The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 156, No. 52, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 29, 2009 Page: 4 of 12
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2009 • PAGE A4
Health debate getting 'inane'
Dear Editor:
The very important topic of health
care/insurance reform has devolved into
such inanity that I can only second
(Massachusetts Congressman) Barney
Frank's comments to a recent "town hall
participant" in his district... on what
planet do you people reside?
It is sad that such a debilitating
national issue can't be rationally
explored based on something resembling
reality and bipartisanship.
To quote another politician, the late
Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said,
"You're entitled to your opinion, but
you're not entitled to your own facts."
Death panels and excluding private
insurance options are nowhere to be
found in the current bills stuck in
Congress.
Face this mess now, and pay for it in
today's dollars, or put it off and see what
becomes of the quality and cost of your
health care.
Craig Pence
Bastrop
Jesus okay with barbecues
Dear Editor:
This is a response to
Mike Stubbs' Letter to the
Editor, "What does Jesus
say?" in the Aug. 22 news-
paper.
Fourteen years ago
this month, my family
and I moved to Bastrop
County. For 12 of those
years I would have agreed
with you regarding the
involvement of churches
with BBQs and so on.
However, in the last two
years it has come to my
attention that Jesus was
very much a partier.
What Jesus would say
can be partially deter-
mined by what Jesus did.
Jesus left heaven to
engage in relationships
with tax collectors and
immoral individuals. His
relationship was such
that they considered Him
their friend. He was such
a partier that He was crit-
icized for being a glutton
and a drunkard.
I absolutely agree that
the truth of God needs to
be taught. That we are all
estranged from God, igno-
rant and rebellious of
God's requirements. That
we have sinned, do sin
and will sin against God
and each other. That with-
out Jesus, Satan steals
from us, kills and destroys
our life and without
Jesus, will take us to hell
in the next life. That only
through Jesus can we be
rescued and live in rela-
tionship with God.
However, it is interest-
ing to note Acts 2:42,
which lists several activi-
ties the first church
engaged in. They devoted
themselves to the apos-
tles' teaching, as it should
be. But the second activity
was fellowship.
Fellowship, as in spend-
ing time together, doing
things together, eating
together and hanging out
together. Yes, we need
solid scriptural teaching,
and we need correction,
but we also need to "love
on each other."
Finally, in 1
Corinthians 9:19-23 the
Apostle Paul engaged the
people to hear and under-
stand the Gospel of Jesus
Christ through their cul-
ture. In Texas, culture =
BBQ and homecomings.
Further on, in chapter
10:31-33 our activities are
to show forth the good-
ness and greatness of our
God, so that some may be
rescued.
Maybe it is not
whether to engage in
BBQs, but rather, we sin
when we replace the feed-
ing of our souls, the Word
of God, with the feeding of
food to our stomachs.
First, we are to devote
ourselves to the Word of
God, then enjoy fellow-
ship.
If a little BBQ would
give the opportunity to
show and communicate
the goodness and great-
ness of my God, Jesus
Christ - let's order some
ribs.
Trying to figure out
how to be a missionary
like Jesus and Paul,
Janet Miller
Red Rock
Pushups are not punishment
Dear Editor:
In Aug. 22's paper there is a photo of
a band student who was doing pushups
because of "playing or miscues that call
for a few pushups and occasional laps ..."
I know that this is a common practice
often used in team sports and band prac-
tice when players have made a mistake.
But, folks, we should be congratulating
children for doing pushups and running
laps as a way to celebrate their good
health and not be teaching them to see
those exercises as punishment.
As a physical educator starting my
45th year of teaching, it always hurts my
heart to see exercise used as punish-
ment - even though it has been a tradi-
tion for years.
Please tell me, what does a pushup
teach a band student who may play a
wrong note or take a misstep during a
marching drill (as I once witnessed
when I was walking on the track)? It
would be better to have the student go
off to practice the music or marching
cadence, which is more related to the
error. Let the punishment fit the crime.
Strange as this may sound, in today's
world, childhood obesity is such a terri-
ble threat that if the trend continues as
it is going, one out of three children born
in 2000 are not expected to outlive their
parents.
This is due to Type II Diabetes, which
might shorten their lives by as much as
20 years. This used to be "adult onset"
diabetes and is often caused by inactivi-
ty as well as nutrition choices and is now
seen in children as young as eight! We
want children to choose activity.
So, I ask the coaches and band direc-
tors to please reconsider this "tradition"
of "give me 5" of any exercise used as a
punishment and, instead, celebrate good
health with exercise. We all need to be
doing our part to help this future gener-
ation live up to its potential or children
won't have much of a future.
Thank you,
Fran Rush, M.Ed.
Bastrop
Shame heaped on water wasters
Dear Editor:
I understand the City
of Manor recently struck
a deal with Bastrop
County to use county road
right-of-ways for a water
pipeline to supply their
future growth. Hopefully
the Manorites receiving
this precious resource will
not squander it as I
recently witnessed when I
visited a Pflugerville sen-
ior living complex.
Driving northward
from Bastrop, I noticed
the ravages of this sum-
mer's record-breaking
heat and drought every-
where. But when I drove
through the gate at my
destination, I entered
another world - an
Emerald City with lush,
green lawns as far as the
eye could see.
I was stunned,
shocked and outraged.
How could this be hap-
pening during this
drought? Have these folks
never heard of water con-
servation? Why has no
one stepped in to put an
end to this wasteful prac-
tice?
Just where was this
water was coming from?
Perhaps from somewhere
in Eastern Travis County
where there is no ground-
water conservation dis-
trict to regulate the
pumping of this resource?
Wells operating outside a
groundwater conservation
district are subject only to
the antiquated Rule of
Capture - i.e. the biggest
pump wins!
Then I began to won-
der who has sacrificed
water for these lawns.
Perhaps farms such as
Tecolote that can no
longer pump sufficient
water from their own pri-
vate well to grow produce
for Austin families?
It's a well-known sta-
tistic that lawns are
responsible for at least 50
percent of the water used
in summer months, yet
Texas law does not consid-
er this to be "wasting"
water. Green-lawn subdi-
visions should be forced to
comply with water conser-
vation measures in step
with the rest of this
region, Rule of Capture
and especially, subdivi-
sion rules, notwithstand-
ing. It is a travesty that
developers are still being
allowed and even encour-
aged to use this obsolete
model.
Texans had better
wake up fast or before
long we'll be in the middle
of a desert.
Sincerely,
Candace Boheme
Bastrop County
this recession is
like a bigthunperheap,
full of park forbodin'an
shockln'threats - but
it, too. will pass
it's my
financial
STORM
CELLAR!
you keepyer
moneyunderth
mattress?
<r
iff I
Health care sure to cause row
Dear Editor:
Any change that will
diminish the huge prof-
its and power of insur-
ance companies and
drug companies is sure
to cause a row.
And health care
reform was just the but-
ton that was pushed and
created a flurry of fear-
based, absurd charges
against the reform to
keep "the people" locked
in to a system that
already determines who
gets what, and how
much they do get. Or, do
they even get any servic-
es at all?
I know some respect-
ed, successful, profes-
sional, self-employed
people among us who
cannot get heath insur-
ance, at any price, due to
some pre-existing health
issues that are surely to
come with age.
I would challenge any
person older than 50 or
60, who either has never
had health insurance
due to their self-
SENATOR SPEAKS
employed status, or who
has lost it due to loss of
a job, to be able to quali-
fy for a health insurance
policy with any kind of
decent rate - if you can
get one at any cost.
You are either over-
weight, have high cho-
lesterol or high blood
pressure, are too border-
line diabetic, have a
family history of some-
thing, etc., etc.
It is nearly impossi-
ble to get insurance once
you pass a certain age
until you reach the
magic age of 65. Then,
you qualify for what
some would call social-
ized medicine: Medicare.
I have worked multi-
ple jobs, most of which
were self-employed, but
one of which was with
an airline, for the main
purpose of having health
insurance, which I still
enjoy today. But I have
many friends who have
major health issues and
refuse to go to the doctor
for fear of being diag-
nosed with an illness or
condition for which they
cannot afford to be
treated.
There are also many
young families, who
unless they fall under
the poverty line bracket,
cannot get health care
for themselves or their
families, due to being
self-employed or con-
tract workers.
So that leaves all
those middle class folks,
young and old, who are
not part of corporate
America where health
care insurance is a bene-
fit, to be denied the right
to good health care in
America. This is just
wrong.
It is up the citizens of
the United States to
maintain our democracy
by educating ourselves
and becoming aware of
what is rumor and what
is reality and give input
to craft a health care
policy that works for the
good of the most people.
Jo Anne Tuck
Bastrop
New laws affecting children
BY JEFF WENTW0RTH
State Senator, District
25
Texas parents hope
their children follow
both their families' rules
and those imposed by
law.
Unfortunately, chil-
dren, as parents know,
don't always follow their
rules nor the state's
laws.
During this year's
regular session of the
Legislature, we passed
some new laws that
impact minors and,
should they fail to follow
them, their parents, who
usually end up paying
the fines imposed on
minors who failed to fol-
low the law.
Beginning Sept. 1,
minors may be charged
with public intoxica-
tion.
Before Sept. 1,
minors could be prose-
cuted for operating a
vehicle while intoxicat-
ed, but could not be
prosecuted for appear-
ing in a public place
while intoxicated.
HB 558
House Bill 558, which
the Legislature passed,
and the Governor
signed, allows minors,
specifically anyone
under the age of 21, to
be prosecuted for public
intoxication in justice of
the peace or municipal
courts, as opposed to
juvenile courts. Public
intoxication is punish-
able by a fine and/or
attendance at both alco-
hol and drug abuse pro-
grams and other reha-
bilitative programs.
SB328
Senate Bill 328 gives
the Texas Department of
Public Safety the power
to suspend a minor's dri-
ver's license if he or she
fails a breath or blood
alcohol test while oper-
ating a watercraft.
The suspension time
for a first offense is 60
days, 120 days if the
minor has one previous
conviction, and 180 days
if the minor has two or
more previous convic-
tions. The new law also
increases the reinstate-
ment fee for a suspended
license from $50 to $100.
While we passed
bills to punish minors
who disobeyed the law,
we also passed legisla-
tion to protect them
from themselves, which
every parent knows is
one of the more diffi-
cult aspects of child
rearing, particularly
when the child reaches
his or her teens.
According to the U.
S. Department of
Health, long-term
exposure to ultraviolet
radiation may increase
the risk of melanoma,
the form of skin cancer
with the highest mor-
tality rate. Teenagers,
unfortunately, often
are willing to risk skin
cancer to get tanned.
HB1310
House Bill 1310 pro-
hibits Texans under the
age of 16 and a half from
using a tanning device
that emits ultraviolet
radiation. Teens
between the ages of 16
and a half and 18 may
use a tanning device
with the written consent
of a parent or guardian.
This consent would
have to be provided at
the facility, and it could
be revoked at any time.
Rodeo
Rodeo is a Texas tra-
dition that attracts
many young Texans;
however, the sport can
be dangerous as contest-
ants ride rough live-
stock.
There is a risk of
injury for anyone who
participates in the
sport. Senate Bill 2505
requires a minor to
wear a bull riding hel-
met and a protective
vest while participat-
ing in bull riding.
While these bills are
designed to protect
minors and to deter,
through punishment,
those who would dis-
obey the law, no
amount of legislation
can replace a caring
parent or guardian
when it comes to rais-
ing children.
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Wright, Cyndi. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 156, No. 52, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 29, 2009, newspaper, August 29, 2009; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth252609/m1/4/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.