Voter logic is puzzling



The March 2 edition of the Herald-Zeitung ran two news articles: “Perry Nabs GOP Primary” and “Smith earns bid for a 13th term.”

The Perry article assigns much of the credit for Perry’s win to an “anti-Washington message” that accuses Hutchison “of being part of a big-spending crowd in the nation’s capital.”

In Comal County (according to the Herald-Zeitung), Perry received 7,660 votes while Hutchison garnered only 4,606 votes. From this, one would infer that the good citizens (at least those who vote in primaries) are fed up with those currently established in Congress whether conservative (as Hutchison is) or liberal.

The Smith article, on the other hand, states that “long-time U.S. Representative Lamar Smith won the Republican Primary election … by a wide margin.” Smith won 82 percent of the vote, according to the article. Lamar Smith has held the office since 1986 — 24 consecutive years. He is truly an “insider” inside Washington if there ever was one; elected again and again and again.

His opponent, Schoppe, an “outsider,” never-been-to-Washington, not a part of the establishment and he only manages 14,000 votes while Smith swept up 60,000.

How is it that the majority of conservative voters are “agin” Hutchison, the Washington insider (that’s why they voted for Perry), but they are overwhelmingly “fer” Lamar Smith, the quintessential Washington insider (24 years of the “good-old-boy” D.C. club)?

Another puzzle is why many citizens apparently “buy” Perry’s contention that he is an “outsider.” He has held the office of governor, if I am not mistaken, longer than any previous governor. True, he is somewhat an “outsider” in regard to federal politics, but is also true that he is certainly an “insider” inside the government of the State of Texas.

Because I am not all that bright, perhaps that is why I fail to see any logic in all this.

It is a puzzle!

William B. Cochran

New Braunfels

Not everyone likes one-lane Plaza

For the record, please consider this a negative response to bottling down the traffic in the Plaza to one lane permanently.

The traffic in the Plaza has been a nightmare. Comparatively, I commuted from Plano to Love Field for 20 years during the a.m./p.m. “rush” hours.

Tourist season will be a real hoot.

Who are the city officials talking to? The vast majority of people that I've spoken with who use the Plaza daily aren’t very positive.

Tom De Pippo

New Braunfels

Two-lane Plaza would be great if there were explanatory signs

If the street department had the right signage out on display having two lanes around the Plaza would be so efficient. The majority of the people from New Braunfels do not know how to maneuver through a roundabout.

Going to one lane is just a bad idea. More signs and information would be the correct way of handling this problem.

Christopher Farias

New Braunfels

Association of Realtors supports historic districts if property rights are respected

Recently, a consideration for a Historical District application has brought much attention to this issue and the rights of property owners. Any misconception or misinformation regarding the New Braunfels Canyon Lake Association of Realtors as being against Historic Districts is an incorrect assessment.

We, on the contrary, are one of the few Associations that have taken an oath to support American property rights. Whether we agree or disagree with a position of use, we believe that all Americans have undisputed rights that may only be taken by acts of government within rules, guidelines, or sustainable law and/or by voluntary means.

In the case of the Magazine Historic District creation, we had numerous property owners contact us stating they did not want to be included and they felt the process was unfair. After review, we took action on their behalf, because the process only required 51 percent of the proposed District sign a petition to get on the Council’s agenda and that appeared to be enough to move it forward to create.

Our concerns were these: Are 17 of 33 property owners enough to take away some of your rights? Is it enough or should it require their personal signatures or affidavits or just a mail out? We support any neighborhood that wishes to change its status as long as it done in a fair, forthright manner. The property owners even asked to be exempted until time of transference of ownership, but this was not an option.

We support Historical District formations and we support the rights of those who do not want to join. It is really an issue of how it occurs.



Mark Hampton

D. Lee Edwards

Co-Chairs Governmental Affairs Committee

New Braunfels Canyon Lake

Association of Realtors

Column missed World War dates

I always enjoy the columns of Myra Lee Adams Goff describing the early history of New Braunfels and the activities of the Sophienburg, and I have never had reason to doubt the accuracy of her commentary.

But in her Tuesday column (“Scrapbooks and Diaries”), she has the First World War ending in 1916 and the Second World War beginning in 1941. Really, this is revisionist history of a high order. Scholars have long agreed that WW1 did not end until November 1918, and WWll began in September 1939.

If Ms. Goff has evidence to back her statement, she will set the historical community on its ear.

Of course, we can all hold only so much data in our head. It may be that Ms. Goff, steeped in life in the nineteenth century, finds dates in the twentieth century not worth bothering about.

And I can sympathize with that.

Arthur Williams

Canyon Lake

One-lane Plaza is a terrible idea

I do not approve of the one lane around the Plaza, because the added congestion will only hurt the downtown area. There are several potential problems the city council should consider before implementing this plan.

First, how is the added congestion downtown going to affect business? Personally, I usually go to either Granzin’s BBQ, Crosswalk Coffee, Union Street Station or El Tapatio several times a week for breakfast or lunch. Now, I avoid downtown and the traffic congestion.

Second, wait until Wurstfest and see the line of cars backed up onto I-35. Last year, I sat out in front of On the Half Shell Oyster Bar and watched the two lanes of traffic back up from the Plaza to Sonic. Now, imagine with only one lane, traffic will be backed up onto I-35 possibly all the way to the Highway 46 exit. How many traffic accidents will occur because traffic is stopped on a major Interstate?

Finally, I observe traffic at St Peter & Paul School when the kids are being picked up, and watch the line of cars backed up from the Plaza into their parking lot.

Wait for a big funeral at Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home and see how far traffic will be backed up.

In closing, do not make a decision about our town’s future without getting some first-hand knowledge of the situation and the potential long term impact your decision has on the future of our town.

Mark Sewell

New Braunfels

Find More
Letters in
Archive