Today's Feature
Condemnation
Vote Scheduled.
The City Council is scheduled
to take a final vote this evening on Council bill
00-77 that would declare a public necessity for
acquisition by condemnation proceedings of
property to be used for a Carthage Municipal
Airport. Approximately 200 acres just north of
the City would be affected.
The City Council has generally
supported acquiring a new airport site for the
last several years. Nearly a half-million dollars
was set aside in the budget for the purchase of
land and a lengthy appraisal process was
undertaken. The progress toward the actual
purchase stalled when property owners of the
proposed site declined offers to purchase based
on the appraisals.
The Council bill to begin
condemnation proceedings narrowly made it to the
Council floor when Mayor Kenneth Johnson voted in
favor and broke a 5-5 tie vote in closed session
on the question of whether to proceed. Council
members voting in favor were Larry Ross, Jackie
Boyer, Art Dunaway, Lujene Clark and Don
Stearnes. Voting against were H.J. Johnson,
Charlie Bastin, Bill Fortune, J.D. Whitledge and
Jim McPheeters.
Commentary
Martin
"Bubs" Hohulin
State Representative, District 126
As you probably
know, I can’t run for the House of
Representatives again after this upcoming term.
When I am gone, I sure hope some white guy takes
my place. Now that you are properly (and rightly
incensed), read on.
I have just about had it up to
here with all of the ongoing race baiting and
racism in general, and I am not talking about
what you read in the media. I am talking about
the racism coming from the minority activists.
An article in the Joplin Globe
recently illustrates what I am talking about. A
black teacher that is retiring next year was
quoted as saying that "he sure hoped that
they hired a minority to take his place."
When I read that, I couldn’t help but
imagine the outrage that would occur if a white
teacher were to say that he sure hoped that he
would be replaced by a white guy.
Of course, the Joplin Globe, as
well as other members of the mainstream media,
have to take a lot of blame themselves. The Globe
ran an article about the lack of minority
teachers in local school districts. The reaction
from the community should be ‘so what’.
If we are going to live in a color blind society,
we should never see an article like that.
The focus should have been on
why today’s students are failing despite
spending many times more money on education than
we used to. The focus should have been on the
lack of discipline because of unsupportive
parents and the meddling of the ACLU. The focus
should have been on the huge salaries paid to
unnecessary administrators that are mandated by
the state. The focus should have been on the
unnecessary rules and regulations that get in the
way of efficiently educating our kids. There
should be no mention of the color of the skin of
our educators. If a person can do the job better
than anyone else, skin color should be
irrelevant.
Unfortunately, because of
attitudes fostered by articles like the one in
the Globe, more emphasis is placed on skin color
and chromosome arrangement than on ability. That
is racism and discrimination at its worst. I
realize that what I am writing is totally
politically incorrect and that no sane politician
would say this for fear of political backlash.
The fact is, I care more about where we are
heading as a society than I do about my political
future. I am tired of politicians being scared to
say what they know is right because of who may or
may not endorse them. I am tired of the media
running ridiculous articles and no one pointing
out what nonsense it is for fear of maybe being
the next target of those who buy ink by the
barrel.
The fact is, the emperor has no
clothes and I am not afraid to say it.
We can’t have a colorblind
society if we keep nurturing the current
attitudes. We can either keep separating and
dividing, or we can recognize people as humans
and start judging and hiring on ability and
nothing else.
Right now the emperor is plumb
naked.
As usual, I can be reached at
House Post Office, State Capitol, Jefferson City,
MO 65101, or 1-800-878-7126, or
mhohulin@services.state.mo.us for your questions,
comments, or advice.
Land Transactions
Stephen M.
Howard and Judy L. Howard, husband and wife, sold
the property at 12629 State Highway 96, Carthage,
MO 64836, to Michael E. Roets and Pamela E.
Roets, husband and wife. The sale was handled by
Charles E. Elting with Donal M. Myers Realty in
cooperation with Donal M. Myers with Donal M.
Myers Realty.
Stanley Richard Jennings,
Personal Representative of the Estate of William
Marion Jennings, a.k.a. William M. Jennings, sold
the property at 1131 Forest Street, Carthage, MO
64836, to Max A. Shue and Lovinia Shue, husband
and wife. The sale was handled by Pete Randall
with Donal M. Myers Realty in cooperation with
Donal M. Myers with Donal M. Myers Realty.
On September 29, 2000, Bruce
Lombard and Stacie Lombard sold the residential
property at 1404 Glenwood to Jose Moron and Lilia
de Moron. The sale was handled by Donal M. Myers
of Donal M. Myers realty.
Robert M. Lowery purchased
property located at 2135 South Main, Carthage,
MO. The transaction was handled by Carolyn Cole
and Chuck Elting, both with Donal M. Myers
Realty.
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