Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2011
BARROW JOURNAL
PAGE 5A
Is it Smoke and Mirrors?
Georgians will get to choose on Sunday sales
Don’t you just love Earl Lee? You know
Earl. He’s the guy you see on television:
a Nashville native born to Korean parents,
but who sounds every bit as country as Zell
Miller.
Earl is a stand-up comedian who performs
clean comedy and is a whole lot fun
nier than those of his profession who
sprinkle expletives throughout their
routines. The fact that Earl doesn’t
sound at all the way he looks is the
hook. Then he has you in the floor
with his humor. He’s a surprise pack
age any way you look at it, but Earl
Lee is the genuine article: a Christian
who does not compromise his beliefs
and values for a laugh. To appreci
ate Earl, though, you have to look
beyond what you see.
People have a tendency to develop
an opinion based on what we see or
hear rather than what we know to be
true. We listen to juicy tidbits dropped by a
friend at the grocery store, rumors overheard
at the water cooler, or comments made at a
meeting - and we’re just sure we know the
whole story. We don’t stop to consider that
somebody just might have an ulterior motive
buried within their message. Read that: hid
den agenda.
We think we are nobody: that we don’t have
the power to make a difference. What we don’t
often consider is that we do, in fact, possess
in one finger the power to impact the future of
our community. We may look like a domes
tic engineer as we run around town in blue
jeans and a tee shirt, but we have the power
to change our community. Some of us may
not have graduated high school or finished
college, yet we have the ability to completely
alter the complexion of our leadership.
Too often, though, we choose to conjure up
a thousand reasons - check that: excuses - for
why we cannot step up to the plate. Some of
them are quite valid; others are only so many
words falling on unbelieving ears. The bottom
line is that we think we don’t make a differ
ence, that no one cares what we think, that
we don’t have the knowledge or background
to argue our opinion, so why bother? Yeah -
okay - you just think that.
We look around us at a lot of good stuff
blossoming amid decay, look at our personal
checkbook and say, “Gee, I wish I could be a
part of that.” We’ve heard too many make the
comment that if we don’t own property in the
business district, we have no right to say any
thing about what goes on there. Really?
Did the people who said that only own a
building? Or are they trying to do business
inside the building? ‘Cause if they’re trying
to do business, they’ll realize that they’re
going to need a whole lot more people than
just the property owners in the dis
trict to make their business success
ful. They’re going to need people
from all over to come in, make
purchases, and offer their thoughts
on what they’re offering so they
can continue to improve. My daddy
didn’t put four kids through college
by catering only to the property
owners or other business owners in
the downtown Winder area.
Similarly, we cannot look only to
local government to fix the dilem
mas in which our community finds
itself. Not to take away from anyone
at City Hall or in the Courthouse,
but when one is busy, perspective can become
a bit limited. Local government personnel
have the capability to canvass the community,
but reality dictates that they are working on
limited resources - financial and human - so
they can exist in something of a vacuum. They
don’t ask for opinions outside of their inside
circle - so they don’t realize that the public
may have a totally different take on a situation
that affects us all.
The community-at-large is bigger than a
body of elected officials. It takes input from
the people who live there. It takes partnerships
with private organizations who are interested
in the future of the town. Any elected official
or government employee who turns up his
or her nose at local groups wanting to be
involved in the future does not have your
interests at heart.
But it’s election season. Like taking a look
at Earl Lee, you’re going to see one thing only
to discover there’s something else altogether
inside. Do yourself a favor: It’s not too late
to ask questions and find out what the candi
dates are all about. After all, when they raise
their hand to vote, they impact your future
and mine.
You have the power to change the course of
events here. Get the facts. Be informed. Know
who and what you’re supporting. Then make a
difference: VOTE!
Helen Person is a Winder resident and col
umnist for the Barrow Journal. You can reach
her at helenperson@windstream.net.
Letters to the Editor
Cain deserves consideration
Dear Editor:
The American Dream is
an ideal instilled in children
across this great nation as
they make their way through
school.
We have always been taught
that hard work, persistence,
and sacrifice are the keys to
success and that, in America,
the sky is the limit in regards to
achieving that success. Today,
though, our American dream
is in jeopardy.
We live in a society of over
regulation, over taxation, and
governmental favoritism in
the business world. In 2012,
we need a President in the
White House who will lead
the charge against these things
and who will say “enough is
enough!” I believe Georgians
know Herman Cain is just the
right man for the job.
After much research on Mr.
Cain, I was very impressed to
learn that he has decades of
experience in the private sec
tor, transforming failing cor
porations into thriving busi
nesses. He has seen firsthand
the damaging effect too much
governmental intrusion can
have. His position is one in
favor of less legislation and
regulation, and lower taxes.
He knows that job creation
and economic growth hap
pen in the private sector and
that the government should be
supporting businesses, not sti
fling their potential. Despite
Mr. Cain’s impressive resume,
the mainstream media doesn’t
seem to want to give him any
attention, even though he’s
already won multiple straw
polls in several states.
We need a leader in
Washington to stand up for the
American Dream and to ensure
that the liberties and freedoms
we enjoy today will exist for
generations to come. I stand
for the American Dream, and if
Why are we sending money to China?
Dear Editor:
Well here we go again.
I’m just a good ole country
boy, bom and raised in the
South.
I started my education back
in 1946, October the 6th to
be exact. I have spent the last
65 years attending “Life’s
College.”
When I look around and
see what those we have put
in charge of our finances are
doing to us, I just shake my
head. I am totally embarrassed
by the actions from those we
trusted with our taxes.
Someone please tell me
what sense does it make for
our government to be giv
ing China foreign aid (free)
money to spur their economy
but instead they turn right
around and loan the U.S. the
same dollars back and on top
of that, they charge us inter
est.
I mean really, even a coun
try boy can see we are getting
shafted.
As a retiree, I have not
received even a penny in rais
es to my Social Security check
in the past two years.
Can someone explain to me,
why are we send millions to
a country that, if the truth
be told, doesn’t even like us
anyway?
This is an issue that has
been known for years yet our
so-called leaders are only now
asking why. I wonder if the
upcoming elections might
have a little influence here.
People, we have to let our
voices be heard. We must get
on the backs of our leaders
and demand all future monies
to China be stopped. Now!
Does putting the U.S. first
sound good?
Does charity starts at home
first sound good?
All I can say is God look
over and help us, somebody
has to.
Sincerely,
R.B. (Reb) Rosser
Auburn
Herman Cain is as impressive
as he sounds, then I definitely
stand with him. There are so
many great reasons to support
this candidate, I really encour
age you to learn more about
Herman Cain at http://www.
hermancain.com/the-issues.
Sincerely,
Kim Williams
On the night of Nov. 8, as bal
lots are being tallied in local elec
tions around the state, one of the
longstanding political walls in
Georgia should finally come tum
bling down.
The last vestige of the old blue
laws prohibiting the transaction of
business on Sundays - a ban on the
package sales of alcoholic bever
ages - will be on the ballot in more
than 100 cities and counties.
Citizens will have the chance
to say yes or no to the question
of whether Sunday package sales
should be legal. Regardless of what they
decide, voters will make that choice for
themselves rather than have it dictated by
some outside group or religious organiza
tion.
It will be quite a milestone for a state
where the churches held tremendous polit
ical clout for years and kept laws in place
that banned gambling or the legal pur
chase of beverages that include fermented
spirits.
The power of the religious groups has
been declining, however, as more and
more communities voted to indulge in
what were once regarded as sinful activi
ties. One of the last major campaigns
from the churches was the effort in the
early 1990s to defeat the passage of the
Georgia Lottery that funds HOPE scholar
ships.
That move failed as a majority of the
voters approved the lottery, which left the
ban on Sunday package sales as the last
stand of religious conservatives.
That prohibition would doubtless have
been swept aside several years ago if not
for the opposition of Sonny Perdue, a gov
ernor who didn’t drink and vowed to veto
any Sunday package sales legislation.
With Perdue gone and a more accom
modating person in the governor’s office,
it was only a matter of time before the
Sunday sales ban became a quaint part of
the state’s history. Although there was a
bit of a struggle in this year’s legislative
session, a bill to allow local referendums
on Sunday sales made it through the
House and Senate and obtained Nathan
Deal’s signature.
There were many people, including me,
who expected to see a spirited campaign
this fall involving the pro-sales faction and
the church groups as we got closer to the
date of the Nov. 8 referendums. That has
not happened, however.
The grocery and convenience store lob
byists who worked diligently to secure leg
islative passage of the Sunday
sales bill have kept quiet. So
have the churches and religious
organizations. The media has
spent more time reporting on
referendums that won’t happen
until next year - the T-SPLOST
transportation tax - than on the
Sunday sales votes that will
take place next week.
“I cannot find one church
that will do anything, even
do a bulletin insert, about the
upcoming vote, let alone tell
the congregation about it,” said
Jerry Luquire, president of the Christian
Coalition of Georgia and a diehard oppo
nent of Sunday alcohol sales. “We sent
out a mass email - we did not hear back
from one church.”
It is, he said, “perplexing to me.”
The pro-sales factions, now that they
have succeeded in getting the legislation
passed to authorize Sunday sales refer
endums, sat back and said voters in each
of the affected communities should make
their own decisions.
“We’re letting the local grocers in the area
decide whether they want to get involved,”
said Kathy Kuzava of the Georgia Food
Industry Association, which represents the
state’s grocery stores. “We’ve always said
it’s a matter of local control. Let the local
communities decide for themselves.”
At last count, there were 109 local elec
tions scheduled on the Sunday sales issue.
Because this is a municipal election year,
most of the votes are being held in cit
ies that include Atlanta, Dalton, Lookout
Mountain, Gainesville, Flowery Branch,
Oakwood, Jefferson, Auburn, Dawsonville,
Grovetown and Statesboro.
Most of the county votes on the Sunday
sales question will be held next year, but
a few counties went ahead and scheduled
votes for next week. They include Barrow,
Bulloch, Whitfield, Elbert and Jasper.
There could well be a few locales where
the issue is defeated, but I would guess
that a majority of the communities will
choose to allow Sunday package sales of
alcohol.
“Obviously, there’s a desire to drink
or it wouldn’t be on the ballot,” Luquire
acknowledged. “I see it passing. This is
just the natural progression of things.”
Tom Crawford is editor of The Georgia
Report, an internet news service at gare-
port.com that reports on government and
politics in Georgia. He can be reached at
tcrawford@ gareport. com.
tom
crawford
Voters using two ways to voice their choices
An identical amount of
local voters plan to cast their
ballot by one of two methods:
early voting or on election
day, Nov. 8.
In an online poll conducted
by the Barrow Journal, 46.6
percent said they plan to vote
early while the exact same
percentage said they will wait
until Nov. 8.
Less than 1 percent said
they will vote by absentee bal
lot while just over six percent
said they were not voting.
A new poll ques
tion is listed each week at
www.barrowjournal.com.
OTE
David Maynard
Mayor Of Winder
As a lifetime resident of Winder and a local small business owner
for 27 years, when elected I will work hard to do the following:
Fora more detailed
platform explanation,
visit my website at
www.VoteDavidMaynard.com
• Involve the Council in all
decisions and plans as they
develop, not after time and
money have been spent
developing them.
• Create spending limits.
• Change the form of the
budget.
• Make the City more
customer friendly and
business friendly.
• Clean up the streets.
• Support downtown.
Paid for by the candidate.