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DawsonOpinion
WEDNESDAY, May 23, 2018
This is a page of opinion — ours, yours and
others. Signed columns and cartoons are the
opinions of the writers and artists, and they
may not reflect our views.
Who says no
sausage with
our pancakes?
Here we go again. The pointy-heads at
WHO, the World Health Organization,
apparently have decided that trying to shame
us into not eating bacon and sausage and
ham isn’t good enough. Now, they are going
after (shudder) trans fats. Good luck with
that.
You may recall that back in 2015, the
World Health
Organization,
which is a part
of the United
Nations, which
has all the rele
vance of a buggy
whip, suggested
we quit eating
porcine parts. This, of course, sent shock
waves throughout the South. I mean if the
Whooters don’t want us eating fried bacon
with our syrup-soaked pancakes, who are we
to argue? (“J.W., you ain’t getting bacon this
morning. I just read where some real impor
tant folks over there in Sweden or
Switzerland or one of them places where
they yodel a lot says bacon ain’t good for
you. So, I am going to deep-fry some pos
sum for breakfast. I ain’t heard them men
tion possum yet.”)
After their pig-in-a-poke gambol trying to
rid us of one of our major food groups —
pig — the do-gooders are now going after
trans fats. So, you ask: What are trans fats?
OK, maybe you didn’t ask, but I will tell you
anyway. Trans fats are contained in stuff that
tastes good, like chocolate cake with white
icing and missing from stuff like Brussel
sprouts.
Trans fats are not to be confused with satu
rated fats, which are found mostly in what
ever can be fried, i.e. Southern cooking. I
grew up in a time and place where most
everything we put in our mouths was fried.
For several years, we lived with my mother’s
oldest sister and the family matriarch, Aunt
Callie, better known as Cack. Cack was one
of the great Southern cooks of all time. She
could cook a bucket of mud and make it edi
ble. Of course, the bucket of mud would be
fried.
Cack fried anything that didn’t move. She
fried steak. She fried chicken. She fried
bacon and sausage and eggs. She fried pork
chops. She fried fish. She fried okra. She
fried Spam.
And, of course, it got fried in an iron skil
let, replete with a bountiful supply of salt
and pepper before it ever hit the table. Cack
went home to be with Jesus, never having
met a recipe up-close and personal.
I thought about Cack when I read the
WHO report about doing away with trans
fats. Cack didn’t like anybody telling her
how to cook, especially a bunch of bureau
cratic pointy-heads from across the ocean. If
she found out that former New York mayor
Michael Bloomberg was the organization’s
global ambassador, she would have greeted
that with a scoff since chances are good that
Mr. Bloomberg, like most Yankees, is clue
less of Southern cuisine, like pot likker and
red-eye gravy, two of our major food groups,
along with barbecue (pork, of course),
pecans and sweet tea.
We would have to peel her off the wall if
she saw what the Whooters are targeting:
Cakes and pies and cookies; biscuits (you’ve
got to be kidding!); doughnuts (ditto!); mar
garine; pancakes and waffles, among other
delicacies.
The World Health Organization says that
as many as a half-million people die from
cardiovascular disease every year world
wide. They blame that on trans fats. Maybe
it’s not the trans fats that are the problem.
Supposedly, we Americans consume 80 per
cent fewer trans fats than we did a decade
ago. If that is so, why so many fat derrieres
waddling around town? Maybe folks are
stuffing too much trans fatless food in their
mouths. Maybe they need to exercise some
thing besides their mandibles.
It is incumbent upon me to tell the
Whooters that despite ingesting copious
amounts of fried everything — including, no
doubt, a lot of trans fat goodies — all our
family lived well into their mid and late-80s
and our grandfather until he was 90. (Had he
given up chewing tobacco, he might have
made it to 100, but that’s a story for another
day.) I plan on doing the same thing (minus
the chewing tobacco.)
I don’t like people telling me what I can
and cannot eat. I care less whether banana
pudding with meringue icing is good for me
or not. I like banana pudding. And blather all
you want about broccoli. It will never touch
my lips. I bless Cack for serving me a lot of
the former and none of the latter.
As for the Whooters in WHOville, this
bacon burger is for you.
DICKYARBROUGH
Columnist
You can reach Dick Yarbrough atdick@dickyar-
brough.com; at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, GA
31139; online atdickyarbrough.com or on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/dickyarb.
"Federal aid reminds me of folks at haying time.
They say they want to help, but all they
want to do is drive the truck!"
Post session update: Broadband expansion
Although we addressed
many important issues and
debated a wide range of top
ics during the 2018 session,
there is one issue that was and
remains my priority - broad
band access expansion for all
Georgians.
Throughout the session I
updated you on the status of
the three pieces of legislation
I sponsored to address this
very important issue. This
legislation has been a long
time in the making and I want
to commend everyone who
came together to work tire
lessly while the bills made
their way through the legisla
tive process. Of the three
pieces of legislation, Senate
Bills 232, 402 and 426, I am
proud to say that the
“Achieving Connectivity
Everywhere (ACE) Act”, or
SB 402, received final pas
sage and on Monday, May 7,
Governor Nathan Deal signed
SB 402 into law making the
legislation effective on the
same day setting up the
framework for universal
broadband access in Georgia.
Under this legislation, the
definition of broadband was
changed. The level of service
for an internet provider
receiving grant funds as a
result of SB 402 must be
increased to a minimum data
transmission speed of 25
megabits, up from the current
speed of 10 megabits.
Under SB 402, the Georgia
Department of Transportation
(GDOT), the Georgia
Technology Alliance (GTA)
and the Department of
Community Affairs (DCA)
STEVE GOOCH
Columnist
will work together to expand
fiber optic cabling to last-mile
destinations by using existing
infrastructure.
First, GDOT, in consulta
tion with GTA, will establish
a long-term policy on the
proper use of rights-of-way of
interstates for the establish
ment, development and main
tenance of broadband deploy
ment throughout the state.
Additionally, broadband ser
vice providers seeking to
deploy broadband services by
utilizing public rights of way
would work with GTA and
local governments to develop
a comprehensive plan. In the
Fiscal Year 2019 budget, $1.1
million of existing funds will
be utilized by GTA for imple
menting SB 402.
This legislation also directs
DCA to publish a map by
Jan. 1, 2019, showing which
parts of Georgia are
“unserved” by broadband ser
vice providers. DCA will
work with the Federal
Communications
Commission, local govern
ments, broadband service
providers and other key stake
holders to collect data needed
to publish an accurate map.
Along with producing this
map, DCA will oversee the
application process and
administration of grants for
local communities that suc
cessfully designate them
selves as a “Broadband
Ready Community.” Focal
communities which aim to
receive this designation from
DCA must establish a com
prehensive plan that includes
the promotion of availability
and delivery of broadband
services.
Additionally, the local
community must pass an
ordinance for reviewing
applications and issuing
broadband-related permits
which includes certain crite
ria. Once a community is des
ignated as a “Broadband
Ready Community,” they will
then receive grants which will
streamline the process for
them to achieve broadband
access expansion. It is impor
tant to note that in the Fiscal
Year 2019 budget, $334,900
was appropriated to DCA for
the implementation and
administration of this new
community designation.
These are just a few of the
highlights of what SB 402
would do to achieve greater
connectivity throughout the
state.
Although Senate Bills 232
and 426 did not receive final
passage, work on both pieces
of legislation is not over. SB
232, the “Facilitating Internet
Broadband Rural Expansion
(FIBRE) Act,” would have
increased competition and
offered broadband services to
rural areas, without incurring
additional costs on the tax
payer, by allowing 42 Electric
Membership Cooperatives to
provide internet services and
broadband to their customers.
SB 426, the “Broadband
Infrastructure Feads to
Development (BIFD) Act”,
would have reduced unneces
sary regulations and costs and
streamlined the deployment
of wireless broadband by
addressing how local govern
ments regulate the utility
companies’ use of the right of
way for locating wireless
antennas and structures.
While I am happy that SB
402 passed and that we made
progress with SBs 232 and
426, I know that broadband
access expansion is not an
issue we can fix overnight,
with one piece of legislation
or even during one session. It
will take more work and ded
ication to ensure that all
Georgians have access to fast,
reliable internet.
If you have any questions
about anything related to
broadband access expansion
or other legislation passed
this session, please do not
hesitate to reach out. I will
continue to update you over
the course of the next few
weeks on the status of bills on
the governor’s desk.
Remember, I am always here
to help if I can be of service
in any way.
Sen. Steve Gooch serves as
Majority Whip of the Senate
Majority Caucus. He repre
sents the 51st Senate District,
which includes Dawson,
Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Union
and White counties and por
tions of Forsyth and Pickens
counties. He may be reached
at (404) 656-9221 or via email at
steve.gooch@senate.ga.gov.
Letter policy
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public concern. Letters must be signed and include full address and a
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rectly identified letters will be withheld.
Mail letters to the Dawson County News, RO. Box 1600,
Dawsonville, GA 30534, hand deliver to 30 Shoal Creek Road, fax to
(706) 265-3276 or e-mail to editor@dawsonnews.com.
LETTERTOTHE EDITOR
Future teachers,
we root for you!
As I read last week’s
Dawson County News,
I was proud to see that
Dawson County High
School has 11 students
who plan to become
teachers. For that I
commend you, Cadey,
Jacalyn, Carley,
Micaiah, Shae, Kaylee,
Calli, Emily, Connor,
Rob and Evie.
As a retired teacher, I
have some advice for
you:
1. Seek out a tenured
teacher to help you,
guide you and teach
you.
2. Keep a copy of
every paper you write,
as you may refer to
them when you attain
those graduate degrees.
3. Join a professional
organization such as
GAE or PAGE. They
have numerous oppor
tunities for your profes
sional growth. They
will also provide you
with legal assistance
when the need arises.
This is a litigious world
we live in now and you
may never need an
attorney, but it will give
you peace of mind to
know you have it.
4. When people tell
you that you are so
lucky to get “paid in the
summer,” explain to
them that your salary is
based on 190 days and
is spread over 12
months. Few people
get that!
5. Take your sick
days when you need
them. There is no
shame in that.
6. Take pride in
knowing that you have
made a decision to
make a difference in the
world. Tom Brokaw, a
famous journalist, once
said: “It’s easy to make
a buck. It’s a lot tougher
to make a difference.”
Know that Georgia’s
teachers are rooting for
you and wish you the
best! Congratulations
on this milestone in
your life.
Susan Baldwin
Dawsonville