Columns/Opinions

by Pam Kumpe

We hear a lot these days about the younger generation, those so called “millennials” and even younger and how our kids have developed a sense of entitlement, so much so that the future of our country seems in perilous straits because of this one generation.

I do not believe that to be the truth at all, in fact, if we look around, the world is going to Hell in a handbasket pretty much because of all of us. While I tend to believe us older folks are a little more grounded, and quite a bit more responsible, I still remember the days of my late teens and early 20’s when I was of just about as much use to the world in general as a pet rock.

It does seem to me though that the younger generation of today, even down to middle school aged kids, have an increased sense of the “gimme gimme” syndrome and an aura about them that seems to send the message that they don’t think they should be punished for anything and that their actions should carry no consequences.

By Kenny Mitchell

Pubisher

Last night was a monumental night for the City of New Boston. It was monumental not for the awards, or the meal, or the speakers, or even the prize drawings, but rather, it was a special night because of the overwhelming sense of pride and unity in a community.

It was a night that saw the New Boston Chamber of Commerce banquet fill the fellowship hall at First Baptist Church, for a diverse crowd of people to sit in a Baptist Church and listen to a Methodist preacher.

It was a night that saw businesses line the hallways before the banquet, all giving out freebies and taking names for prize giveaways, that had banks set up next to other banks, authors talking to other authors, and the newspaper from down the road taking pictures of our newspaper, all without any dissention, tension or apprehension.

Dirt.

In my line of work, it never ceases to amaze that it is so easy to come up with the dirt. Just about every single day someone will call, message or text me to make sure I am aware of what so and so is doing, or what is wrong in their world, and then ask, “why can’t the newspaper do something about it.”

This week alone there has been stories of black mold in the classroom, back door dealings at City Hall, John Doe was caught with Jane Doe, and the list goes on and on.

American journalist Hunter Thompson once said, “If I'd written all the truth I knew for the past ten years, about 600 people - including me - would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle today. Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism.”

There is a lot to be said about putting feet to words and letting our actions speak for us, instead of having an opinion without any real concern.

Real concern takes action. Real concern means putting some effort into your beliefs rather than just surfing social media for a bandwagon to jump on and spewing your thoughts to an audience that could care less what you think.

Real concern for a Christian should always be backed up with footsteps. There is an old song from years back that said “faith without works is like a screen door on a submarine” and another that says “luv is a verb.” It is just pretty pointless to have an opinion, if you aren’t going to back it up by doing something.

This morning I read a piece from a young lady that feels the same way, and she has some insight into the subject that is possibly the best I have seen in a long time.

There is no doubt in my mind that when a dilemma comes to the forefront, the best solution will be found in our guidebook, the Bible.

So when a group of folks around town come to me repeatedly about things going on that are no doubt wrong, the best place to go for an answer is found there.

Today, the answer was found in Proverbs 13:24 which reads, “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.”

That pretty much sums it up and is an impossible axiom to argue with for anyone.

All of the rioting and protesting going on around the country can be traced back to this in some aspects I think, in that, if a young person grew up never knowing consequences for bad behavior as a child, they don’t expect there to be any as an adult.

I actually have a very good case in point with one of my own children.

By Connie Pinkham

I have often said that a beauty salon is a nasty place.  It is very difficult to keep clean.  I have seen hair hanging from ceiling tiles.  (…how in the world it gets up there is beyond me.)

Long hairs are not so hard to deal with, but the little tiny pieces of cut hair are next to impossible to completely remove from the floors. (…just ask that man of mine who so vigorously helps me with that kind of thing.)

A few times a year, we have a person from Texas Department of License and Regulations visit us.  That person will check to see if our salon is meeting the requirements of the state. 

I want to abide by the rules.  I don’t understand or agree with all of them, but they are the laws.  While I do try to keep them, it makes all of us nervous when we see that person walk in the door with clipboard in hand.  I always breathe a sigh of relief when it is over and we have passed the inspection.

Flawed. Biased. Unfair.
Those are a few of the words that most come to mind when talking about the new school district grading system just released by the Texas Education Association.
This new rating system, based on A-F scores, is really a lot simpler than those words though, it is downright idiotic.
First of all, and most importantly, it is an outright assault on our teachers and the hours and hours of work that they do every year to try and educate our children. The morons in Austin that came up with this codswallop have no idea what it takes to educate and they obviously don’t care.
What they do care about is the almighty dollar, and let’s face it, what everything always boils down to is the money, especially when it comes to politicians. But on this deal, when you get ready to place blame, line your sights up on Dan Patrick. This is his baby and it is all about promoting his agenda for school vouchers for private schools and the affluent.

by Pam Kumpe

Excuse me sir, Could you remove that tumor from your ear?

Most of us today live our lives with a cell phone attached to our ear for most of the day. Even in our recent letters to Santa, many of the elementary aged kids in our area asked Santa Claus for I-phones for Christmas.

While that is a whole other story, it is a fact that we live in a world that is driven by technology, and most of us are guilty of being too tied to our devices,

I am no different, and therefore you must know that currently there is a piece missing from the normal day to day existence I call life.

My cell phone is dead.

Yep, bit the dust for no reason at all, ceased having a pulse a couple of days ago, and no manner of electrical CPR has been able to revive it. So-called experts say it has flatlined and the only hope is a new one.