The Ingleside Index (Ingleside, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 20, 1993 Page: 2 of 18
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Thursday, May 20, 1993
Page 2
Opinion
New school finance bill gets okay from
By Lyndell Williams
Texas Press Assn.
AUSTIN — The Texas Senate
voted 27-4 last week for a school
finance bill that would allow the
state to shift #40 billion in com-
mercial property from rich
school districts to poor ones.
The measure, by Sen. Bill Rat-
liff, R-Mt. Pleasant, is designed to
address school funding inequities
without consolidating local
school districts.
The Senate action sets up a
showdown in the House between
the two chambers’ financial
plans, which take radically diffe-
rent approaches to equalize pub-
lic education funding.
The Senate plan would require
109 property-rich districts to
share some of their commercial
tax wealth with property-poor
districts.
The House measure would con-
solidate 281 of Texas 1,048
school districts — merging prop-
erty-rich districts with lower-
wealth districts nearby—and use
state aid to level out funding ine-
quities.
Lawmakers must pass a plan to
equalize school funding by June 1
or face a court-ordered cutoff of
state education aid.
House Trims No-pass Rule
Meanwhile, the nine-year-old
“no pass, no-play" rule that was
part of former Gov. Mark White’s
education reform package, was
diluted by the House duringa long
debate on state rules for local
schools.
The current rule, the capstone
of reforms enacted in 1984, bars
junior high and high school stu-
dents who are flunking classes
from taking part in extracurricu-
lar activities such as football,
band, or debate for six weeks.
The House version, which was
tentatively approved last week,
would let school principals shor-
ten the suspension to three weeks
for students who immediately
start improving their test scores.
But students who fail a test during
that period would face suspen-
sion for a full six weeks.
Clinton's BTU Tax Ripped
A host of Texas business, farm
and industrial leaders joined Rail-
road Commissioners Jim Nugent,
Mary Scott Nabers and Barry Wil-
liamson last week in a news con-
ference to sound the alarm
against the Clinton Administra-
tion’s proposed BTU tax on
energy.
and interest rates. This is a recipe
for economic disaster, not econo-
mic reform.”
More than 450,000 jobs have
been lost in the domestic energy
patch since 1980 — more than
losses in the auto and steel indus-
tries combined. More than
160,000 of the energy jobs lost
were held by Texans.
“From agriculture to trucking.
Capital Highlights
“The proposed tax is a job des-
troyer taht will hurt middle in-
come consumers and threaten
Texas’ current economic recov-
ery,” the commissioners warned.
“This tax will rip through out
economy like a Texas tornado,”
said Nugent. “It will leave behind
unemployment and high energy
prices that lead to high inflation
Health care gets examination
By Juliet K. Wenger
Feature Editor
“There is a bill of rights. There
should be a bill of responsibili-
ties.” This is the way an emergen-
cy room physician at Coastal
Bend Hospital summed up one of
the underlying themes of medi-
cine today.
On the national scene, health
care is being played off as a con-
troversy to win political points. In
the North Bay Area, as well as
many other parts of the United
States, the medical community is
moving quietly ahead to try to
agree on solutions to resolve diffi-
cult problems.
Paragon, an association of
physicians in the area, was
formed several years ago to give
doctors a forum to reach consen-
sus on which to take action. One
of the things they are doing is offer
what they call mini-internships
to people in the communities who
for two days shadow doctors in
hospital rounds and clinic prac-
tice.
This is a means of communica-
tions to let doctors and lay people
ask questions of one another so
that each will better understand
the desires and concerns of the
other. Obviously shared con-
cerns include the quality and the
cost of health care.
The emergency room doctor
who spoke of a bill of responsibil-
ity had explained that Driscoll
Hospital is equipped to serve
small children with serious illnes-
ses in this region. When a doctor
determines the child can best be
treated there, he makes all
arrangements for the parents to
take the child to Driscoll. In only
50 percent of the cases was the
child taken to the hospital as
arranged.
Now, the doctor says, he sends
the child hy ambulance, which is
an unnecesary health cost. “This
assures me the child will get
there,” and he adds, “spending
your money.”
Another physician on the staff
of (Coastal Bend Hospital said that
on any one day, you could check
the billings and sec where you
could save #20,000 if you had
carried out only procedures
medically necessary. The wasted
money is that which does not in
any way improve patient care but
is practicing legal medicine, pro-
viding a defense against lawsuits.
In quality of care, two things
stand out. One is the commit-
ment of the doctors to do every
thing possible for the patient, in
spite of the fact there is such con-
centration on cost containment.
The second is the remarkable
advances in technology that
make possible better care, which,
again, must be paid for.
Radiology is one of the special-
ties that moves at such a pace that
science fiction has trouble keep-
ing up with it. A radiologist ex-
plains that most of this quantum
leap was made possible by the
space program, and calls for a
realization that money spent on
the space program produces this
by-product.
Only a few years ago, radiology
was merely Xray which gives
physicians a one-dimensional
picture. Now, there are so many
different types of film and screens
to be read that a graduate medical
student must spend three more
years studying to be able to be
radiologically literate.
The ultra-sonic machine
shows you the heart beat of a
fetus. If there is going to be a
problem with delivery, it can be
anticipated. It shows you your
own heart in action, lights,
camera and sound.
There is the CT machine which
allows a technician toslice a chest
in layers ot an* thickness on com-
puter screen, instead of with a
knife on an operating table. The
MR1 sees the body from a different
angle; one sees by radio wave the
other by Xray.
In the operating room, again,
technology that didn’t exist five
or ten years ago is improving the
patient’s margin of safety.
The anesthegiologist no longer
has to put an arm band on the
patient undergoing surgery to
take blood pressure and wonder
whether the tube through which
the patient breaths has been in-
serted correctly. He has a bank of
screens with digital read-outs
that tells him how much oxygen
the patient is breathing in and
how much carbon dioxide is
being breathed out, what blood
pressure is at any moment and a
myriad of other signficant func-
tions of your sedated self.
There is movement in new
directions in the Bay Area. Two
rural clinics have opened to
handle medicare and medicaid
patients, and more will be forth-
coming. Here, hopefully holding
down emergency room and hos-
pital costs.
A physician’s assistant or nurse
practicioner handles routine
cases. Technology allows the
assistants to be in constant touch
with the medical director who is
fully informed by voice, compu-
ter or fax.
Certainly an increase in the
number of physician’s assistants
is predictable. A family practice
physician explained that he could
supervise five assistants in diffe-
rent clinics and spend the neces-
sary time himself in those clinics
each week, enabling him to treat
five times more patients than he
can in solo practice.
A new structure is being put in
place for home care so patients
can be discharged safely more
rapidly and minimize the ex-
pense of the hospital stay.
Physicians are combining their
practices and their association
with hospitals as they move to-
ward managed health care in the
Bay Area. Also, hospitals in the
smaller communities and those
in large medical centers are defin-
ing their ties.
One physician expressed the
opinion that only two things need
to be done on a national level to
make it possible for quality health
care to be given at contained costs
at the local level. Oneoftheseisto
develop a system of large risk
pools.
to manufacturing to petroche-
micals, the BTU tax will hurt Tex-
ans,” said Nabers. “Consumers
will definitely be impacted and
Texans will lose jobs.
“This tax is unfair because
Texas will pay 12.5 percent of the
tax while we represent only 6.8
pecent of the nation’s popula-
tion,” Williamson said. “Texans
should not have to pay twice as
much as states like California,
New York and Maryland.”
Prison Bond Issue Passes
A #1 billion bond issue for new
prisons and jails, which black and
Hispanic lawmakers blocked ear-
lier, passed the House last week
with a 130-6 vote.
Minority members stalled the
resolution by denying it the 100
votes needed to place it on the
ballot for voter approval. The law-
makers said they were frustrated
by the Legislature’s inability to
develop a constitutional school
finance plan.
Doctor Referral Bill
The Senate has approved a bill
that would prohibit doctors from
referring patients to facilities in
which they are an investor. Viola-
tors would face fines of #15,000
for each violation.
A recent national study showed
that patients referred to physi-
cian-owned laboratories pay 26
percent to 125 percent more than
at independent labs.
WpiX
Senate
The bill by Sen. Mike Moncrief,
D-Fort Worth, now goes to the
House for consideration.
House Oks Tax Cap
A measure that would allow vo-
ters to decide whether to cap the
state's franchise tax has won pre-
liminary House approval.
The proposed constitutional
amendment passed 95-39. It
must gain 100 votes in the House
and a two-thirds vote in the Sen-
ate to be placed on the Nov. 2
ballot.
The amendment would cap the
corporate income tax at its cur-
rent 4.5 percent.
Other Highlights
• The Texas House has concur-
red with Senate amendments to a
bill that would create the Texas
Lottery Commission in April
1994. The commission, with
separate lottery and bingo divi-
sions, would consist of a three-
member board appointed by the
governor.
Thorpe nominated to committee
By Juliet K. Wenger
Coastal Bend Council
of Governments
The Coastal Bend Council of
Governments received an invita-
tion from the Governor’s office to
nominate a representative to the
Management Committee of the
Corpus Christi Bay National
Estuary Program. Increased in-
terest is being shown in protect-
ing water quality and shores of
the estuary.
At a recent meeting, the COG
approved the nomination of Mary
J. Thorpe, as proposed by Chair-
man Louise Shumate. A few days
later, Thorpe was one of 10 reci-
pients of the Minnie Stevens Pip-
er Foundation Award to teachers
in higher education.
Thorpe is chairman of the
COG’s environmental quality
committee and has been since
September 1989. She has been an
active member of that committee
since February 1978.
thorpe is professor of geology in
the department of natural scien-
ces at Del Mar College. She is also
coordinator of the honors prog-
ram in the college.
The geology teacher’s back-
ground gives her a historical van-
tage point from which to view cur-
rent data and gain an understand-
ing of the estuaries, what is
needed and what the alternatives
are.
She was a protege of Dr. W.
Armstrong Price, a recognized
oceanographer who did much of
the ground work in studies of the
waters, the shores and the coun-
teractions of the environment
both to natural forces and to man-
made development in the Coastal
Bend.
During much of her early
career, Thorpe worked with Dr.
Price on his research projects,
and toward the end of his life was
important is organizing his body
of work.
As a professor, Thorpe is cre-
dited with giving her geology stu-
dents an understanding of the
coastal environment and opening
up experiences to htme that
make their classroom work re-
levant.
The COG’s environmental
quality committee has always
strived to have a balanced
approach that would allow the de-
velopment of industry and econo-
mic growth at the same time re-
spect is shown for the environ-
ment. Thorpe came on the com-
mittee representing the com-
SENI
WAT
munity of environmentalists at a
time before ecology had become a
frequently heard word in govern-
ment circles. She has always been
outspoken, yet able to play a part
in reaching consensus.
Thorpe holds both bachelor
and master degrees in geology
from Bayldr University and has
done graduate work at the Uni-
versity of Mississippi, University
of Texas at Austin, Texas A&I and
Corpus Chriti State Universities,
in marine, environmental, and
coastal geology!
She is chairman of the Nueces
County Citizen’s Advisory Com-
mittee, EPA-Gulf of Mexico Prog-
ram. She has served or is serving
on the Coastal Erosion/Dune Pre-
vention Task Force of the Texas
General Land Office; Regional
Water Task Force, Sources and
Environmeental Impact; Nueces
River Basin Water Quality
Assessment Strategic Planning
Task Force of the Texas Water
Commission; Nueces Delta Water
Basin Advisory Committee of the
Texas Water Development
Board, Nueces County Coastal
Management Council for Dune
Preservation and Beach Access,
OLDERAMERICANS!
PERCENTAGE OF AMERICANS WHO VOTED IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
68%
★ ★★★★★★★
67%
★ ★★★★★★★
Jr
66%
★★★★★★★
65%
. % ★★★★★★★
64%
★ ★ ir ★ ★
63%
★ ★ ★ ★
62%
★ ★
61%
60%
_%
59%
58%
57%
56%
SOURCE FAMILES USA
1972
1976
Ik
The Americans who lifted us out of the Depression and led the Allies to victory in World War II are still
good citizens today. They're voting. In the last six Presidential elections, while the voting rate for
Americans generally has been falling, the wiling rate for older Americans has been rising! After a lifetime
of hard work. seniors are making sure that the voices of free citizens are still heard.
SENIOR WATCH IS AN EDITORIAL SERVICE OF FAMILIES USA FOUNDATION
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Cole, Mary. The Ingleside Index (Ingleside, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 20, 1993, newspaper, May 20, 1993; Aransas Pass, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth921652/m1/2/: accessed June 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Ed & Hazel Richmond Public Library.