Conservatives seek to limit your personal liberties
2022-04-09
Glenn Melancon/Contributing writer Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has fought her way past big government conservatives. She is on her way to confirmation to sit on the highest court in America. Her story is a story of America. As conservative Senators questioned her, both inside and outside theContinue Reading
Christian accountability
2022-04-01
Glenn Melancon/Contributing writer Accountability is one of those words politicians love to throw around. Voters and politicians alike apply it to their opponents but rarely use it look in the mirror. Accountability means taking responsibility for one’s actions. Accountability requires weighing cause and effect. Did a certain word or actionContinue Reading
My spiritual energy
2022-04-01
Leroy Richardson/Contributing writer A good battery on a car maintains its charge. Why is that so when simultaneously operating the radio, headlights, air conditioner, dashboard lights, USB ports, and the electric windows and seats? It’s the alternator. Once started, the alternator generates power to run the accessories on the vehicleContinue Reading
Support public education
2022-03-25
Glenn Melancon/Contributing writer Our Texas founding fathers knew we needed to guarantee public education if our State was to continue to be successful. They wrote: “A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be the duty of theContinue Reading
Oil Markets
2022-03-17
Glenn Melancon/Contributing writer Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. The first oil shock happened in 1973. Energy prices are set by “the market. The global energy market keeps failing us. We have known the market is failing us for 49 years. We knowContinue Reading
Winston was an early leader at UT
2022-03-17
Ken Bridges/Contributing writer The University of Texas has been in operation for nearly 140 years. Since that time, tens of thousands of UT graduates have enjoyed careers in all fields that have shaped both the state and the world alike. In its early years, it struggled as it had difficultyContinue Reading
This too shall pass
2022-03-10
From the editor, Based upon current inflation, gas prices have yet to spike as high as they did in 2008. I remember that year well. We logged countless miles, at $4 per gallon, back and forth to the hospital in Dallas. We had a sick preemie who came close toContinue Reading
Free market snake oil
2022-03-10
Glenn Melancon/Contributing writer In 1776, Adam Smith published a ground breaking book, The Wealth of Nations. Smith introduced the French phrase laissez-faire to the English speaking world. The phrase best translates as “free market.” Smith criticized European monarchs for subsidizing domestic production and granting monopolies for foreign trade. He arguedContinue Reading
It starts with us
2022-03-05
Austin Lewter/Jefferson Jimplceute Charles Baum was a friend of mine. He was born in 1917. He was the grandfather of a childhood friend and a lifelong public servant. Charlie was in the Philippines when Bataan fell. Subsequently, he was captured and spent the majority of World War II as a prisonerContinue Reading
Escalators are Like Life
2022-03-05
Glenn Melancon/Contributing writer Escalators are a modern marvel. The English word is derived from the word, escalade, meaning to climb. An escalator actually takes the effort out of climbing. They are a welcome sight in a mall or a subway station. Unfortunately, there are times in life when an escalatorContinue Reading
Memories of Berlin
2022-02-25
Glenn Melancon/Contributing writer I will never forget my childhood trip to Berlin. My dad was stationed in Bamberg, Germany, and my parents wanted their children to see as much as possible. The trip to Berlin was different than others. The trip started with a night train. On most trips, weContinue Reading
Garrett looms large in Old West History
2022-02-25
Ken Bridges/Contributing writer Pat Garrett is another of the legendary figures of the Old West. He always had a taste for adventure and had a career as a distinguished law officer in a time when little law and order was to be found. Wherever Garrett went, trouble always seemed toContinue Reading
Gardening: Yard Trees During a Drought
2022-02-23
By David Wall Our spring/summers for several years have given us heavy spring rains followed by flash droughts starting in June or July, and many yards are now in drought stratus even though it’s winter. Current patterns indicate a similar drought can be expected in this summer. While we tryContinue Reading
Financial Focus: Watch for changes when filing taxes
2022-02-22
From Joey Romano, Edward Jones This year, you have until April 18 to file your taxes. So, you may want to meet with your tax professional soon to discuss changes that could affect you. For starters, if you took a coronavirus-related withdrawal from your 401(k) or IRA in 2020, youContinue Reading
Democrats will lose…
2022-02-18
To the editor, If Democrats wonder why they are likely to be pulverized the next couple weeks of midterm elections…think about some recent policy decisions…In New York the D.A. from Manhattan Alvin Bragg announced last week jail time for the most egregious crimes…making robberies and assaults, go free…all this goingContinue Reading
NATO needed to maintain peace
2022-02-18
Glenn Melancon/Contributing writer A round 1755 BCE, the Babylonian King Hammurabi proclaimed a law code. For thousands of years it lay hidden in the ruins of Susa in modern Iran. It revealed the ancient origins of government. The text on the granite stele began with a preamble. Hammurabi claimed theContinue Reading