Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 118, No. 79, Ed. 1 Sunday, October 8, 2000 Page: 4 of 40
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I
PAG14A-TH1 POLK COUNTY ENTERPRISE, SUNDAY, OCTOBER1, JIM
ft
Letters to the editor
Democrats defending rights
Duty to God, country
• volar ad does not al-
low far My third party to initiate
verification cm! is teat out
Party
Democratic Party aod oar
involved, the simple fact is that no
attorney with expertise in this area
was available until recently.
stays on the
is within
the card, in which
case fea name stays on the rolls
with a notation that the voter must
sifa a statement of raaidmry upon
voting A copy of this statement is
m«iwt with any ballot requested by
mail.
There am currently over 6,000
voters an the roils hi Polk County
who am Hated as requiring a state-
ment of residency. This is known
as the suspense list. If they go
through two federal elections with-
out voting they will be dropped
from the rolls. These names me
from
pie warn legally ragiaiamd. Under
Chapter IS of the Texas Election
tion in accepting registration. How-
ever, to counterbalance this fescrc-
tion Chapter 16 of the Texas Elec-
tion Cods grants the right of chal-
lenge to any registered voter within
the mail. The 9,000-plus voter reg-
istration cards for the Escapees were
sent to a mail forwarding service -
and forwarded A double standard?
You bet it is, but it keeps the Es-
capees from having to verily their
Chapter 16 it simple - there ne
not 9,000 people living on 107
platmd lots. Thai* am no "fixed
place(s) of habitation" on these lots
as required in Section 1.015 of die
Texas Btection Coda. In fact, testi-
mony brought out that the "address’
used by them people was a coding
for die mail forwarding service and
does not correspond to any of the
lots within the subdivision.
16 of
Let's ignore that of the over
9,000 Escapees on the rolls, only
106 have property listed on the
county tax rolls. Let's concentrate
on how voter eligibility is ensured
It is ensured by following the laws
of the State of Texas and by due
process as prescribed in the Texas
Election Code.
I don't believe that the people of
Polk County want to advocate any
other process.
Richard L. Gilbert,
Chairman
Polk County Democratic
Party
70S N. Jackson St.
Livingston
As s Christian dozen, do I hove
a duty to vote?
Mark Twain said. “A Christian's
first duty is to God. It then follows,
as a matter of course, that it ia hia
duty to carry his Christian code of
morals to die polls and vote them,
if Christians should vote drew duty
to God at the polls, they would
cany every election, and do it with
earn, h would bring about a moral
revolution that would be incalcula-
bly benefideoL & would save the
Oafs priorities are dear, our
vote should extend beycod political
agendas. It is our duty to fulfill our
moral obligation. Principle it more
important dun party. God’s people
should vote for parity cmferiatos.
It is important to get information
on the candidmes and the issues
they support. Too much is at stake
to make uninformed decisions. You
may obtain a non-partisan voter
education guide which gives the
cmdidates' views on the issues and
how they voted if they are presently
in an elected office.
Charles Finney said, 'The time
has come that Christians must vote
for hooest men and take consistent
ground in politics, or the Lard will
curse them.... God cannot sustain
this fine and blessed country which
we love and prey for, unless the
church will take right ground. Poli-
tics sre apart of religion in such as
country as this, and Christians
part of tbsir duty to God.
as
God
this nation ac-
will blast or
cording to the
taka in politics."
Godless people will not put God-
if we
and privileges as
uc to have gofey
Embarrassed by it
Citizens'rights trampled
• if yod are a foil-time resident of
*Pofit County, and you have a Job
Polk County, ad
tifead public schools
ftom tha first ring of
» baO to Saptsmber until summar
ills bound in June, your rights a
votsr am in serious danger At is-
r the true citizens of
will
County,
in
Or
to • de-
gree by voles from people who
in Polk County
r living there
of legitimate
Mire u at stake amid a
iW tha ballot box with
people who claim • Folk County
post offioa box as home
You may know mow of the
roughly 9.000 mrenban of the Es-
capee RV Club at the center of the
of your community.
Some art probably your (Hands.
The Tlingiiii who reside in Polk
County htva a legitimate md con-
stitutionally protecMliright to vote
than. Democrats will fight for their
right to vote-Jure as we have been
efforts for
> what it will
be like if all 9.000 of there
"rsakfents" Just happen to roll into
town one dqr at the. same time?
With tha trailer part they all data
as home equipped for about 300 rec-
itations! vehicles and motor homes,
an avenge of 300 people would be
The tree
of Polk County,
including the Haoapees who have
prerererent residence itu* re , will con-
tinue to foot the bills for the
schools md the rands and the mu-
nicipal services. They roly oo those
services retd are williag to pay for
them. The great tragedy and injus-
tice is that their voice as voters will
have been severely diluted so those
folks who don't contribute to the
community but data to live there
can have an equal voice in local,
state and federal government. What
county will thoee voters show up
in for die next election cycle?
Republican power and spin bro-
kers in Austin have derided that the
true residents of Polk County me
not capable of determining the
shape and direction of their com-
munities, their schools and their
families should take on the road to
the foture. The Republicans are
mistaken about that. And it's wrong
to turn the democratic rights of the
county's true residents into a parti-
san issue.
- As a former Republican and a fol-
low Bare Texan, it is disconcerting
to see the democratic rights of true
Polk County citizens being tram-
pled under the Republicans' guise of
"preserving the constitutionally
prelected rights* of people who
have no stake in their community.
If the Republicans prevail, the true
residents of Polk County will be
subject to taxation without the full,
fair and proportional representation
they deeerve. The principle of one
man, oat vote is s cornerstone of
democracy. The Constitution says
nothing about one post office box,
9,000 votes.
Molly Beth Malcolm,
Chairwoman
Texas Democratic Party
919 Congress Ave. Ste.
600
Anatln
To the editor:
I am embarrassed and appalled
that there are still such small-
thinking people in Polk County.
. I feel compelled to offer an apol-
ogy to all the Escapees for the un-
speakable behavior of a few narrow-
minded, backward individuals.
Please do not judge all of us by this
bigoted bunch.
I thought this county had grown
beyond this shameful intent to
maintain central.
It kept progress sway for many
yean. When I cams here in 1970
this snobbishness was the norm.
All newcomers felt the sting of
rudeness md a superior attitude. It
required peat perseverance back
then to become put of the commu-
nity. It was six years before I found
myself saying, T love this place." I
really thought >11 there "taka from
the past" had died out Bad habits
are hard to break, aren't they?
My experience with Eacapeea has
been very positive. I've found them
to be friendly and eager to help I've
made lasting friendships with tome
who were just here for a short time.
At my church, we are thrilled to
welcome Escapees. We know that
they are givers, not taken, and they
always bless us for whatever time
they are here. They are compassion-
ate and civic-minded.
I've received calls from Eacapeea
traveling in other states, asking
specifically where candidates stood
on such and such an issue. I find
them concerned, energetic and very
informed voten.
The bottom line is that they are
Americans and have s right to vote.
This is their permanent address. If
they cant vote here -- then where?
I seriously question the integrity
and patriotism of any American
who doesn't put Hie right to vote to
fee top of their Hat
Democrats who agree that this
kind of exclusiveness is beneath us
should demand feat Svw «—
who ate embarrassing us all, should
oasts and desist If they find them-
selves all alone out in left field,
maybe they will come into the New
Millennium.
Rita Bloodworth
Route 6 Box 61
Livingston
Meet law, can vote
To the editor:
Recently a friend showed me s
letter which was signed by a Re-
publican candidate, leading me to
assume he tad written or at least
knew of fee contents The letter
started out, "Dear Escapee." That
really caught my eye because of ell
the political things in the media
limelight right now. The letter
stated, and I quote, "Though fee
road iant in my district, if* usee by
residents of my district and I would
like to have it resurfaced and wid-
ened with a rjfeinn light it the in-
tersection wife Highway 146, to
make it easier and safer for RVs."
My problem is feat money allo-
cated for [fee district] should not be
■■Mi to better roods in another
(dlnrict]. Alio, Hlfhwty 14A i,
'Freebies' will dry up
Appreciate the forum
To fee editor:
I want to txprore my gratitude
‘ i to fee Folk County
of hope. Heated discussions have
taken place in this newspaper. Yet
all wore allowed to have their aay.
Never have 1 seen a newspaper
so much ftee space for
rtf1*- licly stole Adr ideas, fears, opin-
1 foot or just "speak their piece."
' t®00* these So let me say "Thank you, Polk
County Enterprise, for making true
of tha Frees and
a reality for
Jeanenne t
Roots 14 Box 4310
Llvlngeton
To the editor:
Most people vote for fee biggest
sugar daddy - tha one who will
give them the most frnnhies Gere
will probably get this vote. As fir
as the debate goes, can you believe
either man by their word or deeds?
They are both "new world anhr"
people. So, u you vole for sugar
duty for freebies your will have
Gore collect your guns and then, as
i new world oraer leader, ne wiu
then not continue the freebies but
will then begin to take away fee
free lunch of fee welfare crowd md
to own a car (it poUutob fee Ob).
Also fee air conditionini unit
must go, most or me nice wings
we use. Only the wealthy, bosses,
Don't deny us
Questions
Ta the
We are
Stoles of America. Ws res
of fee geret tote of Texas. We ass
I of Polk County. We tare
to
I
1
S
t
RV owners at Runbows End s
ing rights, 1 have several
As Christiana, we tare a deal
citizenship. We are citizens of
God’s Kqgr*”" and we have s tem-
porary citizenship in this e*nW>
and light in this world. As such, we
re* to let our light shine and to be
moral and spiritual preservatives
County address to
we have Texas driver Hcanres wife
oar Port County address, ws tare
and RVs Md travel most af •
fee yam? Am they to be demed tta
right to vote?
1 What about oar at
aoareai who tare APO
Are they to be denied their veto?
3. Whose business or
Tta choice before us is plain,
Christ or chaos, conviction or
Texas Md we desire so
Texas md PoIk County as our
i of record," ALBBJBftDBDd
(ration. I am rather tired of hearing
about our rights and privileges as
American citizens. The time has
come, it now is, when we ought to
hear about the duties and responsi-
bilities of our citizenship. Amer-
ica's future depends upon tar ac-
cepting and demonstrating God’s
government.” That is a quote by
Peter Marshall
If Christians do not take seri-
ously their duty to God and country
by voting, how do we expect to
take tack our freedoms?
Dorothy Steele
Box 1514
Livingston
to vote in Thus, Texas few
does not require us to own real es-
tate in Texas or Polk County, fen
Mg require us to physically live in
Texas or Polk Comtfy for any spe-
cific aumbsr of days, only to regis-
ter X) days prior to the elections,
and to have a street address for mail
We can even register to vote by
mail. We use a recognired (by fee
United States Post Office) mail
forwarding service with street ad-
dress, to receive federal military m-
cmeumad citizens like the RVs
tax monies and all the monies
spend on purchases and services
Polk County to go?
t wondering
Patricia
nuc tax information. Social Secu-
rity information, Texas vehicle li-
cense renewal information, Md re-
newal information from fee Polk
County Tax Assessor's office. We
have used this addhess since April
1999. We have received our tax re-
funds, vehicle license renewal from
Polk County, our banking state-
ments, insurance statements, mili-
tary retiree information from Fort
Hood and Fort Sam Houston,
Texas, our cell phone, credit card,
insurance statements, and all mail
md packages sent using fee U.S.
Postal Service, FedEx, and UPS at
our Polk County address.
To deny us the right to vote in
Texas and Polk County because we
live foil time in our motorhome
and travel throughout the country is
discriminatory To questioo our
"addkeas" when it is already recog-
nized by the United States, Texas
Md Pdlk County, la unfair to us,
and to fee rtioiiwndt of other citi-
zens of Texas and the United States,
who by choice or necessity, wort
or navel throughout fee United
maintained by fee state not fee
county. [Tta district] has plenty of
its own roads in need of repair. V
the Republicans can’t find roads to
repair in [the district], I would be
happy to give them a lilt. I feel as
a voter we all have the right to
know what cur elected officials in-
tent to do wife our money, and feel
that they should have sent out a
copy of this letter to everyone in
[the district], not just the Escapees.
One lady expressed in tar ieaar to
fee editor that fee men in the Es-
capees are veterans. Tm sure some
are! Tm also a veteran and I believe
in the law. If die Escapees are
within the law they will have fee
right to vote. If not, they wont
Kenneth Scott
1P.O. Bax 594
Goodrich
99
Coldsj
[The emmet of the tk
petitioners ~ CeL He
Denial Jr., Dr. Tiffany Je
end Jerry Don Marsh - hot
keen printed In every istt
of the Enterprise sine* 11
first story was published
Sept. 28. - ed.J
Deserve credit
To the editor:
I am a resident of Big Thicket
Lake Estates Subdivision, Polk
County. I would like to again say
thank you to oar great State of
Texas, Polk County Judge John
Thompson, Liberty County Jw%e
Lloyd Kirkham and [the Polk md
Liberty County commissioners] for
a job well done.
I week’s letter to fee editor
was complaining about fee bridge
closing not being in die paper. All
I cm say is if people couldn't Md
tha signs... put on both ends of fee
bridge on Mooday, that were fare
until after the 4*4*r*|*n" oo Thurs-
day, you wouldn't have bean able to
rend it in the newspaper.
I’m so tired of hearing our county
officials |»t down when they do
everything they cm do within fee
law to help as. 1, for one, do not
expect them to brook fee law. We
help
m with a rood district we loat by 44
votes; 1992 or 1993 we were of-
fend Senate Bill 314, again voted
down; in 1994 fee State of Texas
told us we needed to incorporate so
we could apply for grants. At feat
time we hod eight miles of roadless
than fee City of Livingston. Again
fee vote was no. Then in 1998 we
had a voto for everyone to pay $60
a year maintenance so we could
bring our roads to county specs, but
once again we lost by 12 voles
having a 2/3 majority. So fee same
10 percent still any this suoom-
sion while others criticize.
Until we all want a (tangs from
mud (dkt and rain), don’t be knock-
ing our county officials who wort
very hard to help us. Put your
mooey where your mouth is.
Thanks again.... '
Nell Mayo
P.O. Box 45*
■M
upper crest cm have guns Md the
rest.
This is the goal md aim of the
UK. It's already down on paper.
Gun collection is first; fern fee
rest It will be a dictatorship md
you cm do nothing about it
Tta third party cmdktae is tta
only freedom vote. So, take your
choice - life or data. Aim note,
your voto returns are all sent to
N.Y. City md are tzbultad by fes
news media wife no government
oversight or anyone to insure they
are counted honestly. So they
surely award fee people they like
wife fee winning number. My
tv?
No OM questioned our Constitu-
tional right to vote when we lived
in Collin County, Texas from 1990
to 1999 md becauas of wort trav-
eled throughout fee United States
for long periods. Yes, we owned a
boms there, but several wife fa
same company fed not. They had
apartments, leased s home, or tad a
mobile home. Several used a post
office box for mail.
We add our home in Collin
County because we wanted to "live
our dream" of seeing fee country
again, this time without time con-
straints. We fed not feel we could
afford to maintain a home there md
travel at the same time. We took
over two yean to study md prepare
ourselves for this major change in
our lifestyle. We do not regret our
decision and somewhere down the
road we will be able to look bade
and say, "We fed it," and not, "I
wish we tad."
If Texas wants us to live within ChanOO OUT IVdVjf
the state for a fixed period of time
before voting, then fee laws shoald To the editor:
be changed. If Texas does not want
to provide certain tax advantage*
not found in other stores, then fa
laws should be changed. If Texas,
and especially Polk County, does
not recognize us as citizens md
residents, they should not seek us
out during a census. If Texas does
not want responsible, financially
independent citizens, does not want
fee millions of dollars spent in
Texas, does not want citizens who
Politics is not about people, ft
about who rates. When we sleet
representative for our district,
rend to do so with a genuine be
that, if elected, this official will
a voice in our matters of ttttq.
Mott often this representative, r*
taking his or her elected post,
be inundated with influm
choices for lobbyist and patty
filiation and then becomes a j
who am able to travel to more for-
r, then fee laws should ta
changed by a vote of ALL fes chi-
tans of Texas.
We do not take lightly any chal-
lenge to our constitutional right to
vo* 5, to our Texas citizenship, or
our home base address.
Unless wf
aka our selections, and I am nil
of political parties Ml
rather how well we know the pm
son and their convictions, history
md very little time to get to know
those running for office, this mess
ia only going to get worse.
Wake up and be proud of)
241 Forester
Livingston
Rainbow's Rad
Llvlngeton
I
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 118, No. 79, Ed. 1 Sunday, October 8, 2000, newspaper, October 8, 2000; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth789138/m1/4/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.