INEPT CHOICES MAKE FOR INEPT GOVERNMENT

Very few of us would employ a person in our business or for personal services for our family knowing as little about them as most of us know about people we choose to run our government.  Poor or uninformed choices for those we select for important positions inevitably lead to extremely poor results for our government.  The greatest enemy of an efficient government in a democracy is not corruption, but ignorance.  

Poor choices based on flawed beliefs without a factual basis cost taxpayers far more than anything stolen or siphoned illegally.  A case in point for the price to be paid for poor voter choice in Texas is our State Board of Education.

Our State Board of Education has ultimately made Texas the laughing stock of the country.  Even Comedy Central has chosen to feature recent actions by our Board in attempting to modify history a centerpiece of its routine.  And the Colbert Report is merciless. 

Oscar Romero is a martyr in the history of the fight for free government in El Salvador.  Right-wing death squads proceeded to summarily execute anyone who disagreed with the right-wing, oppressive government of the time.  Oscar Romero was an Archbishop in the Catholic Church murdered by the El Salvador death squads.  He had been mentioned in several history books as a significant political figure, as well as moral leader.  He has been erased from Texas textbooks on the grounds one of the female members of the Board had never heard of him.  It is such a shame to let such limited knowledge on the part of an officeholder shape the future educational opportunities of our children for generations to come.  

David Bradley, who represents Jefferson County and several other counties is a perfect example of what happens when our public servants have a flawed ability to reason.  Mr. Bradley recently reported he wanted education brought back to the rote method where simple memorization is the keystone of public education.  Most experts agree critical thinking is more important than memorization.  Apparently, Mr. Bradley wants to have future students of Texas emulate his ability to figure things out.  Mr. Bradley offered $1,000 donation to anyone’s favorite charity, if they could prove the words “separation of church and state” are in the United States Constitution. 

 A government professor attempted to claim the $1,000 donation by pointing out the provision in the constitution which states government in the United States should not establish a religion.  Mr. Bradley reneged on his offer due to the fact he cannot figure out such a prohibition in the United States Constitution mandates against the establishment of religion by the government or any attempt to do so.

Over 1,200 historians and professors have signed a letter complaining history revisions undermine the study of social sciences in our public schools.  Our Republican members of the State Board of Education cannot fathom that accurate history is more important than trying to weave into the textbooks a certain bias for their chosen religion.

During the Communist domination of Russia and its satellites, public education was grossly diminished by the fact that everything needed to have an underlying theme promoting Communism.   

Some of the radical terrorism in the world today exists because religion and religious zealots control the government of several nations.  We should think about this before we turn a blind eye to the fact some people would try to have the United States turned into a theocracy instead of a free democratic society.

PORT ARTHUR’S GOLDEN ERA

Carl Parker sez:

Recently, I was visiting with a friend who is about my age. He had just driven from Savannah Avenue to Memorial Boulevard and opined as to how he was struck by a wave of nostalgia, having driven through the area adjacent to the Texaco Reservoir. We began sharing stories of our boyhood years and both agreed the Texaco Reservoir was central to many of our boyhood adventures.

Our conversation reminded me of what my lawyer pal, Walter Umphrey, has commented to me on numerous occasions. He said we were very lucky to have grown up in the Golden Era of Port Arthur. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced he is right.

I must confess I felt a little like Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn when I and my pals would slip past the guards for a swim or a fishing trip in the Texaco Reservoir. To me, back in those days, it seemed to be as big as the Great Lakes were to the explorers in Early America. We had to deal with alligators and snakes, but they would not bother us if we did not bother them. Actually, we were able to catch minnows in our dip nets baited with oatmeal, and catfish on throw lines that we would throw out in the deeper part of the Reservoir. The thick vegetation around the shore made for neat little hideaways where we could imagine we were camping out in the deepest jungles of South America or Africa. We imagined ourselves to be real survivors in a far away place right in the heart of our neighborhood!

The 40's and 50's for Port Arthus were, in fact, the Golden Era for this city. Because of refineries and unions, Jefferson County, in general, and Port Arthur in particular, had the highest per capita income of any area in the state. Our school district was second to none. Teachers in the Port Arthur Independent School District were the highest paid in the state and jobs here were coveted by new education graduates.

Franklin School, built by WPA labor in the 20's, was what most of us would admire for a school to be today, with its olympic sized swimming pool, a room with sky lights especially built for the arts, an auditorium, sewing labs, and a nice library. It was truly progressive for its time, even if it maintained separate boys' and girls' sides on the playground.

Downtown Port Arthur was a bustling center of retail commerce boasting three movie theaters right downtown and two elsewhere in the city. The big movies would show at the Strand and on Saturdays there would be a double feature western and a serial and a cartoon at the Peoples--all for 9 cents admission-- and a regular bus service for those of us whose parents would not let us ride our bicycles to the busy downtown. A dollar on Saturday morning would pay for a hamburger at Bob's, admission to the movie, a box of popcorn, a coke, and a 2 cent all day sucker...and still leave a little change.

The Yellow Jackets and Bumblebees were almost always contenders for District, if not Bi-District--sometimes even State. Pleasure Island was a thriving midway, having games, a roller coaster, a huge olympic-sized swimming pool--frequently the location of the Miss Texas contest. The Pleasure Pier Ballroom hosted, on a regular basis, big name bands and was a fun destination for people living several counties away.

Our schools produced doctors, lawyers, engineers, military generals, admirals, big-time entrepreneurs in refining, communications and almost every endeavor of every phase of business, including the movie business, music and entertainment.

I am certain that Port Arthur wasn't perfect in the 40's and 50's as I grew up. But the older I get, it sure seems like it.

______

Notes:

1. Franklin School postcard is a TXGenWeb Postcard Project

2. Other images on this page may be found at tinyurl.com/27krf5k