The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 137, No. 99, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 14, 1991 Page: 4 of 24
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Page 4
THE BASTROP ADVERTISER
Thursday, February 14,1991
Issues & Opinions
Get the story right
Deficit hens come home to roost
Bluebonnet
thanks
area friends
Dear Editor:
The Bluebonnet Volunteer Fire
Department would like to take
this opportunity to thank all the
people who made our annual chili
supper fundraiser a success.
A special thanks to our chief
cook and his assistant, Mr. and
Mrs. Tbmsu of Tomsu Cleaners
and his cooking staff in preparing
the chili and beans. The men also
thank the auxiliary for their sup-
port in this even, without their
help this couldn’t have been
successful.
To all who baked cakes to serve
with the meal and for the cake
auction; your efforts were great-
ly appreciated.
The lucky persons whose
names were drawn were Ken
Callahan for $100; Mrs. Marcelino
Torres for $50; and Olin Fite for
$25.
The firemen appeal to all men
in this district to consider joining
the fire department. Our area is
growing and becoming more
populated. This means more fire
protection is needed.
The men have training
meetings every second and fourth
Tuesday of the month at the fire
station at 7:30 p.m.
The Auxiliary meets every se-
cond Monday of the month at the
station at 7:30 p.m.
Jo Miller
Media
truths are
insightful
Dear Editor:
The American People in the
trenches of life can make great
assessments when they have cer-
tain truths at hand. Thus the “for
and against” football mentality
has not taken us over completely.
Yes, we do support our military
men and women along with the
families left behind.
If the reports on television are
correct that CNN cable news is
admonished by our officialdom
for broadcasting from Iraq, we
must advise our mental care
takers that Ted Turner’s CNN
Cable reminds us on every such
broadcast, “The news presented
has been subjected to Iraqi cen-
sorship.”
We are capable of sorting out
propaganda, even though the im-
agery is rapid and it takes us
longer to react in a collective
sense.
If you are familiar with the
book written by Ben Bagdikian
“THE MEDIA MONOPOLY'
then write:
Ted Turner
TURNER BROADCASTING
SYSTEM,INC.
Box 105366
Atlanta, Ga 30348-5366
This freedom of inform ation is
our greatest asset, and we must
let Mr. Turner know if we do in-
deed support his attempt at
another insight.
Respectfully yours,
Catine Perkins
Bastrop
Reader
disagrees
Dear Editor:
I was reading my Bastrop
Advertiser and came across the
story about the Houston Tbads on
Texas 21.1 cannot think anyone
would go to the trouble for a toad.
The paper states that $78,300 will
be spent on these toads. I cannot
see why Tfexas Dept of Highways
would stop a job for such a thing.
They could patch a lot of holes for
that amount of money. I lived in
Bastrop for 15 years, it looks like
these people can’t wait to cut
those beautiful trees on Texas 21.
T.J. Duncan
Tuscaloosa, Ala
Dear Editor:
Predictions that I have made
repeatedly in letters to the editor
have finally come true. I and
associates, were scoffed at,
ridiculed and generally harassed
by certain elected county officials
when we ventured to give our opi-
nion of the way the county govern-
ment conducted its business.
Therefore, I did not know what
I was talking about.
Now there is an elected official,
Judge Fritz, who has discovered
what we were saying all along is
true. Fritz’s statement Thursday,
“The chickens have come home
to roost,” is painfully accurate.
These chickens have laid big fat
deficit eggs and Fritz must knock
the hens off the nest before many
more of them hatch.
Three of the commissioners are
still sitting on the nest, refusing
to believe that there will be a way
we can feed these deficit chicks
when they hatch. I’ll let you guess
which ones are the “deficit
three.”
One commissioner said he
Dear Editor:
How Come/Why?
That all the mirrors hanging in
the hallowed halls of the county
don’t reflect a true image when
the populance has to use them?
Case in point. Monday, January
28, small claims court was to be
held at 10 a.m. with Commis-
sioner Johnny Sanders as the
defendent. Court was not called to
order until said commissioner ar-
rived at 10:10 a.m. Given that Mr.
Sanders is a very important per-
sonage in the wagon train that
circles the innersanctum, I was
under the impression that the law
was the law for all of us. Had I
been late, the court would have
Dear Editor:
Over the past 12 months, the
BCEN has been working very
hard to prepare for battle with
one of the major polluting in-
dustries to come to Bastrop Coun-
ty. The Association of Texas Elec-
tric Cooperatives (TEC) sneaked
their industrial waste incinerator
into the unsuspecting communi-
ty of Hill’s Prairie without men-
tioning to county officials that
they intended to burn PCBs.
Some of the most deadly toxins on
earth, dioxins, are produced when
PCBs are not properly
incinerated.
This company has a record of
violating air-quality permits at
their Austin plant, and most
recently we have discovered that
they are not even paying all their
Bastrop School and County taxes.
We have been researching
technical issues, spreading the
word to citizens, preparing our
legal case and raising funds to
would consider employee layoffs,
then cut programs and social ser-
vices. He would rather cut a pro-
ductive, taxpaying worker off at
the knees than cut a'few dollars
off programs that benefit small
segments of the population.
1. The projects should be given
a second look. Perhaps all are as
phoney as former Judge
Copelands’ hospital renovation or
the LCRA/Prison Sewer Plant. It
is essential to return to responsi-
ble government that pays for the
operation of services with tax
revenue and not from mythical
venture capital projects.
2. Public officials should have
to submit mileage for reimburse-
ment for actual miles driven on
county business. The flat monthly
mileage reimbursement cannot
be substantiated.
3. Trim budgets of all depart-
ments by three percent without
exceptions.
4. There is no reason fire pro-
tection and ambulance service is
free. Subscriptions could be sold
to those who want these services
enough to pay for them. Those
been called to order and judge-
ment rendered at straight up ten
o’clock, and I do hope that the
honorable judge can prove that
time is not of the essence with all
the court cases.
If so, I’ll beg pardon for being a
doubting Thomas. When court
was called to order, the assistant
district attorney told the judge
that the case had to be refiled,
naming the county judge as the
defendent, so back to square one.
When I originally filed the suit
in December, 19901 did file it with
the county judge and commis-
sioners being defendents, and the
honorable judge returned all the
paperwork saying that I could not
file as submitted. The court
pay for what will be a long and
costly public hearing.
Now the Texas Air Control
Board has set the public hearing
for March 19.
At the public hearing, BCEN
will try to stop this company from
burning any PCBs in Bastrop
County. We also want the stack
emissions monitored by unan-
nounced inspections. Our at-
torney has informed us that given
the huge monetary resources and
legal staff available to our foes,
we will need a minimum of
$10,000 just to get our case heard
in a court of law. The cost of
justice is indeed high, and the
odds are stacked against citizens
who value the future of our en-
vironment over short-term, short-
sighted profiteering.
Therefore we are making this
appeal for help to you. Please, if
you haven’t already done so, sign
up now as a member of this hard
working volunteer group
dedicated to keeping toxic wastes
who do not subscribe would still
receive the service but also would
get a bill.
If few subscriptions are sold,
the populace could be polled to
decide if they truly want these
services. The voting, property
taxpayer in Bastrop ISD rejected
a hospital taxing district.
5. Recipients of social service
funding should be examined
under a microscope to insure that
they really need funding from the
county. The property taxpayer, if
stressed much farther, may be on
the receiving end of the soup line
soon.
I think Judge Fritz is off to a
good start. He knows it is against
the law to deficit spend and
create make-believe budgets. He
is cracking some of the fat hen’s
eggs.
If any break, the cockfights
that will follow are sure to be in-
teresting. I’ll bet on the bird that
sides with the taxpayer. Any
takers?
wanted another $40 of my money
to correct their mistake. I looked
in the mirror and saw defeat, and
the county judge is not the coun-
ty judge anymore, and I’ll get
tossed out on technicality again.
Maybe the Shadow knows the
answer to this quagmire. Just for
the record, the court did not offer
to refund my funds.
It is still most lonesome all by
myself, even though I am not feel-
ing blue. I haven’t had so much
fun in all my life-watching adults
make monkeys and Keystone
Kops look like geniuses.
Back to win a few, lose a few.
Jeannie Krell
Bastrop
out of Bastrop County. And more
than ever before, we need your
special contributions for this
precedent-setting legal battle.
Please help us now. No gift is
too small.
Sincerely,
Tom Dureka, President
BCEN
Dear Editor:
I am writing in response to
Carolyn Winston’s letter of
January 30.
The Texas Department of
Human Services/Child Protective
Services does not “charge”
anyone with a crime. I charged
Ms. Winston with “Injury to a
child,” a third degree felony.
It is the responsibility of DHS
to investigate allegations of many
types of abuse (emotional,
physical or sexual) as they relate
to children. This is only a small
part of their responsibilities. It is
my personal and professional opi-
nion that our DHS office employs
only professional, knowledgeable
and sincere people who have a
working relationship with these
good people to realize what kind
of workload and strain they work
under.
Neither Ms. Dyer nor this of-
ficer “want” to take Ms.
Winston’s children from her. That
is precisely why the children were
allowed to stay with their aunt.
The aunt lives approximately 20
yards from the Winston
residence. However, if removal of
the children were the only
guarantee of their safety, there
would be no hesitation to make
the removal.
Ms. Winston may have been
stressed out as she says, but this
is the reason her attempts at
“discipline” should have waited.
I do not understand Ms. Winston’s
use of the word “accident” to
describe the incident. The exten-
sion/power cord was used to
strike a child. He did not trip over
it nor did it fall on him. I fail to
see the accident.
Discipline does not involve
leaving marks, bruises or scrat-
ches on a child’s legs, thighs,
back or head. Discipline certain-
ly does not involve leaving cuts in-
side a child’s ear that require
medical attention.
Dear Editor:
Thank goodness LCRA Ranger
Dan Hall was getting gas at thfe
Bastrop self serve (Texaco) on
Hwy. 71 West. On Saturday,
January 19, he was pumping gas
-sitting in his truck listening to his
radio- when a call of a attempted
robbery down the street was
broadcast. At that time, a car
with the driver fitting the descrip-
tion used in the robbery, flashed
by him and stopped on the other
side of the station. Dan radioed
that he had the suspect and cap-
tured the man until an arresting
officer could arrive.
It also seems that Ms.
Winston’s unborn child means a
great deal more to her now than
when she was arrested. At that
time Ms. Winston’s comment
was, “I hope it dies.”
Ms. Winston also stated that
DHS listed her actions as “Child
Abuse,” yet neither of her
children died. Child abuse or in-
jury to a child does not require a
child to die-thank God. Every at-
tempt is made to ensure that
death or serious bodily injury
does not occur. This is the reason
that removing a child from a
home is sometimes required.
At the time of her arrest and
before a# statement was taken,
Ms. Winston was advised of the
Miranda Warning as is required.
Ms. Winston signed the card
acknowledging she understood
the rights warning. Item 2 of the
Miranda Warning states, “Any
statement you make may be us-
ed as evidence against you in
court.” I believe that this state-
ment is fairly self-explanatory.
Unfortunately, I cannot res-
pond to the other points made by
Ms. Winston as they do not fall
within my area of expertise. I can
say that according to a recent
survey conducted by FOR KIDS
SAKE, INC. shows that one fami-
ly in five has some problems that
require attention. Also, that bet-
ween 2,000 and 5,000 child abuse
fatalities occur in the United
States each year.
I can assure you that this office
will do everything in its power to
protect the children of Bastrop
County. With over 270 cases
reported in this County last year,
our work is cut out for us.
Sincerely
Mike Harris
Investigator
Child Abuse-
Sex Crimes Unit
Bastrop County
Sheriff’s Department
I for one appreciate the alert-
ness of this fine man. I’ve known
him for several years and he is
always willing to help when and
where needed.
In fact, I appreciate the work
that all of our officers do, in and
out of the line of duty. It’s not all
just riding around in a car, or sit-
ting at the cafe drinking coffee.
Like our armed service person-
nel, they never know whats in
store for them from time to time.
Thanks everyone-for a job well
done.
Pat Kelly
Bastrop
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
Pastrop Abimrttser
TEXAS' OLDEST WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Published 102 times a year (excluding Christmas Day and New Year's Day),
Monday and Thursday at The Bastrop Advertiser office, 908 Water Street,
P.O. Box 459, Bastrop, TX 78602. Non-sectarian, non-partisan, devoted to
the welfare of the people of Bastrop County. Subscription rates: $17.50 per
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Citlzens$16.00 per year in County (All are payable In advance). Second class
postage paid at Bastrop, Texas78602. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to The Bastrop Advertiser, P.O. Box 459, Bastrop, TX 78602.321-2557 - 321-
6444 Dave Smith - Publisher
Davis McAuley - Editor
Ellen Moore - Events / Sports Editor
Reporter Janice Butler
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MEMBER TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
L 1991_ _
Yours for Texas,
Victor Vreeland
Cedar Creek
Laws are unequal for some citizens
BCEN hearing set to fight toxins
Police, rangers on the ball
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McAuley, Davis. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 137, No. 99, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 14, 1991, newspaper, February 14, 1991; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth746898/m1/4/?q=%22Texas+Press+Association%22: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.