Newspaper Page Text
Page 4A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Opinion
“Difference of opinion leads
to enquiry, and enquiry to
truth ” -Thomas Jefferson
"Don't argue, wear this, it matches your outfit."
letters
You can’t run from your problems
our views
Training critical
to quick decisions
THE CONTROVERSY over a Braselton wreck
two weeks ago that killed three people isn’t un
usual. At the time of the wreck on Hwy. 211, a
Braselton Policeman was in pursuit of one of the
vehicles. The officer had seen the vehicle travel
ing at a high rate of speed before he began his
pursuit.
Some have alleged that the officer’s response
was a “chase” and that it led to the crash, which
resulted in the deaths. The BPD contends that
the officer was not in a chase and that the wreck
occurred as a result of the speeding vehicle.
Such controversies aren’t unusual when seri
ous wrecks involving policemen happen. Some
times, those affected by the wreck seek to find
someone to blame as a way to cope with the
tragic results.
Other times, it appears law enforcement offi
cers accelerate pursuits that should be avoided
due to the danger to other drivers.
It’s important to recognize that every situation
is different. Sometimes, a police pursuit is nec
essary and justified. Othertimes, it may not be
needed and is the result of overly-aggressive
cops who like the thrill of a chase.
That’s why it’s important for the BPD and other
local law enforcement agencies to review pur
suit policies on a regular basis with officers.
Pursuit guidelines should be clearly defined and
discussed so that everyone involved knows the
limits.
There is no evidence at this point that the BPD
officer violated that department’s rules, or that
his pursuit was the cause of the wreck.
But it is a reminder that law enforcement of
ficials often have to make split-second decisions
that can have serious ramifications. Training for
those times is critical to protecting both the of
ficer and the general public.
The Braselton News
A Publication of The Jackson Herald &
Mainstreet Newspapers, Inc.
Mike Buffington Editor & Co-Publisher
mike @ mainstreetnews.com
706-367-5233
Scott Buffington Co-Publisher &
Advertising Manager
scott @ mainstreenews. com
706-367-5233
Angela Gary Managing Editor
angie @ mainstreetnews.com
706-367-2490
Kerri Testement News Editor
kerri@mainstreetnews. com
706-367-5986
Jeremy Ginn Advertising
jeremy@mainstreetnews. com
706-367-5990
Web Site: braseltonnews.com
Classified Advertising
classifieds @ mainstreetnews.com
PO Box 908, Jefferson, Ga. 30549
General Phone: 706-367-5233
Dear Editor:
The reason I’m writing this letter is because I am
a citizen of the wonderful town of Braselton. I’m
proud to live in this city and have lived here for
almost 20 years.
I am also very proud of the police here. They
put their life on the line everyday to protect this
town. The officer that was involved in the pursuit
(not chase) of the black Camaro on Hwy. 211 was
doing what is in his job description. I want to thank
the officer involved because if he wasn’t following
the car, there might have been no survivors. At
least he did have radio communication at all times
of his location.
Everyone always wants to blame the police
whenever something bad happens. If you’re not
guilty, don’t run. You won’t be able to run from God
when the time comes. And God already knows if
you’re guilty or not.
That’s the problem with this country now. Every
one thinks they can run from their problems, or
hide from them, but you can’t run or hide from
God. He (God) knows what happened that tragic
night and I know that he was on scene way before
anybody else was.
What Mr. Joyner should be doing is thanking our
good Lord for protecting his daughter not looking
for ways to get rich. I try not to pass judgment on
anyone; it’s not my place to. But in my opinion, Mr.
Joyner needs to be sitting by his daughter’s bed
side praying for her quick recovery, not on the side
of the highway doing his “own investigating.”
I guess some people’s priorities are different
from mine. My sympathy goes out to all of the
families who lost a loved one and my prayers are
with you all. My prayers also go out to Mr. Joyner’s
daughter and the other young man that survived
and that they will recover quickly and they are able
to live long and healthy lives.
I would also like to say that everyone should
stop talking about the young man driving the
black Camaro. What you know about him is what
the T.V. says about him, or what you read in the
papers. Just remember, he was someone’s son,
grandson and friend.
Everyone makes mistakes. It’s just a shame
when innocent people are killed in the process.
Sincerely,
Julie Keith
Braselton
Looking for local
cancer survivors
Dear Editor:
Are you a cancer survivor? If so, we are looking
for you. We want to invite you to be our guest at
our “Celebrate Life” dinner at 5:30 p.m. Saturday,
April 5, at the Jefferson Civic Center.
You and one caregiver are invited to join us
for food, fun and fellowship as we fight against
cancer. We will celebrate the many victories over
cancer and support those battling the disease.
Your attendance will give others hope.
Dinner will be served compliments of Beef
O’Brady’s, with desserts by local caterers.
Survivors are our reason to relay, and we want
to honor you. For more information or to RSVP that
you are coming, please call Gail Banks by April 1
at 706-367-9721.
Sincerely,
Sandra Fite
Jackson County Relay for Life
Shoe drops last week on Richardson’s plans
GEORGIA LAWMAKERS had waited the whole session for the other shoe to
drop, and last week it finally did.
The shoe, of course, was House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s proposal to radi
cally revise the state’s tax system by eliminating property taxes
and requiring Georgians to pay sales taxes on groceries, lot
tery tickets, and consumer services. He finally dropped it on
the House floor for consideration last week, only to see it fall
10 votes short of the necessary two-thirds majority because of
concerted opposition from Democrats.
Richardson once had dreams that his legislation, which he
modestly called the “Great Tax Plan,” would pass the General
Assembly and be so wildly popular with property owners that
he would ride their gratitude straight into the governor’s man
sion in the 2010 election.
But by the time his plan actually emerged for a vote, it was
almost completely different from what Richardson had origi
nally drafted. Gone was the elimination of property taxes paid
to local county commissions and city councils. Gone was the
elimination of property taxes paid to local school boards.
Instead, Richardson cobbled together three or four ideas from other lawmak
ers into what could only be called a “Somewhat Pretty Good Tax Plan.” His final
version included the elimination of the yearly license tag tax, which was originally
promoted by Rep. Mark Burkhalter. He added a freeze on homeowners’ property
tax assessments and a prohibition on local governments and school boards rais
ing taxes in the future, two ideas that had come from the Senate. He topped it
off with a $10 yearly fee for auto tags that would provide funds for a trauma care
network.
That’s a lot of different things to cover in one piece of legislation, and Richard
son’s measure ultimately collapsed of its own weight.
The elimination of auto tag taxes was an idea that would have been popular
across party lines and probably would have passed with only a few negative
votes. But when Richardson piled on the property tax freezes and the prohibitions
on local tax increases, he ensured that local government officials would continue
to oppose it - and they did.
“I’ve got six counties in my district, which means I have six county commissions,
six school boards, and 26 city councils,” said a lawmaker from a rural district.
“And every one of them was opposed to the bill.”
Richardson and his allies also failed to come up with answers for how they
would make up the revenue that would be lost through all of the speaker’s tax cuts.
Georgia is a growing state with a growing population that demands more schools,
highways, hospitals, and sewage treatment plants. Legislators can’t figure out
how to meet these demands for services through current revenue sources - what
happens when you lose $672 million by eliminating the tag tax?
“There was a lot of sentiment in our caucus for taking the tax off car tags, but the
other parts of this bill really had disastrous effects for local government,” House
Minority Leader DuBose Porter said. “You’ve got to let people know [how you’re
going to replace lost tax revenues], otherwise it is nothing more than a tax shift.”
The Republican leadership said the defeat of the tax plan will come back to
haunt Democrats in November, as the GOP hammers them for voting to retain the
car tag tax.
“It’s probably the greatest issue ever to run on,” House Majority Leader Jerry
Keen said.
“It’s pretty clear,” Burkhalter agreed. “You’re either for tax relief or you’re not.”
The Republicans’ optimism may be a little misplaced. The fact is, there just
aren’t that many Democrats who represent competitive districts anymore - they’ve
all either switched parties or been ousted by Republican opponents.
Democrats, who held majority control of the General Assembly just six years
ago, are now down to about 40 percent of the seats in both the House and Senate.
The Democrats still in office, for the most part, represent districts that are Demo
cratic leaning and have a healthy percentage of African American voters. It’s hard
to see Republicans picking off many more Democratic incumbents.
If there is any benefit to Republicans from the tax vote, it probably will be in
protecting GOP incumbents in shaky districts that might be trending slowly to the
Democratic column because of an influx of black and Latino residents.
We will have a better idea of how that plays out after the general election. Then
we’ll have to see which new tax plan emerges in next year’s legislative session.
Tom Crawford is the editor of Capitol Impact’s Georgia Report, an Internet news
site at www.gareport.com that covers government and politics in Georgia.
Winter storms
still compared
to the past
SOMETIMES, the plants just
won't listen.
You tell them to not start bud
ding for the spring just yet — but
they don’t listen.
You warn them that despite a
couple of days of warmer temper
atures, another
freeze is des
tined to strike
— but they don’t
listen.
“Oh no,” I said
when the Brad
ford Pear trees
in my neighbor
hood started
blooming their
early buds last
week. “Don’t you
guys know that a
winter storm will ruin you?”
That’s what happens in Georgia
(and most of the South) this time
of year.
Just when
you start
believ
ing the
ground
hog’s
advice that
an early
spring is
eminent,
Mother
Nature
decides
to throw
another winter storm.
It’s hard to believe that this week
is the 15-year anniversary of the
“Blizzard of 1993,” the “Storm of
the Century,” at least by Southern
standards.
The winter storm dumped inch
es of snow on unsuspecting Geor
gia. It was one of those events
that we still talk about today.
At the time of the blizzard, I
was living in Texas. Along with
my middle school classmates, I
was sitting on a plane bound for
Washington, D.C., when the en
gine was turned off. The pilot then
announced that due to a massive
winter storm on the East Coast,
most of the airports were closed
and our flight was canceled.
It took several attempts, but we
finally made it the nation’s capi-
tol a few days later. I remember
seeing mounds of snow piled up
on the side of the roads. Being
deprived of excessive snow in
Texas, we played in the snow at
every opportunity while in Wash
ington, D.C. Those northerners
must have thought we were weird.
The possibility of another “Bliz
zard of 1993” the past few weeks
has been lackluster.
The local weather forecasters
get excited about the potential for
a few flurries in North Georgia.
The TV news stations start throw
ing out potential names for the
storm, and produce graphics and
sound clips to accommodate the
major news story. And those ri
diculous-sounding weather radars
on local TV (“Weather Monster
3000 plus”) can begin providing
forecasts for any specified street
in the region.
Then, nothing happens.
Well, maybe a few flurries float
through the air — but nothing
sticks to the ground. It’s enough
to disrupt those plants that were
trying to spring to life, but not
enough to justify our concerns
about another “Blizzard of 1993.”
Spring officially starts next
Thursday. Tell the plants they can
start to bloom then.
Kerri Testement is news editor
of The Braselton News. Her e-mail
address is kerri@mainstreetnews.
com.
This week is
the 15-year
anniversary of
the “Blizzard
of 1993.”
Kerri
Testement
kerri@mainstreet-
news.com