Perspectives

Dear Heloise: My coffee comes out terrible. I’ve changed coffee brands, used cold tap water and distilled water, and measured my coffee grounds carefully, yet I always get such a nasty bitter taste to my coffee. What am I doing wrong? -- C.N., in Texas C.N., are you cleaning your coffeepot carefully and using the right grind for your coffeepot? I’ve found that when coffee starts to taste a little “off,” it’s usually due to a buildup of coffee oils.

In the late 1960s I took an elective in college called Chinese History. It was a time of the Vietnam War and something else not noted much in the Western World called The Chinese Cultural Revolution. It lasted from 1966 to 1976. Its stated goal was to preserve Chinese socialism by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society. In reality, it was to consolidate the supreme power of Mao Zedong.

Things are heating up in our State Capitol, and I’m working each day to champion conservative legislation that secures a bright future for rural Texas. Right now, hundreds of bills are being reviewed in committees, tackling critical issues from border security to public education and delivering much-needed property tax relief.