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THE FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - JANUARY 18, 1973
Hiflfl FORSYTH RTWlfg
A llli county HJbww 9
Established 1908
TONY MADDOX - PUBLISHER
PAUL BEEMAN - EDITOR
PAUL PLAGINOS - ADVERTISING MANAGER
Published every Thursday by The Forsyth County
News company. Second Class Postage paid at: Pott
Office in Cumming, Georgia under Act of March Bth
in 1897. Subscription rates in Forsvth and adjoinino
counties, $4.12 per year, including State Sales Tax.,
elsewhere, $5.15 per year.
107 DAHLONEGA ST. CUMMING. GEORGIA...
887-3127 30130
Editorial page
Y’all Come
It was very refreshing to see the large gathering In the County
Courthouse Tuesday night for the County Commission meeting.
At its peak there were more than 75 persons present and 40 or
50 of them stuck It out to the end. It was refreshing as well
to find that our county officials were pleased about the size of
the crowd. Chairman Herman Hamby said that If Interest con
tinues and weather permits the commission will hold other
meetings in the courthouse rather than In the cramped commis
sion room at the county building. The "weather permits” part
is another story altogether. The courthouse Is old, dlllpldated,
hot as hell In the summer and hard to heat In the winter. It
ought to be replaced, but like w e said that’s another story.
The story for now Is that "sunshine laws” say the commission
can’t hold meetings behind locked doors and that better still
we’ve got a commission that says it doesn’t have anything to
hide anyway. We call that an Invitation. Your County News will
be there to report the facts as we see them whenever the
commission meets but a full house still weighs heaviest on the
mind of a politician. It’s your government In action. Come and
watch.
A Couple Words
We’d just like to throw In a couple words about the County
Commission’s action Tuesday which rescinded an earlier'ef
fort to divide the Cumming-Forsyth Planning and Zoning Bo
ard. We’re glad.
Lake levels
Wednesday, January 10, 1973 1066.58
Thursday, January 11, 1973 1066.62
Friday, January 12, 1973 1066.69
Saturday, January 13, 1973 1066.75
Sunday, January 14, 1973 1066.81
Monday, January 15, 1973 1066.86
Tuesday, January 16, 1973 1066.92
The 93 rd Congress is faced with
leftovers from the 92nd. Like the
family turkey, some will end up as
just plain hash if the Members are
not disposed to face up to their obli
gations to business in general and
small business in particular.
There are many necessary and
justifiable matters which should be
handled by the Congress in the
fields of pollution, health, safety,
small business tax reform, pensions,
and consumer activities. What's
most needed is the exercise of judg
ment, logic and clarity of thought
by Congress while they are wrest
ling with these subjects.
Never once has small business
raised its "voice” against the prin
ciples of noise, air, water and envi
ronmental pollution control; the
safety and health of employees; the
protection of consumers. However,
it will continue to exert every effort
to have legislation, regulations, and
methods of control made reason
able so that the small firm, which does
not have unlimited capital to spend,
can comply with the directives.
A priority of the new Congress
will be a rtf-evaluation of the Occu
pational Safety and Health Act.
Small business which generally does
It’s Your Business
by John Lewis
Vice-President, National Small Business Association
Executive
not have the wherewithal to engage
experts in this field should have, as a
minimum, the right to a free consul
tation with inspectors. Presently,
consultation is coincident with in
spection which can result in penal
ties because the employer is unaware
of all the requirements of the law.
Small business needs this provision
in order to get its house in order
without initial punitive action being
taken.
Certainly consumer protection is
needed in some fields. Neverthe
less, establishing a government con
sumer protection agency with the
awesome power that has been pro
posed will infringe on small business
interests unless the Small Business
Administration is allowed equal in
tervention on their behalf.
For years the self-employed,
which includes shop and store and
service unit owners, doctors, law
yers and other professional men,
have a had a maximum pension set
aside of 10% of income up to $2,500
as a tax-free contribution to a pen
sion plan. Today, a great many cor
porate employees enjoy pension
benefits greatly in excess of those
permitted the self-employed. Con
gress should increase the self
employed pension contribution to at
EDITOR’S NOTE : Mike Egan is a fine fellow and a good
politician who represents his Fulton County constituency well.
We have known him to be an intelligent and calming voice in the
Georgia circus that Is sometimes known as the General
Assembly. About the only bad we can say of him Is that he Is
a Republican. We received this column In the mail and liked
It well enough to share It with you. We will continue to run his
words upon receipt until such time as he announces for higher
office as we are guessing he will.
BY MICHAEL J. EGAN
Georgia House Minority Leader
HOW TO WATCH AND INFLUENCE THE LEGISLATURE
Many voters have asked me how they can understand and have
some impact on developments In the Georgia General Assembly.
They know we get together and raise or lower (not often) their
taxes, change their laws, and reorganize their government.
However, they are not sure just how we do It or how to influence
what we do.
To truly understand what is going on in the General Assembly,
and in State government generally, there is no substitute for a
little basic reading on the organization and functioning process
of the legislative, executive and judicial branches. This will
acquaint you with who is responsible for what, and that knowledge
is vital to a meaningful understanding of how government In
Georgia operates. Your public library should have up-to-date
information on recent changes, and close attention to the news
media will keep you Informed about new developments in the
organization of our State. When the General Assembly Is In
session, many of Georgia’s educational television stations carry
a thirty minute program each night, summarizing highlights of
the legislature’s activity that day. Check the program log of
the educational station which reaches you for the time of the
broadcast.
In an average year, we In the General Assembly work on
some 1,800 proposed pieces of legislation. Some of these bills
have the potential for tremendous impact In the lives of citizens.
So It is alarming that such a small fraction of the population
ever bothers to Inform their legislators as to what they think
about issues and bills. Obviously, therefore, when the voters
complain that the General Assembly didn’t do what they wanted,
to a large degree they are complaining about their own apathy.
If you want to make sure that your representatives are voting
on Issues you really care about, there are a few simple steps
you can take to greatly Increase your voice in government.
First, get to know your Representative and Senator personally.
If you do this before you have a problem, It will be easier to
get his attention when you want to ask his help.
Next, sit down and make a list of the problems and concerns
which most affect you. Do you think taxes are too high? Is the
crime rate too high? Are there too few parks, is the water too
dirty, are jobs too scarce?
Take your list and do a little research to find out which pro
blems are the responsibility of the Federal government (such
as national defense or the hl-jacklng of commercial airplanes.)
Write your Congressman about them, since your State legislators
have no authority in these areas.
The remaining Items on your list are likely to be matters of
concern to your State legislators. Write or call and visit your
State Representative or Senator to explain your concerns. 11
you have any solid ideas about solutions, we In the legisla
ture will be more than glad to listen to them, since good Ideas
are rarer than money In government. All of our taxes would be
lower If we had more people working on solutions to our
problems.
You should also look to the news media to help you watch
the legislature. Although we can’t expect our newspapers and
radio and TV stations to cover all 180 Representatives and 56
Senators, most will report on key votes and Issues, as well as
the activities of legislators from the area.
I recommend that you clip the weekly newspaper article about
your local Representative and Senator, as these articles are
likely to give Information about major votes, which will probably
'correspond to some of the concerns you have on your list.
It Items you have listed aren’t receiving action by the legislature,
call your Representative or Senator and talk to him. You will find
that most State legislators are eager to inform and serve the
citizens, who, after all, put them inoffice.
The Important thing to realize about Increasing your impact
on government is that until you raise your voice, you have no
voice. Most Georgians never contact their legislators and don’t
pay much attention to their actions. Those citizens who do are
In a position to make a' difference, whle their unconcerned
neighbors can-only complain.
In the next article, I will talk about the major Issues which
will dominate the session and have the greatest Impact on you
and your family. If you plan to keep up with the General Assembly
this year, have your own ideas ready to check against the bills
we now plan to consider.
least 15% of income up to $7,500.
The Administration backs this pro
posal and Congress should act fa
vorably on it quickly.
Representative Wilbur Mills,
House Ways & Means Committee
Chairman, has indicated the small
business tax reform and simplifi
cation are subjects which his com
mittee will act on during this new
session. Hopefully, his Committee
and Congress will give impetus to
increasing the surtax exemption from
$25,000 to SIOO,OOO. This will en
able the small business firm to have
tax savings up to sl9,soo—allowing
them to increase the number of
people they employ, modernize, ex
pand, and serve the community to
its best advantage. It would mean
the regeneration of many small
businesses. Such legislation could
go far toward reducing unemploy
ment and welfare. In turn it will
make taxpayers out of tax-eaters
and generally lessen everyone's
tax burden.
It’s your business the Congress
will be affecting! Make your wishes
known to your Representative and
your Senators. They listen to their
constituents-if you take the time
to communicate with them.
JACK ANDERSON’S I
WEEKLY A
SPECIAL JH
OF DRUGS AND RIGHTS
by Jack Anderson
•Copyright. 1973. by United Feature Syndicate. Inc.)
WASHINGTON - The Army,
alarmed over the sudden rise
in drug addiction among
troops in Europe, has adopted
stringent measures to catch
drug users and pushers.
But the new measures, in
turn, have alarmed civil
rights lawyers who fear many
innocent soldiers may be
caught in the antidrug
dragnet.
We have uncovered one
document, for instance, which
was issued last month by Gen.
Anthony Daskevich in Stut
tgart, Germany. He recom
mended that commanders
develop informers and
reward them for information.
The general also suggested
volunteer undercover patrols
to be established to follow up
on the informers’ tips.
“Cars entering the post will
be checked and searched at
random.... Volunteers will
search buildings...stem to
stern,” wrote General
Daskevich. The general urg
ed his unit commanders to
conduct frequent shakedown
inspections and to bust
pushers and users to the
lowest rank as soon as
evidence is available.
To handle known drug
users, the general recom
mended the removal of the
suspect’s pass privileges, his
House Bill Would Help,
Farm Bureau’s Reynolds Says
Macon, Ga.~ Jan. 12- H. Em
mett Reynolds, President of the
Georgia Farm Bureau Feder
ation stated today that H.B. No.
1, If passed by the General
Assembly, will provide mean
ingful legislation to help rural
and urban property owners and
the agricultural Industry.
H.B. No. 1, which passed the
House today,wouldprovldefora
SSO credit per student In
average dally attendance in the
county. The bill would pro
vide approximately SSO million
within the state which could be
used to allow counties to reduce
local property taxes for support
of schools.
Reynolds said that while the
bill does not go as far as Farm
Bureau had hoped, It does pro
vide the structure of a bill which
may be amended to provide
additional local ad valorem
property tax relief. He said .
the federation would seek an a
mendment to further reduce re-,
qulred local effort for school
support.
H.B. No. 1, as currently writ
ten, would reduce local support
from 18.5 percent to 7.5 per
cent of the total cost of the
Minimum Foundation Program,
and Farm Bureau hopes to In
crease this amount by amend
ment to permit the state to take
over the total cost of the Min
imum Foundation for Education
program totalling some $78.5
million locally, he said.
Our Representatives
Go To UGA Institute
ATLANTA—--In preparation
for the 1873 session of the Gen
eral Assembly, Rep. Joe Wood,
Doug Whitmire and W.M.**Bill”
Williams all of Gainesville, at
tended the eighth Institute for
Georgia Legislators at the Un
iversity of Georgia.
Clinics on Legislative Policy
offered to Incumbent legislators
included sessions on Educa
tional Accountability In theLo
When whales are washed ashore they are helpless. Without
the support of water they cannot move, and their lungs
may be crushed by the weight of the body.
The whaler'* expression “thar she blows” refers to a
whale’s discharge of warm breath, which condenses in the
cold air into a visible vapor, when a whale surfaces.
driver’s license, his civilian
clothes, even the key to his
room. If the suspect is mar
ried, wrote Daskevich, “he
should be required to move
into the barracks where he
can be watched.”
Such measures, the general
insists, pose no threat to inno
cent soldiers. But civil liber
ties lawyers charge that inno
cent soldiers have already
been hurt by some of the ex
treme methods used to catch
the guilty.
Double Dippers
For years, we have criticiz
ed retired officers for double
dipping from the federal
treasury. The practice began
nearly a decade ago when
Congress passed the Dual
Compensation Act. Thanks to
this law, more than 78,000
retired military personnel to
day collect part of their pen
sion and draw civil service
pay at the same time.
Double dipping has helped
create a military spoils
system, which encourages rig
ged recruitment, preferential
treatment, unfair hiring and
promotional practices.
Retired militarymen fre
quently alert friends about to
retire of job openings in the
federal government. In some
cases, jobs have been held
open for months awaiting the
The Georgia Farm Bureau
President said several other
bills Involving farmer deve
loped policy has been intro
duced. "We hope to have a very
rewarding session for property
owners and the agriculture In
dustry of Georgia."
Reynolds cusciosea mat two
constitutional amendment reso
lutions have been Introduced—
H.R. 22-78 which would permit
enactment of legislation by the
General Assembly setting up
classes of property for ad val
orem tax purposes; and H.R.
34-13 wjiich would permit real
property to be taxed on use. Sev
eral states have similar ad val
orem taxing provisions and the
proposed constitutional amend
ments would permit such action
In Georgia. However, the pro
posed constitutional amend
ments must first be approved
by the House and Senate and then
by voters In a General election,
after which actual legislation
would be required.
Reynolds said H.B. 2, which
has been Introduced, Identifies
service territories for the dis
tribution of electricity by util
ity companies. Another bill that
would take the State Department
of Revenue out of the super
vision of County tax digests,
leaving responsibility totally
with local taxing authorities, Is
being drafted and offered next
week.
Meanwhile, the federation
cal School Systems, Taxation,
Coordination of Local and State
Governmental Services and
State Constitutional Revision.
Georgia's financial outlook
was reviewed fro newcomers
and incumbents by the Legisla
tive Budget Analyst, State Au
ditor and Director of the Office
of Planning and Budget.
Rep. Wood participated in a
panel entitled: How a Bill Be
comes A Law.
retirement of ranking mili
tary officers. In other in
stances, new jobs have been
created solely to fit the needs
of retiring officers.
But among the worst
abusers of the law are some
70 flag officers now working
in the civilian government.
Some of them collect more
than $50,000 a year from their
combined military retire
ment and civilian pay.
The juiciest double-dipping
deal we have come across in
volves retired four-star Air
Force Gen. Jacob Smart, who
is now an assistant ad
ministrator at the National
Aeronautics and Space Ad
ministration. He collects
around $58,000 a year, includ
ing more than $22,000 in
retirement benefits.
Other double-dippers in
clude Lt. General Alfred
Starbird, now a civilian at the
Pentagon, Lt. Gen. Ben Davis,
now at Transportation and
Brig. Gen. Frank Elliot at
Agriculture.
One general is so overpaid,
he voluntarily has cut his own
salary by $14,000 a year. He is
Gen. Jackson Graham, now
chief of the Washington area
Metro Authority, who accepts
less than $38,000 of his
authorized $52,000 salary.
With $17,000 a year in retire
ment benefits. Graham would
become the most lucrative
double-dipper in the country
if he accepted his full salary.
Graham tells us that’s a dis
tinction he can do without.
Behind the Scenes
IS HANOI HOPEFUL? -
North Vietnam's master
negotiator, Le Due Tho, has
been surprisingly moderate
in his private conversations
in Paris. He has echoed Hen
ry Kissinger’s October state-
head said F riday that he had sent
telegrams to all Georgia Sena
tors and Congressmen urging
that steps be taken to protect
Georgia's flue-cured tobacco
Industry from the International
Development Association’s plan
Gordon W ill Head
Heart Fund Drive
Lawrence Z. Gordon of Cum
ming, Ga. will head the 1973
Heart Fund Drive in Forsyth
County, it was announced today
by Curtis G. Hames, M.D.,
President of the Georgia Heart
Association.
This year’s campaign will
focus attention on the early
warning signs of heart attack
and the immediate steps to
follow In case of emergency.
"More than 13,000 Georgians
die each year due to heart at
tack,” said Gordon. "If wq
can educate every person in
our community about the signs
that usually precede an attack,
we feel we can get some people
to a hospital in time to save
their lives."
The educational campaign
will coincide with volunteers’
efforts to reach this year’s
$1 million statewide Heart Fund
goal through public contribut
ions.
*We in Forsyth County have
b£*n strong supporters of the
Heart Association,” said Gor-
G.E.D. Test Offered
At Pickens Center
The Pickens Center of the
General Educational Develop
ment Testing Service has sche
duled Thursday evening, Jan
uary 18, and Saturday, January
20, for the next G. E. D. Test
ing Session. The length of the
test requires that It be given
In two sessions. The Thursday
evening session will begin at
6:00 p.m. and will last approx
imately four hours. The Satur
day session Is scheduled to
begin at 8:30 a.m.
The Georgia Department of
iji iji
- - v Ji.
TTie baleen whales include the right whales, so named
ments that a cease-fire agree-'
ment is attainable and that
only a few remaining
problems need to be ironed
out. This is opposite to the at
titude he was expected to
take. A secret intelligence
analysis had suggested that
he would be grim and un
compromising as a reflection
of Hanoi’s anger over the
bombing. Nevertheless, the in
telligence reports from Paris
say Le Due Tho has been the
model of reasonableness in his
private conversations with
diplomats.
THE WRONG ‘THING’ - It
now appears that the famous
underworld informer Joe
Valachi never meant to say
“Cosa Nostra,” which means
“our thing,” in describing the
underworld crime syndicate.
We recently saw the old FBI
records of Valachi’s initial in
terrogations. What Valachi
repeated throughout the ques
tioning was the phrase “Causa
Nostra,” which means “our
cause.” The agent who ques
tioned Valachi confirmed to
us that the term “Cosa
Nostra,” now a popular
English idiom, was the result
of a typographical error.
STARS AGAINST NIXON -
Liberal movie stars Warren
Beatty, Jack Nicholson and
Julie Christie are so outraged
over President Nixon’s failure
to end the Vietnam War that
they are considering
measures to embarrass the
President publicly. Jack
Nicholson has told us he will
troop up to Capitol Hill next
month in hopes of convincing
Congress to impeach the
President. Nicholson insists
he will follow through with the
lobbying effort if a Vietnam
settlement is not reached by
February 20.
to promote flue-cured tobacco
In Zambia for export purposes.
The Farm Bureau urged
Georgia’s Congressional del
egation to support steps to pro
tect the tobacco Industry andits
contribution to taxes and the
economy of America.
don,' ‘because we have seen our ;
contributions come back to us j
multiplied many times. GHA •
Heart Cllclcs for Indigent heart j
patients have served manypeo- •
pie in our area who could not •
afford to pay for much needed •
medical treatment. Scientists •
working under GHA reserch «
grants made possible by our ?
contributions, have made great J
progress in the past few years j
In the field of heart disease.
People in our county have been j
trained in the new life-saving {
technique of Cardiopulmonary j
Resuscitation (CPR) through j
4
J
free courses sponsored by the
Heart Association. Our chil- j
dren's school s request litera-I
ture and film loans every year";
to educate young people about:;
the risk factors of heart dlse-«
ase-all available free of charged
from the Heart
These are just a few of the ?
things our dollars from For- S
syth County have made possible. •
Education Issues and equiva
lency certificate to service per- i
sonnel, veterans, and non-vet- •
eran adults on the basis of
must be eighteen years old or"-
older and must be a bonafide
citizen of Georgia.
The cost for taking the test ;
Is $6.00 If five or more per- •
sons are tested, or $8.50 for
four persons or less. Further
information may be obtained
by contacting the Pickens Area
Vocational-Technical School,
Jasper, Georgia, 692-2461.