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Opinions
Yours and ours,
Guest editorial
Worth Countians face
tax re-evaluation, too
The Sylvester \Ga .) local
Nothing can cause an emotional
upheaval quite as violent as
receiving a new tax evaluation
notice on your property which
drastically raises the amount ori
which we must pay taxes
Particularly so, when the evalua¬
tion is one and one-half to twice the
amount on which taxes were
previously levied.
Never mind that it has been
several years since the last
property evaluation took place here
and that the most recent one was
undertaken to prevent further
factoring by the state to equalize
taxes, the citizens of this county in
general had nothing on their minds
last week but iheir new tax
evaluation notices which they had
jusi received. Many just stared in
disbelief while others were
hopping mad and demanding that
“something had to be done "
Well, 1 don’t like the idea of
paying higher taxes anymore than
anyone else, but at this point in
time no one really knows what they
will be paying, as the county
commissioners have not yet
formulated the budget for next
year and until the new millage rate
is set, the verdict is still out.
So the attitude I am trying to
adapt is wail and see what the final
answer is as to how much we must
shell out
In the meantime, ask your tax
assessors for a review on your new
property evaluation if you are not
satisfied with it and seek to have it
Cleanliness of the city
is a worthy goal
Ijisi week's news story about
Councilman Wilbur Spillers' intent
to have the city enforce its
ordinance regarding removing
burned out, abandoned and
otherwise junked buildings on
property has caused some re¬
flection We retail several years
ago a series of coummunity-wtde
clean-up campaigns We know that
the Chamber of Commerce is
sponsoring an effort n> have a
Clean Community Committee
organized and working We know
that the garden clubs are
interested in the cleanliness of the
community Without a doubt we
know that many, many individuals
would truly like to see deanline: ss
bee i»me watchword in our
community
It looks like now is the perfect
time for all that feeling to come to
the front Ratelv if ever do you get
an elected official who will speak
out so strongly on a subject, but
since Councilman Spillers has done
so. we d like to suggest that people
and organizations volunteer to him
to help gei ihe job done
A lot of got*) has been done in
the past. hut a lot more still needs
to be done And as Spillers has
pointed oui. it needs to he done on
a continuing basis Everyone will
benefit from being able to brag
about living in a clean communttv
fteafcer-ttlnbune
Established 1888
THE LEADER-TRIBUNE IS THE OFFICIAL ORGAN FOR PEACH COUNTY,
THE CITY OF FORT VALLEY AND THE CITY OF BYRON
825 2432 P O Box 1060 956 2544 Academy Street
Fort Valley, Georgia 3t030 8yron, Georgia 31008
Ann F. Walton, Publisher
C. Wilton Walton. Editor
The Leader Tribune *s published by Peaehiand Journal. Inc and is printed by
Judd Publishing Company of Macon. Georgia It is a member of the Georgia
Press Association
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space limitations and tegai considerations, ail tetters are subject to standard
editing for libelous material and length To be considered tor publication let
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Th* Leader-Tribune, Fort Valley, Georgia, Thursday, September 29. 1983
Even at such a time as we are
experiencing, a feeling emerges
that we should have a little pity for
the poor county commissioner in
Georgia as he goes about the
laborious task of trying to assess
the millage the citizens will have to
pay on their property in their
respective counties.
And before you judge him too of
harshly, consider that 30 percent
the taxes he levies (compared ro
only 7.3 percent for cities) are
mandated by the stare. The most
expensive mandates are associated
with jail maintenance and opera¬
tion, property tax exemptions,
indigent patient care, juvenile
court operations and solid waste
management. And don’t forget
equal educational opportunities,
basic law enforcement training,
environmental protection and
uniform property assessment.
Local officials throughout the state
want state funding of these
programs and services.
This information comes from the
current issue of Georgia County
Government, which also reminds
that Georgia cities and counties
lose about $230 million annually in
tax revenues as a result of
statewide tax exemptions man¬
dated by the legislature.
If you’re still angered by your
1983 county tax levy, 1 suggest you
direct about one-third of your
wrath toward the state.
Appeared in the Thursday,
September 22, 198.1 edition of The
Sylvester \(ia. J local
Bluik and white people here have
historically been able to address a
common problem in this town and
work together to solve it. This has
been demonstrated many times
before, specifically with some of
the clean up campaigns that we
saw in the 70 s.
Let’s capitalize on the leadership
that Spillers and the city of Fort
Valley can provide. Speak up now
and volunteer your help. Let’s let
some positive action speak for
awhile we all can enjoy the
results
cww
It’s time for
an answer
Whether or not the puketcers at
ReVco would be moved by a decision
on the Alma Jefferson and Woody
Poole cases, we don’t know But we
do believe that the public’s interest
would be better served to get the
cases settled in court rather than to
let them drag on any longer.
What will it cost to have a grand
iur\ reconvene to hear the
evidence ) Noi a traction of what it is
costing the community in worry and
doubt
My Turn
The Powersville homecoming
I started angling for an invitation tc
the Powersville Methodist’s home¬
coming a couple of weeks early. First 1
asked Bud Cooper if it would be all
right if I came again this year. He
nodded his agreement, but somehow
that didn’t seem official enough. When
I saw Bud again, I asked if Ruth, his
wife, knew 1 was coming. He seemed to
sense what I was asking, for he said
that he had checked it out with Ruth
and she said it was all right for me to
come.
it
A
Marching Army
■
in 9 m
is No. 1 w \ J. A
We quite agree that the Peach ■ m
County Marching Army was * f®Y I til SKlfe 4
number one on the field Friday *» ft
night in Cordele. Competing *4
against another good band, that r-.T" -si
'
of Crisp County High School,
the Trojan band put on quite a
show at halftime. Clearly this is
the best band among the schools
of Region 3-AAAI
Wi
My Mama’s mouth
by Carla Hill
If my Mama leaves no
behind, there is one that will probably
remain forever. Her mouth. My
Mama’s mouth lias a life all of its own.
It has shouted, yelled, hurrahed,
rejoiced, blessed and beamed. It has
wailed and weeped and if has cackled
and crowed. It smiles and frowns and
grimaces and piays possum and
always, always it is in motion. The one
thing it has never been is silent. And it
never, ever will be, for in her children
and in her children's children that
unforgettable mouth will live on. For
better or worse.
Long known as (take your choice)
motor-mouth, sachel-mouth, the
mouth of the south, or just plain
mouth, my Mama's mouth can talk
And talk and talk. Should its energies
ever be harnessed. Mama’s mouth
could revolutionize the modem world.
Fossil fuels would be a thing of the past
and solar energy could be forgotten
The power that has driven her mouth
since birth could launch several
hundred NASA rockets, power all of
the cars in l. A for several centuries
and could provide New York City with
plenty of power for an eternitv Forget
Three Mile Island and all of its
radioactive cousins. Just unleash
Mama's mouth
For sinners and saints
Gathering or scattering which?
by Rev. Paul E. Rowland
\\ hat will y ou be doing this next
Sundas 5 Will you be gathering with
fellow believers in the place of
worship, or will you be scattering with
the devil's crowd in search of pleasure
and good times 5 Which side are vou on
anvwav ? .Are you scattering or
gathering 5 God's message to the
sinner is. WTn do you spend monev
for that which is not bread, and vour
labor for that which satisfieth not 5
haul 55:2 God s invitation to the
sinner is. 'Incline vour ear and come
unto Me. hear and vour soul shall
live ... " Isaiah 55 3
Jesus Christ said. He that is not
with Me is against Me: and he that
gathereth not with Me scattereth
Luke It . •> ' The principle laid down
With that assurance, 1 was on my
way to Powersville just before 11:00
a m., Sunday. This was one time that I
did not speed, for Johnnie and Lucy
Becham were just behind me. Never
would I iet a speeding ticket ruin my
day at Powersville!
It was one of those perfect, early fall
days. The weather was still warm
enough to be comfortable, yet there
was a crispness in the air that was
invigorating. The recent rains had
washed the good earth and the air was
can
her out of a whole heap of trouble, but
it has also gotten her into just as much
trouble. Once, when Mama was still
strait-laced and rather well, shall we
say, outspoken about her religious
beliefs, she was a church official of
some sort 1 guess she was just feeling
her oats the night she answered the
phone by saying, “Hello. This is the
devil. Who in the .... do you want?”
The poor reverend was so astounded
he hung “Ah, up and tried again, only to
ask, uh, er ... Wynelie is that
you ?"
My mother inherited this dubious
gift from her mother and she in turn 1
has passed it down to her daughters.
Her only granddaughter, at the ripe old
age of seven, is already showing that
she, too. inherited those same
powerful genes That child can talk!
From the crack ol dawn to the wee
hours of the night, her mouth is in foil
gear . And should the need arise, re. if
other people are trying to talk, she can
easilv shift into overdrive and talk with
all the more volume and speed
Like her granddaughter, my mother
exhibited her amazing ability to talk
non-stop at an early age One of her
grade school teachers, having ex¬
hausted all other means and desperate
should be constantly remembered by
all who profess faith in Christ and are
members of His church. Our natural
tendenev is to love an easy
Christianity We fear extremes We
don't like to be too righteous We are
anxious not to go too far Such
thoughts as these are foil of peril to the
soul Once allowed to get the upper
hand, rhev may do us immense harm
Nothing is so offensive to Christ as
lukewarmness in our faith and
practice.
Let it be the settled determination of
our minds, that we will serve Christ
with all our hearts, if we serve Him at
all Let there be no reserve, no
haifheartedness, and no compromise.
The ha!| hearted Christian attracts
clean. Even the gnats stayed away.
Bud Cooper announced early that
despite popular demand, he did not
intend to sing a solo this year Rev.
Benji Vamell breathed a sigh of relief.
Instead Bud welcomed the capacity
crowd to Powersville saying in
characteristic fashion that no one
should leave that church with the
feeling that he was not loved' by
someone. Bud said that he loved
everyone there, and somehow you
knew that Bud meant it.
a
Mama to be quiet for just five minutes,
1 suppose the teacher must have known
that money talks to my mother as
loudly as she talks to everyone else,
For a mere dime, she shut up for the
first and probably last five minutes of
her life,
Mama’s mouth has a great ability to
carry to the farthest reaches of a house,
a backyard, an office or even an entire
block, Late at nighi when mv sister and
I would be in our bedroom doing
everything but going to sleep, we’d
hear the familiar cry of “Carla Marie
... Debra Ann ... if you two don't go to
sleep this instant ...” You have to
understand that Mama was downstairs
on one side of the house and we were
upstairs on the other side, yet she still
came through loud and clear
She could stand on the front door
stoop and holler out those same names
(she always used our middle names
when she was mad and if she was
really upset she used our last names,
too!) and we d hear her no matter how
far away we were. We would be busy
playing when Mama's voice would
suddenly come drifting out of the
clouds. “Carla Marie ... Debra Ann
1 have seriously considered asking
none by his life, and wms no respect
from the world.
The need of the hour is men and
women who are truly committed to
Christ, who are willing to take
their stand with Him no matter what
the cost Where do you stand? How
does the way you spend the Lord's Day
let the w-orld know where you stand 5
Do you gather with fellow believers
and fellow seekers of the Lord to
worship Him. or do you scatter with the
devil's crowd seeking your own
pleasures and good rimes. Why do you
spend your money for that which is not
the Bread of Life, and your labor for
that which satisfieth not? “Incline
your ear and come unto Me, and
soul shall live “ hoiah 55:3. Come
I am not a member at Powersville,
but that didn’t prevent me from
enjoying a few reunions of my own.
First there were Gene and Esther
Barker. Frank Cross summed it up
perfectly as he hugged Esther, saying,
“She’s my favorite nurse.
Jack and Maggie Newberry, and two
sons, were there. Jack was still
complaining about his brother-in-law
drilling a hole in Jack's thumbnail the
dav before. Frank’s comment was,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
v 4
the city of Tulsa, where Mama and her
mouth now reside, to consider hiring
her as their back-up civil defense
system. All she would have to do is
lean out of a tali building somewhere
and holler ro her bean’s content.
People would run for shelter just to get
away from that voice, so 1 know she'd
be effective.
I never thought I’d say this, but now
that we’re so far apart, 1 sometimes
wish I could hear that mouth babbling
on about this or that, laughing at a new
joke or hollering at me from an
impossible distance away. And after
she reads this column, I wouldn't be
too surprised to hear her all the way
from Tulsa calling, “Carla Marie. . .’’
PIT
i
to the fountain of living waters and
drink folly of the water of life. Jesus
said, “But whosoever drinketh of the
water that 1 shall give him shall never
thirst, but the water that I shall give
him shall be in him a well of water
springing up unto eternal life.” John
4:14. Give yourself wholly to Christ for
the days are evil and the time is short.
Gather with Him instead of scattering
with the devil.