The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 95, No. 122, Ed. 1 Tuesday, June 30, 2015 Page: 4 of 10
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Baytown Sun and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Sterling Municipal Library.
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Tuesday
June 30, 2015
DAVE
MCNEELY
tims mines
High Court
to the rescue
Upholding ObamaCare and
legalizing same-sex marriage
aids Republican candidates
Whether the Republicans realize it, the U.S. Supreme
Court has just thrown them a double life preserver, by
chilling two of the hottest political potatoes GOP candi-
dates faced going into the 2016 elections.
Republican politicians, especially in Texas, have been
pretty much in lockstep opposing both financial subsidies
to low-income people to help pay for insurance under the
Affordable Care Act - nicknamed ObamaCare - and le-
galizing Same-Sex marriages.
But on Thursday, the high court upheld the ObamaCare
subsidies, by a 6-3 vote. And then on “
Friday . the court fired the second barrel,
ruling 5-4 to outlaw prohibitions in Texas
and other states of Same-Sex marriages.
Before the ObamaCare decision,
Republicans faced the prospect, if I
ObamaCare subsidies were axed, of I
suddenly having several million people
thrown off their new health care plans.
And, it was beginning to dawn on per-
ceptive Republican politicians - and ev-
eryone else - that the GOP had no viable
alternative to ObamaCare.
Now, their office-holders can continue the chorus
condemning ObamaCare, no longer needing to offer
their own plan. A continuing argument by opponents to
ObamaCare is that it carelessly gets people accustomed to
a service - health care - and it becomes an "entitlement.
The political power of an entitlement to universal health
care - a given in most other industrialized nations - can
rapidly become ingrained in the social fabric, like public
schools and highways.
It becomes assumed that such cooperative programs are
at the heart of a democratic nation: we realize most of us
will be better served if we pool our resources to jointly
prov ide services most of us need, but few of us could af-
ford individually.
Like Medicare. When providing medical insurance to
everyone over 65 in the 1960s became part of President
Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, it also brought a huge
political fight - over it becoming an "entitlement.”
But Johnson carried the day - partly because of his skill
in understanding Congress. Also, in the wake of the assas-
sination of John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, that made
L.BJ president. LBJ in 1964 was blessed with a landslide
• re-election, and long coattails that brought along a hugely
Democratic congress.
Even so, perhaps half the hospitals in a dozen mostly
Southern states initially refused to participate - mostly
because Medicare required the integration of hospitals
and waiting rooms. But within months, most had signed
up - as they realized the money and jobs it would bring.
And today, Medicare indeed is an imbedded "entitle-
ment." When GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee
blasted the high court's support of ObamaCare subsidies
as "an out-of-control act of judicial tyranny," he was care-
ful to bless Medicare while condemning ObamaCare:
"As President, I will protect Medicare, repeal
ObamaCare. and pass real reform that will actually lower
costs.”
One reason Huckabee can embrace Medicare, but not
the Medicaid embedded in ObamaCare, is that Medicare
is for people over 65. They vote. Most people on Medic-
aid are children - too young to vote.
As for the high court legalizing Same-Sex marriages,
some Republicans, realizing they were on the wrong side
of a rapidly shifting public opinion battle, were secretly
happy the court bailed them out.
Those skittish folks can now quietly say the court has
ruled, and, w ithout endorsing homosexual unions, say we
have a duty to obey the law.
As for the other GOP presidential hopefuls, like Texas
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, it's an opportunity to heat up the rhet-
oric. The Tea Party show-horse already is heaping criti-
cism on other candidates who aren't foaming at the mouth
as much as he is in damning the court's decision.
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential front-runner Hil-
lary Clinton isn't hiding from either ObamaCare or Same-
Sex marriage. She is gleefulty running straight at the Re-
publicans, praising both decisions.
That these changes come the same week as a stampede
to remove the Confederate flag from its political pedastal
in several Southern states after a white racist massacred
nine blacks in a South Carolina church adds more coinci-
dental momentum for .American civil rights.
Texas A try. Gen. Ken Paxton, in a press release, refers
to the "lawless" and "flawed" same-sex marriage decision
as an “out-of-control act of judicial tyranny" in issuing
his anomey general’s Opinion No. KP-0025 on Sunday.
Paxton says county clerks and other public officials
don't have to issue same-sex marriage licenses if it is
against their religious principles. However, Paxton
warns, “any clerk who wishes to defend their religious
objections and who chooses not to issue licenses may
well face litigation and or a fine." But if that happens.
Paxton says, he’ll “be a public voice" backing them, and
they may even get free legal help.
Meanwhile, some civil rights attorneys are closely
watching Paxton, to see if his actions to undercut the new
law justify a law suit.
Contact Texas political writer Dave McSeefy at dave-
mcneelyll Kagmailcom
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Lee College president challenged
Dr. Brown’s statement in a
Baytown Sun letter that a spe-
cial Lee College Board of Regents
meeting held in late November was
to discuss the failing of existing
switchgear is absolutely false. He
implied that this was an emergency
meeting and that the college was in
danger of a major power outage.
That meeting was called to de-
cide the method to be used and the
awarding of the contract to install
new switchgear. The agenda and
minutes of that meeting are on Lee
college’s website. The meeting was
held on Nov. 24,2014.
The purchase of the switchgear
mentioned was approved in a meet-
ing held on July 17, 2014 and the
Durotech proposal to install it was
dated July 16, 2014.
The switchgear was known to be
failing before then.
The delivery on the switchgear
was several months and installation
was timed for the normal holiday
College shutdown in December.
This is his vain attempt to discred-
it me and to cover up a questionable
contract made by the College.
Dr. Brown is losing all credibility
that he may have had with his untrue
statements that he cannot backup.
Unlike Dr. Brown I can back up my/
statements with facts.
Texas State Statute section 51.782
(j) verifies that the College should
have had all documents I
ed that Dr. Brown says he does not
have and is not required to have.
James Haarmeyer
Beach City
Offended by Civil War?
Give me a break...
It’s been 150 years since the Civil
War ended and people are still of-
fended? Give me a break.
These stupid college kids going
around and defacing Jeff Davis and
Robert E. Lee statues don’t have a
clue who these great leaders were.
The Civil War was actually about
states’ rights being taken away.
Slavery was just one item.
The South was out supplied as the
factories were in the North. Robert
E. Lee saw it was hopeless and sur-
rendered. The 3/5 rule on counting
slaves actually came from the north-
ern states as they were going to lose
congressman as the slaves were now
going to be counted on the census
and they saw a shift of power going
to the southern states.
Our liberal professors are brain-
washing our kids who can’t name
the vice president or any of the Su-
preme Court justices when they get
out of college but can tell you Kim
Kardashian’s hip size.
If we had a real president he
would go to the Rose Garden and
tell the people to stop this ridiculous
nonsense.
He can’t run there fast enough
when he gets a Supreme Court rul-
ing in his favor which is far and few
between.
The Democratic party must keep
division and a underclass to stay in
power. It’s a page out of “Rules for
Radicals.” God help us.
Raymond Martin
Mont Belvieu
FtMtaB u*uc*-»***».
Short stories gone astray
My list of short stories has grown
rather slim.
Another past time I enjoy is word-
smithing and making fun of others’
speech especially family members.
They seldom miss an opportunity to
return the favor.
Often our language and vocabu-
lary is misused or pronounced in-
correctly. I’m as guilty as the next
person for these mistakes. Only re-
cently did I learn there is no “r” in
the word wash and the word Chica-
go.
There are many misnomers in our
speech. A misnomer is the wrong
or incorrect name or designation
for something. Take the word “el-
derly” for example. Normally it is
used to vaguely classify’ someone
by age category, as in their 60’s or
70's. Webster’s defines elderly as
approaching old age. Wow, that in-
cludes, all of us.
Two words that are incorrectly
spoken by some folks are “robbery”
and “burglary.” You rob a person
and burglarize a building. The vic-
tim must be present to be involved
in a robbery’. A friend talks about
Today is Tuesday, June 30, the
181st day of 2015. There are 184
days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On June 30, 1865, eight peo-
ple, including Mary Surratt and
Dr. Samuel Mudd, were convicted
by a military commission of con-
spiring with John Wilkes Booth,
the assassin of President Abraham
Lincoln. (Four defendants, includ-
ing Surratt, were executed; Mudd
was sentenced to life in prison, but
was pardoned by President Andrew
Johnson in 1869.)
On this date:
In 1859, French acrobat Charles
Blondin w alked back and forth on a
tightrope above the gorge of Niag-
ara Falls as thousands of spectators
WINSTON
GARDNER
the time she Was
robbed; she was
not robbed, she
was not there.
Thieves came at
night and burglar-
ized her out build-
ings and stole tools
and equipment.
The latest buzz
______ word is hash tag.
My computer tech
granddaughter tells me it is used as
the prefix to a website or some com-
puter link. I said it looks like the
pound sign. She said it is the pound
sign, but it’s referred to as hash tag.
Why?
Another word that seems to be
misunderstood is the word electro-
cute. Some people refer to an elec-
trical shock as electrocution. They
will state that someone was electro-
cuted but will recover from their in-
juries. You don’t recover from elec-
trocution, but usually recover from
an electrical shock.
Recently the San Marcos Univer-
sity Star newspaper ran a story about
a family that lost every thing in the
TODAY IN HISTORY
watched.
In 1908, the Tunguska Event took
place in Russia as an asteroid ex-
ploded above Siberia, leaving 800
square miles of scorched or blown-
down trees.
In 1933, the Screen Actors Guild
was established.
In 1958, the U.S. Senate passed
the Alaska statehood bill by a vote
of 64-20.
In 1972. for the first time, a
leap-second was added to Coordi-
nated Universal Time to account for
the slow ing rotation of the Earth.
In 1985. 39 American hostages
from a hijacked TWA jetliner were
freed in Beirut after being held 17
recent flood. The homeowner said
their house never lost pow'er which
was both comforting and scary af-
ter the family realized the electri-
cal outlets were electrocuting them.
Fortunately for this family, they
were rescued safely by helicopter
from the roof of their home.
I’m sure you have heard our
friends north of I-10 referred to as
“The Highlands.”
Use of “the” is proper when re-
ferring to “The Woodlands” or “The
Heights," but not Highlands. Then
there is reference to gas prices at the
pump. It’s not gas prices, it is gas-
oline prices. Natural gas is a fuel
product but is not currently sold at
the pump.
The last misnomer I’ll mention is
the cement truck when in reality it is
the concrete truck.
Cement is just one ingredient in
that slurry’ mix known as concrete.
And the list goes on ...
Winston Gardner is a native Bay-
tonian of almost 75 years. Gardner
retiredfrom Exxon 20 years ago after
completing 34 years of service.
days.
In 1994, the Supreme Court ruled,
6-3, that judges can bar even peace-
ful demonstrators from getting too
close to abortion clinics.
One year ago: A sharply divid-
ed Supreme Court ruled that some
companies with religious objec-
tions could avoid the contraceptives
requirement in President Barack
Obama's health care overhaul, the
first time the high court declared
that businesses can hold religious
views under federal law.
Thought for Today: “In order to
go on living one must try to escape
the death involved in perfection-
ism.” — Hannah Arendt
German-horn American
philosopher, historian (1906-1975)
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Bloom, David. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 95, No. 122, Ed. 1 Tuesday, June 30, 2015, newspaper, June 30, 2015; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1066606/m1/4/?q=j+w+gardner: accessed June 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.