Newspaper Page Text
Friday, September 20,2013
Tribune & Georgian
5A
Letters
from page 4A
preschool-through - 12 th
grade and higher education
data”?
I assume part of the reason
is that teacher evaluations are
in part based on student per
formance, an idea that is sci
entifically unreliable and one
I disagree with, but why
should a tracking system col
lect data on a person
throughout their lives?
I am particularly con
cerned about this because
another grant through the
department of labor links our
students from pre-K all the
way through the workforce.
This type of data collection
is not needed for a free soci
ety. It is, however, needed for
a government that intends to
oversee workforce planning.
Let’s step back from chas
ing federal money and do
our homework first.
Mike Harris
Kingsland
Support sales
tax for education
Dear Editor,
The economic downturn
we have experienced has put
pressure on everyone. Cam
den’s school system has defi
nitely been affected because
the state has drastically cut
its funding to local school
systems.
By voting yes on the E-
SPLOST initiative (Educa
tion Special Purpose Local
Option Sales Tax) on Nov. 5,
we can all help our school
system stay competitive —
and this money will be com
ing from everyone who buys
products in Camden County.
So many necessary and
worthwhile projects will
come from E-SPLOST
funds over the five-year pe
riod, and funding these proj
ects through E-SPLOST
helps to keep our property
taxes lower.
Our fine arts academy, the
largest of the academies at
Camden High, will get a
building expansion to ac
commodate its growth.
We will buy new school
buses, and we will gradually
replace the old roofs on our
older buildings. Nearly every
student will enjoy a new text
book or the use of a
Chromebook, a type of
tablet computer, in their
classroom. The band pro
grams in our schools will
gain new equipment, instru
ments, and educational ma
terials.
One of Camden County’s
strongest factors in being
competitive enough to at
tract new development and
jobs is its school system.
We need to help our
school system stay strong.
No one wants to move a
business or development to a
community where the
schools are struggling or fail
ing. Remember, too, that
these projects are all on a
“pay-as-you-go” basis; the
school system does not incur
new debt to fund these proj
ects.
Vote for E-SPLOST on
Nov. 5. You’ll support chil
dren’s education as well as
the strength of our commu
nity.
Linda Williams
St. Marys
North end needs
more buses
Dear Editor,
I have two concerns I
would like aired to all of
Camden County, especially
northern Camden County
residents.
The county is not treating
our children equally. They
are on buses for longer peri
ods each day. Some are on
those buses for one and a half
hours each way. That’s three
hours that could be used for
studying or perhaps family
time or an extracurricular
sport.
This part of the county
needs their own buses so the
children don’t have to be on
a bus for three hours a day or
have to have parents picking
them up.
Ever wonder why there are
so many cars picking up stu
dents at the schools, espe
cially Camden Middle
School, St. Marys Middle
School and Camden High
School?
You are able to send your
child to basically any school
in Camden County if you
want to drive them. Think
about it.
The superintendent’s of
fice wants everyone to vote
yes on the 1-percent E-
SPLOST (Education Special
Purpose Local Option Sales
Tax) vote coming in Novem
ber. I want to vote yes. But, I
also would like to see more
days added to the school cal
endar.
Most schools go to school
180 days a year, not 168. Last
year the calendar was 166
days. Yes, I know that two
days were added this year,
but in reality, 12 more should
have been added.
Three weeks off at Christ
mas is ridiculous to say the
least. There were also many
teacher education days. A
suggestion: make the teacher
education on those three- or
four-day weekends or prior
to school starting or after the
end of the school year.
We moved to Camden
County knowing the school
system was a good system.
We came from Connecticut,
which had an excellent
school system.
We are concerned that it
seems there is more empha
sis placed on football than on
education. I hope that is not
the case. I am asking for the
voters of Camden County to
unite and ask that we, the
northern part of the county,
let our children be treated
equally.
Let them have the same
bus ride to school — a
shorter one! Don’t combine
the buses like they are doing
now. Camden Middle School
and St. Marys Middle School
should be identical in every
form, including time. If the
high school starts later, then
a separate bus should be for
them and only them.
If the start times are going
to stay the same, I will please
request more buses, so these
young children do not have
such a long ride each day to
school.
My second request is for
more school days to be
added next year to the school
calendar.
The children of Camden
County are being left be
hind.
Linda Contois
Waverly
Are we losing our
exceptionalism?
Dear Editor,
President Barack Obama
recently said: While America
can’t be a global cop it ought
to act when in certain situa
tions. “That’s what makes us
exceptional.”
Russian President
Vladimir Putin answered. “It
is extremely dangerous to
encourage people to see
themselves as exceptional,
whatever the motivation.”
Russian politician Alexey
Pushkov, speaking of the
atrocity at the Washington,
D.C., Navy Yard, added that
American exceptionalism
“contradicts the principles of
equal rights and smells of po
litical racism.”
They all have absolutely
no understanding of Ameri
can exceptionalism.
For thousands of years
there were no written con
tracts establishing relation
ships between rulers and the
people.
The earliest known writ
ten example of a ruler pro
claiming a code of laws was
the Hammurabi Code.
Hammurabi ordered a stone
monument placed in the
center of Babylon with his
code engraved on it so all his
subjects could see it. It was a
punitive code demanding
strict obedience to his laws.
Violators were put to death.
The next example of a
written governing contract
occurred in 1215 AD. King
John of England placed his
royal seal on the Magna
Carta (Great Charter).
The Magna Carta did
nothing for “the people.” It
was a peace treaty between
John and his barons after the
barons complained John was
abusing his powers over the
barons’ fiefdoms.
The document guaranteed
John would respect the
barons’ feudal rights and
privileges, uphold the free
dom of the church but not
freedom of religion and
maintain the nation’s laws.
The church and the king
were much like governments
of today that share the
wealth forced from the peo
ple. Does that sound famil
iar? The first time in history
that the people would be of
concern would be another
572 years on another conti
nent.
“We the people of the
United States ...” so begins
the greatest document ever
created in the history of hu
manity.
In the annals of human
history, long before the Con
stitution of the United States
was written, governments
had always been instituted
and conducted from top
down, from the rulers to the
people.
With the ratification of the
Constitution came a new and
never before heard of con
cept: American exceptional
ism. Somehow, through the
good graces of providence, a
few men came together at
one point in history and
changed the way govern
ments had always been insti
tuted.
For the first time, a system
of government was instituted
from the bottom up, from
the people to the govern
ment. We became a republic.
We were different. We were
exceptional.
For a while, we got it right.
But, the easy life and com
placency that comes with
long years of intermittent
peace without suffering ac
tual invasion from rogue na
tions or overt domestic
despotism is a demon that
has weakened the will of the
people.
The American people
seem to have lost their sense
of individual and collective
initiative, commonality of
purpose, and inherited spiri
tual strength of their forefa
thers.
Are we losing our excep
tionalism? It seems so.
God help our republic
when the people no longer
care.
Jim Elders
Crooked River
Thank you for
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©
It seems as though every
day I am reading about,
being shown on the nightly
news or hearing about on
news radio how indifferent
the millennial generation is
to the world around them.
As a parent this concerns
me deeply. My own 11-year-
old, while not allowed on so
cial media websites, is madly
in love with his new (used)
iPod.
I must admit I was gen
uinely concerned about the
lack of real face time kids
seem to get with each other,
teachers, even parents.
Well, I want to let Cam
den County know that
among us are young adults
with the right stuff.
Southeast Community
Church hosted the second
annual LightHorse Health
care Inc. children’s dinner
theater Sept. 7. It was a huge
success bringing together
SECC, child actors from the
community and a small
group of volunteers to raise
money for programs at
LHH.
LHH is a nonprofit
501(c)(3), offering behavioral
health services on a sliding
scale and sponsoring chil
dren at the Georgia Special
Olympics each year, which
means occasionally we have
to reach out to the commu
nity at large for supplemental
funding.
So what about the kids?
This year’s performance in
cluded children from ages 5-
18. Practices were held early
on Saturdays and during the
week.
Performers willingly gave
their time just as the school
year was kicking off and
homework assignments
started to role in.
Attending practices and
Saturday mornings meant
giving up that extra sleep
after a long week back in
classes. Of course as actors
do at any age, these kids love
to be on stage and it proba
bly didn’t feel like too much
of a sacrifice.
Behind the scenes how
ever, there was another
group of kids who also gave
up their Saturday night to
serve dinner to the many
supporters who bought tick
ets and sponsored tables.
Not one of these teens was
spotlighted on stage or even
had a family member per
forming.
They showed up wearing
waitstaff uniforms, set tables,
plated salads, poured drinks,
served dinner then dessert,
and, yes, they even cleared
away the dirty dishes.
I wanted to thank Ashlyn
Strickland, Nicole Shockley,
Tori Stewart, Kirsten Dun
can and Kyle Duncan. These
guys rock.
I had a lot of fun serving
with them and I could not
have pulled it off without
them.
Next time I start to worry
that all hope is lost for the
millennial generation, I’ll re
member the five kids who
gave up a Saturday night to
help me serve dinner and
clear the table afterward.
Moriah L. Morris,
executive assistant
LightHorse Healthcare
Colville would
be asset to city
Dear Editor,
It makes me very proud to
see that Sam Colville is run
ning for city council.
As a fellow neighbor, I see
Sam, his wife, Peni, and their
wonderful dog, Natalie,
fairly often. They are an ex
tremely nice couple, always
willing to extend a hand, say
a kind word and reach out to
others.
I am impressed by Sam’s
patience and negotiation
skills, as I’ve witnessed him
in action during community
meetings. His excellent
communication skills would
benefit him well as a civil ser
vant.
Sam Colville will be a true
asset to St. Marys, and I sup
port his campaign for city
council.
Denise M. Obee
St. Marys
SEE IS NI SI
For All Your Orthopaedic Needs
Thank for suggesting that I travel to
you Brunswick or Jacksonville to
have my Orthopedic problem cared for
but...
I'm going to a surgeon who has been
practicing for more than 9 years, right here
in Camden County
rin going
tc see
Dr.
Felix
Prompt Appointments
Trained at the Mayo Clinic
Sport Fellowship Trained
Fracture Care
63119 FO 9-20
64 Andrews Way, Kingsland, GA • 912.729.8123
Across Kings Bay Road from the Hospital