Thanks for spreading Christmas cheer
A tip of the hat to local business man Dan Roberts for trying to spread a little Christmas cheer in downtown Cleburne by outlining his buildings with lights.
The first building I see coming in from work each night is his antique store on East Henderson. Five blocks down Chaf In is all lit up and looking good.
I know the economy is down, but how much money and effort would it cost for all buildings downtown to be lighted? Hulen Park looks great now with all the Whistle Stop Christmas decorations. What about downtown?
Come on Cleburne! Let’s make our city shine!
Ted Franks
Cleburne
Tax on burping and belching, unbelievable!
Bill Smith recently showed me his copy of the latest Weekly Livestock Reporter, an agricultural and livestock paper published in Texas.
I have found it to be a reliable source of information about farm and ranch related subjects.
Also, it contains humorous cartoons depicting tough situations encountered by farmers and ranchers and their family members. However, unless you have genuinely farmed or ranched, you could miss the humor involved.
The following information will read like a laughable cartoon because of its ridiculousness. Believe me, there are idiots among us.
The item of news in this copy had to do with our unfavorite topic, taxes levied by the Feds.
You may have heard of the Californians wanting to ban the practice of penning pigs and chickens because these creatures of the farm and food sources have their freedom rights taken away from them when kept enclosed .
If you are a city dweller and don’t realize where milk and meat and eggs come from, this idea may sound logical, particularly if you are a strict vegetarian. Believe me, this is not a practical idea.
Being penned is not punishment but is protective to the animals and keeps them from roaming through your houses, chasing your children, defecating on your porch, being caught and eaten by hawks or coyotes, or rooting or scratching up your flower beds and garden. Some of us believe these animals are good sources of food.
Do we all know that milk does not originate in bottles, hamburger meat isn’t made in the lab, bacon doesn’t begin in the refrigerator, and eggs are produced by hens at times other than Easter? Didn’t want to be presumptuous, so thought that I would ask.
There are fewer farm-raised people than there used to be. Thank goodness for 4H and FFA.
The latest item detailed in the aforementioned paper has to do with taxation aimed at preventing environmental pollution.
The ban on penning animals hasn’t prospered but the Environmental Protection Agency is considering taxing cow and pig owners because of the amount of gas released into the air from their animals’ belching and flatulence. The tax per year was suggested to be $85 for a beef cow, $175 for a dairy cow, and $20 per hog. This tax was suggested by some animal rights groups who think that animals are mistreated, but this added expense would help put these livestock people out of business.
Some vegetarians and others would like to see the land used for growing so-called healthier food such as grains. It would also mean that any left over human carnivores would have to import their own meat from foreigners.
The gas that accumulates in a cow’s stomach as part of the normal digestive process must be released by the cow through the mouth during the ruminating process, resulting in considerable and necessary belching. Without burping off the surplus gas, the cow would bloat — overfill — and perish.
This methane gas burns cleanly, and some study has been done to evaluate the practicality of its use as an energy source. That’s another potential tax source.
The different digestive processes of the pig don’t result in large amounts of gas, but there are the fecal deposits that smell like another easily located area for taxing.
No doubt taxation of other poultry and livestock is under consideration! Be aware, all you poultry, goat and sheep raisers. You may be next!
I can visualize this taxation trend eventually encompassing the burping, belching and flatulent habits of, you guessed it, Homo Sapiens — that’s us!
No matter what income bracket includes us, you and I could be in big tax trouble unless, of course, we cut down on the beans and beer. Hopefully, none of these goofy ideas will be part of the “changes” coming our way.
Monte Swatzell
Cleburne
Thanks for Whistle Stop Christmas lights
I am writing in regard to the lights at Hulen Park. It’s so beautiful to see. I go every year to see the Christmas lights.
Again, the people behind getting this ready did a spectacular job. I want to say thank you to the people who make it possible because I know it’s a lot of work and planning to have this kind of project.
It’s so cheerful and beautiful and it cheers me up every time. I’ve been out there two times this year to see the lights. Also, thank you for the hard work. You make a beautiful scene of lights for people to see.
Merry Christmas and happy new year.
Sincerely,
Anne Woods
Cleburne
