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<br />For those of you new to this page,
<br />each year I offer some suggestions
<br />as to what gifts you, the giver, might
<br />want want to get for me, the worthy
<br />recipient. Bear in mind these are just
<br />suggestions. If you've already
<br />braved the malls or sent your credit
<br />card number in to E-Bay, no prob-
<br />lem. I'm simply trying to help those
<br />who are still searching for that
<br />perfect gift -- for me.
<br />Let me say right up front that I've
<br />heeded your not-so-subtle admoni-
<br />
<br />snItty ana not DUY mem lOT lilt:.
<br />Howev~r, I've decided to change
<br />the playing field a little. No longer
<br />am I making suggestions straight
<br />from the Neiman Marcus catalog or
<br />the Robb Report gift list. As I grow
<br />in sophistication, I broaden my
<br />scope. So we'll look at a few
<br />alternative opportunities, starting
<br />with a company known as Frontgate
<br />(for convenience, you can go to
<br />frontgate.com).
<br />Please note that I skipped right
<br />
<br />un; LIlli.!; 1.3 .1.l.lV.l"-' UJ.U.U "1.'-'".1. ...""...... ..............
<br />and exquisite in every sense of the
<br />word." I'm not sure the term
<br />"exquisite" would fit anything we
<br />might have to put into this armoire,
<br />no matter what height it might be, so
<br />I'll pass.
<br />Before we leave the Gifts For Her
<br />category, if you're looking for a
<br />change of direction in your life,
<br />searching for a new companion but
<br />not sure how to let your current
<br />squeeze down gently, I've got a
<br />
<br />
<br />Dear Editor:
<br />
<br />I have felt for a long time that
<br />some of the city ordinances are so
<br />unnecessary and just cost citizens
<br />more money.
<br />All I want to do is build a wash-
<br />room between the house and the
<br />garage, and suddenly it's an act of
<br />Congress. I have to have a survey
<br />done, so I call the only surveyor in
<br />town and he wants to charge me
<br />$1,000. No way am I going to pay
<br />that, so I called and got three other
<br />prices of between $300 and $500,
<br />but when they find out it's in La
<br />Porte they don't show up. So, I don't
<br />have a washroom. It's ridiculous.
<br />Now, after talking to some people,
<br />I also feel it is used for citizens to
<br />get to other citizens. When I was on
<br />the Board of Adjustments we had a
<br />man come before us and ask that he
<br />be able to keep the room he had
<br />built on his house for his family that
<br />had moved in. Well, we had to turn
<br />him down because it didn't meet the
<br />criteria needed to be allowed to be
<br />there. The reason it was turned into
<br />the city was because a neighbor had
<br />a gripe with him because of cars in
<br />the street. It just broke my heart to
<br />have to turn him down, but I didn't
<br />have any choice. The city would not
<br />have known anything about it but
<br />for the upset neighbor.
<br />I understand the city is trying to
<br />
<br />A Giant Of
<br />
<br />The Nano- World
<br />
<br />Under the nurturing gaze of his
<br />mother, he peered through the
<br />eyepiece of a microscope and saw a
<br />whole universe: paramecia, diatoms,
<br />and amoebas -- the various single-
<br />celled organisms they had collected
<br />together in a nearby pond.
<br />To most of us, the many creatures
<br />he found in just a drop of water
<br />would be too small to notice, too
<br />insignificant to make us pause and
<br />consider them further. But, for Dr.
<br />Smalley, microscopic things held
<br />gigantic possibilities. Those pond
<br />creatures were actually among the
<br />
<br />L':~_.......4- .....L.:............. 1..... ........A;o.A ThA 1.1'''';_
<br />
<br />condemn a house that belongs to an
<br />elderly couple that had to move in
<br />with their son for awhile because of
<br />serious health problems. My under-
<br />standing is a neighbor called in
<br />about it because he didn't like a bad
<br />looking house near his' beautiful
<br />home. This neighbor has also been
<br />turned in because of numerous
<br />exotic animals, and he still has these
<br />animals.
<br />I am ashamed that this town is
<br />turning against this lovely couple
<br />couple that is elderly, ill and on a
<br />fixed income. We should be helping
<br />them, not hurting them even more.
<br />Before this started against this
<br />couple, I believe in July there was a
<br />house on East Main that was on the
<br />list to be addressed as in need of
<br />being torn down. But this house
<br />belongs to a prominent family in La
<br />Porte. So my question is, are you
<br />moving as aggressively on that
<br />house?
<br />.A lady called me the other day
<br />concerned about a particular deci-
<br />sion. It seems she owns property
<br />that someone wants to buy, so he
<br />called the city and complained
<br />about trash in her fenced-in back-
<br />yard, thinking she couldn't get it
<br />cleaned up in time -- or just to
<br />harass her.
<br />It appears you can do anything
<br />with your property as long as you
<br />don't tick someone off, because if
<br />
<br />CAPITOL
<br />COMMENT
<br />
<br />
<br />you do, then the city will jump. This
<br />is not fair and not right. I really
<br />think the city ordinances should be
<br />reviewed and made to be less of a
<br />hardship on the citizens.
<br />If the city wants a survey, then the
<br />city should get it done. I would
<br />wager you could contract with
<br />someone and get it done for a lot
<br />less than we can.
<br />If I may, it was just brought to my
<br />attention a few days ago: A friend of
<br />mine called about her 95-year-old
<br />grandmother who had fallen and cut
<br />her eyelid. She could not get ahold
<br />of her family, so she called 911. The
<br />ambulance was dispatched and they
<br />took her to the hospital for stiches.
<br />She got a $900 bill from the city.
<br />I asked our EMS service what
<br />their base rate is, and depending on
<br />the call, it's about $788. In checking
<br />around I got a variety of prices,
<br />mostly between $300 and $500 for
<br />the base rate. I can't imagine what
<br />the bill would be if it was something
<br />serious, with all of the add-ons. I
<br />feel this base rate is extremely high.
<br />
<br />Barbara Norwine
<br />
<br />(Editor's Note: Since Mrs.
<br />Norwine asks a number of ques-
<br />tions in her letter, we have asked
<br />Wayne Sabo, the City of La Porte
<br />planning director, to address each
<br />one and give us a reply.)
<br />
<br />
<br />u.s~ S:ENATOR
<br />nY' BAILEY HUTCHISON
<br />
<br />hard sciences. He was a very gener-
<br />ous man. Rather than seeking to
<br />maximize the profits he might have
<br />rn!:tlA~ non 'h;~ nAn1 ...1ic:onn.UO""';l hA 'I"'I.....n._
<br />
<br />doctors, scientists, and engineers
<br />who are recognized as leaders
<br />through membership in the national
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