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.\\,11 and Associates 502 W. 15th Street Austin, Texas 78701 REALTOR Representing Representing all types of properties in Austin and Central Texas Interesting & unusual property a specialty. 477-3651 Monopoly ‘Terrifying’ Renewal In regard to the natural gas “deregulation” debate \(TO, January 29th and Mr. Wellish miss the key point of the debate: For the customer homeowners and business alike natural gas is delivered by a monopoly. Natural gas customers cannot shift from one supplier to another, seeking a lower price. Petroleum customers can shop around for a lower price for gasoline, plastics and fertilizers. Natural gas is delivered to the consumer by a monopoly you pay what they say you must pay for this fuel. The “free enterprise motif” is sheer nonsense. I stand to be corrected, by anyone, but as I understand it, “deregulation” means shifting pricing power from public forums, such as the FERC, to private forums, such as New York corporate boardrooms. Question: why isn’t this debate being properly framed for the public? Charles R. Knerr, Associate Professor, Dept. of Political Science, UT-Arlington Pen Pal Please, for motive touristic, I wish to correspond with a Ms about 40 years old. Liking me to visit your State Texas and I wish before to know a Ms Texana. Thank you so much, the best wishes Kind regards Rag. Vittorio Conoscenti Siracusa, Italia Agreement Really enjoyed your endorsement issue. For once I totally agree with you! They’re all quality people and really worth our support. Keep up the good work and smash a “weevil” or more every now and then. The crunch is music to our ears. I keep & reread the Observer. I have a poor memory so I enjoy some things time after time. The Observer usually burns itself into my memory but it’s enjoyable later, too! Please use my check to bolster your John J. Murnin, 319 Montfort, San Antonio, TX 78216 Please pardon the delay . . . I’ve been thinking about the problems raised in your article, “A Challenge to You” \(TO Your idea to “simply commit ourselves, putting ourselves on the line, having whatever influence we have” is the only thing the individual can do. We can only influence others by precept when thought and action are one.. . I believe it is useless to look for help from the churches. They are supposedly ethics-conserving institutions, but more often than not they appear to be smugly self-satisfied social clubs . . . It is easy for a bishop to tell his parishioners to quit their jobs making bombs . . . Is the church willing to support these workers until they find some other way to make a living? .. . The churches were unable to prevent the Holocaust and even the Pope was unwilling to help the Jews in the second world war. . . . “Being a moral citizen in terrifying times” is perhaps all we can do. . . . Dora L. Skipper, 2033 McArthur Ave., Colorado Springs, Co. 80909. Hoaxed? If Kathryn Marshall received a “laconic note” on Texas Institute of Letters stationery saying, “Come home. All is forgiven” as described on page one of the Observer, April 9, 1982, she was the any of the other eight members of the TIL council \(C.W. Smith, Beverly Lowry, John Graves, A. C. Green, Stephen Harrigan, Kaye Northcott, such a note. If there was anything to forgive her for I didn’t know about it, and I doubt that the other eight had any such knowledge. As for her coming home, we believe members or ex-members of the TIL have the right to choose their place of residence anywhere in the world. One dues-paying member currently resides in Rome, Italy. Thirty-one of the other 168 members live outside of Texas. Whatever they write about in books, stories, and articles is, we presume, of their own choice, as should be the case. J.E. Weems, Secretary-Treasurer, The Texas Institute of Letters It was with great reservations that, at this time last year, I decided to go ahead and renew my subscription. I had become disillusioned over the strident, almost hysterical tone of Observer articles and editorials. I have not always agreed with The Observer on its positions, but I have always respected the journal for the reasoned, moderate manner in which its sometimes provocative ideas were presented. It seemed by last year the paper was losing the quality of reasonableness, a quality ever more rare in a world seemingly dedicated to the irrational and uncompromising. Would The Observer degenerate into another “ray” full of noise and fury and empty of substance? My hope in the paper has not been in vain, The Observer has renewed itself, bringing back the literate, thoughtful observations on Texas politics, culture and current events that attracted me to the journal in the first place. I am pleased to renew my subscription at this time and trust you will keep up the good work. Deborah Streckfus, Texas City, Texas Survival Bravo, Ronnie Dugger for apparently suggesting that the two political parties in power in this country are obsolete \(“Reagan’s ‘Other Purposes’,” Observer, thing I decided a long time ago is not to vote for another demoralized, retread Democrat, no matter how appealing \(for a vehicle at election time is a vehicle on a dead-end street. I will turn to the Citizens Party because this country’s political system must have democracy, honesty, the issues, creativity, caring. The Citizens Party is running candidates across this country and in Texas. Citizens Party members will not forgive or forget the sins of Reagan, Carter, Nixon, Johnson, et. al. The Citizens Party solutions are for the survival of all the people. Oralee B. Poteet, 2403 Shoalmont, Austin, Tx. 78756. THE TEXAS OBSERVER 23