Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 119, Ed. 1 Friday, April 1, 2011 Page: 4 of 12
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Viewpoints
Page 4 ■ Friday, April 1, 2011
Sweetwater Reporter
DEDICATED TO PROUDLYDEUVERIN® LOCAL NEWS SI NTH 1881
T—\ Sweetwatei A
Reporter
1EMBER
| * 1 2010
P.O. Box 750/112 W. Third
TEXAS PRESS
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
ASSOCIATION
325/236-6677
Fax: 325/235-4967
Website:
www.sweetwaterreporter.com
E-mail addresses:
publisher@sweetwaterreporter.com
business@sweetwaterreporter.com
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composing@sweetwaterreporter.com
EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except
those labeled "Editorials" reflect the opinions of the writ-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter.
flrgus
Hamilton
GUEST COLUMN
President Obama
speaks at Georgetown
HOLLYWOOD—God bless America, and how's
everybody?
President Obama gave a speech to students at
Georgetown University Wednesday on America's
worsening energy crisis. The numbers say it all. We
use forty percent of the world's oil and we've only
invaded fifteen percent of the world's oil-producing
nations.
President Obama gave a speech in Washington
Wednesday about the need to convert
from oil to renewable energy before
the oil runs out. Americans are sick
fof hearing about it. By the time the
™ § United States of America runs out of
oil it'll be Greater Mexico's problem.
Donald Trump called a press con-
ference Tuesday and repeated his
demand to see the president's birth
certificate. Reporters ridicule him
for always bringing it up. You won't
know that he's right until we invade
Kenya and make it a state, retroac-
tive to i960.
Sea World welcomed Tilikum the
Killer Whale a year after he killed
a female trainer. He's learned his lesson. The whale
spent a year in the ocean with Japanese fishermen, oil
spills and nuclear waste before he took a plea bargain
and agreed to go back into solitary.
CBS News offered Katie Couric a spot on CBS'
60 Minutes after her contract runs out as anchor.
Viewership is way down. The network audience is
shrinking so fast that Scott Pelley was selected as the
new CBS News anchor because "he has a really large
family.
Lindsay Lohan announced Tuesday she will drop
her last name and simply go by the name Lindsay. It's
a PR ploy that works sometimes. Moammar Khadaffi
might get the U.S. and Britain to stop trying to over-
throw him if he'd change his name to The Devil You
Know.
Hillary Clinton promised Congress Wednesday that
the U.S. will not supply arms to the rebels in Libya
now that it appears al-Qaeda has joined the insur-
gency against Khadaffi. It would be chaos. Imagine
al-Qaeda's embarrassment when they used U.S.-made
shoulder-fired anti-aircraft weapons to shoot down an
airliner that their co-workers were hijacking.
Al-Qaeda claimed Wednesday to have hidden one
hundred and sixty nuclear devices around the U.S.
in schools and buildings. It's a long-range plan. They
say they're waiting for just the right time to set them
off, one out before the Chicago Cubs win the World
Series.
Senator Harry Reid blamed a potential government
shutdown on Tea Partiers. The politicians are trying
desperately to avoid a shutdown. It would lay off all
non-essential government workers, close all govern-
ment offices, halt all government programs, withhold
government subsidies, suspend foreign aid and elect
Ron Paul president pro-tem.
Syria's dictator Bashar al-Assad gave a threaten-
ing speech in Damascus Wednesday, accusing agents
from the West of stirring up revolt against Islam. The
dictator insists he's a reformer. He just authorized a
strip club in Damascus which offers full facial nudity.
Syria teetered near the edge of revolution Wednesday
as riots broke out nationwide against the dictatorial
rule of Bashar Assad. However, we're not taking mili-
tary action in Syria because there's nothing there for
us. We've got all the heroin we need in Afghanistan.
University of Chicago sanctioned a website Monday
that lets college students hook up with each other for
casual sex. It asks for no compatibility and offers no
romance. When you're competing with Asians for top
grades you've got no time to exchange phone num-
bers.
An FDA chemist was busted for insider trading
Tuesday after he used his knowledge of soon-to-be-
approved drugs to buy drug stocks. He used seven
brokerage firms and never used his real name and still
got caught. The only reason we won World War II is
because Einstein was smart enough to know that a girl
in a bar might be wearing a wire.
Argiis Hamilton is the host comedian at The Comedy
Store in Hollywood and entertains groups and orga-
nizations around the country. E-mail him atArgus@
ArgusHamilton.com.
HIGHLAND ISD SUPERINTENDENT'S COLUMN
What's up with the Legislature, Part 2
Last month, I wrote
about the multi-billion
dollar budget short-
fall facing the Texas
Legislature.
Ur ortunately,
the situa-
tion has not
Improved much
in the ensuing
days. The base
budget passed
by the House
Appropriations
Committee con-
tains severe
funding reduc-
tions for almost
all state entities,
poinding pub-
lic education.
Various funding mod-
els being discussed in
the Senate all contain
cuts to public educa-
tion. If any of the fund-
ing scenarios in the
House or Senate pass
in their present form,
Highland ISD will
lose from $250,000
to $1,200,000 over
the next two
years. This
equates to
a 5%-23%
reduction in
state fund-
ing. Other
No n County
districts are
affected to
a greater or
lesser extent
depending
on property
weal 1, but a t
would receive
funding cuts.
If this weren't bad
enough, SB 1590 filed
by Senator Ogden
would take away
almost all financial
benefits of districts
with Tax Code Chapter
Guy
Nelson
313 agreements. All
four Nolan County
schools have Chapter
313 agreements with
various wind energy
companies. SB 1590
would reduce state
funding payments or
increase the Chapter
41 recapture payments
to school districts
that have entered into
Chapter 313 agree-
ments by the amount
equal to the supple-
mental payments,
essentially wiping out
any school district
benefit. These reduc-
tions appear to apply
to existing agreements.
If SB 1590 passes,
Nolan County schools
would lose millions
of dollars in funding
This is especially frus-
trating considering
that the Chapter 313
agreements were made
according to state law
and approved by the
state Comptroller's
Office.
I have communicated
my concerns to State
Representative Susan
King and State Senator
Robert Duncan. Please
add your voice to mine
by contacting them
and asking them to
maintain state funding
for schools and oppose
SB 1590 or any other
changes to Chapter 313
payments.
Guy Nelson is the
Superintendent at
Highland Independent
School District.
Comments about
this column may be
e-mailed to editor@
sweetwaterreporter.
com.
Contact nformat on:
Representative Susan King
Room E2.422, Capitol Extension
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0718
(512) 463-0994 (fax)
susan.king@house.state.tx.us
HIGHLAND ISD SUPERINTENDENT'S COLUMN
Senator Robert Duncan
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
(512) 463-0128
(512) 463-2424 (fax)
robert.duncan@senate.state.tx.us
Support from the homefront
more important than ever
"They fight in every
corner of the globe...
for you. They live to
fight... for you, and
they never rest because
there is always another
battle to be won in the
defense of America." -
Lieutenant General
John F. Kelly
In recent months,
from the highest ranks
of the U.S. Military,
we've heard a grow-
ing concern that the
American public is
losing touch with our
service men and
women, veterans
and their family
members, and
the critical sacri -
fices they make
on our behalf.
Admiral Mike
Mullen, chair-
man of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff,
recently testified
before Congress
that there's a
"growing disconnect
between the American
people and the mili-
tary—the day-to-day
connections are less
than they used to be,
the dept and breadth
of who we are and what
we'redoing, isn'tthere."
Similarly, U.S. Defense
Secretary Robert Gates
said last year in a
speech to students at
Duke University, "for
most Americans, the
wars remain an abstrac-
tion."
Today, less than 1
percent of the U.S. pop-
ulation serves in the
mi'tary. Of that small
community, Texas is
home to roughly one
out of every 10 current
service members. Our
state is also home to 15
major military installa-
tions and more than 1.7
million veterans. For
these reasons, it's no
wonder it's often said
that "Texas defends
America." While
Texans have a special
appreciation for our
service members and
our veterans, there is
always more we can do
to show our support,
comfort the wounded,
and care for those who
have lost loved ones.
Just as Texas is home
lohn
Cornyn
to millions of service
members and veterans,
it is also host to a variety
of organizations devot-
ed entirely to providing
support }r our mili-
tary community. This
past week, one orga-
nization in particular,
Homes for Our Troops,
began construction on
four specially adapt-
ed homes for severe-
ly injured veterans in
Texas. Volunteers will
work over the next
seven weeks building
these homes,
which come at
no cost to the
veterans receiv-
ing them, but
instead are cov-
ered completely
by donations
from corporate
sponsors, indi-
viduals, foun-
dations, pro-
fessionals from
home construc-
tion and related indus-
tries, and thousands of
volunteers.
In Killeen, Homes
for Our Troops has
partnered with Cameo
Homes, Inc., to build
a home for Sergeant
First Class Charles
Armstead and his fam-
ily. Armstead was criti-
cally wounded during
his third deployment
to Iraq when an insur-
gent attacked his out-
post and shot him in
the stomach, shattering
his hip and resulting in
the loss of his right leg.
In just one weekend,
teams of volunteers
managed to construct
the wheelchair-friendly
home, with wide hall-
ways, doors and show-
ers.
In El Paso, Veliz
Construction will assist
Homes for Our Troops
in building two homes
for wounded war-
riors and their fami-
lies. The first recipient
is Specialist Adrian
Garcia, who lost both
legs above the knees
from a rocket-pro-
pelled grenade attack.
The second recipient is
Corporal Danie Gasca,
who is also a double
amputee -wounded by
an IED explosion in
Iraq. Gasca currently
lives in a small, 19th-
floor apartment with
his wife and two chil-
dren.
Finally, in Boerne,
a fourth home will be
constructed with the
assistance of Veritas
Custom Homes for
Staff Sergeant Nicholas
McCoy. McCoy was
woun ed on patrol in
Iraq by an IED explo-
sion, which resulted in
him losing both of his
legs.
Since ts inception in
2004, Homes for Our
Troops has built nearly
100 homes in 33 states,
including 12 here in
Texas with the help of
generous individuals,
oundations,businesses
and volunteers across
the state. And, thank-
fully, Homes for Our
Troops is just one of
hundreds of organiza-
tions working in Texas
to meet the needs of
our military and vet-
eran communities.
While Texans truly
set an example for the
rest of the nation on
how we can best sup-
port our troops, veter-
ans and their families,
it is essential that we
keep that enthusiasm
alive—especially as our
nation remains engaged
on multiple fronts in
the War on Terror.
As Lieutenant
General Robert Kelly,
recently nominated
to serve as Secretary
Gates' senior military
aide, said in a poignant
speech ust days after
losing his son in com-
bat in Afghanistan, the
responsibilities and
burdens of war should
not be shouldered alone
by the "tiny fraction"
who serve and their
fami ies at home.
"As a democracy —
'We the People' — and
that by definition s
every one of us, sent
them away from home
and hearth to fight our
enemies," he said. "We
are all responsible."
It is my hope that
General Kelly's words
will be a challenge for
all of us to reflect every
day on the freedoms we
hold dear, give thanks
for those who sacri-
ficed to secure those
freedoms, and commit
to do more to support
those who serve.
Note: Visit http://
www.ourmilitary.mil
to find more in Dona-
tion on ways to sup-
port our soldiers and
their families and a list
of organizations who
depend on volunteers
and donations to carry
out this important
effort.
Sen. Cornyn serves on
the Finance, Judiciary,
Armed Services, and
Budget Committees.
He serves as the top
Republican on the
Judiciary Committee's
Immigration, Refugees
and Border Security
subcommittee. He
served previously
as Texas Attorney
General, Texas
Supreme Court Justice,
and Bexar County
District Judge.
The SWIUlWMt R REPORTER
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Sweetwater Reporter will
publish corrections of errors
in fact that have been print-
ed in the newspaper.
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made as soon as possible
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 119, Ed. 1 Friday, April 1, 2011, newspaper, April 1, 2011; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth229435/m1/4/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.