Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 129, No. 29, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 10, 2011 Page: 4 of 24
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PAGE 4A
OPINIONS
THE POLK COUNTY ENTERPRISE
SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2011
Violent crime exacts
heavier toll than war
BY VALERIE REDDELL
Editor
polknews@gmail.com
When local officials and
volunteers came together
more than a year ago to form
a Child Advocacy Center in
Polk County, some business
leaders expressed reservations
about drawing public attention
to the number of cases of child
sexual assaults that occur in
Polk County.
Sexual abuse and assault
have been a taboo topic for
polite conversation for far too
long and. while the subject
doesn’t lend itself to shining
moments for the chamber of
commerce, failing to address
can have a devastating effect
on the community as a whole.
Just kxik to our south and
you'll see business leaders in
Cleveland and l iberty County
struggling to overcome the
negativ e national publicity that
has followed the gang rape of
a young girl.
But the temporary setbacks
to the community are minor
compared to the irreversible
emotional damage the victim
and her family must endure
forever.
Here in Polk County, we’ve
made massive strides toward
minimizing the trauma child
victims have to endure after
the phy sical attack has ended.
"Victims of sexual assault
find themselves in a dark, scary
tunnel. All we can do is try to
turn the light on. pad the walls
and hold their hand until they
come out the other side,” says
Childrenz Haven Executive
Director Nikki Foster.
Foster and Forensic
Interviewer Ashley Wiggins
interviewed 55 children
between August 2010 and
January 2011 .Ofthosechildren,
34 disclosed information that
led to charges being filed,
according to the Polk County
District Attorney’s Office.
The 55 children interviewed
range in age from i to 17 and
had either reported abuse,
identified by Child Protective
Services or another agency as
being in imminent danger or a
witness to a violent crime.
It's human nature to attempt
to find someone to blame when
a sexual assault is reported.
Unfortunately, many people
put the blame on the victim,
adding to the emotional burden
they carry.
The Illinois Coalition
Against Sexual Assault
conducted a study several
years ago that attempted to
measure the economic costs of
sexual violence.
It’s impossible to draw a
truly accurate picture of the
lost quality of life, earning
potential and other intangible
damage the victim suffers.
The Illinois study focused on
public and private funds spent
on crisis services, medical
treatment and the criminal
justice response.
Businesses lose money
through employee absences
and periods of reduced
productivity due to the ongoing
mental health issues a victim
experiences.
That study said the cost
to the victims of all types of
violent crime was estimated
at $450 billion a year in 1996.
That's 69 percent more than
the U.S. Defense Department
budget for the same year.
Of that figure, the Illinois
study attributed $23 billion
to lost productivity and $145
billion to reduced quality of
life.
That study estimated costs
related to each sexual assault
that involves an adult victim at
$87,000. There are too many
variables” to consider for a
child victim to even make an
estimate on the lost earning
power or quality of life.
No one can guess whether a
survivor of childhood sexual
abuse who spends entire
working life at minimum
wage jobs might have earned
an MBA and led a Fortune
500 company if the abuse had
never occurred.
The tangible costs included
$500 in short term medical
care and $2,400 in mental
health services. Only about
18 percent of sexual assault
victims ever seek medical
care. Most attempt to recover
from their injuries without
treatment.
Each case also requires
thousands of dollars in costs
for services by criminal justice
officials. It doesn’t take into
account the cost of housing
convicted offenders in prison.
During the month of
April, as we observe Sexual
Assault Awareness month,
it’s important for each of us to
make an effort to end the social
stigma that victims suffer.
The conspiracy of silence
that often surrounds sexual
assault — whether the victim
is an adult or a child, male
or female — only helps the
offender. By supporting a
victim who reports this crime,
you not only help in her
recovery, but prevent other's,
sexual assaults. /
If you believe a child hay
been sexually abused, you
have a duty to report it. Call
the Polk County Sheriff’s
Office at 936-327-6810, or
the police department serving
the city where you suspect the
incident occurred.
Don’t ask a child to relate
the details of what occurred.
Having a child relive that
experience causes additional
trauma and could hamper an
official investigation.
By contacting law
■&AV NXr'N&V PUMP,
nASCfiANSKWC'
House gives approval to "Pork Chopper" bill
T!
he hardest part about
this stage of the
legislative session
is needing to be three places
at one time. This happened
several times this week as I
needed to be in one committee
to hear testimony, present a
bill in a different committee,
and cast a vote in a third
committee. The only way to be
everywhere I need to be was to
work fast, stay organized and
coordinate with other senators
who also needed to be several
places at once. As you can tell,
it’s a busy time for everyone
here in Austin.
Five things that happened
this week at your Texas
Capitol are:
1. House budget heads to
the Senate
After a long weekend of
debate, the Texas House
approved a $165 billion
budget for the next two years.
That’s $23 billion less than
the current state budget. The
House budget, also known
as House Bill 1, now goes to
the Senate where the process
will begin again. The Senate
will rewrite and pass its own
version of House Bill I and
the difference between the
two bills will be worked out in
a conference committee with
selected House and Senate
members. The conference
version will then have to
get final approval from both
chambers.
SEN.
ROBERT
NICHOLS
My five cents
A few important things that happened
this week at your Texas Capitol.
Some significant differences
are already emerging between
the House bill and what will
likely be in the Senate version.
The Senate is looking for ways
to lessen the cuts in education
and Medicaid. A Senate
subcommittee is exploring
ways to find $5 billion more
for the budget through non-
tax sources. Bottom line, the
budget process is far from
over. There will be even more
changes in the next few weeks
as the Legislature works out
ways to pay for essential
services without raising taxes.
2. TEXAS grants revised
In the Senate chamber on
Wednesday, we passed a bill
to change the state’s college
grant program for needy
students. The TEXAS grant
program gives aid to students
with demonstrated financial
need. Currently, the grants
are awarded on a first-come,
first-served basis. This leaves
many highly qualified students
without the opportunity to
receive a share of the financial
aid. Senate Bill 28 gives
priority to higher performing
students.
By setting priorities for
students who receive the
limited amount of funding,
we can make sure financial
aid dollars will help students
who are academically
prepared for college and will
have the greatest likelihood of
graduating with a degree. This
bill now heads to the House
for additional approval.
3. Texas Railroad
Commission reviewed and
renamed
On Monday, the Senate
passed a bill to improve the
Texas Railroad Commission,
which regulates oil and
natural gas in the state of
Texas. It changes the outdated
name of the agency from the
Texas Railroad Commission
to the Texas Oil and Gas
Commission. It also reduces
the number of commissioners
from three to one in order
to improve efficiency and
accountability. The bill
now heads to the House for
additional approval.
4. Transportation funding
solutions discussed
This week I presented
legislation to the Senate
Finance Committee that
would constitutionally require
that money collected from
vehicle sales tax in Texas
be directed to transportation
funding. This is a way to find
a dedicated funding stream for
Texas transportation without
creating a new tax or fee. It
makes sense to dedicate the
existing tax on cars and trucks
to help fund the infrastructure
on which those vehicles
depend. With Texas’ booming
population there is growing
demand for transportation
improvements and increased
capacity. The transition in
funding would be gradual
over a ten-year period.
5. “Pork-chopper’” bill
approved in House
On Monday the House gave
overwhelming approval to a
bill that would allow hunters
in helicopters to shoot feral
hogs and coyotes. Nicknamed
the pork-chopper bill, it is
designed to give landowners
a method to control the
population of these destructive
animals. As unusual as the
method might sound, the
state already grants permits
for private companies to
shoot feral hogs and coyotes,
at a significant cost to the
landowners who hire them.
Feral hogs have caused almost
$400 million in damages to
the state and they are found
in every county of Texas. By
allowing landowners to lease
out their lands for helicopter
hunting, it gives them an
affordable and effective option
to both control the destructive
hog and coyote populations.
The bill will now be referred
to the Senate where supporters
and opponents will get another
shot.
Increase in retiring Republicans raise questions
I
want to know. You want
to know. The whole world
wants to know. What’s
the deal with the surprising
retiring Republicans? Not age-
related retiring, as in shawl on
the lap watching the third DVD
of the fifth season of “Matlock”
with a glass of tepid tea on the
side table. Retiring as in coy,
reticent, withdrawn. Obviously,
we are not speaking of those
pesky majority members of the
House — demure as an over-
caffeinated grizzly on roller
Letters to the Editor Policy
The 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. Letters must
include a telephone number for verification. We will
not publish the telephone number.
Readers should keep their letters brief and to the point.
Each letter should contain no more than 650 words. Let-
ters exceeding that length will be subject to editing or
withheld from publication.
Letters will also be subject to editing for libelous state-
ments and commercialism. This column is not meant as
a forum for political candidates, although we welcome
comments from the public concerning campaign issues.
Letters 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.
enforcement, you also help the skates gallivanting down a
victim and their family access fashion mnway and, yes, that
badly needed services to help means you, Kate Moss,
them toward a full recovery. This discussion specifically
concerns the 2012 GOP
presidential candidates; or,
more precisely, lack thereof.
That is not to say they aren’t
busy. Like the haunted topiary
maze in “The Shining,” the
usual suspects can occasionally
be spied skulking on the edge
of your peripheral vision.
Floating trial balloons with
fingers in the air to see which
way the wind blows. Dipping
toes in the water to ascertain
the temperature of shark-
infested waters. Running
WILL DURST
position papers up flagpoles to
determine which focus groups
salute. Waiting for the other
shoe to drop while creeping
around barefoot playing the
Crying Game.
Normally by this time in an
election cycle, mnning against
a vulnerable incumbent in a
sluggish economy, you’d have
about 80 gazillion candidates
and their brothers scrambling,
down-and-dirty in the mud
biting each other’s knees for
supremacy in the all-important
money scrum. This year, not
so much. A variation on the old
‘60s bumper sticker: “What
if they threw an election and
nobody came?”
The situation has become
so dire, NBC canceled a May
2 GOP presidential debate
due to lack of interest. Not
by the viewing audience.
That’s a given. The network’s
predicament was a lack of
participants. A game of political
chicken with everybody
waiting for someone else to
cluck first. And these are some
mean mother cluckers.
As if in a recurring bad
dream, Newt Gingrich
replicated a dodgy feint
from yesteryear, calling a
press conference to officially
announce he may or may not
be setting up an exploratory
committee to talk to some
people who might investigate
the possibility of him perhaps
considering making a ran for
the presidency later on, some
day. Maybe. Why? Because
America deserves decisive
leadership, that’s why.
ABC News compiled a list
of 23 potential Republicans
who have either talked about
or are expected to take a flying
leap at the brass monkey
ring. Twenty-three. That’s
two entire football teams
with room left over for Mike
Huckabee to encourage them
from the sidelines strumming
“Pardon Me” on the guitar. But
not one of the 23 has declared.
So, since nature and billionaire
blowhards abhor a vacuum,
along comes Donald Trump,
vowing to spend $600 million
of his own money seeking the
presidency. Which to you and
me would be a nickel.
His plans predictably include
mnning the country the way
he would a business. Great.
“America: You’re Fired!”Then
recruit underpaid immigrants
to replace us as citizens.
Accelerating the pace. As far
as loose cannons go, Trump
is a broken pallet of greased
wheels on thin ice. The fount
of many imponderables. Such
as, having proven HE was bom
in America, what about that
thing on his head? And does
it require an antidote for when
it stings? With armed forces at
his disposal, how soon before
the pre-emptive strike on Rosie
O’Donnell?
Copyright ©2011, Will
Durst, distributed by the Cagle
Cartoons Inc. syndicate.
POLKCOUNTY
ENTERPRISE
ALVIN HOLLEY, PUBLISHER
Telephone Number 936-3274357
(USPS 437-340)
WEBSITE: www.EastTexasNews.com
E-MAIL: Advertising: enterprise@easttexasnews.com Newsroom: polknews@gmail.com
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Any etroneous reflection upon the character, standing or reputation of any person, firm or corporation which
may appear in this newspaper will be gladly corrected upon being brought to the attention of thepublisher.
Opinions expressed in columns are those of the writer and not necessarily those of this newspaper. Opinions
expressed in editorial arc those of the Enterprise. POSTMASTER: Periodical postage paid at Livingston, TX.
PI ease send address changes to P0. Box 1276, Livingston, Texas 77351. ^
To report a damaged mbsim; paper or to report a broken vending mac hine call e\l. 1(15
Celebrating
volunteers
T n celebration of the
1.38th annual National
Volunteer Week (April 10
to April 16), the American
Cancer Society recognizes
and celebrates the efforts of
its hundreds of volunteers in
East Texas who have helped
saves lives and create a world
with less cancer and more
birthdays.
The Points of Light
Foundation and Volunteer
Center National Network
sponsor the annual National
Volunteer Week, which began
in 1974 with an executive
order by President Richard
Nixon.
Volunteers are the
foundation of the American
Cancer Society and have
been crucially important
in enabling the American
Cancer Society to help people
facing cancer since we were
founded in 1913.
As we celebrate this week,
I want to thank each of our
volunteers in the East Texas
Region for dedicating their
time and energy to our cancer-
fighting mission.
Our passionate volunteers
are working relentlessly
in the community to save
lives - rallying together at
neighborhood events, by
helping those who are facing
cancer, or by working with
lawmakers to make America
a healthier place to live.
The American Cancer
Society listens, shares,
heals, and nurtures a spirit of
hope and a culture of caring
through voluntarism.
To learn more about how
you can saves lives while
fulfilling your own through
volunteering, visit our
Web site, www.cancer.org/
volunteer or call us at 1 -800-
227-2345 or contact our local
offices in Beaumont, Bryan,
Lufkin, Texarkana and Tyler.
Letha Tullos
American Cancer Society
Regional Vice President
of Field Operations, East
Texas High Plains Division
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Reddell, Valerie. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 129, No. 29, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 10, 2011, newspaper, April 10, 2011; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth657523/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.