Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 106, No. 51, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 17, 1992 Page: 4 of 16
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_ •• _
HONDO ANVIL HERALD
_:
SPARKS
By Bill Berger
r
State ^.Capital
HIGHLIGHTS
By Lyndell Williams
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
‘I can’t wait to read about this in ‘Doonesbury.’ ”
Bentsen joins Clinton team
AUSTIf4 - The buck stops in
the oval office, but policy on the
buck will begin with the tall silver-
haired U.S. Senator from Texas,
Lloyd Bentsen.
Capitol eyes turned to Little
Rock last week to watch President-
elect Bill Clinton name Bentsen as
his U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.
Speculation continued that Clin-
ton would select another Texan,
"former San Antonio mayor Henry
Cisneros, to head the Department
of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment.
Meanwhile, in Austin Lt. Go*.
Bob Bullock told the incoming
Class of state lawmakers he planned
tb get a budget bill passed early
in next month’s regular legislative
session.
No New Taxes
Bullock advised the freshmen
legislators he plans to balance the
state budget without new taxes:
“There will be no tax bill for you
to vote on,” he said. “And no tax
bill for you to run your campaign
against.
“I’m not going to even give you
a shot at my income tax,” Bullock
told the bi-partisan group.
Since tax bills originate in the
House, Bullock’s remarks were a
warning to House members not to
draft one, and not to get greedy
with pork barrel budget items.
Who’s Got Momentum?
For the moment, it’s uncertain
which political party enjoys an
edge, or has momentum.
Although Clinton took the White
House, he didn’t carry Texas and
Republicans made gains in the
Legislature and local offices.
At this uncertain and critical
time, Bullock wants a session free
of turnovers; no more fumbles like
the recent special session which
produced zilch.
First Exam: School Finance
If Texas Democrats can avoid
handing over the issues, they can
use the White House on down to
leverage their programs, and get
voters seeing things their way.
The slipperiest issue is school
finance reform, and it awaits the
Democratic leadership next month.
They have failed four times;
now, with a state district judge
threatening to close all schools
if they fail again, the stakes are
enormously high.
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
Voters will tilt the scales for
Democrats or Republicans in a spe-
cial election for Bentsen’s Senate
seat after he resigns next month.
A coup in this election will set
the stage for political party domi-
nance in Texas for the remainder of
the decade and into the next cen-
tury.
For the Republicans, it’s a rare
opportunity to hold both U.S.
Senate slots.
For Democrats, it’s a calculated
risk, handing the GOP a shot at a
vacated seat they could never win
from Bentsen.
Although the connection be-
tween Bentsen’s seat and school fi-
nance seems far drawn, both will
surface at about the same time be-
fore the public eye, where percep-
tion is all important.
Bentsen’s Successor
The scenario calls for Bentsen
to resign after being sworn in as
treasury secretary within the next
few weeks.
Gov. Ann Richards then must
call a special election (no primary)
to elect someone to serve out the
unexpired term; she also will name
an interim senator to serve until the
election is concluded.
Dear Boss
• •••
Having been a vagabond all my
life, 1 can't begin to imagine a person
remaining with one job for umpteen
years.
Yet, they do And we have one
good example in Joe Rodriguez who
is retiring from his job of head cus-
todian at the Medina County Court-
house after 35 years.
Joe received honors Monday at
the Commissioners Court meeting,
being presented with parting well
wishes from all county personnel.
They even had a reception meal
lined up for Joe at 11 a.m., but believe
it or not he was late in arriving, due of
course to something he had to do,
and everyone ate without him.
But Rita Moos saved back a plate
fdr Joe just in case everyone there
made hogs of themselves with the
goodies.
Congratulations to Joe on his ten-
ure of work and the good job he
always did.
Boss, there is one fast developing
trend in this country that literally
makes me sick.
Political blackmail.
The people of Arizona voted last
year they did not want a state holiday
for Martin Luther King.
The National Football League im-
mediately "pulled” the Super Bowl
game scheduled for Phoenix either in
1993 or 94.
In November, the people of Colo-
rado voted agai ist a bill that would
give legal right; to gays and lesbians.
Now the movie stars and others are
boycotting the state.
Marge Schott invests millions in
the Cincinnati Reds and then
"speaks her piece" about certain
players, using terms that scrub the
sensitive nerves of certain ethnic
gijoups.
!Now the baseball bigwigs, are
heading full steam ahead to throw
hjiiiout of baseball.
?j{he federal and state governments
niftdate that citizens cannot act this
w)$ or that way against ethnic
g^gjps, gays and lesbian, and on-
aif[|-on.
political blackmail.
*0ie Constitution of the United
Stales still guarantees we have
"fiSedom of speech.”
Sphere is that "freedom of speech"
wfin the federal government bans
prtters in school?
Where is that freedom of speech
when I can't call my neighbof any-
thing I want to call him and only be
concerned about what reaction he
takes? Not a federal case.
Where is that freedom of speech
when everything I say can be termed
"racist" by certain groups, yet when
they say the same thing about me
they are exercising their rights?
Everytime we turn around we are
being assailed with political black-
mail. "You can't do this or the gov-
ernment will take away your money
for highways, human services, etc."
"You can't say this because you will
be hurting the feelings of so-and-so."
This goes on all the time and
truthfully I am sick of it. This is still
supposed to be a free country and I
for one flatly refuse to abdicate my
rights as an American to every Tom,
Dick and Harry who demand their
rights, but stomp all over the rights of
the rest of us to get them.
Now, I've said it and I'm glad, but
I'm still sick, too.
The Hondo Airport Advisory
Board has come up with some pro-
posed lease arrangements for tie
down fees and space charges on air-
craft kept at the airport, and some
commercial permit leases for certain
companies doing business on the air-
port.
I hear by the grapevine that some
persons using the airport for the stor-
age of junk are griping about the
proposals. They are saying they have
no intentions of paying anything.
This type of thinking is the core of
what is wrong with the operation of
the airport. People have taken advan-
tage of the city for so many years by
paying nothing. They have the mind
set that they, not the City of Hondo,
own the airport.
I for one believe it is time that
attitude is changed. For many years
the airport has hung as a heavy
albatross around the neck of Hondo
taxpayers.
It is time for it to be turned into a
business. If anyone does something
that uses space or buildings on the
airport, they should pay a fee for that
use.
Two bright spots in the history of
the airport have been the purchase of
the building occupied by Doss Avia-
tion and the building of the new han-
gar.
Of course, the latter structure has
cost the city money, but it was there
and available when Northrop came
looking and will eventually pay off
for the city through jobs and rents.
The Air Force contract on the Doss
building is a good one for the city and
has been a source of much needed
revenue for airport repairs and other
projects.
Now the ramp space and other
buildings should become revenue
sources for the airport fund.
FAA requirements mandate that
all monies derived from any kind of
action on the airport must go into an
airport fund to be spent exclusively
on that facility.
That is why the Advisory Board
approved the two lease proposals
mentioned at the beginning of this
column. The members firmly believe
that the airport should be an asset to
the city, not a chain around its neck.
So my contention on gripes about
these leases is "the City of Hondo
will make the decisions on how the
airport is governed, not those who
have enjoyed free rides for years.”
The governor said she plans
to appoint a Democrat who can
make a strong campaign to retain
the seat. Historically, these short-
period elections attract numerous
candidates from both parties.
Ethics Panel Proposal
The Texas Ethics Commission
last week unveiled a proposal that
would limit the amount individuals
mty contribute to any one political
candidate.
The commission is expected to
vote on the proposal next month,
and any recommendations would
have to be approved by the Texas
Legislature before they take effect.
The proposal would limit annual
campaign contributions from indi-
viduals to $5,000 for candidates for
statewide office; $3,000 for candi-
dates for Texas Senate or appellate
courts; $1,000 for candidates who
are running for district or county
courts or justice of the peace.
In Texas, there is no cap on the
amount individuals may contribute
to political campaigns. The com-
mission’s staff noted that 28 states
have adopted restrictions on contri-
butions from individuals.
Bonner to Summit
Cathy Bonner, executive director
of the Texas Department of Com-
merce, has been invited to a two-
day summit organized to advise
President-elect Bill Clinton on eco-
nomic matters.
More than 100 business lead-
ers, economists and government of-
ficials are expected to attend the
Dec. 14-15 meeting in Little Rock.
Participants in the televised con-
ference will discuss long-term and
short-term remedies for the ailing
U.S. economy.
Other Highlights
■ Driven by low interest rates,
Texas banks showed a healthy third
quarter profit, according to banking
regulators: $469 million in profits,
up 67 percent from the ’91 third
quarter, fourth behind California,
New York and Pennsylvania.
Touch-tone confusion
Have you tried to call the telephone company lately? I did last
week, and was treated to a heavy dose of automation. You get about ten
minutes of robot voices telling you to touch 1,2,0 or something, in case
this or that is wrong with your phone.
If you are persistent enough to hang on through several minutes of
silence, finally a live person will come on and talk to you.
The phone company has laid off a lot of operators, and invented
automatic answering machines to take their place. They may lay off
enough people some day to lose the business, they have spent a century
building.
Maybe it's a sign of growing old, but I can remember when a little
child could turn the crank and just say "get me grandpa". The operator
could recognize the voice and know exactly where to find the right
grandpa.
Of course, it helped to live in a very small town where the operator
was stationed upstairs over the main street, with a good view of most
business houses and the coffee shop.
Sorry, folks, those days are gone forever, but it is something to tell
the younger generation.
##
This really happened. Jerry (my wife) was bom in Waelder, and
when she was old enough to turn the telephone crank, this is the way
it was.
I have testimony that it was true in at least two other small towns.
tr
\
Letter to the Editor
P.O. Box 400, Hondo, Texas 78861 _ JJ
Wrongdoings
Dear Editor:
On Oct. 22,1992, an unmentioned
incident took place in our school dis-
trict. I had to explain my knowledge
of the fact of a child being taped over
his mouth by one of the teachers. We
need to be aware how the system here
is conducted. Confidential cases like
these give me the impression students
tend to lose interest and self-esteem
and sometimes affect them emotion-
ally and silently. 1 agree this decision
of discipline deserves to be ruled by
the Public Education Act. I strongly
agree these decisions taken on their
own were violated require informa-
tion to be documented. Some teachers
take immediate action concerning the
students wrongdoings and complain
loud and clear. There are many inno-
KEEPUSFROIA ,
STEALING 'fOUR FOOD?
MJouANp
YftWAjWf
in education
cent students who point and make
sense when they can sense and feel
something is bothering her-him or
their roommates. Are students
brought up in our schools believing
the teacher has the authority to disci-
pline as she/he sees fit and they need
to obey and respond to their leaders
when they don’t even called some
students by their names? The lack of
consideration among certain school
employees is unworthy, despite the
fact among us are also some ex-
tremely outstanding employees etc.,
in our schools being highly appreci-
ated and recognized. As parents we
are depending on our schools to set
the examples to the future.
Aware Parents
ii-r
■Ait v’i'
Old Unk was a stickler about me
being nice to the women folk when I
was growing up. Somehow, I failed to
come up to his expectations at times
and paid for it dearly.
He firmly believed in the old ad-
age: "Spare the rod, spoil the child."
And I can say with all truthfulness
that he made certain I wasn't spoiled.
One time we went to a dance and
he told me on the way, "Now, son I
want you to dance with the ladies and
/ also want you to be careful what
you say. When you speak say some-
thing nice. Don't insult anyone.
Ileah me, now?"
"Yes sir, Unk, I heahyou now."
Well, the first girl / danced with
happened to be one who was slightly
over the obese side of the hill. We
hadn't danced and talked too long
before she slapped my face and
stormed off the floor.
I went back to Old Unk who jumped
on my back like a dog on a bone.
"What did you do to make that girl
mad?" he ranted. "You really must
have insulted her."
"Unk," I said, "really I didn't. All I
said to her was that she sweated less
than any fat girl I had ever danced
with."
Your Roving Reporter,
BKL
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mailed in care of the editorlo the Anvil
, Herald, Box 400, Hondo TX 78861.
HONDO ANVIL HERALD
Published every Thursday at 1601 Ave. K, Hondo, Medina County, Texas
by Associated Texas Newspapers, Inc.
Entered at the Post Office, Hondo, TX as Second Gass Mail
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
In Medina Co. - $15 per year, In Texas - $20 per year, Out of Texas - $25 per year
ISSN 249-280
William E Berger and Jeff Berger, Co-Publishers
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Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 106, No. 51, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 17, 1992, newspaper, December 17, 1992; Hondo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth818352/m1/4/: accessed July 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hondo Public Library.