The Daily Drive

Commentary
By Bill Peterson
Monday, we celebrated Presidents Day, which is supposed to save us from burning two days observing the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and George Washington (Feb. 22). The History Channel regaled us with a nifty little set of documentaries entitled "The Presidents."

The History Channel didn't show the entire series, apparently, knocking off for a show about the special effects on "Star Wars" for prime time. But we saw the lackluster, forgotten presidents of the 19th century, which reminded us that the presidency is as much about accidental fortune as individual heroism.

One of the more delicious circumstances occurred in 1881, which we might call The Year of Three Presidents. The story really begins with the administration of Union war hero U.S. Grant, who lost credit because his cronies scandalized his administration.

In 1876, the presidency turned to Rutherford Birchard Hayes from Fremont, OH. Hayes won a brokered election, losing the popular vote to New York's Samuel B. Tilden by 250,000 votes. However, the electoral votes from four states were in question until Republicans in Congress made a deal with Southern Democrats. In exchange for Hayes taking the presidency, he would appoint one Southerner to his cabinet and pull Northern troops from the South.

So, Hayes took over and pursued civil service reform, a hot issue in light of Grant's Administration. Hayes went so far as to challenge New York Senator Roscoe Conkling by firing the chief collector at the New York customs house, a fellow named Chet Arthur.

But the end of Reconstruction didn't go well from the Republican standpoint, so the party refused Hayes another nomination and gave it to Ohio Republican James A. Garfield, who took the oath on March 4, 1881. The new president was a uniquely qualified man – a college president, minister and Major General in the Union Army. But Garfield didn't last very long. He died on Sept. 2, 1881 after being shot by a whackjob named Charles Giteau, who wanted a patronage job.

Into the presidency stepped Garfield's vice president, none other than Chester Alan Arthur. And Arthur, of all people, a creation of political cronyism, now is regarded by historians as a champion of civil service reform for passing the Pendleton Civil Service Act. Arthur avoided his old allies, especially Conkling, and remade himself as president.

Few presidents have taken office so distrusted. When Arthur became president, many feared civil service reform was dead. Instead, somehow, Arthur summoned the credibility to complete the job. Even Mark Twain went so far as to say, "It would be hard indeed to better President Arthur's administration." And no one ever grew crazier sideburns, by the way.

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February 20, 2008 23:48 - No Faulk, no problem

By Bill Peterson
BUDA – Remember when we used to sing Sharon Faulk's praises because no other non-incumbent would run for city council? Last year, Buda wouldn't have even held a city council election if Faulk hadn't run.

Even though Faulk never stood any chance of winning a seat, she at least forced some campaign conversation about what was happening in Buda. That’s a fine public service in its own right.

By a couple accounts, Faulk has moved away from Buda in the last year. Apparently, she has sought a chillier climate.

But talk about Buda’s direction and future is buzzing so hard that the May 10 city council election is drawing takers even without her. Already, Buda is in for two interesting elections, and there could be more to come.

Former Buda Mayor Billy Gray has filed to run for the new council seat provided in the city charter passed last November. Gray held that august position as a regionalist from 2000-2002, an ice age ago in Buda city politics.

Back then, Buda elections and councils tended to divide between those sympathetic to growth somewhat in concert in Kyle, and those who wished to slow growth as much as possible. That paradigm, a casualty of demography, went away within a couple years after the last hard-core no-growthers either were voted off or left on their own. With the inevitability of history, growth has proved itself a larger force than anyone around here.

Gray joins the chase for Place 6 against two unknowns, Todd Ruge and Scott Dodd. Ruge, who filed last week, is an operator at Freescale. He has lived in town for a little more than two years. Dodd, who lives in Whispering Hollow, lists his occupation as project manager. He has lived in Buda for 14 months.

Meanwhile, Councilmember Hutch White formally filed this week to run for mayor against Mayor Pro Tem Bobby Lane. Don't be too surprised to hear of more filings for mayor.

The other two council seats each have one filing. Former Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) Chairman Ron Fletcher has filed for the seat being vacated by Lane. Jardine's financial officer Kelly Allen is filed for the council seat to be vacated by White. Neither has drawn an opponent.

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February 21, 2008 23:35 - The Democrats debate

Commentary
By Bill Peterson
Thursday evening's debate at the University of Texas between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama was not a great, history-making occasion. It's one presidential debate out of dozens to be conducted this year, it produced no clear moments of memory and it probably didn't change anyone's mind about who to support in the March 4 Democratic primary.

But it certainly brought into focus the pathos of Democratic presidential politics, where the establishment is never far from extinction. It also illustrates a dispositional divide between Democrats and Republicans.

In short, it's more than a coincidence that the Republicans gave George Bush's son two terms, and the Democrats won't even give Bill Clinton's wife one.

Once upon a time, America's general voting majority was the New Deal coalition consisting of Southern whites, Jews, the intelligentsia, African Americans, urban ethnics and organized labor. The Democrats won seven of nine presidential elections that way, until George Wallace ran as an independent in 1968, carried most of The South and helped Richard Nixon into the White House.

A de-alignment ensued in the 1970s, then the Republicans defined a new majority of business, Christian fundamentalists and Southerners with Ronald Reagan's election in 1980. Ever since then, the Republicans have won with the lineage from Reagan to his vice president, Bush, to Bush's son. The Republicans know exactly what they are – neocons, theocons and radical tax haters – and nothing else is good enough to carry the flag. Much as the Republicans hate to stray, though, the lineage has run out and they've got nowhere else to turn, so they're settling for John McCain.

Perhaps that means the Democrats are about to take their turn, but not unless they can define a majority that wins in the absence of complete voter disgust with Republican excesses. Of course, the Democrats apparently have no interest in defining that majority. Instead, they pray that fortune will save them – either a demographic shift or a complete unknown who they can't butcher for the flaws in his record.

It was Jimmy Carter in 1976, Bill Clinton in 1992 and, now, Barack Obama, fresh from nowhere, a candidate immune to criticism because he's such a fine speaker and no one knows a thing about him. The Democrats won't hitch their star to Bill Clinton because, whatever his successes, he was a compromiser who has discredited himself in various other ways, including his boorish behavior during the present campaign. Hillary Clinton is guilty by association, among other reasons.

So, the Democrats will turn to the new guy, and he'll probably win because the Republicans don't have an old guy. Well, John McCain is old. But he's no Reagan.

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February 23, 2008 22:05 - 100 years of Buda school

By Bill Peterson
BUDA – The little school downtown has stood for 80 years and still is going strong after renovations.

It's now Buda Elementary School, but just two generations ago, it was Buda High School, and the junior high and the elementary school. When Buda High School breathed its last in 1968, all grades included about 300 students. Now, as one of seven elementaries in the Hays CISD, Buda Elementary accounts for more than 600 students.

The school recently received an historic designation and unveiled its marker on the morning of Feb. 22 before a throng if five or six dozen community leaders, school officials and interested alumni.

"This school is so big in the lives of so many people," said long-time former principal Nolan Kunkel, for whom the school's auditorium is named. The auditorium, beautifully restored five years ago, has been a mainstay of Buda life for decades. The city council used to meet there before renovating city hall in 2003.

Moe Johnson, founding superintendent of Hays CISD in 1967, recalled his days as a student at the old Buda school in the 1940s. Johnson said he once was expelled for three days because he was preparing the school's outdoor basketball court for a game and was therefore late to a meeting.

Johnson said he managed to conceal his expulsion from his parents because the bus driver took him to and from school, anyway.

"I never told them until I was in the army, and they still punished me," Johnson said.

The Buda school system was formed in the late 19th century as an amalgamation of numerous little schools in the area. A school was erected on the present Buda Elementary site in 1908, 100 years ago, but that building burned down and the present structure went up in 1928.

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February 24, 2008 22:51 - There's a reason

Commentary
By Bill Peterson
KYLE – Hays County Judge Liz Sumter (D-Wimberley) kept her appointment to meet with Kyle citizens from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday. And, at the crack of four, she said, "It's 4 o'clock," and she was out of there.

As Sumter wheeled out of town after a round of hostile questioning, Kylites found her composure every bit as baffling as her explanations. Sumter raised more than one eyebrow for indicating that she wants to dedicate $8 million to U.S. 290.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Jeff Barton (D-Kyle) pulled teeth two weeks ago to win a vote for $19.5 million in revenue bonds, with $4 million going to U.S. 290 and much of the remainder dedicated to improvements on Interstate-35. If, indeed, Sumter can move another $4 million to U.S. 290, Kylites wished to know what would become of the I-35 projects, which also face May letting deadlines.

With about 15 minutes left in the session, Sumter asked to talk about other projects besides roads, saying it seemed as if all anyone wanted to talk about was road issues.

Almost in unison, many of the 40 people assembled said, "There's a reason for that."

So, when Sumter managed to turn the crowd away from roads, the crowd began peppering her about the January case of Florinda Martinez, who wanted a variance from the county commissioners court to install a septic system. When Martinez and her husband built their modest home on the east side of the county, they didn't know the man from whom they bought the land hadn't filed a subdivision plat with the county.

By the letter of the law, the county doesn't have to issue a permit. But it's not really the letter of the law that compelled the commissioners to deny the permit. After all, the letter of the law also allows variances for special cases, such as the Martinez case, in which the county's department heads recommended the variance.

But this commissioners court has a political problem with septic systems ever since Sumter, Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe (D-San Marcos) and Precinct 4 Commissioner Karen Ford (D-Dripping Springs) voted to revoke a septic permit for San Marcos resident Nick Ramus, who has since filed to run for Ingalsbe's seat as a Republican in November.

A foolish consistency being the hobgoblin of little minds, the same court majority figured it couldn't very well grant a variance for Martinez. Sumter told the Kyle throng that the commissioners simply didn't have enough information to grant a variance for Martinez, prompting residents to protest that a competent county judge could develop that information quickly and come back with the right decision.

The session continued with Kyle residents disparaging Sumter's leadership and Sumter arguing her case. But then 4 o'clock came along, and that was quittin' time.

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