finally one man told him—they were fags.
The implication was clear. They had been "dqep sixed.”
If the military is finally ordered by the new president to lighten up
on the queers, I predict that it will take a long time to get the message
all the way down to the first sergeants, those loveable old guys who
assign KP.
HONDO ANVIL HERALD
Published every Thunday at 1601 Ave. K, Hondo, Medina County, Texas
by Aiaocialed Taut Newspapers, Inc.
Entered at the PoM Office, Hondo, TX as Second Cla*a Mail
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
In Medina Co.-$15 per year, la Thus-$20 par year, Out of Texas-$25 par year
ISSN 249-2*0
I
William E Berger and Jeff Berger, Co-Pubiidwn
Any enoneou* reflection upon the character, Mending or reputation of any pemo, firm or corporation
which may appear in the Anvil HtrnU will be corrected upon befog brought to the attention of the
publiehen.
No charge ii made for publication! of notice* of church or other public gathering* when no admiaaion it
charged. When admititoo it charged or when good* or wane of any Had are offered for sale, the Anvil
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POSTMASTER: Send address chaagis to TAt Howto Anvil Htrold, P. O. Boa 400. Hondo tv
Telephone; (512) 426-3346
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Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 106, No. 50, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 10, 1992, newspaper, December 10, 1992; Hondo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth817511/m1/4/: accessed July 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hondo Public Library.