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opinion
Thursday, May 13, 2021 • Page 4A
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Letter to The Editor:
Where’s the
Enthusiasm?
To the Editor:
As our county is about to
embark on the venture of
building a new court facility,
I, as an Upson county tax
payer, feel the need to better
educate myself in all areas
concerning this project and
the best way I know to do
this is to attend meetings,
listen to the information
provided, and ask ques
tions; and not just attend
the meetings, but also con
sult those directly involved
in the decision making so I
can better understand
things from their standpoint
and, in return, maybe they
will be willing to understand
my points of concern.
After all, this is the right
of every taxpayer: to know
what’s going on with their
tax dollars. And I encourage
anyone who pays taxes in
Upson County to do the
same.
So far, this is how I un
derstand it after attending
the first public meeting;
(by the way, there were only
four or five private citizens
there): The county is wish
ing to continue the SPLOST
tax (one cent sales tax which
is currently in place), of
which the revenue is shared
between the county, City of
Thomaston, and City of Ya-
tesville. And, as I under
stand it, the county is
wishing to use the majority
of its cut to help build/fi
nance the new court facility,
which has been estimated to
cost somewhere around
$20-22 million to build.
Also, I understand (as
printed in the March 25
edition of The Upson Bea
con), in addition to this
revenue the SPLOST will
bring in, the county has tax
money in reserve to supple
ment the project. I also
learned that this revenue
from the same SPLOST cur
rently in place is being used
now to cover costs within
the county such as vehicle
purchases and for other
general maintenance.
Other important info to
know at this point is that
there’s quite a buzz of ex
citement among several
government officials to get
moving on this project and
get the SPLOST on the No
vember ballot for a vote by
our citizens in order to con
tinue this penny tax and
fund our county and city
needs.
Note here: This SPLOST
tax is a great way to offset
possible raises of property
tax in the future. And I to
tally agree that it should be
continued, as it’s a fairer
way to share the tax burden
among our citizens as we
can see by the results of the
recent T-SPLOST that was
added last year for paving
roads in the county. Roads
are getting paved at a
greater rate without an in
crease in property tax. And
to clarify, we now have .08
cents sales tax on each dol
lar and if this SPLOST con
tinues, that amount would
remain the same; it’s not
like we’re voting to add an
additional penny sales tax.
So, after taking all this
into account, the primary
question for most people
will be: Do we need a new
justice center since we’re in
the process of spending $1.7
million on our current
courthouse in order to fix
the roof? Some would say
yes, because our current fa
cility needs updates besides
just a new roof.
From what I know that’s
discussed amongst those
that use it regularly, there is
a serious issue with security
for court and holding pris
oners waiting for court.
Also, having one facility for
all of our courts, such as
probate and magistrate,
would help consolidate all
in one building which would
be updated with more mod
ern safety and security fea
tures.
Others would say no, be
cause we’re spending
money to get a new roof on
our current courthouse, let’s
continue to use it, do what
we have to do to correct the
safety and security issues
there, probate and magis
trate are working fine as
they are, so let’s not take on
any more debt right now if
we don’t have to. And have
you ever known any build
ing project to come in at or
under projected costs?
As a taxpayer, I have a
couple of questions or con
cerns about what hasn’t
been brought up if we move
forward with this project: If
the SPLOST penny we have
now is currently being used
for expenditures by the
county and the future reve
nue for this same penny will
be used to help finance the
new facility, where will the
money come from to replace
the revenue now being used
from this penny? Will we
have to raise taxes some
where to replace this money
or will it possibly come from
a tax reserve? I’m sure these
current expenditures won’t
simply go away when this
project is started.
Speaking of tax reserves,
it’s good to see that there’s
an admission of a tax re
serve that can be used to
wards this project; a healthy
one at that, it seems.
Other concerns or ques
tions that arise are the need
for infrastructure repair.
There’s been much talk
about needing dollars for
this now and in the future.
Where and when will this be
done? Will it be a joint proj
ect and expenditure with
the city? Where will this
money come from? do we
have enough in our tax re
serve for this and to help
build a new court facility
without having to raise
taxes?
It’s all about being trans
parent and straightforward
with all the facts. Let’s not
plant a rose garden and talk
about how great it will be
without discussing the
thorns.
Lastly, what about the
taxpayer? Which brings me
to the beginning of this
letter: Where’s the enthusi
asm for helping the local
taxpayers? In particular, the
homeowners and elderly? It
was brought up last year
that Upson has one of the
lowest exemptions on the
county side of taxes in the
state, especially compared
to most surrounding
counties and counties of
similar population and di
gest size.
Fortunately, this was re
cently discussed at a couple
of county meetings and
thankfully commissioner
Jones has taken a lead in
getting the ball rolling for
increasing homestead ex
emptions, but is everyone
on board for this like they
are the new court facility?
Just like this new SPLOST
has to be on a ballot for the
voter, so does an increase
for homestead exemptions,
it’s actually a year long pro
cess as it has to pass
through all the local and
state legislative procedures,
and just like the talks sur
rounding the court facility
have been going on for two
or more years, so has the
issue for helping our tax
payers.
Not that I’m an adver
sary of the board or ques
tioning their concern for
taxpayers, but I’d like to see
our governing authority
take advantage of an oppor
tunity that may not come
along again and we all de
serve for our concerns to be
addressed.
According to our most
recent audits, the county is
in the best financial shape
it’s been in for over 40
years. And at the very mo
ment this is being written,
homeowners and property
owners in Upson County are
facing an increase in prop
erty values to the tune of
$50 million countywide;
with the expectation of
another increase next year
in order to stay within state
guidelines for property as
sessment. Even with a mil-
lage rate rollback to prevent
a tax increase as far as the
department of revenue is
concerned, this will result in
more tax revenue for the
county.
There’s a lot more that
can be said about spending
tax dollars on “other needs”
that aren’t necessarily
needed at this moment; or
at least from my perspec
tive, not more important
than giving our home-
owners a break and bring
ing our exemptions in line
with what most other
counties our size did years
ago. It would be great to see
the same enthusiasm by
helping our taxpayers in the
form of more exemptions.
Anyway, that’s my take
on our taxpayer dollars’ use
and I’ll take my own advice
by continuing to keep in
formed and asking ques
tions when I need
clarification. Again, the best
way to do this is by attend
ing the public meetings held
by our local governing au
thorities (next meeting
about this SPLOST and how
it may be used is May 19), or
at least calling your com
missioner and letting them
know how you feel about the
use of your tax dollars.
Overall, our county com
missioners do a great job re
searching projects before
committing our tax dollars
to these expenditures and
most of them desire input
from their constituents and
rely on that input when they
vote on a matter. No matter
where you stand on this
subject, if you’re a taxpayer
in Upson County, I hope
you’ll take an interest and
voice your concerns and
feelings regarding home
stead exemptions and the
use of your tax dollars.
Andy Chastain
B. Waine
Kong, Ph.D., JD
Waine’s World:
Finding Success and
Living a Well-Rounded
Life: The Oracle of Omaha
I listened in on the Berkshire
Hathaway annual shareholders
meeting that streamed live from
Los Angeles last Saturday (May 1)
hosted by two investment gurus,
Charlie Munger (97-year-old Re
publican) and Warren Buffet (90-
year-old Democrat), the iconic
leaders.
Buffett’s personal wealth is well
over $100 billion. He keeps trying
to give it away but the more he
gives, like the oil in the widow’s
lamp (2 Kings 4), the more his
wealth increases. His partnership
with Munger has survived 60 years
of clashing points of view. They still
occupy the same modest houses
they lived in when they met. Yes,
they live modestly and health-wise,
they are both doing sensationally.
Healthy people are wealthy people
and wealthy people live long and
prosper.
While Mr. Buffett’s investment
strategy started out as a cigarette
butt philosophy that he explained
as, “If you buy a stock at a suffi
ciently low price, there will usually
be some hiccup in the fortunes of
the business that gives you a chance
to unload at a decent profit, even
though the long-term performance
of the business may be terrible. A
cigar butt found on the street that
has only one puff left in it may not
offer much of a smoke, but the ‘bar
gain purchase’ will make that puff
all profit.”
Munger persuaded him to
change to a different strategy. Ac
cording to William Green, their
adopted strategy is like spear fish
ermen. They wait by the stream for
the big juicy salmon to come along
and spear it. If one doesn’t come
along, read, play golf and bridge,
read some more and enjoy the com
pany of your friends, but always be
patient until the next big juicy sal
mon (companies with sustainable
competitive advantages and good
management) shows up. Investing
is not about instant wins and losses
like gambling, it’s about long-term
success.
They are not fans of crypto-cur
rency that they characterize as “rat
poison - the pursuit of the uneat
able by the unspeakable”
Neither of them inherited great
wealth, won the lottery or struck oil.
As self-made men, the secret of
their success is enticing people to
turn over their money to them and
rewarding their investors by re
searching and picking stocks with
great prospects. No one who had
ever trusted them with their money
has ever lost their investment. If
you had invested $1,000 when they
started in 1964, it would now be
worth $26 million. If you invested
$1,000 today for each of your chil
dren (which I encourage you to do),
only God knows what your gain will
be 20 years from now, but I guaran
tee that it will be more than $1,000.
In an effort to encourage his
children (Susan Alice Buffett, How
ard Graham Buffett, and Peter Buf
fett) to lead their own lives, Buffett
decided to give away all their
money to charity rather than pass it
on to his children and never involve
any of them in the business. In fact,
in addition to their upbringing and
education, they only received
$100,000 each and nothing more -
a gift that was not earned, but
enough to fund whatever they
wanted to do.
The older children initially
squandered their inheritance, but
the youngest (Peter) became a suc
cessful musician and invested his
$100,000 in his father’s company
which is now worth over $200 mil
lion. The two oldest children even
tually got it together and Susan is a
dedicated philanthropist serving on
several not-for-profit boards in
cluding “Girls Inc.”
At this year’s stockholder’s
meeting, Buffett and Munger, look
ing as vigorous as ever, were joined
by two vice chairs Gregory Abel,
Greg and Ajit Jain. While I could
never afford to own even one share
of BRK A, currently valued at
$412,000,1 bought “BRK B” a year
ago for $211 and it is now valued at
$288 per share, a substantial gain.
If you are interested in investing in
the stock market and want some
one else to pick your stocks, BH is
certainly the most predictable port
folio you can buy into. It has been
and will be a good place to park
money. The company is valued at
$650 billion and during the first
quarter of 2001, they made $7 bil
lion in profits and their stocks went
up 30 percent. If you kept your
money in a savings account, you
would have earned virtually noth
ing.
In addition to their commit
ment to always do the right thing,
they advise people in power posi
tions to grow talent, take care of
their customers and employees,
and everything else will take care of
itself. Mr. Buffet also suggests that
you should never get carried away
with your emotions when you
either invest or divert. There is a
logic to this. Don’t be motivated to
grow wealth for materialistic selfish
purposes but so you can do some
good in the world. Your passion is
never going to change the world as
much as your dollars.
The world can quickly change in
dramatic ways. If something exists,
at some point it will not exist. Even
the sun will not exist someday.
None of the top 20 largest com
panies in the world 30 years ago are
on the list today. How many of the
top 20 companies in the world will
be on the list 30 years from now?
Will Apple still lead the pack?
He admonishes us to treat each
other with decency and kindness
and only do business with ethical
people who you can trust. So don’t
take advice from people who are
just trying to tell you what you want
to hear. Insist on their honest opin
ions. Admit and accept your mis
takes, learn from them, and move
on. A great hitter in baseball only
gets three hits for every 10 times at
bat.
We live in a multiracial and
multicultural society, commit to di
versify, and hire the best people for
the job. “I don’t care whether the
cat is black or white, as long it
catches mice.”
Marie Broder,
District Attorney
‘Never Underestimate How
Important Community
Involvement Can Be’
I hope everyone had a lovely
Mother’s Day. My husband and
daughter showed me a little extra
love and attention this weekend
with breakfast and some thought
ful gifts. These relaxing moments
were much appreciated after clos
ing three weeks of jury trials in
Fayette County.
Of the many cases that re
solved, two cases were particularly
noteworthy. The first involved the
burglary of an auto parts store in
Fayetteville. Thanks to an alarm
system, surveillance video, and re
sponsive law enforcement, the de
fendant was apprehended shortly
after triggering the alarm. A jury
found the defendant guilty of bur
glary in the second degree.
Our office was also prepared to
try a defendant who entered a Vic
toria’s Secret in the Avenue Shop
ping Center in Peachtree City. He
sprayed an employee with pepper
spray and took more than $2,000
in merchandise. Patrons of the
shopping center took note of the
license plate on the getaway ve
hicle and the defendant was ap
prehended in Newnan. This
incident was also caught on video
camera. After a jury was selected,
the defendant decided to plead
guilty to aggravated assault and
was given a 30-year sentence.
In both cases, we were able to
achieve a successful result because
business owners invested in sur
veillance systems that allow us to
see the crime as it happened. Ad
ditionally, ordinary citizens made
the effort to assist law enforce
ment by quickly telling them about
what they had seen. You can never
underestimate how important
community involvement can be in
helping to resolve crimes. Finally,
law enforcement in Fayette
County acted swiftly to help locate
and bring in the suspects. Their
hard work and diligence are why
these cases were a success.
I would also note that neither
defendant resided in this circuit
and both had multiple felony con
victions from other counties be
fore they tried to commit crime in
this circuit. My office will do what
it takes to send a message to crim
inals that Fayette, Spalding, Pike,
and Upson Counties are not the
place to prey on our citizens and
businesses.
I am extremely proud of the
hard work of the assistant district
attorneys who prepared and tried
these cases in Fayette. Trials in
Fayette will continue over the next
two weeks. Our eyes now turn
farther south as trials begin this
week in Pike and Upson County. I
am optimistic that getting trials up
and running in these counties will
be just as successful as they were
in Fayette and Spalding. If you are
called to jury duty, we look for
ward to seeing you at the Court
house.
Until next time, be kind to one
another.
Gummy Incident,
gummy for $15 from a 15-year-old, eighth grader in the
lunchroom and had eaten it. The 15-year-old stated she did
not sell the gummy, but was given a gummy from the 13-
year-old. She also said she “smoked a joint” before school.
Three bags of brown and pink gummies were recovered
from a trash can in a classroom and tested by UCSO, along
with being sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime
lab for additional testing.
Later, a teacher reported and confiscated one red and
pink gummy from an 11-year-old, sixth grade male student.
The bag had federal warning labels on it. Allegedly, the 11-
year-old was trying sell gummies for $20 each but originally
had eight to 10 gummies. The RO reported that several stu
dents stated they were approached to buy the gummies from
the 11-year-old and were asked to write statements on the
matter.
Continued from front
In 2019, there were on average of 231 per 100,000 juve
nile arrests for drug abuse in Georgia, according to Statista.
The Recovery Village reported in 2018 that approximately
one in 20 eighth grade students reported using alcohol, mar
ijuana, or other illicit drugs. On average, children try drugs
for the first time between the ages of 13-15. The numbers re
ported are the most current available.