Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 16, 1977 Page: 2 of 20
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Page 2, The Bastrop Advertiser, Thursday, Jum-16,
Musings
By J. Troy Hickman
Why I try to be
a church person
It will toon be fifty yearn
since I began working and
a ori«tirig with church
people, a* a pattor I am
convinced that among them
may be found aome of the
beat people on earth. My
group «f friend* include not
only MethodUU, but mem
bem of every church
represented in the country, i
love them all.
My wife and I alio have
among our friend* a lot of
peraon# who do not attend
any church. We value and
love them, too.
Far be it from me to say
that any of u , in or out of
the church are perfect. 1
have yet to my first such
person. Just as hospitals are
for the sick, and schools are
for those who need to learn,
so the churches are for
sinners who have felt God's
spirit within them, forgiving
their sins and urging them to
become better men and
women in the only way there
is to do it: by growing in
grace daily closer to Him.
In case anyone tries to sell
church people short, this I
will say and stand by with all
the earnestness I have: by
and large, across the board,
church people are about as
good as any you will find in
this world of imperfections.
They have their faults, to be
sure. But they also have
good qualities.
If I were to move into a
new community where I
knew no one, 1 had rather
trust and depend on church
people than any other group
in town. In fart, since being a
minister. I have done that
very thing about a dozen
times. Always there have
been kind and thoughtful
people among them.
I think that some who
don't go to church feel a little
guilty about it, and seek to
justify themselves by point
ing to the fiaws in church
folk and implying that there
are hypocrites in the church.
There are no more hypo
crites in th*|J4lTttrch than
anywhere else. There are
just human beings in the
church, persons who are
struggling in the same world
that we ail fare, dealing with
the same problems, tempta
tions and sorrows.
Like you and me, some
times they win and some
times they lose. When they
fall, they try to get a fresh
hold on God's hand, get up
again, and go on to better
things. At least, this is the
tradition of church life, if one
wants to claim it for himself.
Kemember this: that your
church friend is still the
same person at church that
he is in his home or at his
business. Warts and all. He
does not suddenly become an
angel just because he enters
a church door. At lea#t. if he
works at the job of his
church life, he is trying.
If be is not getting
something out of hi* church,
why does he keep going back
again and again? No one
pays him, or forces him to
go.
And consider this: the
church endures across the
centuries and ail around the
world, in one form or
another. Despite opposition,
Golfers!
Jo© Echols
Challenges You
to beat hirn on
his new lighted
putting green.
Putting Tournament
Every Friday
8.00 p. m.
'ractice Free Anytime
Double Elimination
Entry Fee $2.00
321-3396
1977
i neglect, and imperfection*,
thechurch carries on. The
nest time you look, it will
still be here, doing the best it
can with the material it ha*.
Precisely, what is it that
the church does that is so
vital to so many? It is a
fellowship, a community of
persons who share a common
experience and hope under
God. and in the presence of
one another. In this lonely
life, we need fellowship and
the const ant assurance of it.
The church provides a
chance to come and sit for a
while each Sunday in the
realized Presence of God,
and look inward. What is my
moral position and direction?
hat is my spiritual attitude
and condition at the moment,
and bow can I strengthen
and improve it. The church
offers guidance and en
couragement at this point,
for those who seek them
there.
The sacred Scriptures, the
great hymns, and high
thoughts and aspirations and
paraded before us once a
week, that they may convict,
challenge, and correct our
lives The great mysteries of
God's grace and providence
are pictured for us to love
and wonder about.
No one can help being a
little better for the regular
and faithful dwelling upon
such things, whether he be a
good. bad. or indifferent
person.
It's a Matter of Fact
Changes in government
iiv Jf .tr . "Bur Cox
Have you thought about
it? The responsibilities of
government have changed so
much during the past two
decades that it is one of the
most confusing jobs on
today's market. Let us think
about it together.
Perhaps few readers of
this paper realize the
seventy of the crisis which
now faces the schools of the
state of Texas and more
importantly the local school
district in regards to schxtl
finance. So far this session
the legislature has been
unable to pass a school
finance bill which would
satisfy their legal require
ments of equalization and
the rural and urban schools
alike.
Several bills and versions
of bill* have been presented,
amended and untimately
turned down by either the
House or the Senate. None of
these bills were really
favorable to the Bastrop
I.S.D. as compared to other
districts around the area but
some of them would create a
disastrous financial situation
and impose a tremendous
burden on the Bastrop I.S.D.
The House version, the
Original H.B. 730 would
allow the Bastrop I.S.D. to
operate at near the situation
that exists for the 1976 77
school year. Bastrop would
have to pay considerably
more of the state share of
.education and receive less in
some of the State categories
of receipts, but all in all this
plan was the most accept-
able. Some of the plans
proposed by the Senate
would more that TRIPLE
Bastrop's share of the State
Program which would have
to be paid out of LOCAL
School Tax money. This
would impose a severe
re-evaluation program on
the local District in order to
finance the State require
ments.
Most of Bastrop's troubles
in this area begin with the
re evaluation done by the
State and the fact that
Bastrop is a large land area
district: no industry, but lots
and lots of land area which
has been evaluated by the
State on a speculative basis.
The House Bill 730 which
recommended agricultural
values for this land was a
practical and sensible ap-
proach to the taxation of
rural properties.
A good example of this
sort of finance troubles is a
near neighbor of Bastrop,
the Hays Consolidated
School District in Hays
County. Several articles and
quite a bit of publicity has
been published concerning
the Hays School situation of
which readers may be more
familiar. In the opinion of C.
H. Evans, superintendent
of schools in Bastrop, the
local taxpayers in Bastrop
and in Hays are in quite
identical boats and without
much hope of relief from a
tremendous tax increase on
the local property owner.
J. Fox
Department
Store
IHIIIIIIIIIMIItlliltlllHIIIIIIIIIIlllllllllllllllilllilllllflllllllHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIilill
Savings now
from 20%
to 80%
iiiiiiimifmitiimiiHiimiiimimiiiiiiiiiiiimiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
&
m
\
1
Remodeling
Sale
Buy now and save.
\ We need the room
for the workmen..
To compound the problem
the inability of the legisla
ture to reach a decision
places the local district in the
position of having to wait to
prepare the business of
operating their school for the
1977-78 school year. With
budgets to be figured and
personnel to be hired the
local district is now in a
situation of uncertainty and
indecision not on their part
but from a source over which
they have no control.
It all boils down to this as
far as the local taxpayer is
concerned. Local taxpayers
of the Bastrop I.S.D. are
going to be faced with a tax
increase imposed by the
Legislative process and the
courts. Unless Bastrop and
other districts like them are
considered under an agri-
culture formula and a decent
bill is passed by the
legislature taxpayers in
Bastrop are going to be faced
ith a large increase in their
tax burden.
with a large increase in their
controlled by the Local
School Board or the local
school administration. They
can only work with thier
legislators in trying to see
that a finance bill that is not
downright detrementai to
the Rural type of School
. District is passed. The
"legislature is already sharply
divided int heir thoughts
concerning the Rural and the
Urban Districts. This is the
reason that no finance bill
has been able to survive
action in both houses.
Perhaps your comment to
your legislator might help.
C.H. Evans
An open letter to all of the
people of the United States
of America:
Dear People:
I do mean everyone;
native born, naturalized
citizens, legal and illegal
aliens and last but not least,
our Federal group in
Washington.
Here is a timely message.
Last year we celebrated our
bicentennial as a nation, but
our nation will not stand
until our tricentennial date
July 4th, 2076, UNLESS we
set our own house in proper
order. We are fast approach-
ing the condition that was so
rampant in Noah's time. I
don't need to remind you of
how NON-great our so called
"great society" has become
on account of dishonesty,
selfishness and immorality.
Besides those three sins,
consider how our social
security, medicare, medi-
caid, health education and
welfare have become a giant
octopus with it's many
tentacles sucking away the
social security funds set
aside by our workers and
their employers. plus
EXTRA money from the
general revenue fund.
It is high time that all we
people share in the cost of
maintaining that octopus, by
a general welfare tax. Not
just a tax on business, labor
and the wealthy. Yes, a tax
that even the recipients of
social security, unemploy
ment compensation and
H.E.W. benefits would have
to pay. It need not be a large
tax but by everyone
participating, it may pos
aibly eliminate the need of
our present social security
tax How could we do that?
Hy levying a Federal tax of 1
cent on every EVEN dollar
ol tales of
14 tW
For
trth
and .
good* snd
•sample put
if K *oli
Mitt is a <
b
Jd
I can remember, and I feel
sure that many of you can
also, when the challenges of
the 1960's were simply how
to use the expanding
resources available. I can
even remember, and maybe
you will join me again, when
the challenges of the 1950's
brought government to it's
feet with the problems of
what to do with the surplus
resources available. Today
the real challenge of
government is how to say
"No".
It is the job of the
manager to advise the
elected decision-makers
about what is best in a
professional sense, and what
should be done according to
the experience and facts
available. This is the
primary responsibility of
government...to provide ser-
vices to the citizens and do it
economically, for the benefit
of health, safety and the
pursuit of happiness. Yet
this is increasingly harder to
do because it is not a popular
action...it is getting to the
point where the decision-
makers must start saying
"no" to those looking for
some expanded service.
In this business...it is a
new position for the city
manager and for the elected
officials..or at least for most
of them. The job has been
done in the past in the midst
of a world of growth...in-
creased population increased
financial resources, and
increased role of concern.
But....now is the time to
look at these things. Cities
are facing crisis that never
before existed-develop-
ments are coming into being
that never before were
dreamed of-demands for
services from the people are
present that were never
thought to be the role of
government before...the
challenge of management
and government a decade
ago is no longer recognizable
today. Therefore we must
face today's challenge...How
to say no!
The wells will dry up if we
keep trying to furnish the
world with water. The banks
will go broke if we keep
trying to furnish everyone
with money. The fields will
be bare if we keep trying to
furnish the world with food.
transaction seems too high,
how about 1 cent per unit of
transactions of either $2.00
or $5.00 or even as high.as
$10.00? The tax on these last
three brackets of trans-
actions would be one half
cent per dollar, one fifth
from at least one of those
four transaction brackets
probably would produce
enough revenue to satisfy
our octopus.
All forms of welfare, social
security, H.E.W., unemploy-
ment compensation or what
have you, will have to be
paid out of tax revenue
anyway. So, why not a small
general welfare tax on all of
us? The creation and
maintenance of a great
society is not just the
responsibility of the
wealthy, business and labor,
but rather the obligation of
all of our people, citizens and
aliens.
I hope that the news-
papers and magazines will
blanket our nation with
copies of this letter by
republishing it nation wide,
until we are convinced that a
general welfare tax is the
only solution to our overall
welfare dilemma, short of
spn-itual rebirth. Spiritual
rebirth would be the
desirable solution but the
least likely to be attained. A
combination of both: a step
toward perfection.
Signed - John E. Nichols
The resources we have been
so proud of will disappear
and then what do we do...say
"no". But, by that time we
are in trouble.
Decades ago we didn't ask
the government to water us,
feed us, cloth us, care for us,
and provide us with thv-
extras of life. We thought it
was our business to take
care of our own families and
their needs.
People have raised so
much cain about streets,
drainage, garbage, grass,
dogs, and these type of
programs ...until all resourc-
es and interests were
channeled along these lines
for the past decade...now,
comes the real need-water.
It's too late to say no.
You, the people, have set
the priorities. Streets are
good...garbage service is
good...drainage is good...but
water is a must. Housing has
been the story of the public.
Give me a house to live in
and the money to pay the
rent and the funds to buy the
food and let me walk around
like a king and I'll promise to
be a good citizen and to tear
your cities apart and not
attempt to contribute any-
thing worthwhile to the
proper development.
You can travel the best
paved street available this
side of Heaven, but if you
don't have good water, you
will never finish your
journey. You can have a
front yard completely dry of
flood water, but if you don't
have good clean fresh water,
you might as well be washed
away. You can build the
most beautiful home or
business building in the 50
states, and wear the biggest
diamonds dug from the
ground, but without water
you have nothing.
Where is the concern. No
one cares about tomorrow as
long as it rains today, is what
Dad use to preach. Of course
there is no assurance of
tomorrow, but we might
4
111'.!
7Y> * VN
US I OUK
•RIOAL ClfT KfOhTRY
JEWEL H'
need to look at our priorities.
Let us reason together.
A few years ago there was
the reality that the central
city was populated by low
income citizens who had real
needs for additional public
services in health, nutrition,
housing and other such basic
needs which they could not
afford. It became the job of
the government to see that
these things were provided,
because those in need could
not afford to pay the taxes
needed to furnish them.
Then there was the
essential change in the role
of government that forced
the capable to pay the bills
according to the rules and
regulations of a government
so far removed from the local
scenes that it has become
ridkulus to the point that it
could easily bankrupt small
cities if they complied with
the laws as written.
It is becoming harder eath
day to tell the citizens that
this is not a real function of
the government. It is not the
government's responsibility
to provide these extras in
life.
When I was a kid and we
couldn't afford electricity,
we used coal oil lamps. If we
didn't have the money for
steak we ate gravy. If we
needed a roof over our heads
we put up a tent, if we didn't
have a house. If we needed
money we worked for it. If
we couldn't afford gas we
rode a bicycle. If we didn't
have enough money to buy
food and drink, we stayed
sober....and ate a meal.
You, the people set
community development
standards. You, the people,
control community develop-
ment. It's up to you what
gets done. It's up to you
what functions you want
your local government to
undertake. It's your city and
you need to set the
priorities. , ,
The emergency number
this weekend will be
mine. .".321-5579.
WELCOMI
FRIENDLY
E
PENTECOSTAL CHURCH
OF GOD
(TRINITY)
1925 North Main Street
Sunday School
10:00
Sunday Morning Worship .
11:00
Sunday Night Seryice . .
7:00
Sunday Night P.Y.P.A. . .
6:30
Thursday Night Service . .
7:00
HOMER WALLACE, Pastor
s
PLANTS ICE
BASTROP PRODUCE
11 OS CHESTNUT
PHONE 321-5435
VINE RIPE
TOMATOES
Lb.
35c
BELL PEPPERS
Lb.
25c
CABBAGE
Lb.
12c
ONIONS
Lb.
17c
AVOCADOS
Each
20c
CELERY
Stalk
35c
ICE COLD
WATERMELONS Lb.
7c
ICE
10 Lb. Bag
50c
MILK
Gal,
$1.59
PEACHES
Lb.
40c
FRESH CORN
2 Ears
25c
HKKii IM> %IM:
r*i
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Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Pannell, Leland R. Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 16, 1977, newspaper, June 16, 1977; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth395188/m1/2/?rotate=90: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.