Published: July 18, 2008 01:26 am         

READERS SPEAK OUT: Alcohol tax, Flag etiquette & thanks

Alcohol tax part of bigger picture

To the editor:

This is in response to Ms. Avon Acker’s letter entitled “Doesn’t buy the economic argument of alcohol.”

Amused you may be, Ms. Acker, about my letter, “Sending People Elsewhere.” I should point out that I hardly think that jotting down a few paragraphs about the sale of packaged alcohol is going some great length. The fact remains that I didn’t have any reason to lie and you obviously don’t know business travelers. But then again, I don’t expect you to.

I did not lead you to believe that the sale of packaged alcohol was the biggest gold mine ever to be found and completely untapped either. The fact is that alcohol tax revenue is only a tiny piece of a much bigger pie in my letter.

The gist of my letter was about the overall economic progress of this city and what I see are some very foolish moves. If I could take another moment of your time, I will point out that stacking copy cat businesses in the same area of town is a great way to end up with empty buildings. Just ask the former employees of McCoy’s what happened when another home improvement store was allowed to build in an area where we already had three. Allowing Taco Casa to open a few blocks down from where we have Taco Bell and Taco Bueno is silly. There are two new pizza places on Wesley Street. We now have six pizza parlors in a 2.5 mile stretch, and I have counted. Did I mention the new donut shop a few blocks down from the other two? Or how about the new chicken places in addition to the ones we already have while Popeye’s and Burger King stand prominently empty near the vacant K-Mart. Lastly, have you visited the half-empty Crossroads Mall lately or been stuck in the traffic signals at Wesley and I-30 they say we don’t have the money to fix (what a nightmare for the businesses located at those intersections when they finally do)?

Now if this is the small town flavor you love so much, Ms. Acker, then you must eat very bland food. The chef burned downtown many years ago.

In an effort to stay on a positive track, as my letter also suggests, I hope Starbucks doesn’t close. I would, however, love to see someone open a bakery with fresh-baked breads and desserts that is locally owned. I would also like to encourage a new entrance to Greenville created on I-30 so that downtown isn’t bypassed and residents and entrepreneurs have a reason to invest there. Restoring the subdivision north of the square, saving what is historic and building new homes on all the vacant lots isn’t a bad idea either. I am not talking about government housing or Section 8 either. My ideas don't stop here — they begin.

Mentioning all this is to light a fire under the people steering this city and to let them know that vision is here. The only thing standing in our way is negative rhetoric from those claiming it’s too hard and those believing things run on air.

In response to your letter, another great thing about America is that people have the right to speak their mind. The biggest bombshell is that I don’t buy packaged liquor either. However, how would you like it if you had to drive 30 miles round trip just to buy a case of Coke or anything else you may use, while taking your tax revenue there also.

No, Ms. Acker, I will not move. I will continue to be a voice for the citizens of Greenville who would like to see their property values go up. People who believe nice touches such as a new streetcar line isn’t out of the question or that we should utilize the entire city of Greenville while we recreate downtown. This is in addition to embracing a small town flair, not abandoning it. If we had a master plan, which we could, and we started tomorrow, which we can, progress would not be visible to the naked eye for years to come. This process should all be fun as well. Are you aboard? I would like to hear from those who align themselves with this kind of forward thinking.

Byron Taylor

Greenville



Meal-a-day program a blessing

To the editor:

The meal-a-day program is a great blessing for many elderly people. One daily meal — a tablespoon of green beans, one tablespoon of mashed potatoes, one half-pint of milk — does not solve her problems. The price of daily delivery increases weekly.

To solve her problems would be to check for working smoke alarms, burglar alarms, Life Alert System, ride to the doctor, her medicine, grocery shopping and housecleaning. She has to be very poor to get any help she really needs to keep her in the home.

She sits daily in her home waiting for the delivery of her daily meal.

The need is great for elderly volunteers to help solve many of her problems and stop overflow at the nursing homes.

Truly yours,

Dorothy Poole

Lone Oak



Museum handles flag correctly

To the editor:

I would like to respond to Mrs. Stone’s letter of July 11 regarding flag etiquette at the Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum. To quote from the Texas Flag Code of the 77th Legislature: “If the state flag and the flag of the United States are displayed on flagpoles or flagstaffs at the same location: (1) the flags should be displayed on flagpoles or flagstaffs of the same height; (2) the flags should be of approximately equal size; (3) the flag of the United States should be, from the perspective of an observer, to the left of the state flag.”

The Museum complies with all of these. A Web site dedicated to the United States Flag adds the following: “When flown with flags of states, communities, or societies on separate flag poles which are of the same height and in a straight line, the flag of the United States is always placed in the position of honor — to its own right” (which would be to the left of the state flag from the perspective of the observer). We appreciate the chance to clear up any misconceptions regarding our flags: the United States flag, the Texas flag, and the POW-MIA flag.

If anyone has any questions or concerns regarding any aspect of the Museum, please call us at 903-450-4502.

Sincerely,

Linda Owens

Assistant Museum Director



More people need to go to church

To the editor:

More people need to go to church!

It is my opinion that more people need to go to church. There are too many people that think God is some kind of fairy tale. Did you know that the sun is 93 million miles away? Sounds like that is a fairy tale, but it’s not! You can learn a lot if you choose to do so. The Lord said, above all gain knowledge. The Bible is not just a book; it’s an owner’s manual for life.

The Devil loves people without the knowledge to defend themselves because their problems are due to his action; you can believe that! I dare you to try and find God; you’ll be glad you did. It just does not happen overnight. It took me 25 years, but I took the time to find out and it’s the best thing that ever happened.

I can recognize the Devil now, and I can defend myself against him; but let me warn you before you pick up that Bible that the Devil will start his attack at that very moment! He will try to destroy you by any means; he wants you dead.

Joe Morris Parsons Jr.

Greenville





Thanks for help with motorcycle rally

To the editor:

I would like to thank all of the people involved with the motorcycle rally for the benefit of our fire department. The event was a great success because of the work by so many in Hunt County. Thanks to the Herald-Banner and its staff for all the time put into the design of the flyers and posters, as well as the ads that you ran for us. Thanks to Hunt County Republican Chairman Bill Hocutt and Constable Jim Davenport for helping me mark the route that took over 12 hours to complete. Thank you to our sponsors for all you did to make the event fun for all. Thanks to the fire departments for their time and energy put into making the riders feel so welcome on the route. I would like to add a special thanks to the Caddo Mills, Celeste, Wolfe City and Union Valley fire departments — the riders commented on the great reception at your communities.

Two men deserve very special thanks for the work they did to make our county shine — Commissioner Kenneth Thornton and Commissioner Phillip Martin. Commissioner Thornton financially and materially supported the event; and Commissioner Martin, who not only supplied the stage and equipment to clean up the grounds, but also put his money where his mouth was by paying for a sponsorship and the top cash prize for the day. We are so lucky that we have people like this in our county.

We are so fortunate that so many volunteers in this county are willing to put their own safety and the security of their families on the line to protect us for the sheer sake of being good citizens and our protectors in our times of need.

Jay Atkins

Union Valley