Friday’s Odds and Ends

Wasn’t it just last year when Texas Governor Rick Perry was running for re-election that he repeatedly said he was not going to run for president? Maybe he meant just not in the near future which translated into, “not until after I’m elected governor.”

I, for one, will not vote for someone who is not a man of his word. Oops, that leaves out most political candidates.Is there someone out there who will say what he means, and then do what he says?


As this awful heat wave blankets Texas, parts of the Midwest, and all of the deep south, heat advisories are the lead on the evening news. Followed by the number of people who have died because of heat-related issues. A recent broadcast news story was about pre-season football practice for high school. college and pro athletes, and how many have died because of excessive heat. The newscaster said that coaches are not sure how to deal with the problem because there are no written guidelines.

Ummm, has anyone not heard of using some COMMON SENSE? Yes, I am shouting. I was shouting when I heard the story on the news and my husband told me to calm down before I broke something. I think he was protecting his beloved TV from the shoe I wanted to throw at it.

Surely the game of football is not so important that it is worth risking another life. At least three heat-related deaths on practice fields have been reported in the past week, two high-school football players from Georgia and a coach in Texas. Four high school players in Arkansas were hospitalized for dehydration on Wednesday.

According to a newsstory from CNN, some experts say that parents should petition for rules to protect their children from this danger, otherwise the danger will continue.

Why wait? Surely the game of football is not so important that it is worth risking another life. If coaches and athletic directors don’t have enough sense to curtail these practices without a piece of paper telling them to do so, parents should pull their kids from the program. I would chain my kid to the bedpost before I would let him or her take such a risk. I wouldn’t want to be the next mother crying on national television because my son or daughter died for the sake of a game.

Speaking of the heat. In Texas consumers pay an extra dollar a month on their electric bills, and the money is to go into a fund to assist the poor and elderly pay their electric bills. We were given the impression this was a protected fund, but in reality much of it has been diverted to balance the state budget. This year $130 million has been collected for energy-bill assistance, but only $28 million has been provided to those in need. This despite the fact that the need has risen.

This is so unconscionable, I don’t even know how to respond, except to say, “Shame on you, Texas legislature.”