Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 129, No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 13, 2011 Page: 4 of 16
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I
PAGK4A
OPINIONS
THE POLK COUNTY ENTERPRISE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2011
c
SrinJSon CLIMKIE CHANGE
AUSTIN — During the
week before the Jan. 11 start
of the 82nd session of the
Texas legislature, the ques-
tion of who would be the next
speaker of the state House
Of Representatives hung'
heavy in the air and seemed
to drown out other issues.
I'he normal procedure is for the
150-member House to choose
a speaker on day one. right af-
ter roll call is taken, the oath of
office administered, and House
rules adopted. Nominations
are made from the House floor,
followed by seconds; a vote is
taken and a speaker is elected.
Hut last week, the 101-member
Republican caucus, despite ob-
jections by Democrats, moved
toward conducting a non-bind-
ing "straw' vote” for speaker
on Monday, Jan. 10, ostensibly
to get the matter settled a day
early.
In the race for powerful
post. Rep. Warren Chisum. R-
I’ampa, a major force in push-
ing for the straw vote, meant
to put himself up against the
moderate. consensus-build-
ing incumbent Speaker Joe
Straus of San Antonio and
the younger conservative
Ken Paxton of McKinney
The Straus and Paxton camps
both claimed enough votes to
win. At any rate, the matter
was [lending at the press dead-
line for this column. So, more
about it will follow next week.
Shooting
overshadows alt else
I’he matter of who would be
s|ieaker largely faded from pub-
lic attention on Saturday. Jan.
X, when new s of a shooting in
Tucson. Ariz.. seized the nation.
A gunman, apparently acting
on his own, shot and grievously
wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrietle
Giffords, who was meeting
with constituents in a "Congress
on Your Corner” event at a
shopping center in Tucson.
I’he suspect, identified as Jared
I ,ee l.oughner. 22. reportedly
shot Giffords in the head at
close range with a 9 mm pistol.
He also fired at others in the
crowd, including U.S. District
Judge John Roll. 63. who died
in the shooting. Also among
the dead were Giffords’ staff
member Gabe Zimmerman, 30.
and a 9-year-old girl, Christina
Taylor Green.
Six people were killed and 13
others wounded in the slit Kiting.
The suspect was taken into cus-
tody and is being processed by
Arizona and federal authorities.
Republican Party of Texas state
chairman Steve Munistieri is-
sued a statement-of condolence
to Rep. Giffords, her family,
and to the families of the other
shooting victims. He offered
a prayer for the speedy recov-
ery of all w ho were injured or
wounded and he condemned
the stunner s act. “and any act
of violence toward those who
serve in elected office.”
Security issues again
in spotlight
The Jan. 8 shooting again
raises the matter of safety
for public officials, their
staff, and ordinary citizens
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
State . Capital
t
HIGHLIGHTS
By Ed Sterling
at public gatherings and
in government buildings.
Last year, the Texas state
Capitol received bomb
phoned-in threats and a gun-
man fired random shots on
the Capitol’s south steps. In
2008. an arsonist targeted
the Governor’s Mansion,
rendering the building unus-
able for its normal functions.
The state Capitol now has air-
port-style security at its four
public entrances, but citizens
possessing concealed handgun
permits are allowed to bypass
some of the screening proce-
dures in place.
Program yields
increase in arrests
The Texas Department of
Public Safety on Jan. 7 an-
nounced a special enforcement
program targeting* impaired
drivers during the Christmas
and New Year's holidays re-
sulted in the arrest of 1.106
drivers across the state.
State troopers were out in force
Dec. 21 to Jan. I. looking for
impaired or intoxicated driv-
ers. Of those arrests, the DPS
said. 442 were made by trixip-
ers whose patrols were funded
through a $2 million Texas
Department of Transportation
special mobilization grant
that will run throughout 2011.
The extra funding will allow
the DPS to have additional
targeted DWI patrols during
spring break. Independence
Day and Labor Day in high-
risk locations during the
times when alcohol-related
crashes occur most frequently.
“The special grant allowed us
to stay out on the road longer,
and arrest more drunk drivers."
said David Baker, assistant di-
rector for the Texas Highway
Patrol.
Austin law maker
shares budget idea
Last week, state Sen. Kirk
Watson, D-Austm. dissemi-
nated his suggestion that the
final, negotiated state budget
be subject to public scrutiny
for five days before legisla-
tors vote on it. The usual pe-
riod of time ordinary Texans
get to look at the proposed
budgcj. usually more than
I .(XX) pages long, is 48 hours.
Watson's idea was embraced
by a range of political factions.
Meanwhile, on .Jan. 10. State
Comptroller Susan Combs
was expected to deliver a key
element for the Senate Finance
Committee and the House
Appropriations Committee
to develop the state budget, a
slate revenue projection for fis-
cal 2012-2013.
r
TUCSON
★
CAGLECART00NS.COM
Companies playing with economic dynamite
B
y go I lies. America
is still an exporting
powerhouse.
In fact, the good of' U.S.A.
is No. I m the world in ex-
ports!
Our corporate leaders,
backed by Republicans
and Democrats alike in
Washington, are now routine-
ly exporting America's most
precious goods - our jobs,
factories, technologies and
middle-class opportunities.
With unemployment and
underemployment devastat-
ing millions of families in
our country, perhaps you've
assumed that U.S. corpora-
tions simply aren’4 hiring
these days.
Nonsense. They added 1.4
million jobs last year alone
- overseas.
For example, more than
half of Caterpillar’s new
hires in 2010 were in foreign
countries. Many more of this
giant’s jobs are headed off-
shore in the near future, for
Caterpillar, which was once
an iconic American brand,
has recently invested in three
new plants in China.
It’ll not only manufacture
tractors and bulldozers there,
but it’ll also begin to ship its
design work and technology
development jobs to China.
Likewise, DuPont, once
proud of its U.S. workforce,
has slashed its number of
American employees in re-
cent years, while increasing
its Asia-Pacific workforce by
more than half
JIM HIGHTOWER
Indeed. DuPont no longer
considers itself American
— “We are a global player."
sniffs its chief innovation of -
ficer.
Such homemade brands as
Coca-Cola. Dell and IBM are
also among the multitude of
corporations abandoning our
shores and our middle class
Of course, they keep their
posh headquarters here so
they and their top executives
can continue enjoying all that
America has to offer.
Calvin Coolidge once fa-
mously asserted that “what’s
good for business is good for
America.”
That’s myopic enough, but
today’s narcissistic CFOs are
even more self-centered, de-
claring that "what’s g<Mid for
business is good for business.
America be damned.”
In fact, profits are up. the
stock market is roaring, cor-
porations are awash in cash.
CFOs afe reaping fabulous
paychecks again, and - did
you hearty.,, holiday spend
ing reachedeits highest level
in four years1* |
Forget last year's talk of
gloom, all economic indica-
tors are now on zoom, headed
for a new boom!
Well, maybe not all indica-
tors. There is still that pesky
little problem of joblessness,
for instance.
Most politicos and econo-
mists. however, no longer
want to be bothered with the
fact that millions of our peo-
ple are either unemployed or
underemployed. Jobs, they
say dismissively, are merely
a "lagging economic indica-
tor." a problem that'll take
care of itself in the by and
by,
Just be patient. And be
quiet.
But jobs have been “lag-
ging" for years now, and
there’s no sign that this
problem will ever take care
of itself. To the contrary.
America’s corporate elite
have learned that they can
prosper by deliberately hold-
ing the Workaday majority in
a new normal of job insecu-
rity.
No one at the top wants
to admit it. but big business
has quietly been imposing a
structural transformation on
our economy, shifting from a
workforce of permanent em-
ployees to one m which most
jobs are temporary, scarce,
low-paid, without benefits
arid' with no upward mobil-
ity.
Of the 1.2 million jobs cre-
ated by the private sector last
year, for example, 26 percent
were temporary positions,
and in November, temp jobs
soared to 80 percent of that
month's total.
What's happening here is
not merely a matter of a few
million folks being momen-
tarily down on their luck, but
of an intentional dismantling
of America’s middle-class
structure.
The Powers That Be can.
talk all they want about a
boom, but working families
- America's majority - know
better.
A boom for whom? they
ask. They can plainly see that
self-serving elites are jury*
rigging the job market, low-
ering the standard of living
and closing opportunities for
millions.
The elites don't know it
yet. but they are playing with
dynamite.
Our society can tolerate
such raw selfishness by the
privileged few. or it can have
democracy. It can’t have
both.
To find out more about Jim
Hightower; and read features
by other Creators Syndicate
writers and cartoonists, visit
the Creators Syndicate web
page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2011
CRFATORS.COM
Concerned about
gasoline tankers
Polk
Letters to the Editor Policy
I’he letters may be written on any subject or issue of general-
interest. letters must be accompanied by a name and mailing
address and will be subject to editing for grammar, punctuation,
spelling and length, litters must include a telephone number for
verification. We will not publish the telephone number.
Readers should keep their letters brief and to the point. Fach
letter should contain no nwire than 650 words, litters exceeding
that length will be subject to editing or withheld from publication,
litters will also be subject to editing for libelous statements and
commercialism.
Ibis column is not meant as a forum for political candidates,
although we welcome comments from the public concerning
campaign issues.
litters may be submitted in person; mailed to “Letters to the
editor. " Polk County Enterprise. P.O. Box 1276. Livingston.
TX 77351; sent by fax to (936) 327-7156 or sent via e-mail to
polknews@gmail.com.
poLKcorxn
ENTERPRISE
*1 AI.Y1N IIOLLKY. PUBLISHER
' I telephone Number 9.1*-.127-4X57 I umcutoi I
J itSPS4.17.V«l, L
1“*
UMKUTON
\I VI\ IIOIJ.KY. IH BI.IS1IKR
Telephone Number 9M>-}27-4J57
(VSfS
WEBSITE: mni.FjxlTruvNrwvra
E-M All Advrrtraraf: criterprv*c asm-uunr*x o« Vmnoa: p*4knr»s« pnatlcam
( inaktiM virx.uUXKWi'**eaanriasnrw% v.wn ijurmiaPen«xfcvaf 5Liner a the Office a I jvingUtei TX
Any mt«ou* reflection upwi »hr character, sUfefcnjt «w reputation i4 any person, firm or corpuratum which
may jppear m thtc newspaper w ill he jtla*4> cx erected upon bet rig brought to the atracnm >4 the puNithcr
Optra*>m repressed in otumm are those *4 the writer aid n>< necessarily thoar of rtat newspaper Optra*me
expressed in echvmai are ttwsr *4 the I Jiterprue POSTMASTER RmndicaJ pnaragr paid a Livingston. TX
Pleaar send address changes fc’PO Rim 12N», I jviagslon, Texas "r?3SI
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HPo my follow
X Countians.
Well, I’m back with another
question:
With the price of gas going
up every day. don't you think
we should get what we are
paying for?
Case in point: Shell gas is
supposed to have nitrogen.
Chevron has Techron. Exxon
has whatever and Valero has
additives.
So how in the world can
one gas tanker truck serve our
local convenience stores with
all four kinds of gas.
I know you probably are
thinking my wife and I have
more time on our hands or
nothing else to do, but we
follow a gas tanker truck (hat
went from one station to the
other filling their tanks.
I asked the driver where he
was from and he said he was
front Bryan. Now I've been to
Bryan many times and know
the area pretty well and I've
never seen a Shell. Chevron.
Exxon or Valero refinery —
so where is the gasoline come
from?
There is even a tanker truck
serv ings the local convenience
stores from Pasadena, but
servicing all the local stations
with the same tanker. I don't
mind pay ing the prices for the
gasoline but I want to pay for
what is advertised.
Do not take my observation
of these trucks as gospel, but
when you see the same tanker
at all or at least three of our
local convenience stores, just
ask the driver where he got his
tanker load front and you may
be surprised at his answer.
James R. Conway
Livingston
(Editor's Note: A hulk plant
in Hearne distributes fuel to
several local retailers.)
Onalaska Lioness Club
thankful for support
r f 'he Greater Onalaska
X LionessClub would like
to thank everyone who helped
make the Toys For Tots and
Food Baskets programs the
success they were. We helped
almost 200 children wake up
to toys on Christmas morn-
ing and about 60 families with
food.
Without all the businesses
mmm
wmmmmmmmmmm
(hat allowed us to set out our.
TEDDY BEAR CANS and
put collection boxes up for
toys, different individuals that
donated money or bought toys
and food and the different or- ■
ganizations that collected food
and toys for us. we could not
achieved our goal of helping
all the ones that we heard were
needy in our area. Thanks to
all the employees at Onalaska
City Hall for their help in tak-
ing applications, being a drop
off for toys and food and later
distributing toys.
Every year it seems the
need grows and we are grate-
ful that the community comes
together and h,elps fill this
need. We. as an organization,
are pleased and honored to be
(he facilitators. Our heartfelt
Thanks go out to everyone
w ho helped.
Greater Onalaska
Lioness Club
Mary Lou Anderson.
Chairman Toys for Tots
River of Life the right
■ place for me...
\4y experience at the
lVXRiverof Life has been
wonderful. I started the class
unsure if it was the right place
for me to be. I am not a reli-
gious person and I am so glad
that the River is not a religion
place but a relationship place.
I have worked out some of
my issues while here, mainly
my attitude.
My stress level has de-
creased immensely. I now
give those things to God. I am
now grateful for things that I
used to complain about.
There have been a few is-
sues brought to the surface
that I am giving to God and
handling well.
I am sad that my daily River
of Life routine is over, but I
now have the tools, friends,
and God to be able to move
forward and succeed.
My relationship with God
has really changed my outlook
on my life, attitude, and sur-
roundings. I feel much more
at peace with myself.
I plan on working, going to
school, raising my beautiful
little boy. continue growing
in my relationship with God-
and if He chooses to bring a
man into my rife, that would
be awesome.
Sebrina Oliver
Livingston, Texas
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Reddell, Valerie. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 129, No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 13, 2011, newspaper, January 13, 2011; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth656987/m1/4/: accessed March 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.