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Van Horn Advocate
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Has all the controversy over fund raising by politicians got you
confused?
Join the rest of us who don't understand all of this hub-bub.
I understand that the Hatch Act that was passed eons ago forbids raising
funds or asking for influence by people on government property or using
government facilities.
Now, let's get real.
We all know that takes place. When a person is a politician, it appears
to me to be impossible to seperate his or her job from fund raising and
seeking influence of people they need to get elected or re-elected. Does
that make it right? Obviously, the answer is no.
I like the line used by Jay Leno who in referring to President Clinton's
fund raising, said, "He is the President. He lives and works in the
White House. Is he supposed to go the corner 7-11 and use the pay phone?"
That's a good point. However, using the influence and prestige of the
presidency and the White House seems to be a little out of kelter. So
does using the title as Al Gore has apparently done in calling people
and saying the vice president is calling.
But, how else are they going to raise money for their party as our
system is set up? And what about Congressmen who deal with lobbyists on
the floor and in the halls of Congress? Where does all this stop?
I don't really know the answers to all this and I'm not even sure I know
all the questions. It appears that a campaign finance reform bill is not
going to get through Congress, at least this year and it's a good bet
that if one ever does get through, it'll be very weak.
A number of states have passed bills to limit money that can be spent on
campaigns. But, how is that going to be enforced? Some candidates have
supporters who will go out and spend money without the consent of the
candidate.
Any campaign for almost any office including local ones can get
expensive. Most candidates don't have the money of their own to finance
those campaigns so they depend on others to help. Even the super rich
such as Ross Perot and several other really rich candidates for various
offices have sought help in financing campaigns.
There is the so-called debate over soft money as compared to hard money.
Soft money amounts to funds not directly used for campaigns while hard
money is used directly on campaign expenses. At least that's the way I
believe it is, although there are some variations and who's to say what
goes directly to campaigns? There's some overlap involved, at least to
my way of thinking.
The whole thing is a mess and I don't believe Clinton and Gore should
bare all the blame. It's politics as usual in getting a campaign finance
reform bill passed as each party is blaming the other for no bill being
passed. Both are to blame in my opinion.
I hope somebody out there can come up with something reasonable to put a
lid on the spending and keep our politicians from selling us out to the
highest bidder.
Mac McKinnon is the Pecos enterprise editor and publisher, whose colum
appears each Friday. He can be reached by e-mail at: bigmac@bitstreet.net.
I would like to commend our Pecos High School Eagle Mascot Julie Lujan
for the excellent job she is doing in representing Pecos.
Even last year Julie put so much into being the Eagle Mascot. It has
been many yeas since I have seen that kinds of school spirit. Julie
jumps in with the cheerleaders or with whatever may be happening on the
sidelines and puts on a show. Homecoming she had people sitting around
the 50 yard line laughing by some of the things she was doing.
I don't know what I enjoy seeing more, the football game or the show
that Julie puts on. Her school spirit and dedication make her the best
mascot ever! She is as beautiful outside as she is inside and I hope
Pecos realizes what kind of jewel that they have with Julie representing
Pecos!NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST
It's time the citizens of Pecos face up to the fact that we have a
problem much worse than graffiti in our community. The problem I am
talking about is one of Satanic nature. There are youth in our society
learning and practicing Santanism and its presence here in our community
is very real. In as much as I love my town this issue has been made very
real to me. I've seen youth wearing crosses hanging upside down around
their necks for everyone to see.
I've also heard some of the music they're listening to such as Marylin
Manson, Ozzie Osborn and other groups boasting to be antichrist. The
response when confronted about the music, "We like the beat."
Be aware that this is a clever way to get our youth to listen to the
words eventually and make them a part of something so dangerous that it
could lead to their death or someone else's. Just this past Saturday
night my wife and I witnessed a display of Satanism. A young girl
probably twelve years old not more, was in a state of trance. She could
not speak and when she finall did, her eyes rolled back up in her head
and she began to scream, "he's got horns, he's go horns." Believe it.
This is very real and it is going on in our community. I urge parents to
start listening to the music our youth is buying nowadays and pay more
attention to what they wear and what they draw. This is not something
that's harmless or a passing fad, this can literally destroy their
families and our community as well.
Parents, you have control as to what goes on in your home and with the
lives of your children. If you neglect the warning and the warning signs
this will only continue to escalate. Please pay attention to the reality
of it all. Check the stores and find out who carries this type of music
and paraphernelia and ask these outlets to please remove it from their
shelves.
Our children's lives are much more important than the extra pocket
change these stores and music labels stand to make, and believe me, they
are getting rich at the expense of our children's lives.
If you so much as suspect that your kids are involved in such
activities, your hunch is probably true. I implore you, wake up and
smell the coffee before it's too late. Too many of our youth is
sacrificed nowadays for so little and they don't even know what they're
getting into until it's too late. Educate them now. Put down your foot,
before your child's life is laid down.
Thank you, respectfully,
FRANK N. APOLINAR, JR.
Pecos Enterprise
Mac McKinnon, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail: news@pecos.net
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