Newspaper Page Text
♦ THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2006
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OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Don Moncrief Foy S. Evans
Managing Editor Editor Emeritus
Plenty of time to decide
Residents of Centerville will have
plenty of time to decide what they
want to do about two issues recent
ly brought up by Mayor Harold (Bubba)
Edwards.
The mayor expressed the opinion that
the property tax exemption given to resi
dents 70 years and older is something
the city should not continue. He says the
city needs taxes from these residents if
the city is to prosper.
Large groups of citizens appeared at
every public hearing on the tax exemp
tion to protest any change.
Whether liquor by the drink should be
made legal in
Centerville
has been
a topic of
discussion
for years.
Certainly,
Centerville
is at a dis
advantage
when trying
to attract
upscale res
taurants.
Warner
Robins,
which does a
pretty good
job of sur
rounding
Centerville,
allows the
sale of alco-
holic beverages on Sunday.
Opponents showed up in force to pro
test.
After listening to constituents on these
two important issues Centerville city
officials are going to put it before voters
in a referendum in November of next
year when city elections are held.
The officials say this will save money
that would have to be spent to hold a
special election this year.
So Centerville residents will have plen
ty of time to talk to their neighbors
and discuss the issues of giving a free
ride to residents 70 years and older and
whether it will hurt the community by
allowing the sale of alcohol by the drink
on Sundays.
Centerville has had an influx of seniors
in recent years, most of them in expen
sive homes.
These are the residents that Edwards
believes are getting a free ride that is not
justified.
As far as the tax exemption is con
cerned there will be three choices when
it comes before voters. The choices will
be between (1) total elimination of the
property tax exemption, (2) allow a tax
exemption on the first $25,000 (or some
figure that may be agreed on later) of a
home’s value or (3) leave the exemption
as it is.
Logical arguments can be made on
both sides of the liquor issue.
Does the city need the money bad
enough to, in the eyes of some citizens,
corrupt its residents? It will be up to
voters to decide.
As for the property tax exemption for
seniors over 70, arguments can be made
for and against each of the three choices.
It will be up to city officials to go before
the people and sell them on the plan they
believe would be in the best interests of
their constituents.
WORTH REPEATING
“Freedom is the recognition that no single person, no
single authority or government has a monopoly on truth,
but that every individual life is infinitely precious, that
every one of us put on this world has been put there for a
reason and has something to offer.”
Ronald Reagan, 1911-2004
40th President of the United States
Whether liquor hy the
drink should be made
legal in Centerville
has been a topic of
discussion for years.
Certainly, Centerville
is at a disadvantage
when trying to attract
upscale restaurants.
Warner Robins, which
does a pretty good
job of surrounding
Centerville, aHows
the sale of alcoholic
beverages on Sunday.
We need our generals
If the Air Force goes through with a
proposal to eliminate the two-star
general position at Robins AFB,
along with about 250 military and civil
ian positions that go with him, there’s
no doubt there will be economic impact
on the community.
How often have we applauded the
addition of the same number of jobs at
the huge installation? The loss of the
jobs, while not crippling by any means,
will take a significant bite out of the
annual payroll.
Loss of the jobs and payroll would
not be as significant as the reduction
of the base to the level of being a sub
sidiary of ALC Headquarters, where
colonels in charge of four independent
wings would report to a three-star gen
eral in Ohio.
There’s something significant about
having a general - two-star or not - in
charge of an installation. It signifies a
certain importance of the installation,
in the overall scheme of things.
I’ m a mere civilian. I know about
chain of command in civilian corpora
tions. I know that department heads,
left alone with no one on site to deal
with conflicts and disagreements, are
less effective than those with someone
on site at the top to keep them aware
that they are part of an organization,
not independent entities.
It seems that the presence of a gen
eral at Robins AFB would serve many
good purposes. The Air Force, in its
efforts to save money, might want to
limit the size of a general’s staff signifi
cantly, but keeping one on site makes
sense to this outsider.
"When there's trouble in the Middle East,
half-way around the world just doesn't seem all that far!"
IM
Hal
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WpPaiv jz/Zjy
m\m
Hunger strike is a poor mode of protest
I can understand the sign-toting
picket. I can understand a march
to demonstrate a point of view. I
even understand the reasoning behind
chaining yourself to a building or a tree
to stop its destruction.
These are ways that folks draw atten
tion to their cause, to air their griev
ances publicly.
Being able to peacefully speak our
minds is one of the greatest freedoms
we enjoy in our democratic society.
Apparently, such democracy is finally
taking root in Iraq - by none other
than their deposed dictator, Saddam
Hussein. But, as a newcomer to such
dizzying freedoms, Hussein doesn’t
fully grasp the concept behind
American-style civil resistance.
Hussein is nearing the end of his
chaotic trial, which could end with a
verdict of death by hanging. If you’ve
kept up with the trial at all, you realize
it’s been a circus. Hussein, looking a
lot like a bearded Walter
Matthau, has been combative and
defiant, along with his co-defendants,
who don’t look anything like Walter
Matthau.
As part of his defiance, Hussein has
been refusing food for over two weeks
in protest of the murders of three of
his defense attorneys. He is demand
ing better security for the rest of his
defense team (and he seems to have a
OPINION
Foy
Evans
Columnist
foyevansl9@cox.net
It is interesting to note that two for
mer ALC commanders - Maj. Gen. Rick
Goddard and Maj. Gen. Ron Smith
- see the proposed removal of a two
star general from the helm at the base
as a major mistake.
There is reason for all of us to be
concerned if the base is reduced to four
wings without someone on site as a cat
alyst to hold the organization together.
What should we expect next?
■ ■■
The Perry Exchange Club recently
honored Sydney Odom with its human
itarian award. I can’t think of anyone
more deserving. I have known him
since he preached his first sermon at
Warner Robins’ Central Baptist Church
in 1958. His influence on thousands of
people in our county in the interven
ing years has changed many lives. He
continues his good work today.
■ ■■
If Peach County builds a new hospi
tal less than six miles from Houston
County Hospital in Warner Robins,
will the result be good or bad? It is
up to state officials whether Peach
valid point). But a hunger strike? Why
a hunger strike?
The hunger strike is the absolute
worst way to lodge a protest.
Listen, I’ll admit it. I’ve never been
hungry. When I say “I’m hungry,” it
simply means that I’m not full.
But in the two or three times in my
life where I haven’t been full, it wasn’t
a pleasant experience. And if you’re an
evil dictator accused of killing thou
sands of people, nobody is going to care
if you’re starving.
Nobody is going to rally outside the
courthouse with “Feed Saddam” plac
ards.
A hunger strike is a personal protest
- it only draws attention to your cause
if people know about it. There are
thousands of hunger strikes that go
on each year - mostly by models - that
nobody knows about. A hunger strike
simply doesn’t make good television,
and, thus, isn’t as effective in stirring
the masses.
■»s§ ■ jEmmm
Len
Robbins
Columnist
airpub@planttel.net
County will be permitted to proceed
with plans.
It does seem mighty close, but it
could result in more people looking to
this area for medical care, instead of
going to Macon.
The Georgia Hospital Association
seems to believe that Houston
Healthcare is one of the best, and
expansion will make it possible to add
doctors with more specialties who will
perform more demanding procedures.
The outlook for Houston Healthcare,
even if Peach County builds a hospital
so close, is bright.
■ ■■
Headlines the day after the recent
primary elections predicted that the
contest between Gov. Sonny Perdue
and Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor “will get
dirty.” Ask about anyone you know
their opinion of “dirty” campaigns and
they will say they are “disgusted by
it.”
However, astute politicians would
not spend millions of dollars on attack
advertising if it was not effective.
Both Perdue and Taylor are experi
enced, astute politicians.
They know that attack advertising
is necessary to win an election and the
candidate scoring the most effective
punches wins.
People pretend they are interested in
candidates’ positions on “the issues”,
but most voters don’t know anything
about the issues and do not care. They
vote their emotions, based on what
they are told.
The only reason anyone knew about
Hussein’s hunger strike is because
he had to be hospitalized, and now
they are feeding him through a tube.
According to White House spokesman
Tony Snow, Hussein is “voluntarily”
receiving food through a tube.
If he’s volunteering to receive food,
why not just eat it with his mouth?
That seems to be the easier, more pop
ular method. If you’re receiving food,
then you’re probably not hungry, which
means you aren’t on a hunger strike.
You’re on a “cooperation strike,” which
has far less panache.
Here’s the other thing that both
ers me about Hussein’s hunger strike:
If there’s a real possibility of being
hanged to death, why starve yourself?
If I knew my time here was scarce,
or it was Tuesday, I’d be bathing in
calories, eating every Dorito, double
cheeseburger, and gallon of chocolate
delight I could get my pudp, sticky
hands on. I certainly wouldn’t be diet
ing.
Listen, if you want to lodge a protest,
air a grievance, yell your head off
- fine. Grab a stick with a sign and
start marching (which, in Saddam’s
case, may be difficult from prison). But
don’t go on a hunger strike. That’s not
the American way. And, in addition, it
just makes the rest of us look fatter,
which I don’t appreciate.
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL