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Editor's Commentary

Editorial: Newspapers under siege

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“I can tell you this: We are putting out a damn paper tomorrow.” — Capital Gazette reporter Chase Cook, tweeting after five of his colleagues were shot dead June 28.

If you’re reading this, you probably value local news. Whether it’s online or in traditional print, some part of you likes – maybe even loves – your local newspaper. So listen when I say you need to stand up for it… now.

For a hundred years, the newest medium has always been going to kill the newspaper. Radio, television, and the Internet have each been a harbinger of doom for the printed word. Newspapers survived, but now new threats have emerged.

Roger Estlack, Editor

First up is the tariff on newsprint. Earlier this year, the US Department of Commerce imposed a tariff on newsprint from Canada. This action came after one company claimed Canadian mills were dumping newsprint on the US market at low prices.

The petitioner, the North Pacific Paper Company (NORPAC), operates in Washington state but is owned by a Wall Street hedge fund. Interestingly, it is estimated that only 4.6 percent of Canadian newsprint goes into NORPAC’s market. And yet the company is seeking tariffs of up to 50 percent. The industry widely opposes these tariffs, but already the Commerce Department has given preliminary approval to total duties up to 32 percent, according to the News Media Alliance.

Newspapers’ print readership nationwide has fallen off in the last 20 years as more readers move to digital delivery and as big daily papers’ circulations have declined. (Community newspapers’ circulations have generally held steady.) As a result, there are fewer American mills making newsprint, and even at peak capacity they cannot come close to supplying the market’s total demand, which makes it necessary to import paper from Canada.

The Enterprise is printed at Community Printers in Shamrock, using newsprint from American mills, but the market is very tight. Earlier this spring, our printer and others were facing a critical shortage. One paper shipment was about a month late in getting to our press.

Coupled with the tight supply, the preliminary tariff is now having a ripple effect through the entire industry and the Enterprise’s printing costs have now gone up. And this may only be the beginning. We have learned that one Canadian newsprint mill is pulling out of the US market entirely, throwing another kink into the nation’s supply. Meanwhile, the Trump administration put tariffs on aluminum coming from Canada. Presses use aluminum plates to print newspapers, and this tariff will also spread throughout the industry.

The Commerce Department held hearings on the newsprint tariff as this issue went to press this week. Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) sent a letter to the department at the urging of Texas Press President Laurie Brown of The Canadian Record. We appreciate him doing that, and we’re asking Congressman Thornberry to consider joining 24 Republicans and four Democrats in co-sponsoring the PRINT Act (HB 6031) in the House of Representatives. If passed, the bill would halt the collection of newsprint tariffs until Commerce could study all the relevant issues and issue a report.

So what can you do? Call your Representative and ask him or her to support HB 6031.

Another big threat to local newspapers is a general disdain for “the media” fueled by a president who labels news outlets as “the enemy of the American people.”

The press has a tough job to do, and sometimes it ticks people off. People don’t like getting called out when they do stupid stuff. Some folks just can’t handle it. That was the case last month when a man with a grudge went into a local newspaper in Maryland – the Capital Gazette – and murdered five people and injured several more. He had held a personal grudge against the paper and several of its employees for years because they reported on him.

President Trump wasn’t directly responsible for those murders, and right after the attack, he said: “Journalists, like all Americans, should be free from the fear of being violently attacked while doing their job.”

But the next week, in Great Falls, Mont., USA Today reported the president pointed to news crews covering an event and said: “I see the way they write. They’re so damn dishonest. And I don’t mean all of them, because some of the finest people I know are journalists really. Hard to believe when I say that. I hate to say it, but I have to say it. But 75 percent of those people are downright dishonest. Downright dishonest. They’re fake. They’re fake.”

Seventy-five percent of journalists are dishonest? That’s crap.

I know and have known a lot of men and women in print and broadcast media, and I can tell you most journalists are honest and dedicated. Just as we shouldn’t label all cops as crooked based on the actions of a few, we shouldn’t be so quick to throw out honest journalism as “fake” because a negative report hurt this president’s feelings.

So what can you do? Well, first and foremost, subscribe to local journalism. If you think it’s important to have someone covering your city council or school board and holding those folks accountable for the job they do, then subscribe today to The Clarendon Enterprise, to the Canadian Record, to the Red River Sun, to the Fritch Eagle Press, or to whatever your local newspaper is. If you already have a subscription, buy one for a friend or a family member. Give the newspaper, and their advertisers, your support.

And secondly, think twice before you “like” or share some foolish meme on social media that labels news outlets as a bigger threat to American security than China, North Korea, or Russia. That’s the furthest thing from the truth, and it hurts the credibility every member of the press.

The newspaper industry is facing grave threats. But like always, we will persevere. And with your support, we will continue “putting out a damn paper.”

Editorial: Others should follow CC’s lead on training

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Clarendon College and its attorney Chase Hales deserve recognition for the Open Meetings Act training presented at last week’s meeting of the Board of Regents. It was very well done and should be emulated by other local governments, specifically Howardwick.

Roger Estlack, Editor

Too often, elected officials are just pointed in the direction of the online training available, which is good but frequently forgotten. It satisfies the legal requirement that board members have to be trained, but it doesn’t leave the lasting impression that is necessary to keep officials out of trouble.

By contrast, CC’s newest regent – Tommy Waldrop – along with fellow his fellow board members, most of whom have been regents for many years, got the benefit of training specifically suited to their positions complete with scenarios that their unique roles face.

Hales obviously spent a lot of time planning his presentation, which included 32 detailed slides with specifics of all kinds. And yet, as detailed as it was, Hales also kept it simple. Don’t talk about it if it’s not on the agenda. Executive sessions have narrow, specific purposes and limited scope. Stick to the agenda. Subcommittees are subject to the Open Meetings Act and Public Information Act. Stick to the agenda. Board members shouldn’t engage staff other than the president. And last but not least, stick to the agenda.

Astute readers probably picked up on a theme in that paragraph. Basically, Hales warned board members that a meeting is not the time to discuss whatever is bothering them or whatever comes up as a flight of fancy during a meeting. The public, the attorney emphasized, has a right to know what’s going to be discussed prior to the meeting in case they want to be there for that discussion.

Some boards have no trouble with that concept. Other entities, like the City of Howardwick for example, have to yet to completely grasp the idea. Howardwick would benefit greatly from having some personal training, and it would be good not just for the city council but for the citizens themselves.

While things have improved somewhat at Howardwick’s meetings (the sheriff hasn’t had to be there in a while), there is still room for improvement. Agenda items are sometimes vague, which leads to discussion that can’t be anticipated by the public or the council. Action has been taken on some items that wasn’t authorized by the agenda. And worst of all, the audience has become almost fully participating members of the discussion.

Hales’ training for the college board reinforced what is generally understood at local government meetings. “‘Public comment’ is sufficient to hear the public but not to discuss business with the public,” Hales wrote on one of his slides.

That’s an important first point. A second point would be that the public needs to generally keep quiet and let the board deliberate on its own. At Howardwick, there is usually enough difference of opinion on a subject by those elected officials to sufficiently debate any issue without ten or 15 citizens interjecting their thoughts or outrage on the matter.

If Howardwick citizens really want to give their elected representatives a chance to improve their community, then letting them do their job might be a good place to start.

Hales hit all the right notes in his presentation, and other local governments would be well served to engage a qualified person to refresh them on the rules. Laws and the rulings of the attorney general change from year to year, which makes it important to stay abreast of where the boundaries are for what is and isn’t okay.

Clarendon College is to be commended for taking a positive step to make sure things are done the right way. CC Board Chairman Lon Adams also deserves special recognition for attending an open meetings / open records workshop hosted by the Panhandle Press Association earlier this year.

The actions taken by local governments are the public’s business – your business. The Open Meetings Act and Public Information Act are designed to make sure the public – you – have every opportunity to know what your governments are doing, and it is encouraging when local boards take that obligation seriously.

And furthermore…
Chase Hales also zeroed in on something that is the pet peeve of every journalist and champion of open government – the Executive Session.

The topics that can be discussed behind closed doors are limited, he said. He listed the very specific reasons a board can meet in closed session – Real Property Deliberations (if deliberation in open session would have a detrimental effect on the entity’s position); Personnel Matters (related to specific employees or specific positions of current employees); Consultations with an Attorney; specific Economic Development issues; and specific Security issues.

The attorney said boards need to be very specific on their agenda about going into closed session, especially in terms of personnel.

The public’s business, as much as possible, should be conducted in public. If a board is going into executive session frequently, they might do well to step back and make sure they are conducting themselves as openly they should.

Editorial: Keeping the sun shining on officials

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“Open government is good government” is the message of Sunshine Week, March 11-17; and while it is proper to pause to r

eflect on that concept annually, the fight for transparency is not one that is limited to seven days each year.

If you asked the average citizen, he or she would probably agree that open government is a good thing and that people should have a right to know what their government is doing. Unfortunately, a shadow is being cast on openness at all levels as those in power now find it fashionable to demonize the people whose job it is to keep government accountable.

This can be seen starting at the highest levels of our government where the president and his administration have taken the traditionally adversarial relationship with the media to new levels and routinely dismiss any unfavorable reporting as “fake news.”

Whether by design or as an unintentional consequence, the United States government is becoming increasingly less open about its business. According to an Associated Press analysis released just this week, “The federal government censored, withheld, or said it couldn’t find records sought by citizens, journalists and others more often last [fiscal] year than at any point in the past decade.”

Closer to home just last month, a representative of the Texas Attorney General’s Office made it seem okay to delay releasing information as a way to punish reporters. The Dalllas Morning News reported that the AG’s communications director, Marc Rylander, said during an open meetings/open records training session, “Communications guys love it when reporters make a request and you all wait until the 23rd hour of the 10th day to send it back to them.” A moderator at the training tried to pull Rylander back in line saying, “Don’t do that. Right? Right?” To which Rylander responded, “Depends on who the reporter is,” and later said, “It’s gotten so bad in newspapers especially that I almost got to the point that I avoid the newspaper people at all costs because newspapers have fired or had to let go all of their good journalists. … They peddle their rags on Groupon. … I mean, it’s a joke.”

It is bad enough that our state and federal officials have such a negative personal view of the press that they let it influence how they conduct their public duties. But the attitude is also becoming more prevalent at the local level as well. Just less than a year ago, one local board member, who was being grilled on open meetings issues by your editor, retorted, “What business is it of yours anyway?”

And sometimes citizens themselves don’t value the job “the media” does when reporting the news. Such was the case last month when the Enterprise came under attack after an illegal meeting was shut down by the sheriff and a small group of attendees began accusing the paper of not printing “the truth” – or at least their version of it.

There is, of course, an adversarial relationship between the press and those in positions of authority. Your editor has at times been at odds with different local officials to the point of even being lectured or ridiculed in public meetings by county commissioners, city aldermen, and school board members.

It happened again just last month when a public official took the opportunity to use the “other business” agenda item to critique our reporting on a previous meeting. It’s not always fun being in the reporter’s shoes, but it typically means you’re doing your job when a public official squeals for having been called out for his actions.

This newspaper, like so many others across Texas and across America, will not back down in the face of bullying, whether it comes from the White House, the state capitol, or a local official or citizen.

You have a right to know what’s going on with your government, and we’re here to champion that right. That’s what Sunshine Week is about. As we have stated before, the biggest defender of that right is not breitbart.com or World Net Daily. It is the traditional media – the often vilified “press” – that people love to hate. The big boys will hold the president’s feet to the fire – and even help bring him down if necessary, while the Enterprise and thousands of other hometown newspapers across this land will continue to shine the light on city councils, school boards, college boards, and county commissions.

Together we’ll fight in state legislatures and in Congress to keep government practices open so that you can see what your elected representatives are doing and find out what they are up to… even when they don’t want you to know.

Editorial: Special interests targeting two area legislators

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Voters have some big decisions to make in the next few days, and the consequences of the Republican primary will have lasting ramifications on our state and our region.

Roger Estlack, Editor

Most Donley County voters have had their mailboxes littered with ultra-conservative propaganda that just seems to multiply as election day edges closer. The majority of that mail is courtesy of Empower Texans, a group that can best be described as sinister in their tactics to control Texas politics.

Empower Texans intends to unseat State Rep. Ken King and State Sen. Kel Seliger after the Panhandle legislators didn’t tow the line for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott last year. For the money men behind the political powerhouse, there is no compromise, and there is no “do what’s best for your district.” There is only “obey.”

Interestingly, King and Seliger both find themselves in three-way races for their party’s nominations.

Seliger is facing former Midland mayor Mike Canon, and Amarillo restauranteur Victor Leal. I’ve never met Mr. Canon, but I’m sure he would make a fine senator… for Midland. I’m just not sure he can identify with us poor folk in Donley County. He’s also endorsed by Empower Texans, and that’s about all I need to know.

Mr. Leal, on the other hand, I visited with on the phone a few months ago, and I had hoped to squeeze in a full interview before the election. But alas, time slipped away. In our one conversation, we did quickly find common ground with family histories in the Muleshoe/Farwell region. I told him my reasoning for supporting Mr. Seliger in an October editorial, and I think he respected my position. He seems like a man who can agree to disagree, and I think that’s a great quality in a person.

Rep. King is facing Perryton insurance man Jason Huddleston, and Richard Beyea, a man in the oil business who is also from Perryton.

Much like Canon, I don’t know Mr. Huddleston. I’m sure he’s a fine Christian man, but his campaign literature leads me to think that he might tend to vote his religious views over what’s best for the state. His campaign was nice enough to leave a message on our home answering machine about men in little girls’ restrooms, which we then had to explain to my nine- and 11-year-olds. I don’t appreciate that. He’s also endorsed by Empower Texans.

Mr. Beyea stopped by my office two weeks ago, and I had full intentions of writing up my entire conversation with him. But then Howardwick’s government went to hell, and I became sidetracked for several days.

During the half hour or so visit, Beyea seemed like a very nice West Texas guy. I found common ground with him also in terms of government functioning best at the local level. He was kind of worked up about property values going up and down with the price of oil, and I gently explained we didn’t have that problem here since we never had any oil.

Beyea said one of his motivations for running was that, in his opinion, Rep. King has basically ruined his relationship with the governor and Lt. Dan and therefore he cannot effectively represent us. In his view, you have to be able to get along with the party leadership if you’re going to get anything done.

Beyea also said Austin can take an I-35 issue and then uses a sledge hammer approach to the whole state.
I specifically asked if Beyea would have supported the lieutenant governor’s property tax proposal, which would have crippled economically disadvantaged rural counties like Donley by limiting their ability to raise taxes beyond four percent. (Currently, those taxes can be raised up to eight percent before a rollback election is triggered.)
Mr. Beyea said he would not have voted for it “without a fight,” which led me to believe that ultimately, after a good fight, he would have voted the way the party leadership wanted him to.

I did appreciate comments that Beyea made about needing more transparency instead of less transparency in government, and his assertions that politicians need to remember they work for us. He also said that he is not taking any special interest money in his campaign.

The real question is whether or not we need to change who we have representing us. Ultimately, Donley County and the rest of the Panhandle need legislators in Austin who represent our interests even when that contradicts the agenda of the faceless radicals behind Empower Texans.

The literature in your mailbox will tell you that King and Seliger are “liberals” and will proclaim that “studies have proved” they are some of the most liberal members of the Legislature. But if you put me and my brother in a room with five staunch Baptists, you’re going to be able to “prove” that we’re the most “liberal” because we don’t have a problem going to the liquor store. It’s all a matter of degrees and perspective.

Empower Texans cherry picks hot button issues and then obfuscates the facts to smear the records of two men, who have done nothing but vote for our best interests. Do not be deceived. The Texas Panhandle doesn’t need automaton legislators who will just do what Empower Texans and Lt. Dan tell them. We need men of backbone, and we already have that in Ken King and Kel Seliger.

Keep King, Seliger working in Austin

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Donley County’s State Senator Kel Seliger and State Representative Ken King have announced their plans to run for re-election to their respective offices, and for Texas’ sake, we hope they win.

There is probably no realistic chance for a Democrat to win the districts represented by Seliger and King. Their biggest hurdle will be fending off challenges from within their own parties.

Roger Estlack, Editor

King is being opposed by Perryton insurance salesman Jason Huddleston, and Seliger is facing Midland attorney Mike Canon and Amarillo restauranteur Victor Leal.

According to published reports, Huddleston has said King is among legislators who “run as conservatives but govern as liberals.” Canon previously ran against Seliger in 2014 and was narrowly defeated despite negative remarks that political action committees made about the senator on the Midland candidate’s behalf. Leal wants to take tough stance on property tax reform and says there is a “moral obligation” to provide public funds for private schools, and his biggest “policy” announcement so far is that he won’t be airing any more NFL games in his Mexican food restaurants.

God help Texas if people like Victor Leal unseat men like King and Seliger.

Common sense – and even common decency – were in short supply in Austin during the legislative sessions this year as flame-breathing social-religious conservatives tried to take Texas’ already conservative government and push it full tilt to the hard right. With Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pushing an ultra-conservative agenda in the Senate and very little leadership from the governor, the only thing keeping Texas focused on remaining a pro-business, pro-local control state was House Speaker Joe Straus and some sane individuals like King and Seliger.

Seliger said it best during a recent town hall in Clarendon in describing the legislative session as one “where people came out of the closet and said they didn’t really like local government.” The senator was referring to a slew of proposals that would curtail the authority of local cities, counties, and schools.

Republicans have for years held that decisions are best left to local authorities. But now, powerful ultra-conservatives no longer subscribe to that theory if local authorities enact policies that don’t fit their strict world-view.

If your city chooses to ban plastic grocery bags or install red light cameras, shouldn’t that be up to your local citizens through your elected officials? The “local control” answer would be “yes.” But today’s big government Republicans say “no.”

Likewise, if your city or county need to raise taxes by five percent to fund let’s say street improvements, emergency medical needs, or law enforcement, that also should be up to your local elected officials, but again people like Dan Patrick and busybodies like Sen. Paul Bettencourt say “no.”

Kel Seliger stood up for local control, and that is going to haunt him in the upcoming election. Common sense West Texans need to rally round him because he is the guy who votes for his district instead of just voting for what the party bosses and the lobbyist tell him to.

If Victor Leal is really worried about his property taxes, then he needs to run for county commissioner or city council… not the state senate. If he really thinks the state has a “moral obligation” to pay for his kids’ private school, then he has no business running for an office that shapes the policy of public education… which has been a cornerstone of Texas since the days of the Republic.

And if Mr. Huddleston thinks Ken King is a liberal, then we sure as heck don’t want to see his idea of a conservative.

We may not agree with all the positions taken by Mr. Seliger or Mr. King, and that’s fine. Because when the chips were down, they stood for the Panhandle and not the special interests. Let us hope that their constituents keep their wits about them as they go to the polls next spring.

Editorial: Count on us to continue to serve you

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The first full week of October is National Newspaper Week every year, and the Enterprise again joins in the celebration to remind everyone of the importance of a free and independent press.

It’s easy to find “information” about what people think is happening in your community. But if you want verified news you can count on, then you can always turn to your hometown paper. The Enterprise reports on the meetings you don’t have time to attend, let’s you know what’s about to happen with your local taxes, keeps up with the local football teams, and so much more.

Roger Estlack, Editor

The newspaper also serves as the eyes and ears of the people keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings of local governments, making sure they keep their activities between the lines and above board.

The watchdog role has always been a tough one in a small town where the opportunity exists that the public officials being scrutinized by the paper could be close friends of the paper’s staff or could be the person sitting next to the editor tomorrow at the local restaurant. And yet local news men and women across America continue to fight the good fight and work hard to bring you the best information possible.

Your newspaper fills other roles as well, not the least of which is the community’s de facto history keeper. The first draft of history is right here in your hands. Twenty-five, 50, or a hundred years from now, someone may pick up this paper to find out what issues were facing farmers, how the local sports teams were doing, or to find their ancestor’s obituary. Issues of our paper going back 139 years are an invaluable resource as the triumphs and tragedies of our lives unfold in black and white. The future will be no different as the news of the present becomes documented history.

But that’s for the people of tomorrow. The most important role remains here and now as we stay on top of everything from City Hall to the Courthouse to College Hill and the local school boards. Citizens have not only have a right to know what’s happening at those places, they have a need to know. The actions of local boards and elected officials are important to report so that voters can decide if they want to continue to support those people or vote for someone else or even throw their own hate in the ring.

And just as important is the need to keep up with the world around you. What’s happening with the Cotton Festival? When is the next Chamber of Commerce function? When will the Whistle-Stop be open? What are they doing with that old theatre? All of these questions can be answered just by picking up your Clarendon Enterprise, and you can count on us being here next week with more information that you need… and the week after that and the week after that.

Of course, we do change with the times. We’re online and on Facebook and on Twitter. But regardless of the medium you choose to get your Enterprise news through, you can be assured that it is always there for you to keep you better informed.

Your hometown paper has been spreading the word in these parts since 1878, and we’re not stopping anytime soon.

Editorial: Free speech is the right of everyone

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“I disagree with what you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”*

With those words, Coach Don Beck ingrained in his history students in 1988 the very essence of freedom of speech. America needs Coach Beck right now.

It’s always easy to defend the person whose speech you agree with, but the true test is if you are willing to extend that same freedom to others.

Roger Estlack, Editor

Over the last year, there has been a growing protest of professional athletes refusing to stand for the national anthem in a move that is meant to draw attention to what they see as social injustices. The move has had the predictable backlash as patriotic Americans have become outraged by this behavior.

The rancor between the protestors and the flag wavers was bad enough, but it was taken to a new level this week when President Donald Trump felt the need to get involved.

Not content to deal with important issues facing this country, the president waded into the NFL controversy over the weekend by insulting those who protest, calling for any “son of ______” who disrespects the American flag should be fired or suspended by team owners. He also went on to call for boycotts of NFL teams over the protests.

This is not new behavior for Mr. Trump. He is consistently belligerent to anyone who expresses anything other than total devotion and admiration of him and his administration.

Consider the case of ESPN’s Jemele Hill who recently called the president a white supremacist. Trump took to Twitter to rebuke her comments and then later his press secretary suggested that the network should consider Hill’s comments a fireable offense.

It is an absolutely truth that actions have consequences. If an employee behaves in a way or talks in a way that offends their employer, then that person may soon find themselves out of a job. Colin Kaepernick has learned that. Other NFL players will likely learn that. That’s just part of life.

But for a White House and even the president himself to intervene in the situation and call for people to loose their jobs, is beyond the pale. This is a man who took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. It is his sworn job to defend our rights as citizens… not to throw cold water on our rights or bully people for exercising those rights.

And yet, that is just what this president does time and time again.

If you’re a reporter who prints something that Mr. Trump doesn’t like, you are ostracized and said to be a purveyor of “fake news,” which is an odd statement to make from someone who routinely exaggerates at best or just makes stuff up at worst.

Here’s a suggestion, if you don’t want to see stuff written about your actions in office, don’t run for office. If you’re a public official, your actions are the public’s business, and it’s the press’ business to make sure those actions stay in the open. But I digress…

As a nation, we need to step back and remember the words of Coach Beck. We have devolved into a society that largely just doesn’t want to hear any opposing viewpoints. You can troll Facebook and see that. People would rather “unfriend” someone than be acquainted with someone who holds a different political or religious point of view. That is un-American.

The American way that we used to be taught was that you could agree to disagree. You can have divergent opinions and still be friends if you have mutual respect for each other.

There are many things bigger than the arguments that are consuming society. Freedom is bigger than the flag or the anthem. And the most important thing to remember is that freedom has to be everyone. We are all free, or none of us are. Your free speech means nothing if your neighbor can’t disagree with you.

The president would do well to learn that fact and to remember that his job is not to divide this country, but to protect the rights of everyone… even the people who hate him

Editorial: No one safe when special session starts

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The Texas Legislature will be going back to work next month after Gov. Greg Abbott this week called for a special session so that lawmakers can tackle a host of issues that would really best be left alone.

Your editor agrees with the governor on one point. He said that a special session was entirely avoidable, and it was. But like happens too often, some self-important politicians got caught up in pursuit of an agenda. The result is that real issues get pushed aside and a circus takes over.

The driving, burning issues of the day that are so important to our state’s political leaders are these: local property taxes and bathrooms.  Some of them are also still focused on abortion.

Roger Estlack, Editor

Local property taxes is an issue that Austin loves to meddle in. Despite touting themselves as champions of “local control” for decades, Republicans are more and more showing themselves to only be in favor of local control as long as it doesn’t interfere with their world view.

For one state senator, Paul Bettencourt, that world view is limited to the county and area in which he lives. Folks down there have a problem with rising property values and rising tax rates. Bettencourt and his buddy Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are really hot and bothered to fix a few people’s problems by hamstringing local governments across the state and their ability to raise revenue.

Texas already has provisions to control rising property tax values, and the ultimate solution is the ballot box. If you truly believe that tax rates are out of control, and enough of your fellow taxpayers agree with you, elect someone else to run your county or city. Bettencourt, however, prefers the ham-fisted approach and cares nothing about how his proposals will impact economically disadvantaged counties like Donley County.

A full treatise on the foolishness and potentially damaging impact of “property tax reform” is a subject that would require its own column. Suffice it to say that this issue is not one critically important to our part of the state; but if it passes, it will potentially put local boards in quite a bind.

Another burning issue of the day are bathrooms. Apparently, there is a crisis about who’s peeing where. This was not something that was even imagined until a year or two ago, and now it has some people’s drawers in a real bind.

In short, Gov. Abbott is really intent on making sure that the folks using the women’s room are genetically female as listed on their birth certificate, and likewise legal “men” should use the men’s room.

The question becomes, who’s going to enforce this? Are we all supposed to carry our birth certificates with us just in case we need to take a leak in a public rest room? Will we have to show our papers to some toilet cop or potty supervisor?

The entire issue is beyond ridiculous and it is an embarrassment that our state legislators are going to have to debate this topic and likely put a law on the books about it.

Abbott says the issue is one of safety for the children of Texas. He apparently thinks that transgender people are all pedophiles. But as a father, I don’t worry about cross-dressers. I worry about real predators – who I think dress pretty normal. In fact, who lets their small children use a public rest room without proper supervision or being nearby?

If Abbott wants to do something to protect children, he should focus on making the laws tougher on people who actually hurt children instead of bringing up a debate that makes the state look like a laughing stock.

Forget about checking birth certificates for going to the bathroom. Let’s check intelligence before serving for public office. Let’s check on caring about what’s best for Texas instead of rabidly pursuing agendas.

The children of Texas – and the grown-ups, too – are generally at far greater risk when the Legislature is in session than from any man in drag using the women’s room. If we really want to keep our society safe, we need to do our damnedest to keep our lawmakers limited to their usual sessions once every two years and keep them out of having special sessions. It’s just too risky to let them run loose like this.

Editorial: City should okay request by Allsup’s

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The Clarendon City Council should approve a variance request for Allsup’s Convenience Stores after it holds a public hearing next Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The company, which has been in business here for more than 40 years, is in contract to buy a large tract of land on US 287 and says it plans to invest $2.6 million to develop a larger nicer store.

Roger Estlack, Editor

So what’s the problem with that? Allsup’s sells beer and wine, and the new store location is right across the street from the Clarendon public schools, specifically the backside of Bronco Stadium. Unfortunately, city ordinance prohibits establishments from selling alcohol within 300 feet of a church or a school. A business can ask for a variance on this issue, and Allsup’s has done just that.

The request from Allsup’s has led to naysaying and fearmongering from Clarendon’s usual Prophet of Doom, who once predicted that we would have drunken bums sleeping in Prospect Park and a host of other maladies if we legalized the sale of alcohol in this town. Now, we’re told that Allsup’s plans will attract transients, bums, and whores.

The biggest concern the Prophet and others say they have is safety. The proposed site for the new store is about a block and half west of its current location at US 287 and Koogle Street. This site is supposedly too dangerous because speeding traffic coming over the hill will cause accidents with vehicles pulling in and out of the new store.

It would be a crying shame if we had to slow traffic in this town. TxDOT and law enforcement certainly have it in their power to do that… if it really is a concern. But where was all this worry when Best Western, Sonic, Dollar General, and Pizza Hut were built across the highway from this site?

In all honesty though, safety would not even be on anybody’s radar if it wasn’t for the alcohol issue. If someone wanted to build a hotel or a McDonald’s on that property, everything would be just hunky-dory. But propose something – anything – that wants to sell beer, and some people will just lose their freaking minds.

The next supposed problem is that this new store will somehow send “mixed messages” to the children at Clarendon ISD, which tries to promote a strong anti-drug/anti-alcohol theme. The school board even approved a resolution opposed to the city granting Allsup’s variance request.

The school board might want to keep in mind that a $2.6 million improvement will generate a significant amount of tax revenue for the school. And here’s a news flash for the school and the naysayers… the school kids go to Allsup’s every day already. So what difference will it really make? None.

People concerned about the new Allsup’s location have also been quick to suggest other more desirable, in their opinions, locations for the store. The Prophet himself has even suggested one location that is outside the city limits and would bring no sales or property tax revenue to the city, but it is just about as far away from the children as you can get. Ultimately, the location of a new Allsup’s store ought to be up to Allsup’s and whoever is selling the property. It’s a business decision. Likewise, what happens to Allsup’s current property is for that company to determine.

It’s important to point out that a majority of people in Clarendon want to see businesses grow and thrive here. Your editor firmly believes that most people want to welcome Allsup’s and appreciate the firm’s willingness to invest literally millions of dollars in this community.

The City Council must look at the big picture in this case. Allsup’s new store will mean more property taxes, more sales taxes, and more jobs. It will also further the image that positive things are happening in this community… just like in the case of the new Family Dollar, the Buckin’ Bean, the Whistle-Stop, and other developments. Many other communities our size don’t have these things going on.  It’s a sign of progress. That’s what this really means for Clarendon, and that’s why the variance should be approved – because business expansion is good for our city.

Beyond this instance, the council also needs to consider that highway frontage in this town is limited. The distance requirements on establishments selling alcohol are potentially limiting on development and therefore should be abolished altogether. Alcohol sales should be allowed anywhere along the 287 corridor and in the central business district. There shouldn’t have to be a fight every time someone wants to put in a business that sells beer or wine.

Clarendon must be open and welcoming to development. The fate of Allsup’s request will determine the message that we send to other potential businesses.

Editorial: Keep the sun shining on our officials

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Your right to know what is going on with your government – from City Hall to the White House – is a cornerstone of a free republic. It is appropriate then to reflect on the defenders of that right at this time as America observes Sunshine Week March 12-18.

Roger Estlack, Editor

Some might say that the sunshine has been eclipsed somewhat over the last couple of months by the shadow of a larger than life personality that now leads this great nation. For those of us whose job it is to report on the goings on of government there are signs of trouble emanating from Washington.

Journalists are not unfamiliar with people taking exception to what they write. In fact, if you haven’t taken some arrows in your time, you probably haven’t done much as a reporter.

Your editor has been called many things in the last 21 years. Some of them can’t be repeated in a family publication. The funniest was this week when he was labeled a “Democrat.” But perhaps the most interesting came last month from the highest levels of the federal government… an enemy of the people.

That moniker came from President Donald J. Trump who has repeatedly labeled the press as “the enemy of the people” and derides media outlets he disagrees with as “fake news.”

There is, of course, an adversarial relationship between the press and those in positions of authority. This is nothing new and it is not limited to the national stage. It happens on the local level, and your editor has at times been at odds with different local officials to the point of even being lectured or ridiculed in public meetings by county commissioners, city aldermen, and school board members. It’s not fun, but you develop a thick skin and realize you’re doing your job when a public official squeals for having been called out for his actions.

The troubling thing about Mr. Trump is the level and intensity of his rhetoric. “Enemy of the people” is phrase that students of history know has been used by some pretty bad company… people like the Nazis, Lenin, Stalin, and other dictators.

If the president doesn’t like the press nosing around his business, calling the press “the enemy of the people” was probably not the wisest thing for him to do. Because now “the media” is going to be on him like stink on a cow patty. That his appointees and even the president himself can’t abstain from saying stupid things isn’t helping the administration either.

Now our conservative friends will say that CNN, The New York Times, and MSNBC are clearly biased against Republicans and are not the equivalent of The Clarendon Enterprise. And, they would say, that the president’s comments are against those leftist news organizations.

But truly you need to understand one thing… the First Amendment does not discriminate based on political persuasion. Freedom of the press covers The Washington Post, ABC News, and the newspaper you hold in your hands. And when a president starts labeling “the media” as “the enemy of the people,” then rest assured all media will – or should – lock arms to defend one another. If you need an example of that, you need to look no further than FoxNews’ Sheppard Smith defending a CNN reporter who was belittled by the incoming president earlier this year.

CNN is not fake news. The New York Times is not fake news. You may disagree with their editorial points of view, but these are organizations that generally uphold the highest standards of journalism.

The problem with our society today is that people will believe anything they read on social media and take it for face value. They follow “news” sites that simply espouse a political viewpoint. The right and the left have their chosen sources, and many people don’t take the time to read anything that doesn’t fit their world view. That’s fine. It’s all covered by the First Amendment. But not taking a balanced approach to news consumption is a large part of what has led to the extreme polarization of this country.

You have a right to know what’s going on with your government. That’s what Sunshine Week is about. The biggest defender of that right is not breitbart.com or World Net Daily. It is the traditional media – the often vilified “press” – that people love to hate. The big boys will hold the president’s feet to the fire – and even help bring him down if necessary, while the Enterprise and thousands of other hometown newspapers across this land will continue to shine the light on city councils, school boards, college boards, and county commissions.

Together we’ll fight in state legislatures and in Congress to keep government practices open so that you can see what your elected representatives are doing and find out what they are up to… even when they don’t want you to know.

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