Good Job Yesi..

This past Saturday was a very special day for one of my best friends, Luis Martinez and his wife Carmen. Reason..their daughter Yesenia received a degree from Sul Ross University in Business. We celebrated Yesenia's educational milestone at a Uvalde restaurant along with their entire family. It was nice to see Eagle Passans getting Masters and BA degrees at a beautiful auditorium. Congrads Yesi.

Running our County government on a shoe string budget

It has become apparent that Maverick County is suffering financially which has reached a critical stage that forced them to lose emergency services to its constituents this month. It is time for the county to consider “expert” advice on a financial management plan that is based on proven success. This does not mean that they should hire another employee that will draw even more on the salary expense.

The county should look at positions that can be eliminated primarily because they are less essential. Staff travel and related expenses should also be curtailed. Any staff tasked with the economic development aspects of our county should be reassigned because businesses are coming without the county’s efforts. Eagle Pass business growth is promoting itself and they come because “companies are finding that rural communities offer low operating costs, red tape reduction and a stable and loyal work force”.

Department heads must be more creative in the way they do their jobs and utilize their staff. County taxpayers should be more vocal and constructive media scrutiny should assure that county operations are more transparent and accountable to the community.

starting to struggle

I was very pleased with the passage of the school bond for the construction of a new sports complex. I also understand those that voted against it for fear of escalating taxes. What I am troubled about is the escalating gas prices in Eagle Pass which have reached 3 dollars a gallon. This makes me wish for an improved mass transportation such as nicer buses that kids can take from school to their neighborhoods. It works in SA and it would work in EP if the cost to ride would be reasonable. I think EP needs to look after themselves and come up with workable solutions to make life easier for those that are struggling or starting to struggle.

Good job.....

Almost a week ago I commented that our local governmental entities should consider selecting a press secretary (vocera oficial) who would be responsible for press briefings as often as needed. This of course would free the administrators from such a chore and they could start their day with the actual business of the day.

My congratulations to the City of Eagle Pass and especially to Marga Lopez who has been chosen for that duty. Marga has represented our city in an admirable manner and her credibility is impeccable. While some media will try to circumvent this new process, it is important that the city hold firm and give this new change a chance.

You are cordially invited.....

I must say that it is truly refreshing to read that city councilwoman Asalia Cazares has urged local citizens to participate in council meetings and to bring their issues before the City. I am sure she is sincere about her invitation which sets the perfect forum for those that are ardently "vocal" in our guestbooks. Now you can go before our local governance and express you ideas or problems.

So be it.....

Its 1:04 am on Friday and I can't sleep so here I am. I want to say something about the story that appeared in a local newspaper which reports that our new city manager was asked by a news reporter for a "direct payment with the threat that if he did not comply, attacks through news coverage would follow."

This is nothing new since many of us have heard similar stories. Others have said that those running for political positions in our community often are approached by the local media and offered favorable coverage for a price. And savvy campaign managers accept the practice as a necessary evil.

Perhaps the time has come for all public agencies including the school, county and city to designate a public information employee who can feed the stories every morning to all reporters. This if nothing else will free our administrators to do the job they are suppose to do each day. And if the news is bad, so be it.

a senseless event...

Forty three years ago I was literally confronted and challenged to a fistfight by someone I had never met. He knew my name. This happened during lunchtime as I walked from the old high school to the cafeteria at the old Junior High. It didn’t take long to realize that he was purposely blocking my way to force the fight. The valiant thing to do at that time was to agree to fight after school behind the Charcoal. That initial confrontation was like an out of body experience especially when I heard myself agreeing to meet him for the duel. For the next four hours I sat in class thinking of ways to back out of the fight. I felt it was going to be an embarrassing situation. I was not good at fighting and I had no experience at all. As the hours dragged on, others would inform me that they planned to be there in support. I soon learned that my opponent was an experienced fighter, street smart and was not in school. I remember counting the final seconds for school to let out so I could go face this person that hated me so much that he wanted to hurt me.

Luckily the fight did not last long. I was told that word had reached school administrators and everyone started running when they saw Mr. Ibarra driving up. This is one moment in my life that is so vivid. I am reminded of this senseless event every time I see the scar on my left forearm. I also wonder why he wanted to hurt me.

We made the pigeon sick

In the past weeks much has been written about our behavior and how others behave. I must admit that I may have been responsible for inciting people’s reaction. What I did…innocently was to post something I called “you think you had a bad day??” My intent was to share my daily frustrations with those that serve us and those we serve. Basically it was to deal with customer service. I brought this up because of the surge of new businesses not only in San Antonio, where I live, but also Eagle Pass. Friends of mine that manage such places all tell me the same thing; customer service often makes the difference in repeat business. I must agree because there is one place I will never go again because of their bad food but they topped it off with unfriendly service. But it is true that customer service is important to the customer. It should also be very important to the manager and its employees.

On the other hand, customers need to know that they are not always right. God knows who created that saying but it is a big lie. A business or employee should not bow to any customer who chooses to treat an employee without respect. Berating an employee says more about what kind of customer you are. Let me tell you that business people know but do not talk about a growing number of “customers” that basically “rent” goods by often returning what they bought after they have no more use for it and return it in deplorable condition. If refused a refund, they will do everything to embarrass anyone behind the counter. Their favorite final word, “I am going to the media.”

So lets stop talking about what businesses have to do. How about the customer, you and I, start by keeping our community stores clean. I don’t mean that we must sweep them clean; I mean don’t get them dirty.

I know times have changed from the days that our mothers and fathers would make us pick up after ourselves and we were not allowed to leave our mess around. Lets draw on that when we are in a clothing store. Lets stop unraveling shirts, pants, dresses, blouses and throwing them back on a heap. When you miss the heap and they fall on the floor, pick it up. Remember that the store attendant did not mess it up. If you think that it’s their job to pick up after us, stop and think about it.

All store parking lots have trash cans so use them. If you cannot leave your trash inside your car in an empty plastic bag, then walk over to the trash can and leave it there. You will feel good and you are setting and maintaining what should be a community standard. The the worst of all social infractions is dispensing soiled diapers in store parking lots. Worse yet when you see pigeons, crackles and other birds feasting on what belongs in a sewer treatment plant. Above is the pigeon in EP that could not fly after feasting.

How about the empty plastic bags snagged on the fences along Highway 57. Must we blame the city or the county officials for such blight? How about starting with those that throw them out the window as they leave Eagle Pass. Again, you will find trash cans that are there for us to use. But if you feel that we have a right to disposed of them in that manner because we are taxpayers…stop and think about it. Or do you think that our public officials like our store attendant should pick up after us? Please.

Ft. Duncan Club

One of our fellow alumni has suggested that our community should consider rebuilding the old Ft. Duncan Club and the idea has stuck with me. Is it possible?...yes. Is anyone willing to front such a proposal?...maybe. This is what I think. First, I believe the property belongs to the city. Any contractor worth his money would be able to rebuilt using some of the existing material as long as they meet city codes. How would it be financed. Privately, without tax money. There are enough businesses in town that would have use of such a club and there are hundreds that would pay for membership. I'm curious to know if anyone out there is giving this some thought.

Pop-up..pests

I have lived long enough to remember the popularity of CB radios many years ago and along with others form a Maverick County chapter of REACT. React monitored channel 9 for emergency calls and we handled plenty. We were able to correct misuse by newcomers to CB and believe we were responsible in getting help to those in need. Slowly CB use declined because of abuse and lack of civility. Much like graffiti taggers, some used it to express their vulgarity. While many continue to use it, it is no longer as popular as before.

So now what is to become of internet use? While we are able to block and track abusers, we are almost helpless to fend off the POP-UPS. I have researched this subject looking for a solution to this problem which has become so bad that I have to restart my computer to clear all of them. I have tried Roadrunner's pop-up blocker software and also Adware and many others but in reading more about this growing problem, the experts admit that pop-ups can not be effectively eliminated and we will have to live with it. In these same articles, we are told that companies like Google, Yahoo, New York Times and other major companies are now using pop-ups to advertise. I may hold on to my computer longer than I did to my CB radio.

No more dying.

Tonight was quite a departure for Andy Rooney on 60 minutes when he spent all his time asking the question, "Why are we in Iraq?". Surprising was the seriousness of his demeanor during the broadcast. I felt good hearing that because I have had growing concerns about the ongoing war with no end. I have not been vocal about my sentiment concerning this subject, not because it may be seen as a betrayal to all those that served and in some cases die. I was not really sure how I felt about it. I think I must join Rooney and the many others that can no longer justify the deaths of our youngsters.

Zeros...

Ok..here I go again. You can say that I got into computers on December 23,1976 on the day I drove to San Antonio from Eagle Pass and bought an Apple IIe. Computers were simple..with no need for virus protection. Computer were too expensive and not necessarily in the hands of zeros. (Zeros are people that have no value and only occupy space.) I used mine for work, doing sorts for program eligibility and completing long repetitious government forms. I was truly a time saver. Now, its very different. I recently signed up for DSL and the first thing I noticed was the speed. I was very pleased with the performance and even more with the offer of a virus protection program touted as one of the best because of it updates. For the first month I was able to accomplish more work both on my work assignments and the alumni website. Then I got a pop-up offering me an upgrade to my existing virus protection program. I declined the offer. The offers become relentless. I ran my original virus program every day but the advertisements kept coming. They were literally offering me programs that would stop themselves from their popups. Now I am getting offers to block spyware, adware and file theft. So the zeros have now become virus protection salesman and may be working for our major DSL providers.

A Step in the Right Direction

Interested parties are considering using the old hospital for a police statiion and city offices, including municipal court(s). The idea is a good one provided that the cost to operate a building that big is not prohibitive. This offers the city the opportunity to enhance their law enformcement program by offering space to state or federal law enforcment as well. Since its apparent that misdemeanor crimes are growing at a rapid pace, more than one municipal court may be justfied and paid for by adopting a more aggresive fine enforcement. Despite denials, our community is quickly growing into a drug infested town that is affecting our youth and their families. More needs to be done and done quickly. The use of our old hospital building and the programs that can be enhanced would certainly be a step in the right direction.

Taco Cabana cuts cost

There were many important things happening all over the world today that I should be concerned about and I am. For instance, the bill to designate a day to end the Iraq war failed for lack of support from the Republicans. Another things was the tax increase of 4% which will be tacked on to our home phones and also our cell phones. But day in and day out, we work at our job and at the end of the day, we look forward to getting home, changing to comfortable clothes and having dinner with our family. So this afternoon I decide to stop by Taco Cabana at the intersection of IH 35 and Theo for some faquita tacos. I thought that two should do the trick. That's $1.89 each and with tax (.o82) that comes to $2.00 each. Now how can Taco Cabana call this a taco? Have they not seen what Morales tacos sells at the intersection of Main and Medina? If you must have fajita tacos from Taco Cabana, go to the one on SW Military. One of their's makes three from the one on Theo.

Rambling --Continued

I stopped on the previous post kinda short because I was told to put out the trash in time for pick up. Let me just say that if any politician in EP is doing anything unethical or illegal, I have not seen it, read it or heard of it. I am old enough to remember the days of Judge Bibb, Stevenson and Pete Rossi. Those were heated elections that invigorated the town. Candidates would block off a street and hold their political rallies...along with good carne asada with all the trimmings. The best ones were held at San Juan Plaza. Those that could not get a place at the table would eat on the hood of their car. Music played for four hours and even the opponent's people would show up for the good meal. Mr. Harper often provided the cooks and steaks that never ran out. Those were the days.

Rambling again..

I'm posting this because I have not done so in some time. Well I am somewhat dismayed by what is occuring on our message board ( http://www.guestbookcentral.com/guestbook.cfm?guestbook=39955 ). Our locals and those elsewhere are not pleased with our local politicians for unknown reasons. No one will actually say what it is that our elected officials are doing or not doing that upsets them so much. If I may speak for them just to get something down on paper, let me try to guess. Our politicians are not creating high paying jobs. They are not raising the quality of life in EP such as beautiful parks, jogging trails, golf driving ranges, country clubs, camping sites, cleaner streets, night clubs, bowling alleys or allies, water sking (sp), hiking trails other than those along the Rio Grande, a new mall, vocational colleges and miniture golf. Perhaps our locals do not like to see the politician's family members get good jobs in Eagle Pass because it gives the semblance of favoritism. Some might be tired of seeing them at the customary ribbon cuttings uttering the same old speech about how they made it possible for this new business to exists. Perhaps our town would rather see more candidates like Cesar Chavez than those like Henry Cisneros. Its possible that many equate honesty with being humble rather than one with self-assurance. Who knows.

I don't hate Mexicans, I hate Mexico

I don't hate Mexicans

It's quite surprising to find so many Hispanics that now live in the United States opposing the recent immigrant issues. I am not surprised about my own belief even though there are no so called illegal aliens in my family. My grandparents on my father side came from Mexico but they did it legally. My grandmother on my mother side was actually somewhat of a redneck and often voiced her dislike of Mexican nationals although she married one. That too is surprising to find many elderly grandparents that have some distrust and even distaste for immigrants. You kinda want to ask, what they did to them to turn this diluted rage against those that want to come to this country just like they did.

Getting beyond the rage one such lady explained it this way. "I do not hate Mexicans, I hate Mexico," she said. We were poor but happy but then the United States became too much of a lure and family members urged us to go to the States simply for the goods. "We always brought things from American but we stayed in Mexico. It was a pleasant family life. Our youth respected us and they too were happy. After we left our country and went to America, things changed. We had money and things but a simple life was no longer enough. Families started competing with each other about who had more possessions. We worked harder to stay ahead but in the process; we lost our children and their respect. If Mexico had allowed us to have a decent life we would not have come to America. Mexico is corrupt and it will always be. "

Need facts....anyone

In a news story out of Eagle Pass, it is being reported that members of the Kikapoo Tribe held a meeting in their District Court. What is confusing is whether this court has the same standing as State District Courts. The article states that a manifest acknowledges that an election was held and that the process must continue and that the will of the Tribe must be respected. The Court met on Kikapoo property and among those present were Makateonenodua and attorney Gloria Hernandez. During this meeting, it was disclosed that Attorney Hernandez receives 10% of the Casino’s revenue as her salary.

Most recent articles covering the developing saga of the Kikapoo have been rather vague. I continue with some of the same questions that are not answered by existing news reports.

I am still curious about the so called “Kikapoo District Court.” In the recent news story it mentions that Dan B. Morgan is the new District Judge named by the current Kikapoo Council. In the same news article, it reports that Dan Naranjo, the previous District Judge was removed by attorney Gloria Hernandez for “giving an order she did not like.” If this is true, what was the order that Naranjo gave that cost him his position?

The article does not mention how this last meeting came about. Did both sides agree to this meeting? And if Judge Morgan has in fact opined that the will of the Kikapoo must prevail, does that mean that the current council will be replaced?

$5.4 Billion profit...1st quarter

Once again we are being told that the five major oil companies in the United States are enjoying a record profit for the first quarter of this year. At this rate Exxon expects to surpass last years annual profit. We also heard President Bush offering his solution to the problem, which may be a little too late. What has become apparent is that a viable solution is not going to come from his administration. His Republican supporters are now thinking about their chances in November and so we may start to hear from them as well. So what can we do to ease the economic pain of our nation? Personally, I have already started to curtail all recreational driving. I will not be buying any gas-guzzler and I will support any effort to get alternative fuel on the market as soon as possible. And let me say, from one that has always strongly supported the right for business to make a profit, I cannot trust any oil company to help us. They will continue to take our money and blame the war and now Venezuela for their uncontrollable greed. And I am sorry to say......I don’t trust our President anymore.

The Plight of the Kikapoo..history in the making

History in the making.....

I have been trying to keep up with the plight of the Kikapoo tribe of Eagle Pass by reading everything that is being written concerning the developing story about their tribe and its politics. My interpretation of all these stories tells me that the tribe is under the direction of the officially recognized head. He sits on what is being called a council and they are being adviced by an attorney. This council is responsible with the daily operations of the Kikapoo Casino and everything that takes place on their property or reservation. They have their own security force that carries out the directives from the council.

Recently, an older faction of Kikapoos that were ousted from power in an “election” held another election and by over 80 votes from Kikapoo voters, this older faction was declared winners and were supposed to regain their position. As of today, they have not take their position because the current council will not honor the election. The current faction is supported in their position by the intervention of District Judge Morgan. I am not sure what exactly the District Judge is doing with regards to this disagreement and no article has clarified that at all.

The winning faction has stated that this issue will be taken before the proper court of jurisdiction for a ruling on when and how they should take possession of the council, the Kikapoo Casino and their interests. This is what I know and I assure you someone will step forward and tell me how wrong I am. Please do and then enlightened me.