About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 2022)
PAGE 11A Send a letter to the editor to P.O. Box 1600, Dawsonville, GA 30534; fax (706) 265-3276; or email to editor@dawsonnews.com. DawsonOpinion WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2022 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. The judgiest of judgers Thoughts on random subjects If you had the opportunity to speak with a typ ical Russian family about how the current war with Ukraine has impacted their lives, what would you want to ask them? I may very well have that opportunity in the near future with a family that lives near the Ukrainian border. If you would like to be a part of the interview, get your questions to me as soon as possible. Don’t ask me how the interview is going to happen or when. I don’t know. Because of the obvious risks of the interviewee speaking freely in a totali tarian state, the less I know about the details, the better for all. I can tell you that I trust the source arranging the interview completely. If the Georgia Legislature and Gov. Brian Kemp’s intentions were to suppress voting rights in upcoming elections as opponents claimed, they are doing a lousy job. On the first day for early voting in Georgia, more than 131,000 people cast ballots. It was a record-breaking increase of 85% over 2018, when 71,000 Georgians voted on the first day. Also, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of election data shows that Blacks, who account for 29% of the state’s popula tion, cast 39% of the ballots the first day. Will somebody let holier-than-thou Delta CEO Ed Bastion know? He needs to stick to trying to take care of his unhappy pilots and flight attendants instead of sucking up to special interest yappers and looking like a political stooge. I have to roll my eyes when I hear people talk about the good ol’ days. If you were Black and lived in the South in the 1940’s and 50’s, chances are the days weren’t all that good. I have just finished reading “Mudbound” by Hillary Jordan which por trays events in Mississippi during those times and the prejudice and cruelty toward Black people. Even more disturbing was the acquiescence of otherwise good people as to what was happening. After I finished the book, I turned on the television to watch football. It turned out to be an Ole Miss game. I noticed that the majority of players were Black. Enthusiastically cheering them on in the packed grandstands were mostly whites, likely some descendants of those white supremacists of yesteryear. I would posit this occurrence comes closer to being good days than those earlier times. Speaking of football, I heard someone say recently that the best job in America is head football coach at Auburn. You get paid millions of dollars and you only have to work for a couple of years. Two words you need to be careful using around me: Patriot and Christian. When you storm and ransack the Capitol of the United States because you didn’t like the results of an election, you are not a patriot. You are a thug. Same thing with Christian. Right-wing groups have usurped the term as though they are the Christians and every one else is not. I wonder if they have read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, including the Beatitudes and the Golden Rule and 1st Corinthians 13:4-8. (Look it up.) I think we all know the answer to that. I had the privilege of serving for a num ber of years on an advisory board at the United States Military Academy at West Point. I once asked the superintendent how they knew an applicant would make it at West Point since they only accept about one out of ten that apply. Two word answer: Eagle Scout. They have the self-discipline, the motivation and desire to succeed. I mention because Craig Schwall will receive his Eagle Scout recognition next week. He is the son of my friend, Fulton County Superior Court judge, the Hon. Craig L. Schwall, Sr. I know personally how hard the young man has worked for this distinc tion. He will do well. Finally, thanks to all of you for your con dolences on my not winning the Nobel Prize in Literature again this year. I truly thought I had a shot and I could have used the million kroner bigtime. But I do have my standards and if I had to tell all the icky things like that Frenchwoman did who won it, it would embarrass us both. Plus, I haven’t done most of that stuff, including kissing a goat on the lips. Don’t believe me? Just ask the goat. You can reach Dick Yarbrough atdick@dick- yarbrough.com; at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, GA 31139; online at dickyarbrough.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dickyarb. Granny made no bones about the fact that she was judgement al. She would openly tell peo ple what she thought about their actions and behaviors, and she didn’t care if you were related to her, were the preacher, or her boss. In her mind, she was performing a public service. However, even as strident as she was. her judgements were often based on something other than just her opinion. Opinions, she said, were akin to something else everyone had and no one needed to hear. Before she passed away, she often com mented about how she thought the internet and Facebook in particular would be the downfall of humanity and civilization. I have grown to agree with her point over the recent years, and if anything, it seems to be worse. Because unlike Granny, who was targeted and exacting in her judgements, people on Facebook tend to share those opinions con- standy - who they’re voting for, what their thoughts are on certain things - all in the form of a meme, which is really a lower form of opinion since it makes it so easy for people to share without giving any thought into what is written on it. Despite her laser-focused judgements, she also knew her diatribes had far more impact when she reserved it for those select occa sions where it really mattered. No, Granny didn’t just go around spew ing her thoughts to everyone. It felt like it at times, but she didn’t. “Y’all need to be grateful that I keep a lot of my thoughts to myself,” she stated one day at supper. My grandfather, uncle, and I all exchanged looks of shock and silent grati- Take care of yourself By Dr. Larry Anderson Anderson Family Medicine It gets depressing at times when I look at the current status of some diseases that we have to deal with. The deaths from COVID, Influenza, Monkeypox (yes, Monkeypox deaths in the U.S.). Not to mention the food borne illness from our food and our pets. Cheese, meat and turtles are still in the running to make us sick. Most of the depressing diseases are self-inflicted but sometimes it is just plain bad luck that we get some tude. Even though Granny was quite outspoken and didn’t attempt to be ‘politically correct,’ she still knew certain things shouldn’t be discussed. That was one of her biggest gripes with social media. “Everyone sharing their opinion like they think someone cares,” she grunted when I tried to explain the phenomenon to her yet again. “All they doing is showing folks how dadblamed stupid they are. The Bible tells you to keep your mouth shut, lest you prove yourself a dang fool. Now the internet has got a whole new way for people to prove themselves foolish.” She also said another word, but I can’t put it here. I somehow thought Granny would have loved social media had she ever joined the worldwide web. It would have given her the opportunity to elevate her judging to a new degree. But Granny, even in her harshest of criti cisms. knew some things didn’t need to be voiced. I once overheard her having a conversa tion with someone who was talking about someone’s child they knew who had a drinking problem. Granny bristled at their words. “I think if you don’t know something about it, it may be best to not say anything,” the old gal said firmly. “They’re nothing but a chunk,” the other lady said, her tone bitter and cruel. Granny’s jaw clenched. “You do know that’s something they can’t help. They need us to help ‘em if we can, and to pray for ‘em if we can’t do nothing else.” “Oh, Helen, I thought for sure you’d agree with me on this. When did you get to be so high and mighty?” Honestly, I wondered the same thing. I had heard Granny say worse about others - but come to think of it. she’d say it to the person’s face. And, she didn’t talk about of these. Get the vaccines, wash your hands, stay away from sick people and just plain old behave. Some of these things we have no con trol over and depend on others to keep us safe and healthy. The CDC does real ly do a great job with this. Our food inspectors are doing their job or we would not be catching this thing early and having recalls. Everyone knows that we should check the oil level in our cars, change it at regular intervals, get new windshield wiper blades, get new tires when the lit tle tread wear bar appears, and get gas from approximately 101,000 state employees to 60,000 in 2021. This means that Georgians requiring services in men tal health, unemployment and health care have to wait for months to get the services they need. People are dying because of these unnecessary budget cuts! Yet Georgia has a huge surplus! When Congress approved a $1.9 tril lion coronavirus relief measure last year, Gov. Brian Kemp denounced it as a wasteful use of tax dollars. Yet, a year and a half later, Kemp has allocated near ly all of the $4.8 billion sent to Georgia but only $150 million remains for the next governor. Kemp has gone on a year long spending spree while at the same time making criticism of Democratic President Joe Biden’s economic policies one of the cornerstones of his campaign against Abrams. consideration. Letters must be submit ted by noon Friday for midweek publi cation. We do not publish poetry or blanket letters and generally do not publish letters concerning consumer complaints. Unsigned or incorrectly other people’s kids. “Let me tell you something, I ain’t high and mighty, and you ain’t either. Do you think they wanted to be an alcoholic when they grew up? No, they didn’t. You don’t know what your kids are gonna grow up and be, so you need to keep your cussed mouth shut.” On the way home, I asked her why that had made her upset. “Because it did,” she answered quietly. After a few minutes passed, she spoke again. “I’ve known a lot of good people who have problems with alcohol. People who have committed suicide. People who have a lot of problems that others like to talk about and make fun of. And guess what? They don’t know who else is hearing what they’re saying and thinking they mean it about them too.” It was the first time I saw a softer side to my grandmother - the woman who I am quite sure had steel running through her veins. But it struck a nerve with her because those people she knew were some of her brothers. Brothers she loved; and brothers she would have fought someone over, too. We don’t know what people may be hid ing from loved ones because they are too ashamed to share. What we say is heard. What we post or retweet is read - and taken to heart deeply by people we may not ever mean to hurt. But those harsh, painful criticisms may very well be taken to heart and leave someone thinking that’s how someone feels and thinks about them. We never know how those words may make an already burdened soul feel. She was the judgiest of judgers. But when it came to the important things, the matters of trying to get through this tough thing called life. Granny understood some judgements were not meant to be shared, because they caused far more pain than they should. Sudie Crouch is an award winning humor columnist. when the tank is low. We take better care of cars than we do of our own bod ies. We have parts that need to be checked regularly, levels that need to be monitored and parts that need to be poked and prodded. Preventive mainte nance is great for cars and for humans also. Turning the radio up louder to cover the bad sound your car is making is not a good idea. Ignoring a symptom, change, discomfort and whatever that is unusual or not right is not a good idea and does not make it go away. Take care of yourself. Be safe. Thanks for read ing. It is time to work on next year’s state budget yet it is expected more cuts will be requested. Consequences of this prolonged auster ity remain clear. Georgia ranks among the bottom 10 states nationally in state expenditures per person. Georgia has fall en behind in K-12 education as one of six states that does not provide funding for schools to educate students living in pov erty. Furthermore, the state also maintains the third highest uninsured rate in the United States because we have not expanded Medicaid. More hospitals will close as a result of Kemps policies. Vote for Stacey Abrams and put Georgia back on track for all Georgians! Virginia Matteson Dawsonville 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 or email to editor@dawson- news.com. LETTERTOTHE EDITOR Ga. has revenue surplus In summer of 2022, Georgia’s Department of Revenue released its report of tax collections for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, indicating that the state will once again run a surplus that leaves it with a record level of cash on hand and a full Revenue Shortfall Reserve (RSR). The September 2023 Report includes another 23% in excess collections. Much of the surplus comes from Federal Funds. Kemp has told state agencies not to expect any of the cash surplus that could be used to supply much needed services to Georgia’s communities. He has told all agencies to keep their budgets flat. Because of these policies, Georgia’s system-wide workforces has been cut Letter policy Letters should be limited to 350 words and may be edited or con densed.The same writer or group may only submit one letter per month for SUDIE CROUCH Columnist
