Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 003, Ed. 1 Friday, January 20, 2012 Page: 4 of 12
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Viewpoints
Page 4 ■ Friday, January 20, 2012
Sweetwater Reporter
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
1—x Sweetwater 1
Reporter
P.O. Box 750/112 W. Third
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
325/236-6677
Fax: 325/235-4967
Website:
www.sweetwaterreporter.com
E-mail addresses:
publisher@sweetwaterreporter.com
business@sweetwaterreporter.com
advertising@sweetwaterreporter.com
editor@sweetwaterreporter.com
composing@sweetwaterreporter.com
GUEST COLUMN
TA
MEMBER
2010
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
Ron Midkiff
Publisher
Gloria Rudel
ad director
Oanica Dickson
business mgr./
circulation mgr.
Tatiana Rodriguez
managing editor
Pablo Rodriguez
composing
Rleu Reyes
production mgr.
Staples
Statewide results
show students lack
nutrition knowledge
Most likely you've heard the saying, "Give a man to fish
and he'll eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he'll have
nourishment for a lifetime." Well, the same holds true for
our children when it comes to improving their health. Texans
are constantly trying to improve the nutritional habits of our
children by providing healthier food and
physical activity opportunities. But what
about teaching our children the need for
making healthy lifestyle decisions?
The lack of nutrition knowledge is a
growing problem among Texas school
children. In fact, when a group of about
l,8oo third through fifth grade Texas stu-
dents was surveyed, most did not under-
stand that baked potato chips were a
healthier choice than French fries. These
same children also thought that sports
Tfftflfl drinks didn't contain sugar, when in fact
IU! ill they are filled with sugar that can cause
weight gain if not consumed in modera-
tion or with sufficient exercise.
These are just a few of the results we
at the Texas Department of Agriculture
and The Cooper Institute® recently released from a state-
wide, interactive pilot program for elementary students
called NutriGram®. The valuable information collected from
NutriGram reaffirmed the importance of healthy eating edu-
cation among Texas children.
Poor nutrition impacts a student's performance, and with
one in five Texas children considered obese, Texas must
do what it can to educate students about proper nutrition.
NutriGram has the opportunity to be a breakthrough that
can improve children's lives and save taxpayers unneces-
sary health care costs. This program is a critical initiative for
Texans and serves as the education component of what I call
the ";}E's of Healthy Living - Education, Exercise and Eating
Right."
NutriGram was created to increase necessary nutrition
knowledge through an online question-and-answer format
featuring a 3-D nutrition education video game. The program
is available to all Texas public schools through May 2012.
We know that living healthy requires more than just exer-
cise and eating right; it takes knowing certain things like what
to eat, how often to exercise and why you should do both. It's
this education that the majority of Texas children are miss-
ing, and with NutriGram we hope to curb that trend.
HOME COUNTRY
Dud Campbell
Dud Campbell had been quiet for almost an hour, which
brought concern to his wife, Anita. Dud isn't the strong, silent
type. He's more like a quick, noisy type. After
an hour had gone by in silence, he picked up a
sheet of paper and began taking notes.
"Dinner's pretty soon, Hon," Anita said.
"Can't eat now. Uh, can I have something
later, maybe?"
"Sure. Hey, you okay?"
He nodded, then went for the coffee pot. He
gave Anita a hug on his way back to the table.
"Been thinking. It's the book again."
We're all aware of The Book. Dud's murder
mystery, which has been transformed over
m|s_m several years from eight murders in the first
Olllll chapter (rejected by a publisher) to three mur-
ders in the entire book, to a murder/love story
based on the unorthodox courtship of Randall
Jones and Katie Burchell, has been a literary
thorn in Dud's side since he first got the idea.
The titles haven't changed, however. Dud still calls it "Murder in
the Soggy Bottoms" and everyone else still calls it "The Duchess
and the Truck Driver." Because the two main characters are ...
well, you know.
"Anita, Hon, it's this whole Dewey business..."
"I thought he was doing just fine with Emily."
"He is ... I think. Anyway, I was thinking that I could put some
of their courtship story into the book. Maybe have the truck
driver hide his profession from the duchess, and maybe the
duchess could turn out to have a diesel fetish or some tiling. So
they have tilings they're hiding from each other. It's just... well, I
don't know where to put it in the book, you know?"
"Dud just because Dewey and this Emily are in an unusual
situation where she thinks he has a manure fetish, well, that's
interesting all right, but the book should be your story, not
theirs."
He sat and sipped and scratched with the pencil and looked at
her and smiled.
'You know, at times like this, I'm almost sorry I started writing
this book. With fiction, you can't check to see what people did.
You have to make it up as you go, and sometimes I think, well,
how in the world should I know what these people are going to
do?"
"May I make a suggestion?"
"Sure."
"Why don't you just start writing and let the characters figure
out what they want to do? You know, leave it up to them?"
"Anita Campbell, you're a genius!"
He immediately got on the computer, didn't eat any dinner at
all, and didn't come to bed until about four a.111. Artists some-
times have hard lives.
Brought to you by Slim's award-winning book "A Cowboy's
Guide to Growing Up Right." Learn more at http://www,
lunsantos.coni/Slim/Sliin.htinl.
Randies
GUEST COLUMN
he Missing 'Humanity Clause at Bain
During the Great
Depression, my father
toiled in a box factory. The
workers were all flat broke,
he recalled, and desperate
for every nickel.
But when overtime
hours appeared,
the men made
sure they went to a
guy with kids. The
laborers were obey-
ing the unwritten
and unenforceable
"humanity clause,"
whereby one gives
up some personal
gain in deference to
another's scream-
ing need.
My father later
built a prosperous small
business and became a reli-
able Republican (until the
Bill Clinton impeachment).
But he never saw working
people as nobodies. Profits,
while important, were not
all.
A lack of similar empa-
thy is what many find most
disquieting about Mitt
Romney, whose private-
equity firm pumped his
fortune to perhaps $250
million. It's more than just
the nature of the business.
It was a certain inhumanity
of the Bostonians running
Bain Capital, namely Mitt.
Private equity executives
argue that by wringing
Froma
ESairop
costs out of the companies
they buy, the firms emerge
stronger. They often save
ailing businesses for the
good of the workers, as well
as the investors.
Critics say such
investors often loot
companies. They
slash workforces,
pile on debt and
enrich the partners,
leaving the weak-
ened patient to
die. Bain excelled
at these leveraged
buyouts. A steel
mill in Kansas City
serves as a vivid
example, as Reuters
reports.
Under Romney's leader-
ship, Bain bought major-
ity control of Worldwide
Grinding Systems in 1993.
It put up $8 million of
the $75 million purchase
price and borrowed $125
million by issuing bonds.
In business since 1888,
the mill was renamed GS
Technologies. Bain imme-
diately sent investors $36
million in dividend checks.
"Paying distributions
with debt is not uncom-
mon," Duke University
finance professor Campbell
Harvey told Reuters. "The
only thing that strikes me
as a bit unusual is the size
of the dividend. There
would be logic in them sav-
ing some cash for a down-
turn."
A steel business is capi-
tal-intensive and sensitive
to economic conditions.
That's why it needs to con-
serve money for the lean
years. When the economy
did go south, so did GS
Technologies. Its bean-
counters reportedly started
skimping on everything
from earplugs to basic
maintenance of equipment.
GS Technologies went
bankrupt in 2001, the plant
closed, and 750 workers lost
their jobs. Bain skipped out
on a previous agreement
to provide severance pay
and health coverage if that
happened. The workers saw
their pensions slashed by
up to $400 a month.
But Bain walked away
from the smoking ruins $12
million richer, not includ-
ing $4.5 million in consult-
ing fees. And it had tapped
government, as well. The
company had extracted $3
million in tax savings from
Kansas City and partook
of a federal program put-
ting taxpayer guarantees on
loans to troubled steel com-
panies. The federal Pension
Benefits Guarantee Corp.
bailed out the company's
underfunded pension plan
to the tune of $44 million.
Bain blamed the com-
pany's failure on an eco-
nomic downturn and
cheaper steel imports. The
company's former CEO
Roger Regelbrugge blamed
burdensome debt and new
managers from outside the
steel industry. "I have no
question that the company
would have survived under
different management," he
said.
The moral here is that
there was no morality. In
normal business, compa-
nies do fail, and layoffs
sometimes must happen.
But after feasting off the
company, Bain had the
means to keep its word to
the workers. That should
have been a matter of
honor.
I don't think Romney
took sadistic pleasure
in firing the machinists
and pipefitters. Possibly
worse, he never saw them
as human beings — but as
potential subtraction to his
personal bottom line. They
never registered with him
one way or another.
To find out more about
Froma Harrop, and read
features by other Creators
Syndicate writers and car-
toonists, visit the Creators
Syndicate web page at
www.creators.com.
0'
m
9^
w
0^
tmm 1
C%R?Kf£i
(s> act*2. co/w
GUEST COLUMN
About the Dog
There is a famous story
(it may be apocryphal,
of course) about Richard
Nixon and his dog. No, I
don't mean the Checkers
speech, the one where
Nixon saved his integrity
by invoking his lit-
tle dog, Checkers,
and his wife's cloth
coat. This one came
later, after he lost,
during the famous
Bel Air fire. The
story is that as he
was fleeing his
house, Nixon left
his dog.
When it comes to
friends, it's hard to
beat a dog. Harry
Truman, it is said,
once was told that
if you want a real friend in
Washington, get a dog. But
friendship — really, love —
should be a two-way street.
I am the mother of three
loving dogs: Judy Jarvis
Estrich, Molly Isabel Estrich
and Irving A. Estrich.
Sometimes, being the wor-
rywart that I am, I actually
spend time thinking about
how I would round up my
dogs in the car in case there
was a tsunami or a fire. It
goes without saying that I
would never leave without
them.
A few years ago, Rosie,
who helped me raise my
children and now helps me
raise my dogs, found a hun-
gry and bedraggled dog at
the local dog park. He was
wearing a tag, so she called
the number. It turned out
the family had been away
during the Malibu fire,
and when they finally got
home, the dog was gone.
He walked all the way to
our neighborhood. It is one
Susan
Estrich
of my favorite stories.
This brings me to the
subject of today's column:
the Romney dog. If, as it
appears likely, Mitt Romney
is the Republican nomi-
nee for president, we're
all going to be get-
ting an education
on venture capital
firms and whether
they create jobs
or destroy them.
We'll all be watch-
ing the numbers
to see whether, in
these tough times,
the 99 percent who
used to aspire to be
part of the 1 percent
have now turned on
the Romneys of the
world.
All that is important,
but it's also complicated —
unlike a man and his dog.
Presidential elections
are, in a very fundamental
way, tests of character. You
can't predict all the issues
or crises that will face the
person you elect president,
which means that charac-
ter, ultimately, counts for
more than position papers
and platforms.
And in my book, as a
dog lover, nothing tells you
as much about a person's
character as how they treat
their dog.
So what are we to make
of that infamous fam-
ily vacation during which
Romney put the dog in a
crate on top of the car —
for 12 hours? Or the more
recent revelations that the
dog and the crate had to
be hosed down a few hours
into the trip when his bow-
els gave way?
Respected New York
Times columnist Gail
Collins finds a way to get
the dog into every column
she writes about Romney.
It's become a popular sort
of puzzle: How will she get
the dog in?
I've met Romney's fam-
ily. They seem like very
nice people. I'm sure they
all loved their dog. Some
people leave their dogs
at home when they take
vacations. The Romneys
brought theirs. And with a
car full of kids, there was
apparently no room for the
dog in the car.
I didn't have a dog grow-
ing up (my mother was
afraid of them), so I don't
really know whether it was
common in those days for
people to put their dog on
the roof of their car. I'm
sure I'll hear from plenty of
people who claim they've
done it and the dog was
just fine.
Still, it's hard for me to
imagine putting one of
the Estrich dogs anywhere
other than the back seat.
Judy does like to ride in the
front, but really, the back
is safer.
Someone once said to me
that heaven is where you
meet all the dogs you've
loved and lost. Maybe
Hershey Estrich Kaplan is
there waiting for me. I don't
know whether Checkers
was waiting for Nixon, or
whether the Romney dog
ended up having a fine
vacation and a good life
after that tough 12-hourtrip
and will welcome his family
when that day comes.
I'm not a Romney voter,
so maybe it doesn't matter.
But I don't think I'm alone
in this. Before I decide what
I think about this man's
character, I need to know
more about that trip — and
that dog.
To find out more about
Susan Estrich and read
features by other Creators
Syndicate writers and car-
toonists, visit the Creators
Syndicate website at www.
creators.com.
NOTICE
If you miss your
Sweetwater Reporter you
should call evenings from
5:30-6:00 p.m.
Monday thru Friday.
If you miss your Sunday
paper please call from 8-
9:30 a.m., and we will con-
tact your carrier.
236-6677
EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. AH articles except
those labeled "Editorials" reflect the opinions of the writ-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter.
The SWEETWATER REPORTER
(USPS 5300-860) is published daily
except Saturdays and holidays by HPC
of Texas Inc. (Periodical Postage Paid)
112 W. 3rd, Sweetwater, Texas 79556
Postmaster: Send address changes to:
SWEETWATER REPORTER
P.O. BOX 750.
SWEETWATER, TX 79556
City Delivery $9.00 per month, $90.00
per year, 6-months $50.00, 3-months
$26.00. By mail In-County Rates
3-months $36.00, 6-months $65.00,
12-months $115.00. Out-Of-County
Rates 3-months $50.00, 6-months
$88.00, 12-months $140.00.
Correction Policy
Editorial:
As a matter of policy, the
Sweetwater Reporter will
publish corrections of errors
in fact that have been print-
ed in the newspaper.
The corrections will be
made as soon as possible
after the error has been
brought to the attention of
the newspaper's editor at
236-6677.
Advertising:
Publisher reserves the right
to reject, edit or cancel any
advertising at any time with-
out liability. Publisher's liabil-
ity for error is limited to the
amount paid for advertising.
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
V
__ Sweetwater
Reporter
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 003, Ed. 1 Friday, January 20, 2012, newspaper, January 20, 2012; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth229667/m1/4/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.