Published: March 24, 2008 11:52 am            

3/23/2008 Letters to the Editor

It’s more than just a shame

What a shame! I remember a time when this society revered its elders. They were held in respect for their knowledge and wisdom and cherished as a person. But, I am sad to say, it seems like these days this is more the exception than the rule. In this country in these bad economic times it appears the one who makes the money is the one who matters, and when you have outlived your usefulness you are considered a burden.

Years ago, our grandparents, when they became too old to earn their keep, could rest content in the knowledge the family would take care of them. Today, this is not always the case. Often our children are unwilling or unable to help provide for us, as they are still helping to support their own grown children or raising their grandchildren.

For most of us who are retirement age, retirement is not an option. We find ourselves finally old enough to draw our Social Security but not able to live on it, still having to work but with limited job opportunities available for people our age.

The Senior Community Service Employment Program is the only federal program designed to help older people get back into the workforce while providing community service. Experience Works is a national nonprofit organization that reaches out to mature individuals in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

It has a duel purpose, to provide job training for low income older people and provide much needed local services to community organizations. It serves more than 80,000 people annually. Most SCSEP participants are over 60 and poor, about 86 percent of them have family incomes below the poverty level when entering the program.

SCSEP participants provide a total of 42,947,800 hours of service a year. About 72 percent of those hours are used serving the community in jobs such as teacher’s aids, library aids, day care providers, clerical assistants, park maintenance workers and employment and training providers. About 28 percent of those hours are focused on supporting the elderly in jobs such as transportation drivers, Meals-on-Wheels drivers, health care and outreach aids and nutrition site assistants.

In other words, with the help of this federally funded program, older people, many with multiple barriers to employment, are able to remain or become self-sufficient, contribute to their local communities and economics while receiving the training to get a better paying job.

Now, the president’s fiscal year 2009 budget proposes to cut the SCSEP for older Americans by 23,016 authorized positions (39 percent) and investments by $171,625,000 (33 percent). This funding cut will result in a loss to Experience Works of $4,728,936 in funding for older Americans in Texas. Approximately 500 Texans will no longer be able to receive job training and employment through Experience Works, not to mention the loss of 250,00 hours of community service.

Does this budget cut make sense to you? It doesn’t to me. I urge all of you to consider this information when voting on the president’s budget. This is a valuable program.

The funding for this program should be increased, not decreased. You may not be old now, but some day, if you live long enough, you might find yourself standing in our shoes.

Sincerely,



S.K. Price

Cleburne



Hooray for little things

As I was passing through the North Main Street underpass the other day, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the underlying weeds and grass had been mowed. How marvelous it looked compared to how it has been presented all through the year. It’s our north gateway into Cleburne and should look inviting to newcomers and to the rest of us, as well.

The stone embankments are in tough shape, but from what I have learned, these walls will be repaired or replaced as soon as TxDOT has the allotted funds available for the project. Maybe too much state money has been spent on Trans-Texas Corridor consultants and lobby preferences instead of this kind of need.

Perhaps the high wall plant beds will not be rebuilt but will be removed completely, and since they have been a problem to keep attractive, then that is the best alternative. Unkempt plant beds and grassy areas do look pitiful if not tended to.

Whether it’s the state’s or Cleburne’s responsibility to keep this area attractive, may it be decided and then pursued on a regular basis. The Chisholm Trail area on U.S. 67 West is attractive to anyone leaving or entering Cleburne and is a nice standard to match on all main routes in and out of town. Thanks to Billy Cate and Jack Carlton. Maybe there are other themes to follow that would enhance each entrance and exit glimpses of our fair city. May these good looks have all travelers smiling while coming into town and when leaving, vowing to return.

Personally, I also liked the looks and pace of yesterday’s Cleburne, but since we are destined to move “ahead,” may we use good judgment and selection by receiving input from knowledgeable and appearance appreciative local folks to determine the future look of Big C.

Max Robertson, city park director, and his cohorts deserve accolades for their expertise in such endeavors as have been going on already, including the athletic fields off Farm-to-Market Road 4 and Island Grove Road, as well as Splash Station and Hulen Park and also Winston Patrick McGregor Park on West Henderson Street.

By the way, check with Max if you wish to donate a tree or other material to McGregor Park. He will even tag your name on your gift as the donor. The Johnson County Master Gardeners are also involved in many beautification projects around town besides these mentioned, including the recent Lawn and Garden Show. I feel sure that Pat Maggard, JCMGA president, and other master gardeners would like to hear your thanks and ideas regarding these various areas.



Monte Swatzell

Cleburne



Signs are not the city council’s business

In the March 13 Times-Review reporter Matt Smith wrote an article about the Cleburne City Council workshop in which he outlined some controversy over LED signs and out buildings.

In Civics 101 some 50 years ago I learned that government’s role is to do what individuals themselves cannot do. Those in government were called civil servants. Somehow that concept seems to be lost, and government is no longer interested in serving but in ruling by issuing edicts, ordinances, permits, etc.

Government’s basic function is to provide and care for infrastructure. This means roads, bridges, sewers, water supplies, garbage/trash pickup, police and fire protection. Residents cannot do these things for themselves, so they pay taxes and then monthly fees for these things. Curiously, the money goes to studies, ordinance enforcement and other functions best left to others. For example, signs and their function should be left to the chamber of commerce or merchants association, etc.

I drive close to 50,000 miles a year through towns all across the country. I don’t judge a town by its signs. Signs tell me what’s going on in that town. I judge a town by its roads and cleanliness. And this is where many towns fail. They whine that they don’t have the money for roads. That’s what taxes are for. When roads are neglected officials want to issue bonds and obligate residents to future indebtedness.

Cleburne is quite bad about roads. Main roads should be built using concrete. Arlington, Grand Prairie, Crowley and some others have seen the light and understand that although concrete costs more initially, in the long run it costs less, while still providing consistent pavement over the years. Asphalt deteriorates as solvents evaporate and heavy equipment causes the semi-liquid to flow.

My understanding is that Cleburne has an ordinance requiring the paving of all roads. Obviously that is not enforced. There should be curbs and gutters. Some main roads have curbs but they are loaded with sand and trash.

Cleburne is also one of the trashier cities I drive through. When I moved here in 1978 I was astounded at all the trash along Texas 174. I had never seen anything like that. Things haven’t changed much. I pick up a couple of bags of trash out of my yard every week. Bubbas put trash in the back of their pickups and let it blow out as they drive.

Everyone has to do their part to make an area attractive. Signs and out buildings have little to do with it and are certainly none of the city council’s business..

We live in an increasingly fascist society. Fascism is a diluted form of capitalism. Private property in the fullest sense is the defining characteristic of capitalism. If you own an asset you have the moral right to control its use. Under fascism the ethical link between owning an asset and control over it is broken.

For example, you may have the ability to cut hair, but you can’t charge for doing it without obtaining a license. You may own a piece of property, but you can’t build on it without government permission. So you have “ownership” without control or responsibility for the property. In a fully fascist economy, all control and responsibility over property is transferred to the state.

Is this the way we want to live?



Steve Jones

Cleburne

        

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