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BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2008
Opinions
“Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent. ”
- Henry Ward Beecher -
Chris Bridges, editor • Email: cbridges@barrowjournal.com
our views
Apartment
projects need
close look
WHAT IS the future of hous
ing in Barrow County? While
that may seem like a remote
concern today given the hous
ing bust and general economic
downturn, it is a key question
Barrow County citizens need to
consider.
Last week, the Barrow County
Board of Commissioners
approved a controversial zoning
change for a large development
that dropped 48 single-family
houses from the plan and added
264 apartments instead.
The developer asked for the
zoning change because of the
housing slump, saying it would
be easier to market apartments
than houses. The move was
opposed by the county planning
board, which recommended
denial of the zoning change. It
was also opposed by the Barrow
County School System.
In the developer’s presenta
tion to the BOC, attorney John
Stell argued that the apartments
would “cause less sprawl” and
would not impact local schools
as much as houses, saying peo
ple without children are more
likely to rent apartments.
Perhaps on a national scale,
that is the case. Certainly in col
lege towns like nearby Athens,
apartment rentals have fewer
children.
But in Barrow County, it’s dif
ficult to determine exactly what
the demographic of apartment
rentals will become. It’s not a
college community, nor is it an
urban area that attracts young
professionals. Stell told the BOC
that he thought those 264 apart
ments would have less than
50 students in Barrow County
schools.
Maybe, but that seems unlikely
given Barrow’s location, demo
graphics and growth history. In
recent years, Barrow has attract
ed a lot of young families and
has a median age of 32 com
pared to the national average
of 36.4. It’s likely that given the
economic downturn and tighter
credit markets, young families
in Barrow County will move to
apartments in the next few years
more than Stell suggested.
Regardless, the impact on
schools is just one issue the com
munity should consider as it pon
ders other proposed apartment
projects. As a recent Harvard
study shows, the demographic
divide between homeownership
and renters is becoming more
and more significant.
A community cannot build
long term wealth or grow leader
ship off of rental housing.
The Barrow Journal
Winder, Barrow County, Ga.
www.BarrowJournal.com
Mike Buffington Co-Publisher
Scott Buffington Co-Publisher
Chris Bridges Editor
Susan Norman Reporter
Susan Treadwell Advertising Manager
Susan Mobley Office Manager
Jeremy Ginn Marketing Manager
Jessica Brown Photographer
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The Grinch was right
“Maybe Christmas, ” he thought, “doesn’t come from
a store....Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit
more!” - the Grinch
Mr. Clark was in the Athens unemployment office the
other day. The place was full. One
of the clerks said he’s worked in that
office for 14 years and he’s “never
seen it this bad.” Usually, he said,
the Athens office sees around 1,200
people a month.
“Last month, we saw over 6,000,”
he said. “1 don’t know what we’re
going to do about finding all these
people jobs.”
According to the headlines, 1 in 10
Americans is “in mortgage trouble,”
whatever that means.
Last week, our very own Barrow
Journal reported that foreclosures in Barrow County have
jumped 80-percent in the last five months. There were 157
foreclosures in our county in October and a total of nearly
1,400 so far this year.
The headlines also say the 533,000 layoffs that occurred
nationwide in November were the “most in 34 years.”
Not to worry, retail sales are down, too. A post-Thanks-
giving headline cries, “Nov. retail sales worst in 30 years.”
All this said, after only brief deliberation, we agreed not
to exchange Christmas gifts this year - not in the immedi
ate Clark house, or between the extended Clark family
houses.
The extended Sinn family is on the bus, as well. We
did agree that we would all probably break the rule a
bit by sending small collective boxes of things we made
ourselves on the cheap. For example, I might make some
note cards with photos I’ve taken on them. Mr. Clark could
throw in some of his jalapeno hot sauce. My daughter
might add some silly self-imprinted things, like crazy
koozies or festive cocktail napkins. My daughter-in-law’s
recent association with Arbonne products could certainly
round out the low cost, but heartfelt holiday boxes we send
to the out-of-state relatives.
Within the immediate Clark family, we’ve agreed to break
the mles by exchanging coupons for various things we’ve
“been gonna’” do for each other for months. Without giv
ing away the surprises, I can say that we all have some nice
ideas for things we can do for each other that involve time
rather than money.
It may be shaping up to be a pretty good Christmas, after
all...
When we first thought of no gifts this year, it seemed like
a pretty rough prospect. I mean, Christmas - with nothing
to open?
Surprisingly, it seemed fine to us all. These tough
economic times are impacting even the still gainfully
employed pretty hard and, it turns out, most of us are just
not that excited by the prospect of another holiday season
spent roaming the aisles of Target and Macy’s hoping to
find something that communicates love (or at least warm
est regards) to each and every person on our shopping
list.
There wasn’t even any discussion.
“That sounds good to me...Yep, count us in...We have no
problem with that... ” were just a few of the reactions voiced
in family phone calls and e-mails.
And surprisingly, the prospect of a relatively non-mate
rialist Christmas has been very freeing emotionally. I am
actually feeling much more festive this year than I have in
many years and a lot of it has to do with simply knowing
that this holiday season is not going to be about gifts - at
all.
Mr. Clark put up the Christmas tree today and we hung
our wreaths and outdoor decorations. The nutcracker
collection is back up on the mantle. The angel collection
looks great, as always, on the piano. A few cinnamon and
pine scented candles set the tone in the air. And Christmas
music is pretty much all we’ll be listening to from here on
through the New Year. Who says you need to buy a bunch
of stuff to enjoy the holidays?
One of the things I like most about life are the surprises
along the way. Difficult times, problems and challenges
come to us for a reason — there is a lesson to be learned.
I can’t say that Mr. Clark’s six months (and still counting)
of unemployment have been anything but harrowing. I
can say there have already been some valuable lessons
learned. I think this Christmas of no gifts is another lesson
in the making.
After all, Christmas is not about stuff. It’s about love, and
miracles, and drawing closer together on a cold, clear
night.
Isn’t that what happened in that stable, so long ago...
and, isn’t that what we seek as we deck our halls, and
string our lights, and wander the aisles of our favorite
department store?
The Grinch was right.
Christmas doesn’t have to come from a store. And, yes,
it does mean a good bit more.
Lorin Sinn-Clark is a columnist for the Barrow Journal.
She can be reached at lorin@barrowjournal.com.
Where is leadership during budget crisis?
AT A TIME when Georgia is facing the worst economic
downturn since the Great Depression and has to deal with
a budget deficit of $2 billion or more, what has been the
response of our political leadership?
Let’s put it this way: there is definitely room for improve
ment.
The Legislative Services
Committee, whose member
ship includes the top leaders of
the state Senate and House of
Representatives, voted last week
to defer a 3 percent cost-of-living
pay increase that lawmakers were
scheduled to receive in 2009. They
made it sound as if they were mak
ing a huge personal sacrifice for
Georgia’s taxpayers.
“As we face tremendous budget
challenges, it is appropriate that we
do our part,” said Sen. Eric Johnson
(R-Savannah), the outgoing Senate
president pro tern who plans to run for lieutenant governor
in 2010.
How much of a sacrifice are we really talking about?
Deferring the salary increase will cost each lawmaker
about $525 next year - or about $124,000 total for the entire
General Assembly. The budget now exceeds $21 billion a
year, so the legislative reduction will amount to less than
one-thousandth of one percent of total state spending.
As my accountant friend would say, that’s not even a
rounding error. It’s certainly a nice symbolic gesture, but
it won’t get you close to making up a $2 billion budget
deficit.
The legislative leadership could have made a bigger dent
in state spending if they had called a special session during
the fall and started some serious discussions about which
programs should be cut and which should be retained.
They declined to call a special session prior to Nov. 4
because they were all running for reelection to another
two-year term. That’s an understandable reason for not
acting on the budget crisis. The problem is, they also
declined to call a special session after election day, appar
ently thinking they can just let the state’s problems drag on
while the economy goes deeper into the tank.
Evidently, a deferred pay raise is the most we’re going
to see from our lawmakers. How about the state’s chief
executive, Gov. Sonny Perdue?
His department heads are actually talking about budget
cuts and one of them resulted in the closing of an assisted
living facility in Milledgeville where more than 80 military
veterans were trying to live out their final years. The vet
erans were told to find new residences by Thanksgiving,
because after that they would be evicted.
The savings to the state from shutting down that veterans’
facility totaled about $2.7 million. It seems like a harsh way
to save a few dollars, but these are hard times we’re fac
ing and sometimes budget cuts are going to hurt people.
There’s just no way to avoid that reality.
Of course, Perdue could have saved even more money
if he had canceled the ill-fated “Go Fish” program that he
announced last year to great fanfare.
This initiative, which will cost taxpayers at least $19 mil
lion, authorized the construction of larger docks and boat
ramps at state reservoirs in hopes that the new facilities
would attract bass fishing tournaments. It was a great
idea, Perdue claimed, that would boost tourism and make
Georgia a destination state for all those people who just
can’t get enough professional bass fishing.
Perdue had the misfortune of proposing this wonderful
idea at the same time that a record-setting drought swept
across the state, dropping the water levels in reservoirs to
historic lows.
Two fishing tournaments that had been planned at Lake
Lanier were cancelled because of the drought and the
boost in tourism spending that Go Fish would bring about
doesn’t seem to have happened. But that hasn’t stopped
Perdue from plunging ahead with plans to build a new visi
tors center and hatchery to support the fishing program in
Houston County. The cynical among us would note that
Houston also happens to be the county where Perdue was
born, raised, and first elected to the Legislature.
So, with the next session of the General Assembly soon
upon us, here’s the tally on how our political leadership is
dealing with a huge budget deficit: they’ve deferred a small
pay raise for legislators and they’ve kicked 81 veterans out
of an assisted living facility.
That would reduce the budget deficit to about
$1,997,000,000. I’m sure they’ll be able to take care of that
with little trouble.
Tom Crawford is the editor of Capitol Impact’s Georgia
Report. He can be reached at taawford@capitolimpacL
net.
Parades can
provide sense
of town unity
THE RECENT Christmas parade
in downtown Winder officially ush
ered in the holiday season.
I know the
decorations
have been
out for some
time in quite
a few homes
and the
Christmas
lights in the
downtown
area have
been piercing
the night sky
for several
weeks now.
However, it seems the parade
(the 60th annual event took place
Dec. 6) always turns up the fes
tive atmosphere another notch
and such was the case on a cold,
December afternoon recently.
When you think about it, parades
and holiday events often go hand
in hand. I still remember growing
up in my hometown and enjoy
ing an annual parade each fall as
part of a community gathering we
called the “Deer Festival.” It seems
if you are from a small town, you
can tell tales of events which are
usually culminated with parades.
While Winder is certainly larger
than my hometown of Monticello,
located in Middle Georgia, the
Christmas parade still has the
same feel to it. Traffic comes to
a halt in the downtown area and
many make it a family event each
year.
Parades like the one we enjoyed
in Winder earlier this month have
“Americana” written all over them.
Whether they are signaling the
arrival of Christmas or celebrate
the Fourth of July, hometown
parades, to me, are as American as
Old Glory waving in the breeze.
It’s something that crossed my
mind recently when the 60th annu
al Christmas parade was enjoyed
by all those who braved the ele
ments.
• • •
Hearing the news of the pass
ing of WSB radio personality Mike
Kavanaugh recently took me back
some 18 years.
At the time, I was a college
student and was freelancing high
school football games on Friday
night. Admittedly, I was probably
one of the few 19-year-olds whose
radio spent any time on the AM
dial, but WSB radio was must lis
tening for me at the time.
On Friday nights after the game
I attended was over, I would call
the WSB newsroom and report the
score of the game. Kavanaugh was
working the news desk on those
Friday nights some 18 years ago
and it got to the point where he
recognized my voice when I would
say, “I have a high school football
score to report.”
For someone trying to get a foot
in the journalism door, to be even
be able to speak with someone
with the status Kavanaugh held
meant something. While I never
met him in person, I will always
remember the why he treated me
like a fellow professional when
I dialed in. It was only a simple
high school football score, but
Kavanaugh made me feel like I was
reporting something truly news
worthy.
Kavanaugh, only 57, died unex
pectedly of a heart attack on his
birthday recently. He had logged
decades as a broadcaster and was
also one of the best financial plan
ners in the field. Years after our
Friday night phone conversations
I would laugh to myself when I
would think how he would have
disapproved of how I don’t handle
my money wisely.
A generation has passed since
our brief Friday night phone con
versations, but Kavanaugh’s voice
always took my back to that part
of life which truly seems ages ago
now. His passing, in some small
way, took a part of me with him.
Chris Bridges is editor of the Barrow
Journal. E-mail comments about this
column to cbridges@barrowjournai
com.
Ah
chris
bridges