Newspaper Page Text
6A
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2008
EDITORIAL
Daniel F. Evans
President
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Perry city government remains true
About three weeks ago I had the pleasure of attend
ing Perry City Council’s work session. At that work
session, mayor and council discussed plans being made to
preserve the character of the city while improving the quality
of life of residents and enhancing the experiences of visitors.
One of the difficulties that has confronted the city is how to
address the issue of growth while maintaining the wonderful
small town flavor that is Perry's gift.
It is to their credit that the actions of mayor and council
show their resolve to tackle tough issues confronting the
city today rather than passing the problem to future coun
cils. Both mayor and council rightly deserve the gratitude of
Perry's citizens for their dedication to not merely maintain
but to enhance the city’s quality of life.
It is with that attitude that the city is now considering
whether to implement impact fees. Last week, the council
heard recommendations from its Impact Fees Advisory
Committee, which had earlier voted to recommend not
implementing the fees.
Even so, the committee provided its guidance to council
should the city decide to implement the fees. Their recom
mendation was to use the fees to fund only fire stations and
not to use them to address the matter of city recreation.
Unfortunately, the fee structure the committee would
recommend seems to be woefully inadequate. One would
suppose that reflects the committee’s real estate members’
reluctance to see impact fees be used. I can understand why
they might have some fear as to their influence upon their
businesses.
Those fears should be put to rest when examining the
experience of other cities and counties that use impact fees.
At last week’s session, it was mentioned that none of the cit
ies contacted indicated any loss of development and slowing
of growth because of impact fees themselves.
Studies have shown that impact fees provide a more
efficient method of securing funding needed to provide infra
structure required as the result of community growth and
development. It has also been shown to be a method to pro
vide the needed infrastructure more rapidly than traditional
funding methodologies.
In addition, there is evidence to show that new construc
tion’s value has been increased fifty percent above the
amount of the impact fee. For example, a $2,000 impact
fee might result in an increased valuation of $3,000. As the
value of new construction increases so to does the value of
existing properties. That would seem to be because of truth
in the adage that “a rising sea lifts all boats".
Those who fear that impact fees might discourage buyers
are not giving proper credit to the perspectives and desires
of potential customers. People are moving to Perry to secure
the advantages of the Houston County school system and
enjoy the warm, small town flavor Perry offers and the city
government is jealously protecting.
I applaud city government for defending the best interests
of city residents by seeking a more appropriate method to
fund future infrastructure needs rather than rely on property
tax increases and additional SPLOSTs.
- David E. Wittenberg, Kathleen
Surveillance act should have been updated
For the last six years, the United States has been at
war with an unconventional enemy who has proven
they will use extra ordinary warfare in order to kill innocent
Americans and destroy our way of life. Following the attacks
on Sept. 11, the President and Congress enacted many
reforms at home and abroad to hunt down suspected ter
rorists and thwart their ability to attack us. One such reform
was an update for the 30-year-old Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act. Unfortunately, it was only temporary.
Last week, the U.S. Senate in a bi-partisan manner voted
to permanently update the FISA law in order to protect
America, but Jim Marshall and the Democrats in the House
of Representatives voted to block the Senate’s bi-partisan
bill, then left town and let the act expire.
With this expiration, America is now less safe and our
intelligence officials have to jump through additional hoops
just to listen-in on the conversations of plotting terrorists and
possibly missing terrorists plans to attack our country. •
There are men and women risking their lives in order to
defend our way of life, but Jim Marshall failed to join a bi-par
tisan group and support a bill that would protect the home
land. It’s time for Georgians to contact Jim Marshall and
other vacationing leaders and tell them to get back to work
and pass the bi-partisan bill to make America safe again.
- Michael Lane, Bonaire
Negative forces out against impact fees
All the negative forces against impact fees that would
help older residents of Perry pay for new parks and
fire stations were out in force at a recent city council meeting.
They are against new residents paying some of the costs
that they incur on the rest by their new residency; for new
schools, parks and fire stations.
Realtor spokesperson Scott Frei failed to identify himself
when he answered questions from only the mayor and
Joe Kusar. No microphones were evident and it was hard
to hear most statements. The whole performance had the
air of a forced, unwelcome performance. These wealthy
See LETTER, page jA
HOW TO SUBMIT:
There are three ways to submit a letter to the editor: E-mail it to
hhj@evansnewspapers.com, mail it to 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.
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.
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
Nicole Crofutt
General Manager
Don Moncrief
Managing Editor
58391 picks your pocket
ByROBERSM. WILLIAMS, JR.
Contributed
Beware. The Georgia General
Assembly is in session again.
If you want to protect your
home’s value and your quality of life,
it’s time - again - to pay attention.
In recent years a few secrecy-in-gov
ernment legislators would have made
it possible to spoil your neighborhood
with unwanted development and you
could not know until it was too late to
stop it. Some wanted to allow govern
ment to take your property through
eminent domain and turn it over to
developers.
Public outcry sent them backing
away from such harmful legislation
like roaches scrambling from the light.
This year, unfortunately, it’s Senator
Cecil Staton (R-Macon) pushing Senate
Bill 391. Staton mistakenly believes he
is enhancing public notice when, per
haps unwittingly, he is taking the first
fatal step toward making it even hard
er for residents to follow what local
governments are doing. Staton wants
cities, counties and . school boards to
pay a private company based in Beverly
Hills, Calif., to carry public notices on
the company’s for-profit Internet web
site: Each time a town council changes
meeting times, or a school board holds
a called session, this Beverly Hills com
pany would have to be paid.
As the law now stands, officials mere
ly post a notice in a conspicuous place
and notify their legal organ newspaper
in advance.
.i
Hit dog! Intoligoncc 'wel done'
After escaping harm the first
time, I was not about to enter
the lion’s den again. I was
determined never to write about my
mother-in-law’s Promise Sunday
School class ever again. Honest.
But then I found out a little secret.
It turns out anything cooked on an
outdoor grill is like a strong truth
serum to my wife and mother-in-law;
maybe to all women. Maybe it’s the
delirium of not having to cook for a
change, or maybe it’s the soothing
sound of the soft sizzle of meat on a
metal tray - like raindrops on a tin
roof -1 don’t know, but the fact is: You
grill and you get answers (whether you
want them or not).
“Tell me! Was there or was there not
a second shooter on the grassy knoll
when John F. Kennedy was shot?”
“We’ll never tell!”
“I’ve got baby back ribs ...”
"... His name was Chester. He was
born ,in a little town in Alabama. His
favorite color was red. His momma’s
name was ...”
So it was as my wife, mother-in
law, father-in-law (my witness) and
I sat there at the dinner table two
Saturday’s ago after I had grilled some
hamburgers, hotdogs and sausages (I
can’t imagine what would have hap
pened had I really cooked baby backs)
that the ladies began to talk.
“You’d really have something to write
about if we told you what really goes on
in our class,” my wife said ... smiling
from ear to ear as the Hillshire Farms
began to kick in.
“Now. Now. I’m through with that,”
I said. “Especially after being threat
ened. Nope. No more of that for me ...
"Staton, inexplicably,
believes this company
should be paid to,
essentially, duplicate what
newspapers and local
officials are already doing
in hundreds of Georgia
towns and cities."
The Georgia Municipal Association
says Staton’s bill will only cost taxpay
ers more money. It will accomplish
nothing in improving public notice.
How, for example, will residents know
where to find these notices of impor
tant issues in the vastness of cyber
space?
Staton ignores the fact many public
notices are already available to you on
the Internet - for free. (Go to www.
georgia public notice .com.) Never mind
that many public notices are already
posted - for free - in courthouses and
city halls. Never mind that many are
published in this newspaper.
Staton, inexplicably, believes this
company should be paid to, essentially,
duplicate what newspapers and local
officials are already doing in hundreds
of Georgia towns and cities.
Why does Staton think a California
company deserves taxpayer dollars to
duplicate service already available?
Managing lalitor \
donm@evansnewspapers.com |
Have another hot dog?”
“They’re sure a lively bunch,” my
mother-in-law chimed in. “They cer
tainly keep you on your toes.”
“I’m sure they are. I’m sure they do.
But I’m really not interested. Really.
But here, have a few Ball Parks fresh
off the grill. And, are you going to stop
at just two hamburgers!”
And so it began. A dozen or so meat
(by)products later, I got the whole
truth and nothing but the truth. (Not
really. I actually only got one bit of sub
stance - and getting it was like cutting
a cheap steak ... but I’m pretty twisted,
I could work with it.)
Come to find out the Bible might
have been written entirely different
had members of the Promise Sunday
School class been around.
For example, I was told there’s a
story in the Old Testament about Noah
that was once a source of spirited
debate (the aforementioned “bit of sub
stance”).
It’s found in Genesis Chapter 10.
The flood has come and gone and
now Noah, who has three sons, Shem,
Ham and Japheth, has settled down to
live every man’s dream. He’s become
a husbandman (which, not being a
Bible scholar, I would suppose means
his wife has pretty much got him
"One voice can make a difference"
We wish we could tell you, but Staton
either ignores, or takes umbrage at,
those who dare question his intent.
Disappointing behavior from someone
who asked to represent us. But then,
most of us didn’t give Staton SI,OOO
donations in the last few weeks.
The Beverly Hills executives hoping
to get this guaranteed windfall did.
Coincidence? Perhaps.
Truth is, this isn’t about public
notice. It’s about getting into the tax
payers’ pockets. This Beverly Hills
crowd has pushed similar legislation in
several other states already - with no
success. Their plan is to move public
notices from courthouses, city halls
and your local newspaper to their web
site as a state-mandated monopoly.
No one, it appears, has fallen for their
scheme like Staton.
You can put a stop to this.
Your home’s value depends on know
ing when critical zoning changes may
occur. Your quality of life can be ruined
forever by undesirable development.
That’s part of why following local gov
ernment action is important. Staton
is, apparently, listening only to private
interests from Beverly Hills who don’t
have protection of your Georgia home
or community as a priority. Call or
email your state senator today. Tell
him to help stop S.B. 391. The value of
your home or the quality of your neigh
borhood could depend on it.
Robert Williams publishes week
ly newspapers in several Georgia
communities. He can be reached at
rwilliams@atc.cc.
“trained” ... and that’s not the “every
man’s dream” part ... that’s every
“woman’s dream”) and planted a vine
yard (that’s the “every man’s dream”
part ... although not mine if you read
my wine column).
Well, come to find out, in verse 21:
“And he drank the wine, and was
drunken; and he was uncovered in his
tent.”
Then in verse 22 it reads: “And Ham,
the father of Canaan, saw the naked
ness of his father, and told his two
brethren without.”
In verse 23 the other two sons back
into the tent with a blanket - where
they won’t have to look - and cover
him up. •
Verse 24 is apparently where the
debate ensued for the Promise mem
bers: “And Noah awoke from his wine,
and knew what his younger son had
done unto him.”
What he did my wife said scholars
disagree on. Some, she said, say he just
made fun of him. (Note: That’s what
my two sons would do. One: “Gross!”
The other: “Yeah. He’s like a cross
between a gorilla and a prune.”)
Others, she said, say he did some
thing much worse. I’ll leave that to your
imagination(s), but that’s apparently
what some members of the Promise
Sunday School class believe.
In fact, their version of verse 25
would start off the same way as the
King James version - with Noah curs
ing Canaan because of Ham - but
would end something like this based on
an actual cut-to-the-chase quote from
one of the class’s members: “And then
they tied Ham outside naked and let
See MONCRIEF, page 7A
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL