Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 98, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 9, 1993 Page: 4 of 20
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Polk County Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Livingston Municipal Library.
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EDITORIAL
PAGE 4A
Letters to the editor
Get in the spirit folks
To the editor:
Well, folks, it’s Christmas
and once again Sam Houston
Electric Co-op has left me disap-
pointed with their decorations
committee. All over town
everyone is getting into the spirit
of Christmas and showing off
their creativity with beautiful
lighting decorations. All except
one.
On the east side of town,
straight across the street from
our beautiful high school, sits a
very neat and professional-
looking building with well kept
grounds and neat offices. This
building has just added a new
sign out front that Fits the above
description. Now, will someone
please tell me why our electric
company cannot afford anything
more than to have someone step
outside and toss a few Christmas
lights over an oak tree and call i
Christmas decorations?
Maybe I just don’t under-
stand. Maybe this is a new style
of decoration like the pink
Christmas trees a few years
back, and maybe some of you
like this style, but to me this is
not a Christinas look. Christmas
is a celebration of the birth of
Christ. SHECo’s celebration dis-
play looks like someone
celebrated with eggnog before
they put up the lights. ‘Seems to
me that a light company should
be able to put up a lighting dis-
play that would have people
driving in from all over just to
sec it.
Come on, SHECo, surely you
have someone in that building
with some imagination. Give us
something to be proud of.
Livingston is a pretty town and
most business owners here take
pride in their town and, at this
time of year, they make an extra
effort to ensure that visitors and
townspeople alike will be im-
pressed with the beauty of
Livingston. You have jny per-
mission to use some of the
money 1 pay you every month to
give me something worth look-
ing at when I pass by twice a
day, something that will make
me feel good and instill some
Christmas spirit into me.
While I’m on my soapbox, I
feel the same way about the tree
at the courthouse. Here we go
again with the ghosts of modem
times that tosses lights up over a
tree and hopes they all fall
somewhere in the branches of
the tree. Whatever happened to
Christmas trees that looked like
Christmas trees? A Christmas
tree is supposed to be cone-
shaped with a star or an angel at
the top. If I were an angel,
which is not likely, I would
rather hide behind those trees
than sit on top of them.
Linda Morton
6004 Indian Springs
Livingston
Be part of the solution
To the editor:
This is a letter to all of you in
Indian Hills Subdivision that
wish to voice an opinion as to
the way things are being done to
improve living conditions in In-
dian Hills.
First, the people you are
directing your objections to are
people who are trying to make
improvements to benefit you
and yours -- we are not sitting
around finding fault with each
And every improvement made by
the civic club.
Things uftemember:
•The old house on Shoreline
[* "Drive that was a health hazard
has been removed - thanks to
the efforts of the civic club.
•The mobile home on Indian
Hills Blvd. has been removed -
thanks to the efforts of the In-
dian Hills Civic Club.
•The road leading to your
homes would have been washed
away if it had not been for in-
dividual civic club members
donating their own money to
purchase dirt to prevent this
from happening. Where were
you?
•The roads are improved by
concerned individuals and
monies were contributed by in-
dividual homeowners.
Now, if you wish an audit,
our books are open -- all you
have to do is pay for this audit
Then, after the audit is com-
pleted, we expect a letter of
retraction in the Polk County
Enterprise, to retract your
libelous statements immediately.
If your time and efforts were
directed to help achieve goals
necessary to keep Indian Hills
Subdivision a desirable place to
live — we welcome your help.
Our next meeting is Dec. 11
at 1 p.m. at the home of Skeetz
and Carl Gross. Come and raise
your objections in person.
Waiting for your response:
Indian Hills Subdivision
Civic Club board
J.R. Stewart
4208 Indian Hills
Livingston
Do whafs best for us all
Toihaaditari
Consolidate: To make firm or
stable, strong or coherent, to
unite into one system.
Ignorant: Without education or
knowledge, unaware or unin-
formed.
The citizens of Goodrich who
oppose consolidation have taken
it upon themselves to blur the
issue by making remarks and
taking actions against
Livingston, trying to make
people believe that Goodrich is
full of unwanted citizens. I beg
to differ, we are a small com-
munity, proud in tradition, but
not set in our ways - the same
\Dont bow down
To the editor
Dear Governor Richards:
This is the third letter I’ve
sent you concerning my com-
plaints against Shepherd,
Coldspring-Oak hurst,
Cleveland, Houston, North
Forest, Livingston, Windham,
Dayton, Huli-Daisetta, Hope
Center and other school districts.
I have uncovered other
evidence of wrongdoing and
corruption in East Texas, such
as ticket-fixing in Polk County.
The schools are not returning
my questions-questionnaires, be-
cause they are afraid to admit
unconstitutional hiring practices.
Please don’t bow down to
East Texas politics to get money
for the Democratic Party. Sup-
I port justice. Please protect me
from the county educational and
[ law enforcement people in those
i of East Texas and other
i I’ve mentioned in my
people who shop next to you at
the store, sit next to you at the
movies, and pray with you at
church. We share some of the
same feelings that you do - that
being, we want the best educa-
tion possible for our children.
We have come together as a
community and are asking the
citizens of Livingston to help us
educate our children. At this
time, we are going door-to-door
getting signatures on the petition
to bring consolidation to a vote.
Your help is needed in order to
complete this step. We believe
that this is the best for all of our
children! The Livingston school
is overcrowded and in need of
more room as well as more
money. The room and the
money are available to them just
seven miles down the road! Why
borrow money to build new
buildings when there are empty
rooms that can be used instead.
It is time for both com-
munities to come together and
do what is best for all con-
cerned: consolidate, stop com-
plaining about what you will
lose and realize what you will
gain - more opportunity, more
chance for advancement, as well
as a considerable savings to both
communities. Please help us
finish this petition so that we
can get on with the real issue at
hand - the best education pos-
sible for the money spent.
We will be collecting signa-
tures in town Friday and Satur-
day in order to complete die
petition. Please come forward
and help us decide which direc-
tion we need to take to help our
children, or you can call me and
we will come to you. Your help
is appreciated by us and our
children!
It's your right
To the editor:
This Saturday, Dec. 11, the
Citizens for Consolidation will
be in town collecting signatures
for a petition to consolidate
school districts. This petition is
required in order to bring this
issue to a vote. We need 10 per-
cent from each district We
received 30 percent from G1SD.
Now all we need is to complete
the required 10 percent from
LISD.
•
Although this may sound
simple, I am bothered by the fact
that so many people are afraid to
sign. Some of you have said that
your employer told you not to
sign. Excuse me, but this is a
free country; no one, not your
friends, spouse or boss, can tell
you what you can or cannot
sign, not even if you are
employed by LISD or G1SD.
You do not need anyone else’s
approval. All that matters is
what you think and no one else.
If you are not sure about how
you feel, sign it anyway. This
will help us get this issue on the
ballot and you can vote your
decision on election day.
Please support the democratic
process by signing this petition.
Connie Sirman
P.O. Box 460
Goodrich
P.S. I don’t know who you are,
but if you are an employer who
has told your employees not to
sign, shame on you. It is none of
your business what your
employees sign or how they feel
about this issue.
Housekeeping
To the editor:
Maybe we all have some
faults - some may be worse
than others.... Do you have any?
Big or little they are faults. I
believe this is me talking and I
could be wrong. I believe some
people come out in the open, say
"I’m sorry" and "I shouldn’t
have said that” and some will
never be uncovered.
We all need to pray for each
other and wake up before it’s
too late. May God help us all.
Judging others
When I’m busy blaming
others
Looking for a fault or two
Then it’s time I started count-
ing
All the bad things that I do.
There’s a lot of good in others
And a lot of bad in me
So I have no right in judging
Faults of others that I see
Where’s before I look lor fail-
ings
I have found a better plan
‘Tis to keep my own house
cleaner
Before I judge another man.
Jessie Cain
Route 4 Box 706
Livingston
Mark H, Druce
511 River Run
Quando
toma no
maneje!
Fahr nicht
Auto in
betrunkenem
Zustand!
Boire ou
conduire il
faut chpisir!
Nerid vv
podnapilem
stavu!
Don't drink
and drive!"
GOOD ADVICE
makes sense in
every language.
USE IT!
] THE BUWCH- I
1 Him 08fS‘
!*
I*
State Capital Highlights
Opinion reviews mixed
By LYNDELL WILLIAMS
and ED STERLING
Texas Press Association
AUSTIN - An opinion regard-
ing the conduct of state officehol-
ders rendered by the Texas Ethics
Commission last week was hailed
by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey
Hutchison’s staff but downplayed
by the Travis County District At-
torney’s Office.
Reacting publicly first, attorney
Michael Tigar interpreted the
Ethics commission opinion as
favorable to Hutchison, his client,
who is under investigation by a
Travis County grand jury for the al-
leged misuse of state employees
and equipment for personal and
political purposes while serving as
state treasurer between 1990 and
1993 and for allegedly destroying
state records in an attempted cover-
up.
But Steve McCleery, first assis-
tant district attorney, said the al-
legations "go way beyond the kind
of conduct permitted" under the
opinion and that the opinion would
not damage the grand jury inves-
tigation or affect the prosecution’s
case against the senator. And John
Steiner, executive director of the
Ethics Commission, said
Hutchison’s attorneys had misread
the opinion.
Hutchison spokesman David Be-
ckwjth rejected McCleerv’s
nd
agency, trimmed its staff from
nearly 620 employees to about 550,
and reduced its budget. He said the
agency returned $250*000 to the
treasury this year.
GOP judge seeks AG post
State district Judge Don Wittig
of Houston announced that he will
seek the Republican nomination for
Texas attorney general.
Wittig, 52, is challenging fellow
state District Judges Pat Lykos, al-
so of Houston, and John Marshall
of Dallas, in the March 8 GOP
primary.
The winner is expected to face
incumbent Dan Morales, who an-
nounced his re-election bid last
week. He is yft unopposed in the
Demod^ti^pnflflilr^.
Hunter names top staff
State insurance Commissioner J.
Robert Hunter has hired two mem-
bers of Attorney General Dan
Morales’ staff to fill top positions
at the Texas Department of In-
surance.
Edna Ramon Butts, who served
two months as interim commis-
sioner this fall, and Mary Keller
were named senior associate com-
missioners. Butts will handle the
department’s administrative opera-
tions, while Keller will oversee
legal operations. The third senior
associate commissioner will be
named later.
Mattox for welfare reform
Democratic U.S. Senate can-
didate Jim Mattox said last week
national welfare reform is needed
and should include tougher child
support enforcement, a campaign
against teen pregnancies and
tougher measures to reduce the
number of babies bom into the wel-
fare system.
"Some of those actions may be
controversial, but we cannot con-
tinue down our present path of
ever-increasing welfare rolls and
generations of children bom out of
wedlock and into welfare," Mattox
said.
Mattox predicted he will win the
Denweratjs nomination by defeat-
ing U.STRep. Mike Andrews of
Houston and Dallas financier
Richard Fisher.
Other Highlights
•State Treasurer Martha
Whitehead has hired a psychologist
to counsel employees who might be
upset about her proposal last month
to abolish her agency. Whitehead,
who was appointed to the post last
summer, faces election in Novem-
ber.
•Elvira Reyna, a Republican, is
the new state representative from
District 101, which covers part of
east Dallas. She will take the seat
held by Rep. Bill Blackwood, who
died last summer
remarks and maintained that the
opinion undermines the prosecu-
tion’s case.
The opinion concludes that in
some cases, an elected official may
have employees keep track of
political and personal appointments
as part of a daily schedule, accord-
ing to a breaking story in the Dal-
las Morning News. Also, the
opinion said that in some cases,
employees may work on state time
and use slate equipment to handle
financial contributions to a
politican’s officeholder account
Commenting on the opinion,
Tigar was quoted as saying, "It
means if a state elected official
happens to use a state computer to
keep their schedule so that they can
more effectively perform the job
they were elected to do, that’s not a
crime. And careful record keeping,
as between campaign and of-
ficeholder funds, insulates you
from being charged with even an
ethical violation, let alone a crime."
The opinion was issued at the re-
quest of an unidentified state legis-
lator. At the request of defense at-
torneys, prosecutors allowed grand
jurors to study the opinion.
Perry to seek second term
Rick Perry, the state’s first
Republican agriculture commis-
sioner, announced plans last week
to seek a second term.
Saying he fulfilled his 1990 cam-
paign promises. Perry said he wants
to concentrate in the next four years
on processing more Texas com-
moditites in the state.
Perry, who in 1990 defeated two-
term incumbent Democrat Jim
Hightower, said he is one of the
few state officials to trim his agen-
cy’s budget and staff.
A native of Haskell, Perry, 43.
wps
-1 Pen,
said he has cleaned up the
POLK COUNTY
ENTERPRISE
ALVIN HOLLEY, PUBLISHER
Telephone Number 327-4387
CUSPS 437-340)
Entered as Second-Class Matter at the Post Office at Livingston,
Texas 77351 under the Act of Congress of March 3. 1987.
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Barbara Whits, Editor
Van Thomas, Sports Editor
Greg Peak. Area News Editor
Don Hendrix. Special Sections Editor
Debbie Brown, Living Section Editor
Dan Eakln. Reporter
Gordon LeBarron, Photographer
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT
Camaras / Plate making
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Pressroom Personnel
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Mallroom / Circulation
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Josefina Celedon, Rosie Celedon
Composition Personnel
Dorothy Wilson. Composition Supervisor
Jennifer Cushman. Kathy Spencer, Lisa Singleton
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
Undo Holley. Ad Manager
Mary Jo Watson, Sandra Jackson.
Kay Loy Cuevas, Jennifer Blrdwell
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Linda Thompson
BOOKKEEPING DEPARTMENT
Georgia Bailey. Manager
Barbara Wilson, Laura Munson. Julia Hollis
SUBSCRIPTION RATES - $15.00 per year tax Included, in county,
$16.00 per year, out of county. $17.00 per year out of state.
Published semi-weekly. Sunday and Thursday at 100 Calhoun in
Livingston. Texas by the Polk County Publishing Co.
Any erroneous reflection upon the character, stading or reputa-
tion of any person, firm or corporation which may appear In this
newspaper will be gladly corrected upon being brought to the
attention of the publisher.
Opinions expressed In columns are those of the writer and not
necessarily those of this newspaper.
Opinions expressed In editorial are those of the Enterprise.
POSTMASTER; Postage Paid At Livingston, TX. Please Send Address
Changes Tb P.O. Ben 1276. Livings ton, Texas 77351.
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 98, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 9, 1993, newspaper, December 9, 1993; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth798018/m1/4/?q=music: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.