Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
The Braselton News
Page 7A
Will Georgia Democrats
By Tom Crawford
Georgia's Democratic voters will have their choice of
two Staceys in next year’s primary for governor: state Rep.
Stacey Abrams of Atlanta or Rep. Stacey Evans of Smyrna.
There are some striking similarities between the two con
tenders. They are both attorneys and are two of the most
intelligent members of the General Assembly.
On the major issues, they have taken similar progressive
stands. While there have been some minor differences
here and there, both of them have accomplishments in the
Legislature they can take pride in.
There is one major point of distinction between the two
candidates. Stacey Abrams is black and Stacey Evans is
white.
They have different visions of where they think the Dem
ocratic Party should be going. Abrams wants to energize
black voters who have not previously been engaged in
the political process. Evans wants to try to reconnect with
working class whites who have been turning away from the
Democratic Party in recent election cycles.
You can make a decent argument for both approaches.
If Democrats want to win, they would certainly need to
energize black voters. At the same time, they could also
emphasize issues important to working class families of
all colors.
But the events of last weekend show that there may be
a racial divide coming that rips the party in two next year.
The occasion was Netroots Nation, a yearly gathering of
3,000 or so progressive activists that was held in Adanta
this year.
Stacey Abrams gave a rousing speech to the activists on
the convention’s first day and received a standing ovation
from the crowd.
When Stacey Evans spoke on Saturday, however, it was
a much different story.
It was nearly impossible for Evans to get through her
10-minute speech because pro-Abrams protesters were
chanting loudly and shouting her down. The protesters
turned their back on her as they waved signs reading “Trust
Black Women” and “Evans = DeVos,” a reference to Don
ald Trump’s education secretary, Betsy DeVos.
The starkly different crowd reactions - and the racial
animosity displayed towards the white candidate — could
spell big trouble for a Democratic Party whose candidates
haven’t been able to win a statewide race in Georgia for
Opinion
relive an old nightmare?
more than a decade.
If the activities at the Netroots Nation conference are any
indication, this is a primary election that could get very
ugly before it’s all over.
You could easily have a situation where Abrams wins
the primary by energizing black voters, but in the process
turns off white voters who don’t bother to vote for her in
the general election.
Similarly, if Evans were to win a bitterly contested pri
mary race over Abrams, that could result in demoralized
black voters staying at home during the general election.
We've seen this kind of division tear apart the Democrat
ic Party before.
Back in 2006, the party's two major candidates for gov
ernor were Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor and Secretary of State
Cathy Cox (both of the candidates were white).
They were the party’s brightest stars at that point in time,
Taylor had served in the state Senate before winning two
terms as lieutenant governor. Cox had been a member of
the Georgia House before winning two elections for sec
retary of state.
Taylor trailed Cox in the polls during the early months
of a primary race that degenerated into name-calling and
mudslinging in the final weeks.
It became a political bloodbath between two candidates
who clearly had a deep personal dislike for each other.
Cox and Taylor both aired hard-hitting commercials that
accused each other of lying and double-dealing. Taylor’s
campaign, for good measure, also filed two civil lawsuits
against Cox and her aides.
Taylor eventually prevailed in the slash-and-bum pri
mary, but it was an empty victory. The nastiness of that
campaign turned off quite a few Cox supporters who either
sat out the general election or voted for the Republican
incumbent, Sonny Perdue.
In November, Taylor drew barely 38 percent of the vote
in a crashing loss to Perdue. It was the worst showing ever
by a Democratic nominee for governor in Georgia.
Is the Democratic Party headed for a similar debacle
because of the upcoming battle between the two Staceys?
Right now, the signs seem to be pointing that way.
Tom Crawford is editor of The Georgia Report, an inter
net news service at gareport.com that reports on state gov
ernment and politics. He can be reached at tcrawford@
gareport.com.
No evidence early school start dates aid success
By Camila Knowles
Students in more than a dozen Georgia school districts
returned to class in July this year. You read that correctly:
July. Forty-eight percent of Georgia schools were back in
session by the end of the first week of August. My own
children returned to school August 1.
When I discuss this issue with my friends and other par
ents, the constant refrain I hear is “this is insane.” Parents’
instinctive reaction is rationally based: research shows
there is no academic reason to begin the school year in
the middle of summer, but there are numerous drawbacks.
Regardless of when schools begin, all Georgia public
schools are required to offer students 180 instructional
days, or the hourly equivalent. Getting started earlier
doesn’t increase academic performance. However, it does
reduce time for students to gain valuable work experience,
earn much-needed money for college, makes formal sum
mer learning difficult, creates child care nightmares for
parents, and reduces the length of time summer feeding
programs are available.
Just because the school year is starting in late-July or ear
ly-August doesn’t mean more instructional time between
the first day of school and standardized tests. Most early
school start date calendars have numerous non-traditional
vacation days scattered throughout the school year. This
stop-and- go schedule robs students of learning oppor
tunities outside the classroom, as many programming
opportunities available during the summer simply are
not offered during these week-long breaks. Additionally,
it causes child care costs to soar: many quality, low-cost
child care opportunities are available during the summer
but the same is not true for sporadic, week-long breaks
during the school year.
Most of the states that are consistently ranked in the top
10 for student performance on the SAT, ACT and Advanced
Placement tests begin the school year in late-August or
early September. I challenge the notion that early-August
school start dates aid in student success. I think that credit
goes to our talented teachers, hardworking students, and
involved parents.
Early August school start dates also reduce time high
school students have for meaningful work opportunities, to
experience an internship in a field of interest, or to pursue
academic studies over the summer. Many students work
during summers to save for college, but the value doesn’t
stop there. University admissions officers say students who
show a strong work history stand out in the selection pro
cess. Summer work shows, dedication, maturity, and good
time management skills.
Research shows summer work experience also translates
to the classroom. Summer work increases the likelihood
a student will graduate from high school and increases
non-cognitive skills such as responsiblity, positive work
habits, motivation and self-confidence. Not to mention
summer employment can give students a glimpse into pro
fessions they didn't know existed.
The piecemeal breaks and vacation days in many school
calendars around our great state reduce the length of sum
mer and, for many students, that translates into less days
receiving proper nutrition. Thousands of students across
our state depend on our public schools to not only provide
a quality education but for nutritious meals to low-income
families during the summer. These programs are available
during the summer months, but normally, no similar places
are in place during days off during the school year - yet
another unintended consequence of non-traditional school
calendars.
Mid-summer school start dates are not providing any
educational benefit to our children, but they are diminish
ing the excitement that once accompanied the start of a
new school year. Let’s reconsider the school calendar and
send kids to school excited and ready for another year of
learning. This issue affects such a significant number of
our state's children that I believe it worthy of our General
Assembly’s study and attention. Join me in supporting
the further study of the school start date issue by liking
the Save Georgia Summers Facebook page and getting
involved.
Camila Knowles is the mother of four, a supporter of
Save Georgia Summers, and commissioner of the Georgia
Dept, of Community Affairs. This opinion piece has been
slightly edited for statewide distribution after appearing
on July 27, 2017, on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Get
Schooled blog.
American Red Cross
needs local volunteers
Dear Editor:
Over the last 100 years, volunteers from the American Red
Cross of Northeast Georgia have responded to disasters and
provided aid to citizens not only in their own region, but
across the country and the world.
In 1936, volunteers helped with reconstruction efforts
when a deadly tornado streak and series of flash floods hit
the Southeast. In 2001, volunteers left their Northeast Geor
gia homes to assist victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. In 2005,
in response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, North
east Georgia volunteers provided housing to over 1,100
evacuees, collected over 14,000 pints of lifesaving blood,
and deployed to the areas impacted by the storms.
These instances are highlights of the aid efforts to which
local volunteers have contributed, but there are so many
more cases in which local Red Cross volunteers have pro
vided aid to local communities throughout the years.
Disasters do not discriminate. They happen everywhere.
In the last year alone, the Red Cross has responded to 13
disaster events and helped 17 families in Jackson County.
The Red Cross needs people who are willing to answer the
call to help and respond to disasters—to tornado streaks,
flash floods, hurricanes, and house fires.
“The work we do is imperative upon successful partner
ships with our local emergency responders, government
partners, businesses, schools, non-profits, and the faith based
community,” local Red Cross executive director Laura Allen
said.
Because of volunteers’ dedication and altruism, the Red
Cross is able to increase preparedness for disasters and to
provide relief in the event of disasters.
Smoke and fire is the third leading cause of death for chil
dren under the age of 15. Red Cross volunteers talk to chil
dren about safety plans, install smoke detectors in homes,
guarantee shelter is available to people who have lost their
homes to fires or storms, and ensure that people who have
suffered disasters receive help.
“Volunteering with the Red Cross allows me to make sure
people who have suffered disasters get the help they need,”
said disaster services volunteer Ron Dickson.
As a Red Cross volunteer, he is able to provide not only
financial assistance to people who have lost everything to
a fire, but is also able to provide emotional relief. Disaster
Services volunteers arrive on the scenes of fires and bring
necessary supplies and emotional support to those who have
suffered losses, letting them know that someone is there to
help them in that moment and throughout their recovery
from disaster.
The American Red Cross of Northeast Georgia needs
more people who are willing to respond to disasters—to be
the ones who teach people about disaster preparedness, who
give blankets and necessary supplies to people who have
lost their homes to fire, who provide shelter to people whose
homes have been devastated by storms.
Outside of disaster services, the Red Cross continues to
help military families and teach safety skills. Without volun
teers, the Red Cross would be unable to provide people who
have been affected by disaster the aid and hope they need, to
provide aid in emergencies to our Armed Forces, or to train
citizens in safety courses.
We need more people in your county who are willing to
offer a helping hand to their neighbors in need. Answer the
call to help. Provide aid and hope to people who have suf
fered in your community. Become a Red Cross volunteer.
Learn more about Disaster Services and other volunteer
opportunities at www.redcross.org/volunteer/volunteer-op-
portunities.
Sincerely,
Rachael Bird
Says county
wrongfully charged for
disabled vet tag
Dear Editor:
Why is the Jackson County tag office charging disabled
veterans ( who have a 100-percent disability rating or a total
and permanent rating from the VA) for their first disabled
veteran license plate when, by Georgia law, the first one is
free and the revalidation is free for that plate?
(The second plate does cost $25 plus $20.)
I went to the Jackson County tag office and was informed
I had to pay for my revalidation sticker.
I refuse to pay.
How many disabled veterans have they, meaning the Jack-
son County tag office, done this to?
This is not right to charge disabled veterans when it is free
by state law.
Sincerely,
Robert G. Thacker
Braselton
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