Letters to the Editor

Questioning Electro Purification

I am curious as to just how EP plans to move these large volumes of water, both during the testing phase and when in full production. Trucking, even at the lowest volume (0.5 million gallons per day) reported, doesn’t seem practical and would probably destroy 3237/150 in short order.

That leaves magic, or a pipeline, to move the water. Would our good corporate neighbor, EP, be so kind as to share a map showing where they plan to route the pipeline, and a timetable for its construction. I would think land acquisition alone, by lease or purchase or condemnation, would take several years. Or, have enough palms been greased that this is a fait accompli like the original drilling?

I am also very interested in the “remediation” plan if EP sucks my well dry. My well, which is approximately 1500 feet from one of the EP test wells, has been a solid producer for over 40 years. If EP sucks it dry, will they punch my well down to the new aquifer level? If anyone believes this will happen, please contact me, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you.

Bob Tracy

In support of a strong library

I recently attended the farewell party at the Wimberley Village Library for Sarah Davis, who has retired after five years as Programs and Circulation Librarian. It was almost like one of those gatherings of family members who come from all over on rare occasions simply to be together on a special date, in an atmosphere of warm and spontaneous conversation about what’s been happening in each other’s lives. On this date, Library staff and volunteers remembered some of Sarah’s speakers programs and her service out front at the circulation desk. Several volunteers noted the special feeling they get at the library – the unique atmosphere this building creates among those who work or serve there. Most noticeable is the hominess of the main room - the feeling you are in an old home with a large living room with a fireplace, and friendly people who welcome you and will offer any services they can to assist you.

That atmosphere - that feeling of warmth, togetherness, support, and joy we associate with our homes – was at the heart of a comment one of the volunteers said she overheard while on the circulation desk. And as if ordained by providence, out of the mouths of babes come unforgettable gems. A child, age unknown, waiting at the check-out desk with his mother, said, “I want to live here.”

Libraries everywhere are recognized for their collections, for the openness of their interior design, for their programs and the helpfulness of their staff and volunteers. But it would be a very special one that can inspire a child to say, “I want to live here.” How privileged we are here in Wimberley that our library, its atmosphere, and most importantly, its people, can spark a gem like this. As the library moves forward with an ambitious expansion effort, we all should be inspired to support that effort and be moved to help ensure that atmosphere is maintained while new programs and community outreach services are developed.

Dell Hood

Tax cuts for corporations not what it seems

It’s good to see that Aqua Texas is passing along to their customers their savings in Federal corporation income taxes. It’s not good to see the oft-repeated meaningless description of tax burden relying only upon the fact that the maximum tax rates changed from 35% to 21%. The Federal corporation income tax actually paid varies widely both within and among industry groups because of deductions and tax credits. In 2013, the latest year available from the IRS, the overall average effective tax rate after deductions was 22.9%. After tax credits, the overall rate of taxation was 15.2%.

The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania estimates that the recent Federal corporation income tax cuts will result in an overall average effective tax rate of 9% in 2018 rising to 18% by 2017 due to expiring provisions.

Given that a substantial amount of Federal government expenditures in recent years is attributable to defense spending, it would appear that U. S. Corporations are unwilling to share very much in the cost of taking care of our war fighters both before, during and after deployment.

Mr. Merle L. Moden