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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2007
Daniel F. Evans
President
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Don Moncrief
Managing Editor
Proceed with caution
Two rules are often cited when it comes to
financial matters.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably
is.
At first glance, the “Great Plan for Georgia”
being proposed by Georgia House Speaker Glenn
Richardson looks like a real break for property
owners, because it would abolish all ad valorem
taxes.
However, the burden would then fall on the
sales tax to make up the revenues. Additionally,
a number of local leaders have spoken up
against it, primarily because of the risk to local
control of funds.
These include Mayor Jim Worrall of Perry,
Superintendent of Schools David Carpenter,
County Commissioner Tom McMichael, who is
this year’s president of the Association County
Commissioners of Georgia, Board of Education
Chairperson Pam Greenway and Board of
Education member Skip Dawkins, who heads
the Georgia School Boards Association.
We’re not taking a stand yet except to say,
“Slow down and proceed with caution.”
If this proposal reaches the ballot as a referen
dum question, we all need to know what we’re
really getting into.
In need of a sign
Few subjects have gotten as much attention in
Perry as the dream of upgrading Gen. Courtney
Hodges Blvd. as a corridor to downtown Perry.
However, while the talk and planning go on,
there is one simple step that nobody seems to
be taking.
Newcomers and visitors on Courtney Hodges
have absolutely no way of knowing where down
town Perry is when they reach the big intersec
tion near Mossy Creek where Main, Carroll,
Commerce and B.F. Ragin all head off like so
many spokes on a wheel. Where’s the sign that
points to Downtown Perry?
See SIGN, page 8A
Letters to the editor
Time for Georgia to follow suit
Last week the Florida Supreme Court ruled unanimously
(7-0) that local governments may not use ad valorem prop
erty taxes to obtain bond financing through Community
Redevelopment Agency/Tax Increment Financing schemes
without public approval via a ballot.
While Florida politicians are choking, screaming and yell
ing, “Lawsuit stalls progress” - the taxpayers are cheering.
Simply put, this ruling will no longer allow politicians aligned
with special interest developers to use property taxes to
subsidize their selfish profiteering.
In Florida it was ruled unconstitutional - it’s time for
Georgia to follow suit.
Bill Davison, Warner Robins
We can afford healthcare for all
The American Cancer Society’s chief goal this year is a
campaign for universal healthcare to include our 47 million
Americans without health insurance and those who are
under insured.
These folks don’t usually get regular screenings for
cancer and are more likely to be afflicted at an earlier age.
Their quality of life is less and they are less productive
members of our society. If we can afford to waste a trillion
dollars on the war in Iraq which General Petraeus publicly
admits cannot be won militarily, then we can afford univer
sal healthcare for every one of us.
Frank W. Gadbois, Warner Robins
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.
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
Good luck fashion police
I must have been in about the
eighth grade. I was just getting
interested in girls, and at least
one girl had a little interest in me - at
least 1 thought she did, and I still think
I was right.
Let me start over. I still remember,
and in my mind, I am walking down
Swift Street in Perry, Georgia, and
am in front of Malissa Tucker’s house
heading toward the National Guard
Armory and Saturday night’s, Teen
Town.
And, I have it on: A round, cloth hat -
either pink or orange, although I think
it was pink - with a black band and I
♦ had it turned up in the front and back.
Kinda’ like Hep Cat’s hat.
The girl that I sorta’ liked and whom
I think liked me, didn’t care for my
hat and told me so. I wore it anyway.
Perhaps it had more to do with defi
ance than style, but sometimes I think
the two - defiance and style - are relat
ed. And, sometimes not. Hopefully, all
of this gets me to my points.
I see where some councilmen in some
cities are proposing ordinances for
bidding the wearing of pants below
a certain level (undefined, I assume)
and where the derriere or the derriere
cover shows. Good luck and may the
fashion gods be with you!
Let me say this: I abhor (which,
knowingly as used by me, means to
“regard with extreme repugnance”)
pants almost down to the knees. When
I see young men attired in this fashion,
my inclination is to grab the back of the
pants and snatch them to the ground
(which would be easily done, save what
might happen to me thereafter).
I
w uSi GQ-.
Interagency cooperation benefits us all
Interagency cooperation benefits
us all
I often wonder why we can
find fault with many of the things our
elected or appointed officials do, but we
just seem unable to give them credit
for the good things they do.
Most of them are good, dedicated
public servants, especially in Houston
County. They make decisions and
sometimes we disagree with them, but
the decisions do not include personal
gain. What officials in Houston County
offer is transparency that we should
applaud.
We do not see actions that play one
segment of the population against
another. There seems to be a sense of
feeling that all of us are in this togeth
er and more can be accomplished by
working for the common good.
These thoughts come to mind as I
look outside Houston County.
Peach County passed an educational
SPLOST not too long ago. Residents of
Byron, who feel estranged from the rest
of the county, supported the SPLOST
because they were promised a new
school. Now the school is being built
somewhere else and people in Byron
are angry. The issue has resulted in
acrimonious public meetings. Lawyers
are being brought into the fight.
Bibb County, too, is having trouble
deciding where to build new schools
Columnist
lwalker@whgb-law.com
"But, my sense Is that
legislating style is doomed
to failure."
But, my sense is that legislating style
is doomed to failure. If the courts won’t
let you prohibit tinted windows in cars
without great specificity, they are not
going to let city councils determine
how low a man can wear his pants
without great specificity, and I don’t
think lawmakers want to go there.
Try if you will, but by the time you
get it right (if you ever do), style will
have changed, and it will be something
equally repugnant. Probably those
councilmen introducing these proposed
ordinances are trying to get attention
just like the low hung pants crowd!
Now, let me move from something
universally despised by those in my
circles to a fashion that is probably
accepted with approval by most, if
not all of my friends. But, I don’t par
ticularly like it, and this is where I will
probably get in trouble for expressing
my views.
When did feet become objects of
and many parents are unhappy.
Houston County’s board of education
and superintendent have done a good
job of anticipating where growth will
be and have purchased land for new
schools well in advance. Some par
ents don’t like where they are zoned,
but we have to admit that ours is a
rather tranquil situation where deci
sions are not based on territorial wars
or race. School officials probably make
mistakes. All of us do. The important
thing, in my opinion, is that they keep
in mind their responsibility of provid
ing schools and teachers and a good
educational environment under great
pressure.
The sheriff and county commission
chairman in Clayton County don’t
get along and have spent hundreds of
thousands of dollars of taxpayer dollars
fighting each other in court.
Our county commissioners work well
together and with other departments
in the county government, includ-.
Yeah, Mom, I'm learnyng lots *
at tech school. Like, just now,
I got a real lesson in economics!
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
beauty to be displayed on all occasions
- church, weddings, funerals, etc.? I’ve
never seen so many toes in my life:
Polished toes, manicured toes, crooked
toes, hairy toes, shaved toes, toes with
corns, unpolished toes, toes with jew
elry, etc. You see them everywhere.
Actually, you see more women’s toes
than men’s; but, you are beginning to
see toes of both genders at all gather
ings. It’s a toe craze!
But why should I be concerned about
people showing their toes at churches
and weddings and so forth? For after
all, from what we’ve been told, Jesus
wore the kinds of shoes that would
have let people see his toes. In the final
analysis, I guess it’s just fashion.
Then, there is the current cleav
age style. But, I best leave this sub
ject alone. And, I will, except to say
that sometimes it’s Marilyn Monroe,
and sometimes it’s Mia Farrow. Wasn’t
Frank Sinatra close to both of them?
The point of all this is that styles
change and pass, just as my pink hat
did. Remember hiney binders or butt
buckles? What about ducktail haircuts
and bee bop shoes and peroxided hair?
Hems go up and hems go down. Hair
is long. Hair is short. Caps on straight.
Caps on backwards. Caps cocked to the
side. I could go on and on. It comes, it
goes.
And, best that the government stay
out of it, for government intervention
is doomed to failure. But, then again,
certain failure has never stopped the
government before. So, go at it law
makers and get those pants pulled-up.
But, how far? And, could too far up also
be offensive to some of us?
ing the sheriff. City officials in Perry,
Warner Robins and Centerville have
good relations with the county com
missioners and their representatives
meet regularly to look at ways they can
improve service to taxpayers by work
ing together.
It took many years for it to come
about, but something worthy of praise
is the way the cities and the county
are working together here. They share
responsibilities on many projects, espe
cially roads. They even share equip
ment when it makes sense to do so.
This kind of cooperation benefits all
of us.
Can we agree with every decision
every elected body makes? Hardly.
Those of us on the outside may believe
things could be done differently or bet
ter. But we do not have the responsibil
ity of governing, nor do we have the
responsibility and ability to govern.
Someone has to make decisions. I
learned this many years ago when I
was a mayor. I also learned that the
public appreciated what you did as long
as you trusted them and kept them
informed, and they felt that you were
doing the best you could.
Despite the carping about elected
officials that occasionally arises, it is
my opinion that most people want
to trust the people they elect to
See EVANS, page