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The Braselton News
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Opinion
Responds to Kenerly
Dear Editor:
On December 14th. a
months-long effort by
Hoschton residents and
neighbors culminated in
Mayor Theresa Kenedy’s
resignation. That resigna
tion, and Jim Cleveland's
before it, followed the hard
work of a population de
termined not to be nation
ally-known for tolerating
racism.
I’m glad Mrs. Kenerly is
now talking freely — we
have heard repeatedly that
she was legally prohibited
from speaking — but I’m
disappointed that The Her
ald did not check the facts
behind some of her state
ments.
The public charges lev
eled against the former may
or. based on a job candidate
removed from contention
because Hoschton was not
ready for a black city ad
ministrator, were more than
allegations. These were offi
cial statements made against
her by a fellow sworn public
official, and later repeated
in sworn testimony in front
of a superior court judge,
Mrs. Kenerly says she
would “swear on a stack
of bibles” that this sworn
account did not happen.
However, she had that very
opportunity when she chal
lenged the recall efforts:
instead, she sat stone silent
as others repeated their tes
timony under threat of per
jury.
Kenerly’s legal council
did not debate the accura
cy of this testimony. They
accepted the statement as
fact, and built their case
on the mayor’s intent: The
quote that ‘Hoschton wasn’t
ready’ was just Kenerly
making a judgement on the
citizens there, and did not
reflect her personal opin
ion. She in effect conceded
that she took those actions
and made that statement;
but wait! It was because she
thought the town was racist
— not her!
Sitting in that courtroom,
those in attendance watched
as Judge Sweat explained:
This was the same argument
that segregationist shop
owners used repeatedly in
the 1960s to excuse racist
practices. It was a bad ar
gument then, and certainly
poor rationale for the ac
tions of a municipal official
in 2019.
Kenerly continued that
Judge Sweat had his mind
made up; this is revision
ist nonsense. Recall efforts
rarely make it anywhere
near the point of a vote:
They either fail before the
initial petition stage, or are
swatted down in the inter
vening hearing.
From the best I can tell,
only three mayoral recall
efforts in Georgia have gone
to a vote in the last 15 years.
More have been dismissed
by the Superior Court for
lack of grounds than have
been passed on to the sec
ond signature stage. Judges
have shown that there is a
high bar for approval, and
organizers in Hoschton met
that bar. Kenerly’s appeal to
the Georgia Supreme Court
was also denied. There was
a solid legal basis for the re
call.
As for her statement that
Jim Cleveland’s statements
complicated her situation
— she’s right. His unfiltered
intolerant rhetoric definitely
amped up the news cover
age. The “New South” has
been trying to shed that
backwoods racist image for
decades and here Mr. Cleve
land comes in like Archie
Bunker.
While Kenerly throws
Cleveland under the bus in
this interview, this has not
been the case in the inter
vening months. They voted
as a block on all issues, and
Mr. Cleveland’s court fil
ings were shared with Mrs.
Kenerly’s — literally the
same documents with her
name scratched out with a
pen and his name written
in. If I was that bothered by
his statements, I personally
wouldn’t let him cheat off of
my notes.
The fact is, while Mr.
Cleveland’s statements were
more detrimental to the
town’s image. Kenerly’s ac
tions reflected the more in
sidious racism alive in many
towns and businesses across
the country. The U.S. clearly
doesn’t tolerate in-your-face
displays like Cleveland’s
unprovoked regurgitation
on interracial marriage. All
of polite society condemns
it, and then many feel they
can check the box and claim
that there is no longer rac
ism in the U.S.
But employment data says
differently. Multiple studies
consistently show being a
black person in America
can negatively affect your
chances of employment or
promotion. A recent Har
vard study rolls thru the sta
tistical data across the coun
try, but we can see a very
vivid example in Hoschton.
It just happened, right here,
in 2019, and it has happened
over multiple generations,
leaving black America
with much less generation
al wealth than the average
white family.
This is the fight for hearts
and minds we are still wag
ing today and I’m glad that
local people from all politi
cal affiliations were able in
this instance to join together
and right a huge wrong.
As we go forward, I hope
our local elected leaders
have all taken note: There
is a coalition of citizens that
just will not accept racism
in our leaders anymore and
an active majority will show
up and organize in the face
of such injustice in Jackson
County, Georgia.
Sincerely,
Pete Fuller
Predictions and resolutions for 2020
Dear Editor:
I don’t know if the econ
omy will boom or bust
during 2020, but I do know
this: Since the beginning of
2017, the stock market has
set new records and a feel
ing of optimism floats in the
air.
I predict 2020 will be
another good year for jobs,
wages and the overall econ
omy. On the other hand, I
believe politics inside the
Capital Beltway will con
tinue to rage like an out-of-
control dumpster fire.
In a bold move to help
protect my sanity, one of
my New Year’s resolutions
is to slack off on the amount
of time I spend watching
cable news because watch
ing those programs causes
me to spend an inordinate
amount of time worrying
about things over which I
have no control. A more
prudent path would be to
worry about things I can
control. For example —
losing weight. On second
thought, losing weight may
not be a good example of
something I can control, but
I’m sure you get my drift.
Sincerely,
Claude Diamond
Braselton
Money or elections - scale could swing either way
Money or elections -
scale could swing either
way
The state leg
islature will go
back to work next
week and it may
face some finan
cial decisions.
Former Gov.
Nathan Deal is
looking smarter
by the day. He
suggested the
legislature should
wait and see if
the state govern
ment got millions of dollars
because of the federal tax
bill that President Donald
Trump pushed.
The legislature, in its wis
dom. declined and voted to
cut the state’s income tax.
Did I mention it occurred in
an election year.
I could not understand
why Gov. Brian Kemp was
calling for budget cuts in
the current government and
next year. According to the
Atlanta Journal-Constitu
tion, far more detailed and
accurate than our represen
tatives. those cuts are now
apparent.
The budget estimates for
the current year have been a
struggle - through Novem
ber they were behind the
projections. When you start
looking for those respon
sible, you might start with
every representative who
voted to cut the state income
tax rate.
Much as we hate it, a di
rect correlation
can be found be
tween the state in
come tax rate and
the state income.
Plus, the state
budget includes
the assumption
that the economy
will keep grow
ing, thus adding
to the state’s rev
enue.
The local econ
omy around the
state shows growth. Sales
tax revenue in most coun
ties. certainly in those we
cover, is up. In the counties
that are growing - Jack-
son and Barrow particular
ly - the sales tax revenue
increases are padding the
counties’ coffers - although
the money can be used only
for some things.
It might be wise for the
board of commissioners in
most counties to hoard some
money. We may need it, de
pending on what the state
does.
When the last round of
trimming was done - amid
projections of millions and
millions of state dollars -
the legislature scheduled
another cut in the income
tax rate.
Now that trimming has
come around. Oh. it’s an
other election year.
I don’t have any knowl
edge about the state budget
or the revenue projections.
One clue will be the mid
year budget adjustments
that we will see in February,
probably. Those have been
increases in the past couple
of years. Will they be again?
Who knows with Kemp ask
ing state departments to trim
back.
My fear is public educa
tion. My view that public
schools are underfunded is
well-known for those who
pay any attention to these
ramblings.
I have little sympathy for
senior citizens who seek tax
exemptions from paying
school taxes. If they have
any kids (I don’t by the way,
but two grandsons, and I am
a senior who pays school
taxes), they will be paying
for 12 years of education for
a long time before they “pay
for” their kids.
Nearly any school system
pays a “local” share of edu
cation that is far more than
most folks - even those well
off - pay in school taxes.
“Well off’ folks may pay
close to $2,000 in school
taxes. In most school dis
tricts, that would pay about
half the local share for ed
ucation.
Remember please, that
school taxes are only a part
of your bill. You also pay
city taxes, maybe fire taxes
and county taxes.
I have covered school sys
tems for more than 40 years.
A number of “reforms” - or
fads - have come and gone.
More responsibilities have
been piled on to “educa
tion.”
Many parents no longer
teach their children much
of anything. “Soft skills” is
my particular peeve. No one
but my daddy and mother
taught me to show up on
time and work diligently.
I learned to do a resume
by looking at resumes and
talking to other folks. Many
kids don’t know the word.
Teachers are expected to do
that now.
But I digress.
The state legislators also
are underpaid. They have an
impossible job meeting all
the demands they face.
They also are short on
backbone. I’ll cover an
“eggs and issues” meeting
Wednesday. Jan. 8, spon
sored by the Jackson Coun
ty Area Chamber of Com
merce. I do not expect any
of the legislators to say their
constituents should pay
more in taxes. Some may
suggest a cut is deserved.
Georgians don’t overpay
for government services.
We pay little for what we
get. Remember that the next
pothole you hit.
Ron Bridgeman is a re
porter for MainStreet News
papers. Send email to him at
ron @ mainstreetnews. com.
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Bookmarks:
Frost, Therapist,
Dav Pilkey and 24%
Welcome to the New
Year! Did you start any
good books over the holi
days?
I’ve been re-reading an
old favorite and
found another
one that I highly
recommend.
The old favor
ite is the most
prolific biogra
phy of Robert
Frost ever writ
ten.
Frost, as we
all know, was
America’s most
well-known poet
of the 20th century and the
only four-time winner of
the Pulitzer Prize.
While many biographies
have been written about
Frost, the one recognized
by many as the most com
prehensive was Jay Parini’s
1999 book called Frost, A
Fife.
Parini, a respected critic,
professor and poet, who has
also written biographies of
John Steinbeck, William
Faulkner, Gore Vidal and
Jesus, is a Pennsylvania na
tive and a co-founder of the
New England Review.
There are so many great
biographies out there, it’s
hard to pick a favorite. A
few memorable ones for me
are: Walter Isaacson’s Jobs.
Jon Krakauer’s Into the
Wild, Doris Kearns Good
win’s Team of Rivals and
Nancy Milford’s Savage
Beauty, the unforgettable
story of poet Edna St. Vin
cent Millay.
But the Parini book on
Frost is among the best.
The author takes us through
Frost’s early days, when he
dropped out of Dartmouth
and then Harvard (Frost
hated the academic envi
ronment, although he lat
er became in demand as a
professor and speaker in the
forties and fifties).
You will learn what was
behind his most famous
poems, including the inspi
ration for “The Road Not
Taken,” arguably the best-
known poem in American
history.
And Parini, an excellent
researcher, writes compel-
lingly of the tragic and cha
otic world of Frost’s family,
as the farmer-poet and his
wife Elinor would lose two
children in infancy and a
grown son to suicide. Frost
and his wife both suffered
from depression and poor
health. This famous New
Englander’s story is one of
perseverance and courage.
Don’t worry if you are
not a poetry lover, as this
biography is excellent, and
you will be glad you read it.
Therapy for a therapist?
Read this one!
There’s a new book out
that cleverly merges the re
al-life problems faced by its
psychotherapist author with
the help she is getting from
her own therapist. Adding
to this wonderfully rich
content is the advice our
therapist/author is giving
to four of her patients. It’s a
New York Times bestseller
and is one of Time maga
zine’s Books of the Year.
Fori Gottlieb’s Maybe
You Should Talk to Some
one is a wacky, hilari-
ous-at-times and candidly
written book that offers a
lifetime of commentary on
relationships, including a
recently broken relationship
the author is dealing with.
Gottlieb’s initial conver
sation with her therapist.
Wendell, about her own
breakup, is both enlighten
ing and memorable: “He
(Wendell) knows what all
therapists know: That the
pressing problem, the issue
somebody comes in with,
is often just one aspect of a
larger problem, if not a red
herring entirely.”
There’s probably a char
acter in this book
that everyone
can identify with.
There are four pa
tients in Ms. Got
tlieb’s story (not
including herself).
They include a
(seemingly) arro
gant Hollywood
producer with
marriage prob
lems. a senior citi
zen who has made
many mistakes in her life
and is borderline suicidal, a
young woman fighting a ter
minal illness and a millenni
al dealing with alcoholism.
Basically, there’s something
for everyone in the struggles
that are so beautifully ex
posed (both humorously and
sensitively) in her sessions.
If you’ve not tried therapy,
you will learn what it’s like
‘inside the ropes." The in
sight Ms. Gottlieb gives into
what she, as a therapist, is
feeling is as entertaining as it
is disarming.
Lori Gottlieb also writes a
column for The Atlantic and
has appeared on numerous
television news and talk
shows, including CNN.
If you miss her book, you
might catch it later on ABC,
which is developing a TV
series based on the book
with Eva Longoria. Stay
tuned.
Pilkey wins national
award
Publisher’s Weekly’s
(PW) Person of the Year is
author Dav Pilkey, who has
written and drawn more
than 60 children’s books,
including Captain Under
pants and the Dog Man se
ries.
Pilkey, who was diag
nosed with ADHD and
dyslexia as a child, said
those conditions probably
helped him become a better
story-teller.
“I created a character in
Dog Man called 80-HD to
show kids that ADHD, with
determination and practice,
can actually be a superpow
er,” Pilkey told PW. The Dog
Man series has sold more
than 26 million copies in its
first three years and the 14
Captain Underpants stories
(now 20 years old) has sold
more than 90 million copies.
Are you in the 24%?
According to a Pew Re
search Center study. 24 per
cent of U.S. adults did not
even read part of a book in
2018. Hard to believe, but
the Pew research is seldom
wrong.
Hopefully, you are not part
of that 24 percent. But it does
make the point that reading
continues to be on the decline
across all demographics.
Think about your own
reading—and don’t give in
to the temptations of your
electronic devices. Facebook
can wait.
Go to the library, shop at a
local bookstore or, download
a book from the internet (one
of the more productive uses
for our gadgets).
There were 675 million
books sold in the U.S. last
year and I hope there are
even more in 2020. Let’s do
our part—for us and for our
kids—to keep reading a pri
ority in the new decade.
David R. Altman writes
about books and writers. He
is a former Georgia Author
of the Year nominee and au
thor of the poetry collection,
Death in the Foyer. He is a
member of the American
Academy of Poets and the
National Books Critic Cir
cle. He can be reached at
altmandavidr@gmail.com
David R.
Altman