Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 132, No. 2, Ed. 1 Sunday, January 5, 2014 Page: 4 of 76
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Opinions
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Page 4A ■ Sunday, January 5, 2014
Obama channels
spirit of Nixon
Tyree's Tvrades!
This is 2014 - whatever that means
X- T'nless you're talk-
I I mg to time travel-
ers or the severely
inebriated, please do not use
the phrase " Phis is 2014”
this year.
You know the drill: people
backed into a corner try
settling an argument by an-
nouncing "This is (insert cur-
rent y ear)" - often followed
by a flippant "(let with the
program" or a shrugged
"What can ya do?"
People use the phrase
when (a) jumping on the
bandwagon of the latest
retreat from traditional
Judeo-Christian values, (b)
excusing some boorish activ-
ity that would make Miss
Manners faint or(c) badger-
ing a reluctant acquaintance
into embracing this week's
cutting-edge, must-have
technological marvel.
Granted. " Phis is (insert
current yean" is a dandy
PREFACE to an argument:
but many debaters make it
their entire case. They glance
past the puppies or v intage
cars on the cover to double-
check the date, blurt out
then brilliant observation,
assume a self-satisfied smile,
and wait for your mountain
ot facts, figures and logical
arguments to crumble before
them
DANNY TYREE
Tyrants wrap themselves
in the flag. Blowhards wrap
themselves in the calendar.
Despite the example of
millennia of rising and fall-
ing civilizations, customs
and beliefs, some of us har-
bor the conceit that the cur-
rent year is the culmination
of human development, or at
least a checkpoint for the in-
exorable march of Progress.
But people living in. say .
1974, crowed "This is 1974"
just as proudly as we crow
about the current year. Lake
any other year, 1974 might
claim some diplomatic-
gestures or medical break-
throughs of lasting conse-
quence; but it also had its
share of embarrassing fash-
ions. feet-of-clay political
messiahs, ultimately reversed
Supreme Court rulings and
later-discredited "settled sci
ence."
The formula for assessing
the spirit of a year seems
to rest on shifting sands.
When does a truth become
self-evident? When is the
speaker asserting ‘ This is
(insert current year)” tri-
umphantly vindicated? Is it
when “everybody" is cool
with a certain policy, societal
change or gadget? Is it when
a slim majority goes along?
Is it when a practice is “still
fringe, but it’s, um, TREND-
ING like crazy”?
If there is no standard,
proclamations of "This is
(insert current year)" are
WORTHLESS - except for
intimidating the weak-willed.
Is "This is (insert current
year)" really a timeless truth?
People may experience a
year differently, based on
culture, age and economic
status.
Invoking the calendar as
an arbiter of right and wrong
is a two-edged sword. People
in bygone eras could have
announced the year in order
to justify “This is a good
year for lynching Slaves”
or “This is a good year for
gassing Jews."
If you simply must say
"This is 2014,” at least say,
"This is 20I4 - the year I'll
get my thoughts together,
rather than relying on emo-
tion and slogans.”
You don't have to adopt all
the teachings of the classical
philosophers when assem-
bling your logical arguments;
but wouldn't it be an even
crazier world if the Socratic
method consisted of nothing
but repeating, "Hey. this is
409 B.C. - get with the pro-
gram"?
Surviving and thriving in
this old world requires hard
work as we separate good
from evil, necessary from
frivolous and doable from
impossible. A shortcut such
as "This is (insert current
year) - go with the flow"
runs the risk of having so-
ciety flow right down the
drain.
€>.2014 Danny Tyree.
Danny welcomes reader
e mail responses at
tyreetyrades @ aol .com and
visits to his Face hook fan
page “Tyree’s Tyrades".
Danny s ’ weekly column
is distributed exclusively
by Cagle Cartoons Inc.
newspaper syndicate. For
info on using columns,
please email Cari Dawson
Bartley at cari@cagle.com
• Letters to the Editor
Change in Goodrich speed limit creates problem
Would li.iv e liked to be
a tly on the wall when the
I'exas Highway Department
made the decision to raise
the speed limit thru Goodrich
to 65 mph. Undoubtedly,
none oFthe residents of our
town were consulted and
had they been, it would have
been made known to TxDOT
that exiting and/or entering
Hwy. 59 from the North F.nd
of U«K>p 393 will be a death
trap
We were so pleased to
eliminate the hazard of FM
19XN and Hwy . 59 when the
overpass was built although
Do you enjoy the Ameri-
can way of life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness ’ In
that same breath do you sup-
port the president we now
several lives were lost before
that occurred, and we now
have a new threat to contend
with, a raise of the spend
limit
Loop 393 thru Goodrich
was recently the scene of
highway work which I be-
lieve might have been shoul-
der work. That same money
could have been spent to
build a turn around at the
North End of Loop 393 so
that traffic can be directed
back to the overpass over
59 and access to Hwy. 59
North can be done safely, or
I should say. "a bit safer" as
access to the Salvage Busi-
ness and Valero Service Sta-
tion requires: North Bound
Traffic to cross the merging
lanes.
Southbound Hwy. 59 is
still a bit harrowing because
of having to merge into 65-
mph traffic within a short
distance. Hopefully our
residents on Loop .393 will
realize this and make the ex-
tra effort and short trip back
to the overpass as a safety
measure, or at best a safer
measure.
Residents of Goodrich
North and Lake Livingston
Obama reveals true self
have in office, his agenda
and his views?
In his speech he gave in
Kansas, he told everyone that
he was going to strip away
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.
Letters will also be subject to editing for libelous statements
and commercialism.
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.
every layer of our liberty
that God gave us and that is
guaranteed by the documents
written by our founding fa-
thers of this Republic.
Obama was speaking of
how for the past several de-
cades that the “old way” a
business can generate money
and jobs if the regulations
and taxes don't strangle
them economically. He then
dropped all pretenses and
veils and gave the world a
glimpse of his true socialist
self.
He said that it was a sim-
ple theory (our Liberty)...
well I could describe his
speech, but read this excerpt
Estates will also have an
added threat with the traf-
fic when accessing Hwy. 59
with the new’ speed limits
since both additions are lo-
cated at the bottom of a hill.
Just my thoughts......
Ahhhh, you ask why do I
feel qualified to express my
opinion? Because I spent
50 years plus in the world
of highway construction in
some capacity helping to
build highways, bypasses,
over passes, underpasses,
etc., and that is the “why”.
M.L. White
Goodrich, Texas
for yourself. “Now, it’s a
simple theory. And we have
to admit, it’s one that speaks
to our rugged individualism
and our healthy skepticism
of too much government.
That's in America's DNA.
And that theory fits well on
a bumper sticker. (Laughter.)
But here’s the problem: It
doesn’t work. It has never
worked."
Never worked... That
sounds like his working ex-
perience.
Get ready folks the run up
to 2016 will be like 1774 all
over again.
Rich Timm
Livingston, Texas
TXresident Obama,
l-^despondent over his
A low poll numbers
and the lack of trust many
Americans have for him
and his policies, did
something drastic. He met
with the psychic medium
who once helped Hillary
Clinton contact the spirit
of Eleanor Roosevelt. With
the medium’s help, Obama
summoned the only presence
in America who could help
him: Richard Milhous Nixon.
Obama: Hello? Mr.
President, can you hear me?
Nixon (sitting on a cloud
playing a harp): What do you
want, you ninny!
Obama: I’m in big trouble,
Dick. My approval rating
has fallen steadily since I
began my second term. I’m
polling in the low 40s —
only you polled worse than
I am. That’s why some are
beginning to compare my
presidency to yours.
Nixon: Good God. My
legacy is worse than I
thought!
Obama: Like your
presidency, mine has been
mired in scandal . There is
the Benghazi flap, Fast and
Furious, using the IRS to
inhibit political enemies,
my refusal to enforce laws I
don’t like and so much more.
Nixon: You're getting off
easy, Obama. All I did was
cover up a little burglary
operation and look what they
did to me.
Obama: But it gets worse
for me. Dick. I told the
American people they could
keep their health insurance
policies and their doctors.
The fools actually believed
me and are now punishing
me for it. The botched rollout
of ObamaCare, my signature
achievement, is also hurting
me.
Nixon: With all due
respect. Obama. I couldn't
care less about your
problems.
Obama: But, Dick, in
November a majority of
Americans said they no
longer find me honest or
trustworthy. It’s a trust
issue, Dick. I am losing the
people's trust. You have been
through worse. Surely you
have some advice.
Nixon: They don't like us
to discuss politics up here.
Obama.
Obama: But. Dick, if I
don’t turn things around,
everyofie will be comparing
my presidency to yours.
Everyone will be talking
about Watergate and dismal
presidential poll numbers.
Do you really want people
dredging all of that up again?
Nixon: All right, then,
Obama. I’ll help you just this
once. If you weren’t such a
rookie, you would have been
able to figure this out for
yourself.
Obama: Go on. Dick!
Nixon: You must
continue delaying or
adjusting ObamaCare to
lessen the pain it is causing
the American people —
even if your actions are
TOM PURCELL
unconstitutional. And
for goodness’ sake, fire
somebody. Haven’t you ever
heard of scapegoating?
Obama: But I have had
such luck just blaming
President Bush.
Nixon: Despite the fact
that you are the most partisan
president in modem history
— despite the fact that
America is more divided
now than it has been in
half a century — you need
to portray yourself as the
most bipartisan president in
modern history. You need
to reach out to Republicans
and pass a few bills together.
Tax reform would be a good
place to start. Maybe you can
make adjustments to your
disastrous health care bi|J.
Compromise for once.
Obama: I’ll try. Dick,
but what is the point of
compromising?
Nixon: Because as
more Americans see their
premiums spike and their
policies canceled, you
can pin the blame on
Republicans!
Obama: You are brilliant,
Dick. What else?
Nixon: I’d hold off on the
vacations and golf outings.
Roll up your sleeves.
Invite Republicans over to
the White House to work
through disagreements. Be
more transparent. Do what
the people who voted for you
expected you to do. Do it
right, Obama, or you will pay
a great price.
Obama: What price. Dick?
Nixon: To atone for my
presidential sins, they made
me listen to LBJ speeches
for months. I sat in on Carter
Cabinet meetings for years.
For goodness’ sake, Obama,
you’ve been given a precious
gift to lead the greatest
nation on Earth. So lead
already.
©2013 Tom Purcell.
Tom Purcell, author of
“Misadventures of a ! 970’s
Childhood" and "Comical
Sense: A Lone Humorist
Takes on a World Gone
Nutty.'" is a Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review humor
columnist and is nationally
syndicated exclusively by
Cagle Cartoons Inc. For
info on using this column in
your publication or website,
contact Cari Dawson
Bartley at cari@cagle.com.
Send comments to Tom at
Purcell @ caglecartoons .coni.
>
POLK COUNTY
ENTERPRISE
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Telephone Number 936-327-4357
(USPS 437-340)
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Peak, Greg. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 132, No. 2, Ed. 1 Sunday, January 5, 2014, newspaper, January 5, 2014; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth660500/m1/4/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.