Serving rural Texans with distinction.
By:Sen. John Cornyn
Over the past several decades, Texas’ reputation for quality medical facilities has been growing. Nationally acclaimed hospitals and care centers like the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the Baylor University Medical Center, and the Texas Children’s Hospital – to name just a few – have delivered Texas into the forefront of medical research and care.
While these facilities provide excellent care to millions of patients each year, there is another kind of doctor that has for generations been an icon of Texas medicine: the country doctor. Throughout our great state country doctors serve some of Texas’ most hard to reach citizens – often traveling hundreds of miles to make house calls.
These doctors treat underserved communities with far sprawling populations long distances from larger clinics and hospitals. But despite these difficult conditions, Texas’ country doctors continue to provide their invaluable services, developing lasting relationships with each of their patients – often having been the doctor at their birth. While these country doctors seem almost antiquated in contrast to the enormous medical centers across the state, their service remains an integral part of our commitment to give every Texan access to quality health care.
Last December, one of Texas’ many dedicated country doctors even earned national distinction, being named “Staff Care’s Country Doctor of the Year.” For more than half a century, Dr. David Watson has been the primary doctor for the residents of Yoakum, Texas.
A graduate of Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Watson says he never wanted to be anything more than a family doctor. Over his years of service to Yoakum, he’s become much more. He’s served as physician, surgeon and obstetrician. On Friday nights, he walks the sidelines of the high school football games to treat any injured players and in his spare time volunteers with abused children at the Bluebonnet Youth Ranch.
Dr. Watson’s recognition as Country Doctor of the Year comes as little surprise to the families that have for so long depended on him. And while much has changed in medicine since he first opened doors offering $5 house calls, Dr. Watson’s dedication to the community has not. His service to the people of Yoakum has made him a staple of the community and an example to doctors throughout our state and across the country.
As Texas continues to grow and foster an even greater medical community, we should take the time to recognize the men and women who have pioneered Texas medicine and brought care to families living even in the remotest of Texas towns. Doctors like David Watson remind us of an older time in Texas, before the advent of large hospitals and medical research centers. But today’s country doctors remain a primary source of care for rural Texans.
I congratulate Dr. Watson on this much-deserved recognition, and I thank the many doctors like him who attend to rural communities throughout Texas. As we work to improve Texas’ medical community, we must remember our country doctors and the important work they do.
Sen. Cornyn serves on the Finance, Judiciary and Budget Committees. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.
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In a letter to the Editor, Glenwood Acres Landowners Association Board Secretary Billy Sipes and At-Large Member A.C. Floyd express their shared views on the ongoing tension between the board and unhappy landowners.
By:Billy Sipes and A.C. Floyd
The time has now come for we two Glenwood Acres Landowners Association board members to make a statement. It appears that Mr. Tim Cariker is trying to make his statements as if they were the ideas, thoughts and views of all board members. We would like to set that record straight.
We believe that the board is, and should be held accountable for its actions. In the past, as well as now, it seems that things have gotten out of control insofar as what the true, legal and just actions and duties of this board consist of. We are the caretakers for the monies for the Association, and as such, we should be ever mindful that wasteful, careless and unnecessary spending should stop. We owe it to the people to spend their money wisely and for good reason. We further believe that the people have a right to see with their own eyes what is being done with the monies. What has happened recently is that monies have been spent without board approval and other directives have been carried forth, also without the complete board membership being involved in the decisions.
We should never lose sight of our duties nor our goals. When any money is spent, it should be carefully considered and weighed before such action is taken. The people who pay their dues have a right to know where and for what their dues money is spent. A full accounting should be made to the people. The idea of ruling any board with the concurrence of a select few is not acceptable in any way. We are entrusted with the duties of making certain that whatever we do is for the betterment of Glenwood Acres and at the same time it is not infringing on the rights of others.
If one will look back in history, they will find that any attempt at controlling a group of people with tyranny and total disregard for their constitutional and civil rights will only serve to cause a justifiable uprising of the people. This is what is now occurring here at Glenwood Acres. The voices of the people are crying out for equality, justice and a desire to be heard. But these same voices are being silenced by a few board members who feel that the people have no say-so and should just let the few continue with their actions.
The situation of allowing a paid employee to dictate who can and who cannot remain on Glenwood Acres property is not acceptable either. This paid employee could use a course in attitude, as well as a course on how to treat others who enter the office of this association. If you owned a business, it would be beneficial and profitable, not to mention imperative, that you greet your customers with a warm and friendly dialogue upon their entering your establishment and not make them feel as though you are doing them a favor to see to their needs.
The validation of the petition to impeach board president Jason Lundy was a farce. There were names who were stricken because their dues were not paid by January 12, 2009. We find it not only improper, but very strange that this was done. It appeared to us that the paid employee was seeking to discredit and invalidate as many signatures as she possibly could in order that the petition would fall short of the needed number. We also find it appalling that a target number was never provided in order that the person who was directing the impeachment drive would have no idea what the actual number of valid signatures he would need to bring the matter to full vote actually was. The request was made several times for the total number of members in good standing, but that number was never provided.
We hold steadfast in our beliefs that the board does need some changes and that those who are not willing to serve the citizenry with faithfulness, honesty and with compassion should resign their respective positions and then they could be replaced by others who are willing to be a voice for the people without regard to their financial, political or personal beliefs. It is also our belief that a mockery should be made of no one because of their disabilities or impairments.
This association is supposed to be for the people and by the people and certainly not the wishes of any one board member or select group of board members. Sadly, what is now happening is that if you are not in favor of the old business-as-usual group, without any accountability, then you are considered as "against the board". That is not the way it is, at all, because we both know that it can be done with the interest of the people at the heart of all matters and that the old business-as-usual tactics are not in the best interest of the people nor the association.
We are both willing to be representatives of the people and will insure that the rights of the people, as well as the voices of these same people be heard and not silenced. At present, that is hard to do because of a certain few who do not wish to do the will of the people.
The time has now come for those who wish to serve honestly to step forth and be recognized and those who do not wish to do the same should vacate their respective seats in order that someone who will work for the benefit of the members and the association can then be placed in that capacity.
We would like to thank Mr. DeWayne Spell of the Upshur Advocate for his honest and unbiased coverage of the matters at hand concerning Glenwood Acres.
Thank you to all who have taken the time to read this open letter and if we can be of assistance we are available to give you our undivided attention.
Respectfully,
Billy G. Sipes
A.C. Floyd
Editors note: The Upshur Advocate will gladly publish opposing viewpoints on this issue, or any other. Letters may be submitted by fax or email. See our Contacts page for submission information.
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Inaugural poetess Elizabeth Alexander's words left me wondering the same question I had on Nov. 3rd: The cusp of what?
Far be it from the humble editor of a fledgling new-media product to critique poetry, since my meager attempts at rhyming usually involve slang or other unseemly language. But, if the purpose of the Inaugural Poem is to inspire, then Ms. Alexander can claim a success in my listening.
What she inspired, though, was a re-awakening of the same questions I had about Barak Obama throughout his two year campaign. What does he believe, and what will he do?
The mantra of 'Change", so often invoked by our new President, was just vague enough to be captivating without requiring any substance.
As a political tool, it worked perfectly to allow every Obama listener to project what he or she wanted to hear on a blank screen. The only problem with it's use is that it is bound to lead to a reality induced hangover sooner or later. And it won't just be an American morning after.
People the world over are hanging hope and aspirations of all sizes on our new President, who is now saddled with the reality of managing expectations on a global scale.
Sarah Palin made of joke of Obama's healing the planet and turning back the waters during the campaign. Sadly, there are some who expect just those kinds of miracles from him.
Take the economy, for instance, since it is the largest elephant in the room right now. A recent poll found that almost 70% of respondents expect Obama to mend our ailing markets. One has to wonder what they are basing those hopes on?
Surely not more bail-outs and spending packages. Evidence of how well that is working came just today, when the Dow plunged over three hundred points as Obama took the oath of office.
If he keeps his pledges of transparency and straight talk, President Obama will sooner or later have to tell a country and a world that the solution is to suck it up, suffer the pain, abandon the failing constructs of governmental charity, and to deal with the difficulties of allowing a truly free market to adjust freely.
If he does that, then we are on the cusp of a real opportunity to right some bad policy decisions forty years in the making. And he will be on the brink of a popularity plunge that will make Bush 43 look like a shining star.
If, on the other hand, he chooses to 'spend his way out', as the cliche goes, he stands a chance of maintaining his current global popularity while pushing this country over the brim, and into a pit of debt so deep we might never climb out.
Consider that to spend what you don't have, you have to borrow. That's plain kitchen table Economics 101. With that concept, so illusive to the DC crowd, firmly in mind, ask yourself who the banker might be.
China? Saudi Arabia?
No matter where you find your credit, the banker doesn't have our best interest at heart. And if our children can't make the note, who suffers when the repo notice arrives?
And that's one home ownership we simply can not afford to default on.
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Writing for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, James Quintero says Texas has the right formula to weather our economic woes.
By: James Quintero
One week ago, Texas Comptroller Susan Combs released her Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE) – a projection of how much legislators can spend in the next budget – which predicted flat state revenues and a worsening economic outlook.
Just how tough do things look? Well, according to the Comptroller’s BRE, lawmakers will only have $77.1 billion in General Revenue (GR) to spend this session whereas last session’s lawmakers had $86.2 billion in GR – a $9 billion difference.
The state’s economy is also predicted to lose as many as 111,000 jobs during the first three quarters of next year and the growth in personal income is expected to slow to an average 3.7 percent during 2010 and 2011, according to the Comptroller’s estimate.
Yet, even in spite of all the bad economic news, Texas still fares remarkably well when compared to other states.
Texas is among the rare states not reporting a budget shortfall this biennium. Combs’ revenue estimate also projects a $9.1 billion balance in the “rainy day” fund by 2011, and the return of job creation by the fourth quarter of 2009.
Times may be tough, but the state has seen much worse and come out on top – just ask the legislators of the 2003 session. Using Texas’ tried-and-true policies of low taxes and limited government, the state has little to fear.
TPPF article
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