Opinion

Heading off war Last week, only Josh Hawley of Missouri voted no and Rand Paul of Kentucky voted present as a bill to approve Sweden and Finland as new partners to NATO carried in the Senate 95-1-1. I am a conservative, believing strongly in the Constitution, personal freedom, smaller government, lower taxes and the rest.

Can you believe it? It’s that time of year again, budget time for our city. If you are like me, it seems that time passes by in hyperdrive, and before you know it, another year has flown by. So here we are again, as residents of Alpine, trying to predict what the next year will hold. How much revenue we will receive, and how much will our expenses be? What improvements do we want to make? Or are we happy with leaving things just as they are for another year?

I’m a lucky American. Thanks to my wife Colleen’s job as a travel agent, in the last two weeks I’ve been to Europe and back.

I tell everyone I meet that Alpine ISD is an incredible district because of the incredible people who are in it. However, this statement is incomplete. Rather, Alpine ISD is an incredible district because of the incredible people who are in it - and the incredible people who support it.

Here’s a trend that may not bode well for the future of our country. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 40% of 16- to 19-year-olds have summer jobs, down from 75% of teens a generation ago.

Our city and county governments whine every year that they need more money for this or that, and raising property taxes is their usual solution. They’re going to keep raising and raising them every year! Didn’t their parents ever tell them “Money doesn’t grow on trees,” and “You can’t get blood out of a turnip.”

People of all ages use Alpine’s parks for exercise, walking, running, skateboarding, volleyball, soccer, and Little League baseball games. The current no-alcohol use policy creates a family friendly environment that keeps Alpine’s children safe, and allows people of all ages to use the parks without concern about inappropriate behaviors resulting from alcohol consumption.

On Tuesday we dedicated the recently completed improvements to the Alpine Visitor Center, followed by a celebration with refreshments and a local music showcase. The goal of the upgrades is to make the Visitor Center more inviting and useful for Alpine’s visitors and residents.

Nothing spoils a Sunday afternoon nap quicker than waking up to a text. Especially one like this. “Hi, it’s your credit card company. Did you just make this purchase with your card ending in 1234? Company: (I never heard of them.) Approved: $350.47 Text back ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to protect your account.”

I would like to hear the reasoning for why the Alpine Elementary School, Alpine High School, and the golf course run their high volume sprinklers at hot times of the day when the strong winds are frequently evaporating a lot of that water before it even hits the grass.