The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 103, No. 49, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 9, 1993 Page: 4 of 32
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opinions expressed are those of the editors unless noted
opinion
(continued)
page
Win the race to
lose the job
w
In her own words
field
notes
On the subject of
words...
Some of my favorite ones are back in print. We
received shipment Tuesday of a new edition of The
Editor’s Ass. written by Ben Ezzell and originally pub-
lished in 1986.
1994 Success Calendars & Calendar Refills
At The CANADIAN RECORD, 211 Main St.
r ■ 'EXAS TREASURER MARTHA WHITE-
JL HEAD has thought the unthinkable and
done the unbelievable. She thinks maybe the
State of Texas can do without the public office
which she has held now since she was appointed
earlier this yeai- by Governor Ann Richards to
replace Kay Bailey Hutchison. And she believes
she'll just run for that office in next year’s state-
wide elections so that she can work to eliminate
it, mergi ng its duties into the State Comptroller’s
office.
Martha Whitehead thinks she can save the
State of Texas some money, and she's putting her
own job on the chopping block to prove it That's
a heck of a way to win an election, and a heck of
a way to lose a job, and we're so pleasantly
surprised by the whole irreverent notion that
we’re going to go out on our own limb and endorse
her candidacy before we have a chance to wake
up and pull on our cynicism.
4
J / 1 * z < ** ' * .' 4'. «.**’
*74e RECORD
_______CANADIAN, HEMPHILL CO., TEXAS
THURSDAY 9 DECEMBER 1993
When Dad died in January of this year, we received
so many inquiries about the book—which had sold out in
its first printing—that we all agreed a second printing
would be a good idea, and a fine way to raise money for
the Ben Ezzell Memorial Scholarship Fund.
It’s here now, in a beautiful new edition with
photographs and an attractive cover. The book was
designed and typeset by sister Emmy who is a book
designer at the University of New Mexico Press...and it’s
just about the best Christmas present I’ve ever had (with
the singular exception of that pair of red cowboy boots I
got when I was six).
The book is available in our office for $10.67 (tax
included), or through the mail for $12.75 (with shipping
and handling).
Ifyou haven’t read it already,you’re probably wonder-
ing why it's called “The Editor’s Ass.” Guess you’ll just
have to wonder a little bit longer.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a question and answer session with
State Treasurer Martha Whitehead, discussing her position favoring the
elimination of the State Treasury and the merger of the Treasury's vital
functions into the State Comptroller's Office.
The author cautions that pointing out the spewer’s irrelevance
often draws fire from flamers and spewers alike.
Blatherers, he writes, “tend to be more benign. Their problem
is that they just can’t get to the point...they can wring three or
four screenfuls out of a thought that others might sum up in a
sentence or two." Blatherers tend toward excessive quoting, and
often follow a long quote by offering the incisive observation: “1
agree!” A sort of network ditto-head.
It seems the cyberworld is not that different from our byte-less
one, and that some of the worst of our oral traditions will spawn
and proliferate in the inter-net.
For the best and least corrupted oral traditions, I turn to kids.
And nephew Ben is a source of hope and inspiration.
Ben, who is 7 years old, has big brown eyes that suck you in.
and a quick and curious mind that will keep you there. He loves
words, too, I think, and has learned to use them with great
facility.
An argument one day with his father, David, ended as argu-
ments sometimes do... with a frustrated parent yelling at his child
to go to his room. Ben did, and took advantage of the time in
isolation to write a list. It was the kind of list that leaves the
frustrated parent wondering whether to laugh or cry.
Young Ben, who truly hates to be yelled at by his very patient
father, enumerated in order of preference and in perfectly
phonetic English, the methods he thought he would attempt to
keep his dad from raising his voice:
DTalk; 2)Trick; 3)Cinvinch (convince); 4)Ecnore (ignore);
5)Talk back; 6)Insowlte (insult); 7)Beg; 8)Be nice
Ben had checked the top two choices off the list which he threw
at his dad, and was apparently working his way down—as all else
failed—to the last-ditch option of being nice. I admire his list,
appreciate his sense of order, and am quite impressed with the
number of resources which he has at hand. I also hope never to
have to do verbal battle with my friend Ben...it occurs to me that
I could lose and lose badly.
But I share this list with you in the interest of good words and
quiet conversations this Christmas season. “And a child shall
lead them.”
Audit Committee, comprised of the Lt. Governor,
the Speaker, and the chairs of Senate Finance
and State Affairs and House Appropriations and
Ways and Means committees. But the treasury
isn’t a “watchdog” of any agency.
Q. If you do away with the State Treasury,
what happens to the work you do?
A. The treasury performs three vital func-
tions—we have a giant investment portfolio, we
perform cash management functions like rapid
deposit, and we locate unclaimed property.
1’hose three functions can be merged into the
State Comptroller’s Office. But I don’t think we
can carry the tax burden of an entire state agency
just to support those three functions. I think it
makes more sense to downsize government
whenever possible. That’s why I support doing
away with the State Treasury.
Q. I can see that downsizing a state agency
can save millions in tax dollars, but I’ve heard
some people say that the Treasury needs to exist
because of its “check and balance” respon-
sibilities. Is this true?
A, No. There isn’t a single word in the Texas
Constitution or the government code that re-
quires the Treasury to act as an overseer, either
of the State Comptroller’s Office or of any other
state agency.
Q. If the Treasury doesn’t serve as a
watchdog, who does?
A. The State Comptroller’s Claims Division
reviews the purchases and requisitions of all
state agencies—except, of course, the Comp-
troller’s Office itself. The Secretary of State’s
Office reviews expenditures made by the Comp-
troller’s Office. On top of that, there is a State
Auditor, who basically works for the Legislative
Of course we know that the State Ti easurer’s
office has provided a very effective stepping stone
for several state politicos with their eye on bigger
and better things. Whitehead’s successor used
the office—and a grand jury is trying to deter-
mine just how much and how badly—as a
springboard to the position of United States
Senator. Governor Ann launched her own guber-
natorial campaign by demonstrating her effec-
tiveness and tenacity as State Treasurer.
And certainly Martha Whitehead has done a
great deal to spotlight her own political potential
by offering the office she holds as a sacrificial
lamb to a public which is hungry for slimming
and trimming the waste from state and national
bureaucracy.
Well it worked, and we’re impressed. And we
think Martha Whitehead is a shoo-in for the
soon-to-be-late office of State Treasurer.
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Ezzell, Nancy & Brown, Laurie Ezzell. The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 103, No. 49, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 9, 1993, newspaper, December 9, 1993; Canadian, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1285736/m1/4/: accessed June 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hemphill County Library.