Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 150, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 19, 1999 Page: 3 of 16
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CHEROKEEAN/HERALD of Rusk, Texas—Thursday, August 19,1999—Page 3A
Politicians are spending budget surplus before it happens
The issue of tax cuts, new
spending plans, debt reduc
tion and the long term abil-
ity of social security to make pay-
ments to citizens, all revolve
around the government's ability
to generate cash flow. Cash flow is
simply theexcess of income (taxes)
over expenses
(cost of all gov-
ernment pro-
grams). Posi-
tive cash flow
is called a sur-
plus.
Lets look at
what you and
I would call a
surplus. Ifycfu
had $ 1,000 in
your bank ac-
count and only
needed $700 to
cover your expenses, you would
have a $300 surplus. Fairly simple,
Sen. Drew
Nixon
isn't it? Until the money is a real-
ity and in the bank, it should not
be called a surplus.
Now lets look at how the govern-
ment calculates their surplus. Our
federal government has a deficit
in the form of debt of over 5 trillion
dollars. The current surplus that
both political parties keep touting
and claiming credit for is the re-
sult of projecting the U.S. economy
over the next 20-plus years and
estimating the amount of tax col-
lections and spending plans for
budgets that they don't even have
control over. Basically what they
are doing is saying the govern-
ment is going to have more income
than expenses of $1 -2 trillion over
the next 20-plus years. They are
then trying to spend those esti-
mated funds as if it were a guaran-
teed reality and had already hap-
pened.
The politicians are spending
these estimated surplus' before
they actually happen. You can
make numbers look any way you
want by just changing some of the
estimates. Rather than waiting to
see how the actual income and
expenses occur on a year by year
basis and making adjustments in
tax rates and spending as needed,
they are trying to claim the whole
surplus at ohe time and make
themselves look like heroes.
It would be just like you saying
that on your job you will have a
salary of $40,000 and living ex-
penses of $30,000 in 2010 and go-
ing ahead and committing the
$10,000 estimated surplus to a
spending plan today. Although you
may not even have the job next
month, much less 10 years from
now, you would be committing the
surplus today and using it. This is
what the government is currently
doing. It is sad, but it has become
obvious that most politicians, in
an attempt to make you think they
have done a good job, have re-
sorted to accounting methods that
you and I would never be allowed
to use in our business or personal
lives. They do this to divert your
attention from what they have re-
ally been doing with the taxes we
have paid over the years.
Remember, the politicians who
have taken the money from the
social security fund and created
the 5 trillion dollar debt are the
same ones who are now claiming
they have the governments fi-
nances solved and have created
the surplus.
Why is social security in trouble?
The simple answer is because the
government has borrowed the
money and spent it on other pro-
grams and not let Social Security
invest our taxes in investments
which would grow and provide the
money needed to make the future
payments like private company
retirement systems are required
by law to do. Strange isn't it, the
government makes companies in-
vest their employees retirement
money and keep it safe but the
government just spends the re-
tirement money we send them.
It amazes me at how many poli-
ticians from both parties are talk-
ing about tax cuts, new spending
plans, and changing social secu-
rity due to the fictitious surplus.
World economies are constantly
changing. The U.S. economy has
been fantastic the last few years,
but with all things and with his-
tory as our benchmark, that will
change. To make plans during
times of plenty assuming that it
will always be like that is suicide,
but the politicians are hoping we
don't realize that and just think
how good they are.
It is my opinion that govern-
ment has two very major obliga-
tions that must be met before any
tax cuts or new spending plans are
implemented. First we must make
sure that all the money that has
been collected from the citizens for
social security is put into a sepa-
rate account and fully funded in-
cluding the lost éarnings the money
should have made, and secondly,
that the national deficit is elimi-
nated. Only after both of those
have actually happened, and not
just through smoke and mirror
estimates, should we consider
major tax and spending changes.
Until we demand financial ac-
countability from government, we
will continue to have the politi-
cians use our own tax dollars to
buy the votes they need to stay in
power. The sad thing is that both
parties have resorted to this tactic
to keep our support.
Letters To the Editor
School Should Defy Court Ruling and Allow Prayers
To the School Board of R1SD
and and Superintendent Tony
Murray:
I recently read where a judge
somewhere in the Northeast ruled
that the Boy Scouts could not keep
homosexuals out of their organi-
zation because doing so suppos-
edly violated some law in New
Jersey. That was just one person's
judgement. It could take months
or years for their case to make it to
the Supreme Court. I'm not in-
volved in the Boy Scout organiza-
tion but I really doubt hundreds of
troops will just lie down and let
some judge in another state rule
their organization. At least I hope
they don't.
Now some judge in New Orleans
says our students in Texas can't
have student led prayer at our
football games. This was initiated
by TWO, count them, TWO, dis-
gruntled students in Santa Fe,
Texas. Apparently hundreds of
other students had no problem
with this as I'm sure millions of
others across this state didn't ei-
ther.
My question, which you, Mr.
Murray, and our board members
must also question, is this: "Which
law did these Santa Fe students
violate?" Was it a county law, a
Texas law, or a U.S. law? If I were
a betting man, I would bet that
that judge in New Orleans would
say his decision stems back to the
first amendment of our U. S. Con-
stitution. And I bet you would too.
And if it does, I have one word in
response. "Poppy-cock."
The First Amendment guaran-
tees our free exercise of religion. It
doesn't elaborate on who, where,
how long, etc. That is the law! And
I think any judge who states oth-
erwise should be disbarred for life.
If this case goes to the Supreme
Court and they agree with the man
in New Orleans, does that mean
we walk away like whipped pup-
pies and stop praying? NO. Why?
Because the Supreme Court can
only interpret laws, not make
them. The first amendment is so
blatantly clear and simple that if
they were to judge otherwise, I
think we should ignore the ruling.
Do I advocate ignoring laws I just
don't agree with? By no means!
Parents' Lack of Spirit Conveys
Volumes to RHS Youth
Hey, parents! What happened
to your spirit Friday night at "Meet
the Eagles?" You showed no signs
of encouragement or support for
your children by not standing on
your feet when the cheerleaders
did their cheer and asked you to
stand up to show your spirit.
In my book, spirit can mean a lot
of things and in this case it means
we stand behind you, we support
your efforts, we encourage you to
be and do your best, we want you
to be all you can be and most of all,
we are here for you.
You parents showed none of that
Friday night. In this day and
time, our kids need encourage-
ment, support and spirit of enthu-
siasm more than ever. I can't
imaging what message we sent
our kids by not participating Fri-
day night.
Students, some of us are proud
of your efforts and we will show
our spirit. We hope your year is
full of great achievements.
And just a note about the com-
munity wide prayer meeting on
Tuesday, Aug. 10 at the High
School. Where were all you par-
ents that talk about your concern
of our children's safety in school?
In light of all the shootings going
on, not only in the schools but in
places of business, we should all be
doing some around the clock pray-
ing that God intervenes in some of
these people's lives.
I want to say thank you to the
Ministerial Alliance, Keith Hassell
and every person who prayed. It
warmed my heart to hear the
smallest child pray up to the teen-
agers praying for their fellow class-
mates, that God would protect
them from harm.
It was an awesome time of pray-
ing, and God was very present in
that building. My prayer is that
we as parents, leaders, teachers
and a community will continue to
pray for our school, our teachers
and administration that God will
guide us when we are faithful as
his people, and he will reward us
in abundance.
Vesta Downs
Rusk
Duplichain appointed
as Grapeland principal
A new principal greeted
Grapeland Junior High students
on opening day last week. Jason
Duplichain, an Alto resident, has
been hired to
!
head
tions
school.
opera-
at the
Jason
.Duplichain
M r
Duplichain
earned a Mas-
ter of Educa-
tion degree at
Stephen F.
Austin Uni-
versity in
Nacogdoches,
maintaining a
4.0 GPA.
Graduating from Alto High School
in 1989, Duplichain graduated cum
laude from SFA in December 1993
with a BBA in Business Adminis-
tration and at that time gained his
teaching certification. During col-
lege he was a member of Alpha Chi
National Honor Society and Beta
Gamma Sigmn Business Honor
Society. He will complete superin-
tendent certification this Decenv
But if our founders hadn't ignored
some rulings that they felt were
not being upheld for the good of
the people, we would be singing
"God Save The Queen" instead of
"God Bless America."
So, Mr. Murray and our other
school officials, I urge you not to do
what one man in Louisiana tells
us to do, I urge you to do what is
RIGHT. Continue student led
prayer like we have had for years.
As for the money possibly needed
to fight a court case of our own
someday, (I own property and pay
taxes on that property) I say,
"spend away."
David Dudley
Rusk
Kudos for MHMR Report
This is a letter of THANK
YOUs!
The first thank you goes to he
Rusk Cherokeean/Herald for
their story regarding the mon-
etary shortfall with MHMR. It
certainly unscrambled the
garbled and unclear account as
printed by the Jacksonville Daily
Progress. Did anyone notice this
was done without one mention of
Rusk State Hospital? The article
was clear, concise, and to the point.
The second "thank you" goes to
Mr. Jerry Rix for his right-on-
target letter regarding the ineq-
uities and preferential treatment
given the rich and famous as op-
posed to that shown the "com-
mon man who gave his all for his
country."
Does anyone recall John F.
Kennedy's famous inaugural
speech, "Ask not what your coun-
try can do for you, but rather ask
what you can do for your coun-
try?" What did John F. Kennedy,
Jr. or his wife, or his sister-in-
law ever do for their country to
merit a multi-million dollar
burial at sea at the taxpayers'
expense?
My son served 21 years in the
U.S. Navy, part of that time dur-
ing the Viet Nam war. Would he
get a full burial at sea if it was
requested? Don't hold your
breath; you'll turn blue in the
face!
Fern G. Elliott
Rusk
ber.
His experience as an educator
began at his home school of Alto in
an interim position teaching world
history and physical education. In
1994, he joined the staff of Jack-
sonville High School as a teacher
of computer technology and busi-
ness. A point of pride is teaching
reluctant learners to be account-
able and responsible for their edu-
cation and their behavior.
The Duplichain family includes
his wife, Lisa, and their 10-month
old daughter, Alyssa.
They will make their home in
Grapeland, though Lisa will con-
tinue to teach English at Alto
Middle School. Mr. Duplichain
will also continue to serve as mu-
sic director of First Baptist Church,
Alto.
Mr. Duplichain says he will make
every effort to promote a safe learn-
ing environment where all stu-
dents and faulty are involved in
making the school and community
a better place to grow and prosper.
He is looking forward to the pros-
pects of a grent school year.
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 150, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 19, 1999, newspaper, August 19, 1999; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152438/m1/3/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.