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Tribune & Georgian
Opinion
Friday, January 18,2013
It’s not just
about them
M ost households in Camden County
could use a little tax relief these days.
But predictably, the minute word gets
out that our local governments are looking for
ways to cut costs and improve efficiency, coun
termeasures begin. The job protecting begins.
The scare tactics and the misinformation begin.
All hope of a rational, objective conversation
about cutting costs ends. Council members and
commissioners circle the wagons and deflect
threats that they will be voted out of office if peo
ple lose jobs, even if it means it would create a
more affordable community for all of us.
Just a few weeks ago, St. Marys residents
flooded city hall after hearing rumors that the
city’s police department would be disbanded and
consolidated with the county. In reality, the city
was only in the very preliminary stages of deter
mining where potential savings might be found
within the St. Marys government.
Our officials should have been applauded for ex
ploring their options and looking for ways to save
their taxpayers money. Instead, their own em
ployees stirred the pot and had many thinking the
decision had already been made. While we want
our local government workers to be treated fairly,
it simply isn’t all about them. It is about all of us.
The current recession has forced many busi
nesses and organizations to take a really hard look
at how they do business and how they can oper
ate more efficiently. Governments must do the
same, or they will simply keep coming back to the
taxpayers with their hands out.
The same argument has played out for months
on the national level as the need for spending cuts
reaches a fevered pitch. Lobbyists use the same
tactics there to perpetuate the status quo. In ei
ther case, special interests don’t care about the
needs of the many, just the few.
Consolidation is not a dirty word and some
times it does indeed yield savings. Since approxi
mately 70 percent of the county and city budgets
are comprised of personnel costs, the vast major
ity of employees would probably still remain em
ployed, regardless of how their departments are
structured in the future. Our governments are, in
some cases, constitutionally required to provide
certain services and they will still need a large
workforce to serve the population.
However, our continued culture in Camden
County of fulfilling the desires of the local gov
ernment workers above the needs of the many
must stop. Our officials should be free to explore
the options and discuss creative solutions without
fear of backlash. In return, we expect our officials
to bring their findings to the people for a frank
and open discussion before they take a vote.
Hard decisions may lie ahead as we struggle for
some economic recovery, and the vicious cycle of
special interest spending is something we can no
longer afford.
Tribune & Qeorgian
P. O. Box 6960 — 206 Osborne Street
St. Marys, Georgia 31558
(912) 882-4927 - Fax (912) 882-6519
Publication Number (086-640)
ISSN Number (1551-8353)
Our Mission
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for the people of Camden County by Community Newspa
pers Inc., Athens, Ga. We believe that strong newspapers
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Jill Helton, Publisher
Emily Heglund, Editor
Brad Spaulding, Marketing Director
Foy R. Maloy Jr., Regional Publisher
Tom Wood Dink NeSmith
Chairman/CNI President/CNI
"It's a shame (cough) medical science can't figure out
(cough) how to stop the spread of this flu."
Let’s make Wednesday the new Monday
M y work week
would be a whole
lot easier if it
started on Wednesday.
Mind you, I’m not one to
complain much about Mon
days. Every Monday, I don’t
get up and post on Facebook
about how much I hate
Mondays. I usually reserve
my Monday Facebook post
ings for blaming Obamacare
on something bad that hap
pened over the weekend, like
the Falcons almost losing a
playoff game.
I really have no issue with
Monday other than the fact
that it’s the day that starts the
work week. For instance, I
had no issue with Monday,
Sept. 3,2012. Since that was
Labor Day, I didn’t work, so
it seemed like a Sunday.
That week, for some reason,
I had a problem with Tues
days, but got over it by the
next Tuesday, which didn’t
seem all that bad.
In the weekly newspaper
business, which I admit to
being in when I’m not pre
tending to be an architect,
Monday is our busy day. It’s
the day we write almost all
our stories. It’s the day we lay
out our newspaper. It’s the
day we make sure all our ad-
Len Robbins
Opinion
vertisements are proofed and
ready. And it’s the day people
call me when they want to
chit-chat or sell me life in
surance.
And my body has also be
come accustomed to sleep
ing until 8:30 a.m. for two
days straight.
I can’t wait until the day
when I’m so rich — or un
employed — that Mondays
don’t bother me.
But instead of complaining
about Monday, I think it’s
time to explore options of
what to do about it. Here are
some alternatives I’m con
sidering to make Mondays
more palatable:
• Start the work week on
Saturday.
This would immediately
make Monday seem more
like Wednesday, which
would also rid Monday of
that negative stigma that has
to be bothering its psyche.
So, under this schedule, the
work week would start on
Saturday and go five days
through Wednesday. Then,
the weekend would be
Thursday-Friday.
Wait. That would mess up
college football being played
on Saturday. Forget it.
• OK, we can’t start the
work week on Sunday (Sab
bath), so how about Tues
day?
Under this scenario, Tues
day would be like our cur
rent Monday, and the work
week would go five days,
from Tuesday-Saturday, with
Sunday and Monday being
the weekend.
Dang. That still screws up
college football Saturdays,
and NFL Sundays, and high
school football on Fridays.
Next.
• Who said we had to have
a five-day work week any
way?
Why not do this: Start the
work week on Wednesday.
Work from Wednesday-Fri-
day. Weekend goes from
Saturday until Tuesday.
This would accomplish a
number of goals:
1. Make Monday much
more enjoyable and un
smirch (new word I just
made up) its good name;
2. Keep college football
Saturdays intact;
3. Allow me to stay up late
to watch Monday Night
Football;
4. Cut my work week
down to three days, which
would be very beneficial to
my golf game;
C. Keep the Sabbath holy,
because sometimes I have to
work on Sunday so that my
Mondays aren’t so hectic;
D. Transfer the blemish
that has blotted Mondays far
too long to Wednesdays,
which have enjoyed the
“Hump Day” moniker far
too long.
Plus, nothing really gets
accomplished on Wednes
days anyway.
Mondays should be like
any other day in life’s rich
pageant. I think that’s in the
Bible. If it isn’t, we should
add it.
Len Robbins is a regular Friday
columnist in the Tribune & Geor
gian.
Letters to the Editor
More taxes or
higher user fees?
Dear Editor,
During the last few
months, as I have been ques
tioning the whys and where
fores of excess-capacity costs
and the absence of a preven
tive maintenance program at
St. Marys sewer and water
facilities; the city’s long-term
debt ($70-plus million, in
cluding interest through
2033); and the upcoming
referendum on SPLOST
VII; I have come to appreci
ate the access we have to
archived Tribune & Geor
gian newspaper articles and
the municipal contact infor
mation, records, and reports
at St. Marys’ website,
stmarysga.gov.
For example, at the St.
Marys municipal website:
1. You can sign up for
email notifications regarding
council meeting agendas and
packets, minutes, job oppor
tunities, authorities, boards,
commissions and commit
tees and public notices.
2. You can watch real-time
and archived video of city
council and town hall meet
ings.
3. You can get instructions
on how to submit a com
ment or complaint to the
city mayor, and how to con
tact other elected officials; as
well as contact city depart
ment managers and staff.
4. You can access docu
ments and reports including
and not limited to airport
studies, sewer and water re
ports, waterfront regulations
and development plans.
5. You can review past and
current city budgets, as well
as Special Purpose Local
Option Sales Tax VI status
and SPLOST VII proposals
and agreements.
6. You can specify your
area of interest via the site’s
internal search engine, re
sulting in a list of links that
connect you to the St. Marys
documents containing your
selected word(s) or phrase.
Not surprisingly, even
with these resources, I still
have questions. However, re
garding SPLOST VII — a
1-percent sales tax that if
voted down will surely result
in increased St. Marys sewer
and water fees, and (possibly)
adversely impact city-wide
services — I know how I will
vote.
If you want more informa
tion before you vote, in ad
dition to using Internet re
sources, I respectfully
suggest that you reach out
and query your city council
on the budget scenarios that
they have developed — with
and without SPLOST VII
revenue.
Whatever you decide,
please vote on March 19.
To?// Canning
St. Marys
Voice opinions
to legislators
Dear Editor,
There has been recent dis
cussion within the Georgia
State Legislature to intro
duce legislation requiring a
boat operator in the state to
have a license to operate a
boat in state waters.
This legislation was
prompted by many boating
accidents on Lake Lanier, a
fresh water lake that pro
vides water resources for At
lanta.
Our concern is that a
“shotgun” approach to ad
dress a local issue could af
fect all boat operators in
Georgia.
I have been in touch with
our local representatives ex
pressing my concern and as
sured by Rep. Jason Spencer
that he will research any bill.
It could be presented in the
Senate, so I have alerted Sen.
William Ligon as well.
Since we have not seen the
proposed legislation it is dif
ficult to weigh its merits. If it
affects all state boat opera
tors the affect could be dis
astrous. However all boat
operators should be aware of
any pending legislation and
voice their concerns or sup
port.
My experience with boater
licensing has been good and
bad. Two examples being In
diana and New Hampshire.
New Hampshire requires
all boat operators to com
plete a course (usually Inter
net), be certified and licensed
regardless of ages, experi
ence or where they live.
They do not exempt U.S.
Coast Guard licenses or
other state licenses. Boating
business is suffering.
Indiana is more user
friendly. Requirement to be
licensed is based on year of
birth, which exempts older
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