Newspaper Page Text
♦ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2006
4A
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OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Don Moncrief
Managing Editor
Hooray for these students
Let’s hear a big cheer for educational
achievement.
Nine students from Georgia have
been named to compete for the title of
“America’s Top Young Scientist of the
Year.”
Three of the nine are from Houston
County’s public schools. They are Mark
Ellgass (Huntington Middle School), Rahul
Joshee (Warner Robins Middle School) and
Jason Lloyd (Bonaire Middle School).
We get excited when throngs turn out
for foot
ball games.
There’s no
hoopla to
excite the
masses about
academic
achievement,
but accom
plishments of
these young
men deserve
high praise
and recogni
tion.
After all, ath
letic achievements are temporary, academic
achievements can lead to bigger and better
things.
We congratulate these three students and
take pride in pointing out that they are
products of Houston County’s public school
system.
Charges are just politics
Republicans are asking for a probe of Lt.
Gov. Mark Taylor’s ties to lease arrange
ment under which his family has received
lease payments from the state.
Democrats are questioning the propriety
of a law passed by the legislature which
made it possible for Gov. Sonny Perdue to
save more than SIOO,OOO in state income
taxes.
These are signs that the campaign for gov
ernor of Georgia is in full swing.
We can look for more of the same in the
months leading up to the general election in
November.
Will these charges get traction? We do not
believe that they will.
While voters seem to thrive on assault pol
itics there is reason to doubt that personal
attacks bring votes to the polling booth.
These ads may persuade some people not to
vote or vote against a candidate, but not for
one.
Both targets of the attacks are opponents
who have proven themselves strong vote
getters in the past.
When it is time to vote we believe that the
candidates will be judged on their past per
formances and the kind of leadership (con
servative or liberal) that can be expected of
the winner.
Worth Repeating
“I want you all to understand that we are at war and we
will stay as war until this is done. Nothing else matters.
Everything is available for the pursuit of this war. Any
barriers in your way, they’re gone. Any money you need,
you have it. This is our only agenda.”
George W. Bush
43rd President of the United States
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Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
We get excited when
throngs turn out for
football games. There's
no hoopla to excite
the masses about
academic achievement,
but accomplishments
of these young men
deserve high praise and
recognition.
Pluto Is still there, so are gas prices
How about all the excitement
and controversy because some
astrologers decided that Pluto
is not a planet. So what? It still is out
there, the same size and in the same
orbit it always has had. Planet or no
planet, life will go on as usual.
■ ■■
Gasoline prices have been coming
down. Isn’t it interesting to note that
people are getting excited over $2.50
a gallon gasoline, when only a few
months ago they thought the sky was
falling in when the price climbed that
high? Having seen $3 gasoline we now
welcome $2.50 and might even be
thinking about going out and buying a
new gas guzzler. Forget about the long
term implications of high priced gaso
line, which never will sell at bargain
prices again.
■ ■■
It’s a good thing Sonny Perdue doesn’t
need the help or support of the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution newspaper to get
reelected governor of Georgia. He’s
their favorite pinata so far in this elec
tion year.
■ ■■
I’m a solid booster of this country’s
space program. But I just can’t keep
from wondering why they wind up with
so many little problems just before lift
off time, despite the amount of money
they have to spend.
What they are accomplishing is fabu
lous. It takes special people to perfect
'o
House Bill 218 allows too much secrecy
Most observers feel that House
Bill 218, that was defeated in
the 2005 session of the General
Assembly, will raise its ugly head again
when the House meets in January.
Some say that Governor Sonny Perdue
is in favor of the legislation and is com
mitted to its passage.
Let me tell you what House Bill 218
is all about. Very simply put it will
allow local and state industrial develop
ment authority officials to make deals
behind closed doors with industries
and businesses expressing interest in
locating in the state. Under the bill
they would not be required to give any
information to you the taxpayer until
the deal was done, even though public
lands and funds could be involved.
As expected, most industrial develop
ment authorities across the state favor
the legislation and say it is something
needed to make our state competitive
when courting new industries and jobs.
This is not true because there is a law
already on the books that allows a cer
tain amount of secrecy, but not total
secrecy as HB 218 would allow until
the deal is done.
Over the past several years Georgia
has attracted far more industry than
most states in the southeast under
present laws. Our state has much to
offer industrial prospects in addition
to economic incentives. We have an
interstate system of roads second to
none, two deepwater ports, fine col
leges and universities, a good climate,
good workers, outstanding tourism and
much more. We do not have to make
deals with industrial prospects in total
secrecy from the public to continue to
OPINION
those rendezvous and trips to planets
far, far away.
But the little things seem to be dog
ging the people doing the nuts and
bolts work on the ground.
I’m looking forward to a new genera
tion of space capsules that will get men
into space more efficiently.
I just hope that critics of the space
program are not successful in taking
this money to spend on some social
program.
■ ■■
According to government guidelines
41 percent of students in the Houston
County school system are “economi
cally distressed” and qualify for free
lunch.
How in the world can this be in
one of the most affluent counties in
Georgia?
■ ■■
Some Georgia legislators have come
up with another way to transfer money
from productive citizens to the non
productive. It would emulate the feder
al welfare program erroneously called
“earned income credit”.
The earned income credit pays out
"I'm just glad we don't have any
drug problems in this neighborhood!"
grow from the industrial standpoint.
As already stated, House Bill 218
would allow state and local develop
ment planners to keep secret almost
every detail concerning any offers to
industrial prospects until the contract
is signed and the ink dry. Information
concerning the kind of industry, the
location involved, the tax breaks, or
the inducements made would not
become public. In other words, it will
be too late for the public to protest
should they wish to, and this would
not be good.
Those in favor of the secrecy that HB
218 offers have been unable to pres
ent any creditable evidence that any
premature disclosure of information
has ever hindered the state’s efforts
to attract new industry. The governor
backed off in 2005 after an outcry from
the public and newspapers across the
state. He should have learned from
the past and back away now from his
present stance on HB 218.
Without a doubt the public has the
right to see what tax concessions for
roads, infrastructure, traffic, waste
disposal, locations or other tax funded
benefits are being offered to the indus
trial prospect before the deal is signed
Foy
Evans
Columnist
loyevansl9@cox.nel
'
A. iL
Bob
Tribble
Columnist
Trib Publications
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
money to people who do not pay income
taxes and, like so many other things in
our dysfunctional society, pretends it is
earned. It should be labeled what it is
- a form of welfare.
As for Georgia, we can hope sensible
legislators never let this kind of thing
get started.
■ ■■
A new survey shows that 77 per
cent of Canadians blame the United
States for the 9/11 attacks on the Twin
Towers in New York ... And anoth
er so-called friendly nation - France
- rejects President Bush’s call for a
“war on terror”. France’s president
says talking would be more effective.
That’s what Neville Chamberlain said
- and did - when Hitler began showing
his colors.
■ ■■
According to the Georgia Department
of Education, here is a breakdown
of the racial makeup of schools in
Houston County: Asians 2 percent.
Blacks 34 percent. Hispanics 3 per
cent. Multi-racial 2 percent. White 59
percent.
Thirteen percent of students in our
school system have disabilities.
■ ■■
Correction: My typing fingers got
ahead of my brain when I erroneously
wrote last week on how many days stu
dents in Georgia must attend classes.
The correct number of days is 180 each
year.
and sealed. After all in most cases it is
their money that will fund the project.
As already stated the states present
Open Records Act provides exemptions
so developers can negotiate with the
prospect in private. But the law also
gives the public the right to know the
details of the deal before it is finalized
by local and state governments.
Under the present law, if developers
wish to keep the identity of an indus
trial prospect secret, which sometimes
is understandable, all they need to do
is not identify the prospect by name
until the parties feel the proper time
to name the prospect has come. All
special concession from local and state
governments can be made public to the
taxpayer without naming the prospect
until the proper time.
Over the years Republicans have
traditionally seemed to favor open
government more than the average
Democrat.
Hopefully our Republican governor
will change his position on HB 218.
It would be better to lose an industry
or two rather than to give away hard
earned taxpayers dollars under the
cover of darkness.
We in the media certainly want our
local and state industrial developers
to be successful. When good industries
and businesses are brought into our
communities everyone wins.
House Bill 218 provides too much
secrecy that is not good for the taxpay
ers, and is a bill that is not necessary
since ample laws concerning econom
ic development are already in place.
Hopefully HB 218 will not raise its
ugly head again in January.