Opinion

We should be in the same boat

For many years, property taxes have been a source of conversation and consternation in Texas. Even though overall, Texas ranks among the lowest taxing states of the union, property tax remains a sore spot with almost all citizens. In Texas, property taxes have risen from near the lowest in the United States in the mid-1950s to among the top three or four in the U.S. today.

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Let’s look at the local church

The first book I seriously ever worked on was one written by Dr. Elmer Towns, “The 100 Fastest Growing Churches in America.” Dr. Towns went on to be the dean of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., and was a good friend to Dr. Jerry Falwell, but Dr. and Mrs. Towns were originally from Savannah, Ga., and in fact lived in the beautiful home once owned by the legendary Johnny Mercer, who wrote “Moon River” and many other hits. Dr.

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Who do you identify with?

It seems to me that come election time, people would give some thought to what impact electing one party or one person over the other would have on the things most important to them. Of course, family usually comes first, but tied to the family is that one earns a living to provide for the necessities of a family. I am constantly amazed at how easily people are distracted by collateral issues and seem to forget about voting for their own interests or selecting candidates with whom they have much in common.

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Commentary: Let us prey

Our cover story this week is a sad tale of greed and fraud perpetrated on mostly elderly victims by a slick group of tricksters who ought to be ashamed of themselves. If they aren’t now, they likely soon will be as local, state and federal law enforcement officers catch up with them and put an end to their nefarious scheme and hold those responsible to account in a court of law.

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Texas can and should do better

A recent column in the Houston Chronicle by Lisa Falkenberg caught my attention. Her article centered around the pride felt and expressed by most of us Texans. She pointed out that unfortunately, in spite of our Texan bravado, Texas leads the nation in too many of the wrong things. Her article went on to point out we have been recently rated as the worst state in the union for delivery of health care.

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The Big Lie

In this space last week, we expressed regret at the timidity of Beaumont Independent School District superintendent-in-waiting Dr. Timothy Chargois, who did not see fit to instruct his attorneys to remove an ill-gotten clause in his contract granting him an automatic pay raise despite the stated objections of virtually the entire BISD board. The board’s outside counsel Tanner Hunt allowed the clause to somehow slip into the contract.

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Let another man praise thee

OK, Bible students out there, have you ever had a verse or a portion of a verse that stayed in your mind and just would not let you capture it in its entirety? Perhaps you thought of it at an awkward moment when you couldn’t look it up in your notes, find it in the Bible, or even check for it on a computer? This often happens to me when I’m driving or doing something else that I must complete. I’ve been thinking about this subject for more than two weeks – off and on, of course.

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A growing church trend today

Many things come to my mailbox, desk and computer every day concerning “religion,” a word I don’t really like very much. Because I have written in this realm for many years, I suppose my name is on a lot of mailing lists, and some still rely on the U.S. Postal Services to deliver their goodies to my door. Some are interesting while others are dumb. Much of it goes to File No. 13 after I have scanned through each piece, but some of it garners a second read and goes to one of the incoming boxes on my desk.

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Failure to lead

Like many Beaumont residents, we at The Examiner hailed the appointment of Dr. Timothy Chargois — and the unanimous BISD board vote that approved it – as a hopeful sign that perhaps a new day was on the horizon for the troubled district.

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You really didn’t build that

I’ve been struck lately by how quickly each presidential campaign attacks the other for the slightest misstatement. A most recent attack on President Obama grew out of his remark that none of us got to be successful on our own.

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