The Llano News (Llano, Tex.), Vol. 109, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 23, 1997 Page: 4 of 14
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| 4 | Llano News, Thursday, January 23,1997
•OPINION. / EDITORIAL*
"The vital measure of a newspaper is not its size, but its spirits - Arthur Hays Sulzbeiger
Golf legend recovering
from cancer surgery
COW POKES
By Ace Reid
Reports earlier this week indicate Arnold
Palmer is recovering satisfactorily from
his surgery for prostate cancer.
Arnte brought golf out of the dark ages
and made It one of the moat popular sports
of all time.
Even though he hasn't won a tournament
in several years he always draws the largest
galleries wherever he plays.
There are millions of us who grew up
rooting for him to win each tournament he
entered. "Arnie's Army" is legendary in its
size and diverse makeup. He can walk into a
room and all eyes turn to him. He can stick
a tee on the tee boa and a hush comes over
the crowd.
He has never failed to entertain because
he gives all his energy to the game and to
the Cans.
I shall never forget an Incident which sort
of explains his magnetism: My wife, Sarah
and I were in Austin several years ago as
part of "Arnie's Army" following him in the
Legends of Golf Tournament at Onion
Creek.
As usual a huge crowd of fans was
following him and his playing partners. He
was playing well and each good shot he
made drew a round of applause and each
putt that fell a sigh of relief.
The twelfth hole at Onion Creek Is a short
P«r 4 which has an elevated tee box that
overlooks a deep canyon to a fairway that Is
bordered to the left by trees and impene-
trable rough and by a creek and more trees
on the right side.
A safe shot would be to hit a four or five
iron down the middle and probably an eight
iron to the green for a golfer of Arnie's
magnitude.
Amie apparently had the same idea as he
asked for a four iron from his caddy while
standing on the tee box with his "Army"
gathered around.
Anyway, when he took the four iron a
groan went up from the crowd. "Oh, Amie,
hit a wood."
With that, the swashbuckling Amie took
a hitch in his belt, rammed the four iron
back in the golf bag and drew out his driver.
A roar went up. But that was nothing like
the roar that rocked Onion Creek when he
took a mighty cut at the ball and it sailed
Straight down the fairway to land in the
fringe on the very front of the green. I
believe he made a birdie.
That was the greatest crowd-pleasing golf
shot I have ever witnessed.
That Is the type of performance that has
made Arnold Palmer a living legend.
Good luck, Amie, during your recovery
from cancer, we are all pulling for you.
7 WLB
WJ
J*. v >
..
Addicts need help, not a free fix
l;
“They shore git frisky on these cool
mornin's, don't they?"
ate last year Congress rescinded one of our nation's
most misplaced laws: the provision of Supplemen
r tal Security Income (SSI) payments administered
by the Social Security administration to drug addicts and
alcoholics based solely on their substance abuse. Providing
help to addicts is not an offshoot of the Social Security
program. What these people need is treatment, counseling
and research into the best ways to help them, not unre-
stricted stipends that can be used to feed their addictions.
These individuals, in effect, were guaranteed an en-
titlement because of their addiction. But no longer. Ilad1
Congress not changed the law, an estimated 250,000 ad-
dicts and *alcoholics would have continued to receive
disability benefits at a Cost of $1.4 billion from Social
Security funds. Now, funds have been redirected toward
treatment programs and research.
As bizane as it sounds, the government had classified
substance abuse as a disability, putting it in the same
category as blindness or profound mental retardation. This
means addicts and alcoholics qualified for unrestricted SSI
payments which they could — and did — usb to supply
their addictions rather than obtain food, shelter and treat-
ment.
This defies copimon sense, and was an insult to the
genuinely disabled as well. Every day millions of severely
handicapped Americans can a»d do go to work despite
daunting physical and mental challenges They are exercis-
ing personal responsibility rather than blaming govern-
ment or society for their problems.
The drug abuse and alcoholism program was intended
originally to support addicted individuals while they were
undergoing treatment and getting back on their feet Rut -
that's not how the program operated in practice. Addicts
were paid noi to work.
In fact, the program actually discouraged rehabilita-
tion, because those who straightened out their lives were
dropped from the rolls — the same kind of built-in disin-
centive that defeat? the good intentions of many welfare
programs.
Only 10 percent of these addicts ever managed to
CAPITOL
COMMENT
Letters to the Editor
Llano News
P.O.Box 187
Llano, Texas 78643
U.S, SENATOR
:kay bailey hutchison
recover and lead productive lives. As an indicator or the
efficacy of a program, this recovery rate was devastating
Government botched its attempt to provide a safety net,
instead providing people the means to continue their ulti-
mately lethal addictions.
In the words of one doctor who has spent her profes-
sional career pealing with these problems, SSI payments
“...undermine the very thing they are supposed to be doing
for my patients — promoting their rehabilitation." •
We were fostering dependency. So in 1995 I intro-
duced a bill to stop direct SSI payments to addicts. Such
individuals need treatment — not a stipend that feeds their,
addiction. Now they will be provided with that treatment,
not a blank check to continue their addiction.
My bill was incorporated into legislation signed into
law last fall. Now this public funding will be put to more
constructive uses. Both the addicts and the nation will
benefit.
A closer look at
"Robin Hood"
* A'
school funding
Family Crisis
Center grateful
for help during
holiday season
The Llano News
(USPS 316-700)
%
Serving Llano, Llano County and the Highland Lakes area
Since 1889.
Published weekly at 813 Berry Street, Llano, Texas 78643
Entered in the Llano Post Office as second class, postage
paid at Llano, Texas, under the Act of Congress of 1878.
WALTER L. BUCKNER, Editor and Publisher
S SARAH BUCKNER
JIMMY STEPHENSON
A.C. KINCHELOE
PATRICIA MUDD
DONNA SKELTON
RAECHEL COOKE
PAT LEMMON
DIANA LEMMON
RAY SUMRALL
Assoc. Editor'
Ad makeup and printing
Reception ist/Bookkeeper
Typesetter
Receptionist/proofreader
Accounts Receivable
Bookkeeping
Mail Room
COLUMNISTS: Marilyn Hale & Joe Dan Tarter
NEWS CORRESPONDENTS: Shirley Muei>, Vera
Honig, Bernice Schuyler, Micah Dortch, D. Crockett,
Avenette, Hope Causey
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Llano and Bumat Count!**: 1 yaar $19,
2 yaar* $35,3 yaara $50. Elaawhara In Taiat: 1 yaar $?6, 2 yaar* $4$, 3 yaar* $55.
Oul-of-Stata: i yaar $40, 2 yaar* $70,3 yaar* $00. All payable In advance Ovarxaa* -
call or writ* for quote.
Th* Llano Now* solicit* latter* to th* editor concerning l**ua* ol local Inter**!. Lallan
must b* signed and no longer than two standard page*, doubla-tpacad and typed,
M possible. A day time phone number must also be included.
The staff reserve* th* right to edit all lattan according to accepted standard*.
For further information call Th* Llano New* at (915) 247-4433.
POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGE TO LLANO NEWS,
BOX 187, LLANO, TEXAS 78643 N ,
., Lt. Governor Bob Bullock re-
cently said an analysis of nearly
100 school districts that arc required
by the "Robin Hood" law to share
property tax money with Texas’
poorer school districts shows more
than half have per capita personal
income below the stale average.
"This pokes a hole in the idea
that many so-called rich districts are
filled with rich people." Bullock
said. He said 54 of the 91 school
districts subject to the state's Robin
Hood funding law have per capita
income of less than $19,716 based
on the county census figures where
the districts arc located.
"Property wcaUh that can come
from a major industry, a plant or
oil wells docs not always mean the
people arc rich. That is as good a
reason as any to re-examine the
slate's Robin Hood school funding
law. It's good evidence that the
system is not the fairest way to
fund education.” he said.
Bullock again has urged lawmak-
ers to take a look at the state's
Robin Hood provisions that require
91 Texas school districts to send
tax money to other schools.
"1 have never been a fan of Robin
Hood. Sphool property tax relief is
high on the Legislature's agenda and
that should go hand in hand with a
close review of school fundingjfor-
mulas," he said.
"Our goal should be a formula
that is fair, equitable and effective."
I .
Dear Editor
This is an open thank you to all
of the individuals and businesses
who gave gifts of money, presents,
food and other items to the Family
Crisis Center during the holiday
season. At the risk of leaving
someone out, we won't list them,
but please know that your
contributions were distributed to
some very thankful families. Not
only did all die women and children
at the shelter have a nic£ Christ-
mas, but the donations were so
plentiful that about 20 non-resident
families were assisted as well. In
addition, several non-resident fami-
lies were specifically sponsored by
individuals, families, or groups.
Meals were even delivered to the
shelter on Thanksgiving by the
First Baptist Church in Marble
Falls and on Christmas by the vol-
unteers working at the Community
Christmas Dinner at Mark's Family
Steak house.
The holidays can be a stressful
lime in any family, but for those
having to deal with the additional
stress of an abusive home and stay-
ing at a shelter, it can be really dif-
ficult. Thank you Highland Lakes
Community, you made a difference
in the lives of the battered women,
their children and survivors of sex-
ual assault that benefilted from your
many gifts. And thank you to all of
you that give throughout the year
loo.
Happy New Year and in 1997
may every home be a safe home.
The staff, board and volunteers at
Highland Lakes Family Crisis
Center
I didn't
punch
that
doggie
Dear Editor:
My name is Lyn Simpson: [.
have lived in Llano for 32 years and
have enjoyed those years for the
best part. Although it may seem
ridiculous I am writing this to the
person who has falsly accused me
of 9 crime I, haven't committed. It
has been reported to the police de-
partment that I beat my dog to
death with a crowbar and buried it
in my backyard.
This is an accusation that is very
much a lie.
On Sunday, December 29, my
family and I returned home from a
Christmas spent in Midland. We
went to feed our animals, for the
record I have two Rottweilers: Bo
and Budgcr, both for which we
love. But on this day Budgcr caiight
my daughters cat. Beast, and pro-
ceeded to kill it. I hit the dog one
time against the butt to get him
away. There was my daughter
screaming, my son hollering and
me trying to slop it all.M hollered
profusely at the two dogs and even
slammed the board against their
house. When it ended, I buried my
daughters cat in her favorite blan-
ket.
My dogs, both of them are very
alive and. well. And I have taken
ridicule from a person I don't even
know.
The next time you might take the
courtesy to get your facts before
you shoot off slander. It has even
gone now to my job that I slammed
a rock into his head; killing my
dog. TtVk ihanic that falsified re-
ports such as this spread slander
against other people all too often.
Lyn Simpson
Llano
Got A Beef?
Write us a letter
Llano News, P.0. Box 187
Llano, TX., 78643
Letters must be signed and have a
daytime phone number
Elected Officials
PRESIDENT
Bill Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington. D.C. 20500
TEXAS LT. GOVERNOR
Bob Bullock
P.O. Box 12068
Austin, TX., 78711
512-463-0001 '
VICE PRESIDENT
Albert Gore
Executive Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C., 20501
STATE SENATOR
Troy Fraser
P.O. Box 12Q68
Austin. TX., 78711
512-463-0124
U.S. SENATORS:
Kay Bailey Hutchison
283 Senate Russell Bldg.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Robert Turner
Washington, D.C. 20510
202-224-5922
P.O. Box 2910
Austin. TX., 78768-2910
512-463-0644
Phil Gramm
370 Russell Senate Bldg.
Washington D.C. 20510
202-224-2934
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
21ST DISTRICT
Lamar Smith
LLANO COUNTY JUDGE
J.P. Dodgen
Courthouse, Rm. 101
Llano. TX., 78643
915-247-5054
LLANO CITY MAYOR
Roas Bauman
2443 Rayburn House
Washington, D.C. 20515
202-225-4236
201 E. Granite
Llano. TX.. 78643
915-247-4158
TEXAS GOVERNOR
George W. Bush
LLANO DISTRICT ATTY.
Sam Oatman
P.O. Box 12428
Austin. TX., 78711
512-463-2000
P.O. Box 725
Llano. TX.. 78643
915-247-5755
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Buckner, Walter L. The Llano News (Llano, Tex.), Vol. 109, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 23, 1997, newspaper, January 23, 1997; Llano, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1140257/m1/4/: accessed June 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Llano County Public Library.