About StarNews. (Carrollton, GA) 20??-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2024)
Page 19 March 17, 2024 Commentary StarNews / StarNews Online www.starnewsgaonline.com “Not just what happened, but what matters” Susan m. horn EDITOR/PUBLISHER ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: GRAPHICS DESIGNER: Wayne Reynolds Sherry Reynolds REPORTERS: JANICE DANIEL WAYNE REYNOLDS Our goal is to produce a quality newspaper, locally oriented and designed with the readers ’ interest in mind. Letters to the editor are welcomed and should include a signature, address/email addrees, phone number. Liability for an error will not exceed the cost of the space occupied by the error. We welcome reader input, ideas and criticisms. Your right to read this newspaper is protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Published monthly. Periodical postage paid permit #16154 Carrollton GA. Delivery mail/carrier $35 per two year subscription. $45 out of county. Send address changes: PO. Box 680, Carrollton, GA30112. P.O. Box 680 Carrollton, GA 30112 © 2024 Palindrome Enterprises dba StarNews / StarNews Online suehorn.starnews@ gmail.com cell: 770-301-1275 Journalists: nationwide versus local Sue horn EVANS TmvR^ m PUBLISHER Following is from surveys by Syracuse University on American journalists’ perspective on work, professional attutudes, ethics”: 1971: Journalists who said they were Democrat: 35.5%. 1971: Journalists who said they were Republican: 25.7%. 1982: Journalists/ Democrat: 38.5% 1982: Journalists/Republican: 18.8% 2022: Journalists /Democrat: 36.4% 2022: Journalists /Republican: 3.4% Percentages show a doubling of journalists who are neither Democrat or Republican: 38.8% in 1971 to 60.2% in 2022. And, Republican journalists, low in 1971, are at an insignificant number now. Seeking percentages on how many American journalists state they are religous or specifically Christian, I could not find much data, only that from 1995 to 2007, the percentage stayed about the same: roughly 8%-12%. If America has a majority of journalists who claim to not be guided by any “higher authorities” - government or God? - what does that look like in aur news? What would the focus/ story topics be, and with what slant? I believe if surveys were conducted on local journalists at small community newspapers, the data would show a much different picture, and it would definitively refelect the morals and ideals of their community. We at StarNews hope you enjoy reading this month’s edition. We strive to write and publish content we feel is important to you. Be sure to check aut pages 9-14, our annual “Easter Messages” from area pastors. He is risen. Letter to the Editor: I want to thank StarNews for giving me this opportunity to tell you all about an unfortunate event that happened to me recently, and how kindness and caring turned it all around. I was driving home from a late physical therapy appointment in Bremen. I was trying to make it home before dark because I don’t see as well at night. It was pouring down rain, which made seeing even harder. I must have mn over a nail or something in the road. My back right tire went flat. I managed to get off the road safely. I sat there a few minutes pondering my options. I called everyone I could think of, to no avail. It began to rain even harder. A young man stopped to help me who discovered I didn’t have a jack or a lug wrench. He said his name was Dale. He said he had a jack that he would leave with me and he would call and see if he could find someone to come back and help me. I thanked him and he left. So, I had a jack to change the tire, but no wrench to get the lug nuts off. I called a friend of mine who owns a wrecker to tow me and he said he doesn’t take night calls because he doesn’t see well at dark either! Another truck stopped and a young man named Erick began to change my tire. I was so thankful! Well, the ground was so saturated that the jack was sinking in the ground and the lug nuts were on so tight, he wasn’t having much luck. We were standing in the rain looking like two wet puppy dogs, trying to think. Then a Carroll County SherifFs vehicle pulled over, a window rolled down and a voice asked, “Need some help?” We told him our dilemma and he said, “I have a floor jack and power tools. I don’t live far from here, I will get them and be right back.” This deputy sheriff had just gotten off work and was still in uniform when he came back in his buck with what we needed. He and the young man changed my tire. It only took about ten minutes or so. I asked the deputy his name and he said he was Lieutenant Richard Harrison. I said, Harrison, I just want you to know I’m gonna write you up and I might even bake you a cake. He busted out laughing and said all right then! I thanked him again and asked if I could give him a hug. If you have never hugged a cop on side of the road, at dark and in the rain, well, maybe you should. I know this may not seem like a big deal or newsworthy to you, but it See LETTER TO EDITOR page 27 Greetings from under the Gold Dome Last week was productive as we completed week eight under the Gold Dome and worked through our annual crossover day deadline. With cross over day successfully behind us, we now turn our sights towards the many Senate bills which are now under con sideration in the House. As we make our way through the final days of the legislative session, our days will grow longer and the pace more intense. Please be on the lookout for future updates concerning your government at work. As always, if you need any thing at all, please feel free to contact me anytime. Thank you for allowing me the honor and privilege of serving our home under the Gold Dome. May God bless you, and may He continue to bless the great state of Georgia. Week eight under the gold dome made way for many great measures that will benefit our state and her citizens. Concerning healthcare, we contin ued our efforts towards quality health- J COTI.1NS (R)STATE REPRESENTATIVE District 71 770-295-8143 j.collins@house.ga.gov care for all through House Bill 1339. This bill aims to modernize and refine healthcare regulations while address ing various challenges within our mral communities. If passed into final law, this measure would overhaul the state’s certificate of need (CON) laws. As such, the bill would stipulate the following: - Department of Community Health (DCH) required to conduct regular 5- year reviews to ensure the plan meets the evolving needs of our state. - Shortens, Streamlines, Expands the current CON process Week eight under the Gold Dome As your State Senator, I am com mitted to upholding conservative val ues and fighting for the issues that matter most to our community including topics like job opportunity expansion and lowering taxes, to defending life and supporting law enforcement. I am honored to be appointed as a working member of several Senate Committees, including Banking & Financial Institutions; Education & Youth; Science & Technology; and Veterans, Military, & Homeland Security. I will work tire lessly to serve as your voice on Georgia’s Capitol Hill and in the halls of the Georgia State Senate. Since being recently sworn in, I continue working on my individual legislative priorities. Specifically, I am proud to have voted in favor of Senate Bill 465. This bill Truth “Ifyou look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get comfort or truth, only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair. ” “The most dangerous ideas in a society are not the ones that are being argued, but the ones assumed. ” “Everything is as good or bad as our opinion makes it. ” - C.S Lewis Have you ever had a discussion with someone with a very different opinion, and his facts (argument) seem to conflict with your beliefs or a conversation with someone with whom you appear to agree, but his actions do not correlate with his argu ments? The answer is that you have differing worldviews. With the influx of the internet, 24/7 news, and social media, we face a universe of world views that make competing claims concerning truth. Movies, television, music, education, science, and art are all affected by worldviews. Most Americans would say they Tim BEARDEN (R)STATE SENATOR District 30 404-463-5257 tim.bearden@senatega.gov protects Georgians by tightening regulations and imposing harsher penalties on fentanyl distributors. Combatting the epidemic of drug I am proud to have voted in favor of Senate Bill 465. This bill protects Georgians by tightening regulations and imposing harsher penalties on fentanyl distributors. abuse is absolutely one of my top pri orities this remaining session. As the week progressed, legislators achieved a significant milestone with - Extends the maximum distance for healthcare facilities to relocate without a CON. - Various programs for Medicaid and uninsured patients would be exempt from CON requirements when an agreement is reached with a nearby hospital. - Expansion of the rural hospital tax credits. We are confident that these changes will bring us closer to ensuring equi table and effective healthcare delivery for all Georgians. If passed, First Responders will gain access to PTSD treatment insur ance under House Bill 451. This bill would require public entities to offer insurance to first responders diag nosed with work-related post-trau matic stress disorder (PTSD). This coverage would include a $3,000 cash benefit and income replacement dis ability benefits, which would be pro vided 90 days post-diagnosis. We are See STATE REP COLLINS page 23 the completion of “Crossover Day” on February 29th. This day marks the deadline for all Senate bills to cross over to the House chamber and vice versa. Throughout the 2024 Legislative Session, Senate Republicans have experienced considerable success, advancing every priority defined by our caucus onto the House of Representatives. During the last few weeks, we passed several additional bills to further our work for the bene fit of this state and the people of West Georgia: SB 429: Titled the “Small Business Protection Act,” this bill would require the Georgia state government to implement measures such as requiring small business impact analyses for proposed legislation. This would help legislators make informed See STATE SENATOR page 22 Travis PITTMAN GEORGIA TECH Beta Theta Pi tpittman4787@comcast.net have a Christian worldview based on a theistic foundation with the belief in a personal, infinite God that created the universe, and they apply their ethical guidelines based on the Bible. This idea has been the foundation of truth until the last century when natu ralism, postmodernism, and panthe ism purport their truth. In the naturalist worldview, humans are autonomous, and progress and evolutionary change are inevitable. They make their own decisions and decide their direction. Education is the gateway to building a just society. The ultimate authority for knowledge and morals is science. Psychology called this view “modernity” based mainly on Enlightenment Age thinking, where reason is more significant than superstition (God), and science is more credible than blind faith. The postmodernist changed natu ralism to add that truth is not discov ered but created. Each of us has a par ticular view of the truth, but no one has absolute tmth. Postmodernists also believe that truth is not found in the individual mind but in the group. The individual will conform his thinking to a larger group; through that group, one can find salvation or social justice. Pantheists believe that all life has a spark of divinity and that all is God (monism), something like the New Age movement. No life distinctions exist between humans, animals, or the world. Human beings must discover their divinity by experiencing a change in consciousness. The ulti- See TRAVIS PITTMAN page 22
