Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 075, Ed. 1 Friday, April 13, 2012 Page: 4 of 12
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Viewpoints
Page 4 ■ Friday, April 13, 2012
Sweetwater Reporter
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
1—x Sweetwater 1
Reporter
P.O. Box 750/112 W. Third
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
325/236-6677
Fax: 325/235-4967
Website:
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composing@sweetwaterreporter.com
TA
MEMBER
2010
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
Ron Midkiff
Publisher
Gloria Rudel
ad director
TaOana Rodriguez
managing editor
Pablo Rodriguez
composing
Ashley Headstream
circulation manager
Rleu Reyes
production mgr.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except
those labeled "Editorials" reflect the opinions of the writ-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
April 13
BY MELISSA WINSLOW
Staff Writer
Future President Thomas Jefferson, drafter of the
Declaration of Independence and the nation's preeminent
political theorist, is born on this day in 1743.
Historian and biographer Joseph Ellis has called
Jefferson, who had a monumental role in shaping American
politics, the American sphinx for his enigmatic character.
Since his terms in office, presidents and politicians from
both ends of the political spectrum have borrowed from
Jefferson's political philosophy in an attempt to link their
own leadership with this most influential and admired
founding father.
Jefferson's character—as a man or a president—defies
definition in black and white. He was at once an intel-
lectual, architect, philosopher, musician and essayist. His
fascination with science prompted his study and collec-
tion of fossils. He projected a down-to-earth, relaxed and
unconventional attitude and his desire to be seen as a com-
mon man was reflected in his penchant for receiving White
House visitors in a robe and slippers. Jefferson denounced
oppressive government and was a fierce proponent of
freedom of speech and religion. He worried that fellow
founding fathers George Washington, John Adams and
Alexander Hamilton had designs to fashion the American
presidency after a monarchy. When Washington and
Hamilton proposed a national bank and state assumption
of national debt, Jefferson resigned from Washington's
cabinet in protest. He adamantly rejected Hamilton's plan
to build a strong federal military, fearing it might be used
by a tyrannical leader against American citizens.
Though Jefferson was highly principled, he was not
above using smear tactics against political opponents. He
anonymously assailed his victims in print under a pseud-
onym and helped to fund the anti-Federalist press.
Although in theory Jefferson desired the abolition of
slavery, it is a fact that Jefferson owned other human
beings who worked his plantation. Historical accounts
indicate Jefferson treated his slaves well within the con-
text of the times. It has long been rumored—and debated
by historians—that one of his slaves, Sally Hemings, was
Jefferson's lover. She bore a son, named Eston, in 1808.
For 200 years, the Flemings affair and Eston's paternity
were the focus of intense scholarly analysis. In 1998, DNA
testing proved that a Jefferson was Eston's biological
father, which many took to mean that he was indeed
Thomas Jefferson's son, a fact backed up by the oral tradi-
tion of the Hemings family. However, other scholars have
disagreed with this conclusion and it remains a topic of
fervent debate.
Jefferson, a widower since the death of his wife Martha
in 1782, is also thought to have had a relationship with
Maria Cosway, a beautiful (and married) British painter
and musician whom he met while serving as minister to
France. Jefferson's relationship with Cosway inspired him
to write the romantic essay A Dialogue Between the Head
and Heart in October 1786. One historical account of their
affair paints Jefferson as a lovesick schoolboy—as he and
Cosway shared a romantic walk in the countryside near
Paris, Jefferson attempted to leap over a fence, fell and
broke his wrist.
Jefferson's anti-federalist policies and personal attacks
on John Adams caused a huge falling-out between the
two former friends. After retirement, though, Adams and
Jefferson rekindled their personal connection. The last two
original revolutionaries living, Jefferson and Adams, died
on the same day: July 4,1826.
Also on this day in history: Hail kills English troops -
1360; Fort Sumter surrenders - 1861; Apollo 13 oxygen
tank explodes - 1970; Handel's Messiah premieres in
Dublin -1742; Tiger Woods wins first major -1997.
Visit www.history.com for more of This Day in
History.
Letter to the Ed tor
Dear Editor,
On behalf of the staff and board members of the
County-City Library, I would like to thank the mem-
bers of Woman's Forum for another successful Library
Tag Day. Special thanks to Chairperson Anne Kearney
and Woman's Forum President Shirley Moore for
their work and support. A total of over $6,800 was
collected this year. Also, thanks goes to KXOX Radio
and Sweetwater Reporter for their continuous support
through publicity of the library and for this special
event. Thanks to all those made generous donations. We
appreciate the support of the citizens of Sweetwater and
Nolan County. The donations will help us to continue
services and special programs at the library. Our com-
munity is fortunate to have such a hardworking, sup-
portive group in the Woman's Forum.
Sincerely,
Becky Brock
County-City Library Director
GUEST COLUMN
Sky not falling with Japanese birthrates
There's one complaint
visitors to Tokyo rarely
make, and that is "not
enough people." With a
population of 36 million,
the Tokyo metropolitan
area stuffs an aver-
age 6,800 people in
each square mile.
By contrast, the
New York metro
area, with 19 mil-
lion residents, has
a density of 2,800
people per square
mile.
The Tokyo sub-
ways still employ
the legendary "peo-
ple pushers," who
shove passengers
into the already
packed cars. The Japanese
have a word for their daily
triptowork: "tsukinjigoku,"
or "commuter hell.'
In an area about the size
of Montana, Japan has a
population of 128 million.
Montana has about 1 mil-
lion. If ariy country could
do with fewer people, it
would be Japan.
Yet so much head-
smacking greets demo-
graphic projections show-
ing that Japan's population
is expected to fall by about
a third to 87 million by
2060. The reason for these
dramatic numbers is very
low birthrates.
Right-wing populists in
Roma
Harron
the United States associ-
ate growing numbers
with growing economies
and national power. And
the politics against abor-
tion and birth control also
contribute to the
belief that more
people make a
stronger nation. A
2008 documenta-
ry, "Demographic
Winter," seeks to
make these argu-
ments. But the
viewer suspects
other agendas
when it blames
falling birthrates
on the decline in
marriage, extra-
marital sex and
Hollywood.
The documentary's web-
site oddly ties the 1989
Japanese stock market
crash and ensuing eco-
nomic crisis to that coun-
try's declining birthrates.
The bursting of a stock and
real-estate bubble would
seem more like it. And
interestingly, Japan's aver-
age life expectancy jumped
4.2 years to 83 during the
so-called "Lost Decade."
Japan's life expectancy is
now nearly four years high-
er than America's.
Many Japan observers
see the demographic trend
not as a national prob-
lem, but as a goal. Fewer
people would enhance the
island nation's food secu-
rity. It would curb the cost
of housing. Fewer people
means fewer houses, fewer
cars and more open space.
It makes labor more valu-
able.
It is true that Japan is
a rapidly aging society, as
is ours. "The Japanese face
the challenge of caring for
many elderly people in a
country with fewer young
workers. Higher retirement
ages w ill deal with some of
the labor needs, and more
experienced older work-
ers are actually good for an
economy.
In America, the usual
recommendation for these
changing demographics
is to admit more immi-
grants. The Japanese, long
hostile to immigration, see
automation as the answer.
The country's engineers
are developing robots
to do much of the nurs-
ing home-type work. The
Japanese government is
investing large amounts in
these technologies, turning
a challenge into a growth
industry.
Birthrates do change.
Scandinavian countries
saw them fall sharply in the
'80s, before they started ris-
ing again. Norway is almost
back to the replacement
rate. And Japan's govern-
ment is proposing new pro-
grams to make bearing and
raising children easier on
their working parents.
But for a crowded place
like Japan, a population
decline mostly points to
a more pleasant future.
That's the view of Stephen
Harner, an American who
lived in Japan for many
years. Imagining what the
country will be like in 50
years, he wrote in Forbes:
"It will probably be an eas-
ier place in which to live.
Less crowded, certainly.
The countryside, in par-
ticular, will be even more
beautiful and enchanting."
Still, the stories about
Japanese demographics
use startling words. CNN
recently called the projec-
tions "staggering." But
here's the less dramatic
reality: A Japan with 87
million people will have
the same population it
had in the 1950s. That's
hardly "depopulation," as
the alarmists would have
it, and a commute without
people pushers sounds OK
to me.
To find out more about
Fromci Harrop, and read
features by other Q-eators
Syndicate writers and car-
toonists. visit the Creators
Syndicate web page at
wivw.ci'eators.com.
I WfcNT To REASSURE VoOlIC BOW LINE
i^ToRicAliy, W&VE ALWAYS 4CTEP IN
v Y°OR best imprest.
GUEST COLUMN
Manson denied parole for the 12th time
head
f
HOLLYWOOD--God
bless America, and how's
everybody?
Arkansas fired
coach Bobby
Petrino Tuesday
over an adulterous
affair he had with
a young woman
he just hired. It's
so sad. Now that
the health care law
requires schools
to give free birth
control to female
employees, coach-
es will be dropping
like flies.
Fantasy Maid
Service of Lubbock
began offering
nude maid service Tuesday
for West Texas residents.
The cost is a hundred bucks
an hour for a nude maid.
Rick Santorum wasn't out
of the race for a day and
the Baptists already had too
much time on their hands.
Charles Manson was
denied parole Friday by
the California parole board.
He advised the prison psy-
chologist that he's put five
people in the grave and he's
a very dangerous man. He
will never get paroled as
long as his hearings keep
coming up during election
years.
The Titanic Memorial
Cruise will arrive where
the original Titanic sank
on Saturday after retracing
its route from England. It's
gripping. The re-creation of
the original voyage is accu-
rate right up to the cap-
tain's announcement that
he's going out for a little
ice.
President Obama gave a
speech in Miami Tuesday
and called for higher taxes
Argus
Hamilton
on the rich. He already set
up an IRS task force that'll
audit thousands of million-
aires. Barack Obama is only
one land reform
away from being
Ozzie Guillen's sec-
ond-favorite presi-
dent.
Ozzie Guillen
praised Castro for
ducking so many
U.S. attempts to kill
him. In the good old
days the CIA used
hookers with poi-
soned cigars to kill
our foes but now
Predators unleash
laser-guided mis-
siles. It's about as
sportsmanlike as tossing a
grenade in the pond.
Mitt Romney spent Easter
in La Jolla where he surfed
in the Pacific. It's unfair
to call the GOP candidate
aloof and out of touch. The
first thing all three Mega
Millions lottery winners did
last Sunday was to purchase
a monthly subscription to
Aloof and Out of Touch.
Stanford's Andrew Luck
was projected to be the
NFL's top draft pick on
Monday. He is a certified
math genius. Last month
a USC engineering profes-
sor offered a bounty to any
Trojan student who could
knock Andrew Luck out
of the National Science
Competition.
MIT and other college
high-tech departments
have begun offering charm
school for their high-tech
geniuses. It's to teach them
much-needed societal skills.
Their theology classes teach
that Eve offered Adam an
Apple at fifty dollars a share
and he couldn't resist.
Harvard Law School will
offer a course this spring
called Understanding
Obama. It's about how race
and politics shaped the
president's life. To keep
from being sued for dis-
crimination, Harvard will
also offer a course in the
fall called Understanding
Limbaugh.
President Obama sum-
moned millionaires and
their secretaries to the
White House Wednesday.
They all confessed they
don't pay their fair share.
They used actresses to
play the secretaries since
nobody's hired a secretary
since the Smart Phone was
invented.
Newt Gingrich may be
removed from the Utah
GOP primary ballot in June
because he bounced the five
hundred dollar check for
his entry fee. It's a cau-
tionary tale. A year ago he
had a million dollar line of
credit at Tiffany and today
Calista's wearing his life's
savings.
N.J. Governor Chris
Christie said the American
dream is threatened by the
number of people sitting on
the couch waiting for their
government checks. That's
untrue. Times are so tough
that people are standing
by the mailbox waiting for
their government checks.
Argus Hamilton is the
host comedian at The
Comedy Store in Hollywood
and entertains groups and
organizations around the
country. E-mail him at
Argus @ Argus Hamilton,
com.
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Sweetwater Reporter will
publish corrections of errors
in fact that have been print-
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 075, Ed. 1 Friday, April 13, 2012, newspaper, April 13, 2012; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth229739/m1/4/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.