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;- ;.^ir ;' flB |k| SB I «HHE JM vMt&W i.>/ a* I “One voice can make a I c/i/fez e/tx e I ♦ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2007 4A Daniel F. Evans President Editor and Publisher Julie B. Evans Foy S. Evans Vice President Editor Emeritus Don Moncrief Managing Editor Preparedness Month a chance to do just that In case you haven’t heard, Gov. Sonny Perdue announced this past week that September has been designated National Preparedness Month. “Federal, state and local officials, along with the volunteer community and the private sector continue to work hard to prevent and respond to emergencies,” Perdue said in his release. “I encourage every Georgian to support these efforts by developing a family disaster plan that best suits their needs.” No, this is not something you haven’t heard before. But, if anything, it - along with Tropical Storm Gabrielle, which at least looked in our direction for a bit before washing ashore Sunday in North Carolina - serves as another remind er. Perdue - rather those who work for him - encourage us to create a disaster supplies kit with at least a three-day supply of bottled water and non-perishable food; a battery-powered radio and flashlight, first aid supplies, and other vital materials. They also tell us, if we haven’t already, to develop a family disaster plan includ ing evacuation and reunification plans. And, here’s something not new but you prob ably haven’t hear in a while. Perdue and those under his direction also recommend we look for ways we can help our community in times of emergency. “Complacency is our greatest enemy, but National Preparedness Month helps us to focus on personal responsibility,” said Georgia Emergency Management Agency Director Charley English. “Right now we are in the middle of hurricane season, but emergencies and disasters can occur at any time, and we all need to be ready.” Here’s hoping, if we haven’t already, we all take those words to heart. Letters to the editor 'Wait and see’ not the best approach Foy Evans’ editorial in the Saturday Sept. 8 Houston Home Journal stated that he thought it was a good idea to wait and pass judgment on Proposed House Bill 900. The problem with a wait and see approach to the proposed leg islation is that voters in Georgia will not have time to react to whatever provisions are finally voted on by the state leg islators with the shell game now being played by Speaker Glenn Richardson. The provisions of the proposed law are being kept under wraps. How are the citizens of the state of Georgia going to evaluate the pros and cons of actual legislation when, even three months before the commencement of the 2008 Legislative Session, the actual terms and mechanics of such a significant change is being withheld from the vot ers. It is easy to sell a significant change in the law if See APPROA CH, page $A A vote for Ron Paul It is very exciting to hear that Ron Paul is running for President. It is even more exciting to learn that more than 40,0.00 people have volunteered to help him get out his message of bringing our troops home from Iraq, ending the IRS, and returning our government to the bounds of our Constitution. It is so refreshing to hear Ron Paul’s message of free dom, liberty, and much smaller government. The best part is: you know he means it. This is the first time since I have been old enough to vote, that I have an opportunity to vote for an excellent candidate. Every other election over the last 20 years, I’ve See PA UL, page $A HOW TO SUBMIT: Letters should not exceed 350 words and must include the writer’s name, address and telephone number (the last two not printed). The newspaper reserves the right to edit or reject letters for reasons of grammar, punctuation, taste and brevity. We cannot guarantee that a letter will be printed on a specific date. There are three ways to submit a letter to the editor: E-mail it to hhj@evansnewspapers.com, mail it to The Houston Home Journal at 1210 Washington St., Perry, GA 31069, or drop it off at the same location between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. On global warming, other notes These items in the news recent ly got my attention and jump started some opinions of my own: ■ The entire world seems to be going nuts about global warming. Though I am turned off by all the predictions of doom, a la A 1 Gore, I see reliable scientific information that the earth really is warming a little. How about 1 degree Celsius over the past decade? What turns me off is placing all the blame on the United States. Whether we earthlings are causing the global warming is debatable. Many outstanding scientists say this a normal cycle, pointing out that not many years ago there were predictions that we were entering another ice age. Anyway, if humans are causing the present global warming it is all of the industrialized nations, not just the United States. And that is why it would be equivalent to national suicide to destroy our country with unrealistic restrictions while the rest of the world - notably industrial giants on the move like China and India - would accom plish nothing. Before our leaders do anything rash they should think this through. The earth and the universe are much greater than all of us and for millions of years have found a way to work out their problems. ■ Democratic members of congress have more than 100 investigations of the president and other agencies in the administrative branch of government underway. The members of congress grill and do their best to embarrass witnesses, including senior members "Of course I look a lot younger in the picture. It was made right after the Voter ID bill first passed!" Looking to the future Is marriage destined for failure in America? It probably wouldn’t take a social scientist to convince most of us that marriage in America is fac ing some big challenges these days. And it’s likely that each of us would only have to look to a close friend, a relative or even ourselves to see a mar riage that is on the rocks, sinking or already sunk. Still, it is helpful to see the informa tion researchers produce to help us quantify the changes we are seeing to the American family - and to try and understand why they are happening. One of the best publications on the state of marriage is an annual report published by the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University. This year’s “State of our Unions” report featured an essay written by David Popenoe, Ph.D., one of the nation’s foremost family experts. His assessment of the future of mar riage is, shall I say, sobering at best. The institution of marriage in America, he says, is getting weaker and if current trends remain in place will increasingly resemble Northwestern European nations where cohabitation and out-of-wedlock birth rates are high, and marriage rates Eire low. Evans « ragrajl,. Igljpip Columnist SSL foyevansl9@cox.net "II humans are causing the present global warming it is all ol the industrialzeil nations, not just the United States. And that is why it would be equivalent to national suicide to destroy our country with unrealstic restrictions while the rest ol the world would accomplish nothing." of the military. Congressmen are arrogant and obnoxious. I just wish that one witness could forget about his career and turn on the congressmen with the kind of answers they deserve. ■ Speaking of investigations, wouldn’t it be fun if President Bush Columnist B Jkß Georgia Family Council iPH liSI Those trends include more couples living together and fewer getting mar ried. More children in this country are being born out-of-wedlock and living in homes with cohabiting or single parents, and fewer are growing up in homes with their married mother and father. Popenoe points out that much of the change occurring in family structure can be attributed to the rise in “secular individualism” - the move away from traditional religious beliefs toward “expressive” values that emphasize personal independence and fulfillment, as well as alternative family structures. He points out that the more prevalent secular individualism is in a society the more likely family breakdown is to occur. And America has moved, and continues to move, in this direction. HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL could convene some investigative hear ings and subpoena members of con gress as witnesses? Most Americans would enjoy and applaud this. ■ Maybe the smart thing to do is buy a home you cannot afford, then count on the federal government to bail you out. ■ Incidentally, I am writing this col umn in Centerville, Mexico. Didn’t the president of Mexico say that anywhere there was a Mexican was Mexico? I believe we have a few of his citizens here, so maybe I should go out and buy a Mexican flag. On a serious note, he may Jae closer to the truth than we like to believe. , ■ I read and hear news stories about crimes that are committed. I am told to notify the authorities if I see the crimi nals or have any information. What I miss is a more inclusive description of the criminals. All news stories should report the race - white, black, Hispanic - of criminals so that we can get an idea who the criminals are and find out if our jails have a disproportionate number of prisoners by race in propor tion to the number of crimes they com mit, as Jesse Jackson claims. ■ Developers of land complain that local regulations are too restrictive. Citizens show up at meetings to pro test developers’ plans. It happens in Houston County. It happens all over the state. A legislator halis suggested that the state should adopt uniform standards for development, which would apply throughout the state. Is it a good idea? See EVANS, page *4 Not a very rosy picture is it? I think Popenoe’s evaluation is impor tant and helps us to see where things are going. And in many ways I agree with what he has said. Yet I think it is helpful to point out that there are good reasons to be optimistic about the future of marriage too. Today, more than in the recent past, leaders are recognizing the problem of family breakdown and ar§ facing it head on. They know the costs and know something must be done. Here in Georgia, Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears of the Supreme Court of Georgia has created the Georgia Supreme Court Commission on Children, Marriage and Family Law to study the legal and social consequences associated with the growing break down of Georgia’s families, and make recommendations for addressing their root cause. Across the country, there is an entire marriage movement at work mani fested in many dozens of national, state and community-based organiza tions (like Georgia Family Council) that are committed to promoting strong, healthy marriages. There have See HICKS, page $A