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Opinion
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1904
Paving and progress
Gov. Joe Frank Harris and
LA. Gov. Zell Miller have
established themselves as
mmmmm being on opposite sides of
the paving for progress proposi
tion in the state.
Miller has aligned himself with
Department of Transportation
Commissioner Tom Moreland by
supporting Moreland’s plan for
nearly 2,500 miles of multi-lane
highway construction in the state.
The lieutenant governor has also
committed to supporting a 5 cent
per gallon gasoline tax increase to
fund the highways, expected to
cost more than $2 billion.
Harris, on the other hand, is
standing firm on his pledge that
state taxes will not be increased in
any area during his first term as
governor, and is advocating a plan
for developing three-lane roads
rather than a massive interstate
system of four-lane highways.
Recently, Harris made a good
point in support of his stance. He
noted that two major developmen
tal highways for the state the
Appalachian project in north
Georgia and the Corridor Z project
in South Georgia should be com
Good money after bad
Sometimes it is impossible to
take the bureaucracy out of the
bureaucrat.
A task force of government and
housing experts has called for con
tinued and increased government
involvement in public housing, de
spite efforts by the Reagan admin
istration to reduce federal housing
programs in favor of private sec
tor involvement in providing
homes for the needy.
The task force report says: “The
question is not how to reduce the
public role but how to maximize its
potential for success.”
That one summarizing
statement serves as evidence that
the study group refuses to grasp
the notion that the intent of the
current administration and also
the intent of the American public
Word revision
A single word can often mean
the difference between respect
and ridicule, and Rep. Ed Jenkins
of Georgia’s 9th District knows it.
Jenkins has introduced legis
lation to remove the word
“crippled” from the Social Secu
rity Act and replace it with the
When less is more
When is less really more?
When the economy is improving.
A recent study of salaries and
benefits found that Americans can
expect less in the way of pay
increases and job benefits in the
coming year but that those
smaller increases will go further
than they have in the past due to
smaller cost of living increases.
In fact, the study found that an
Forsyth Count vNe\vs
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pleted prior to the undertaking of
any massive new programs of
multi-lane construction
V-, governor’s point is well
taken. The Appalachian road
which includes Hwy. 400 and va
rious bypasses and connecting
highways has been under con
struction for well over a decade
and is still not completed. The
same is true of Corridor Z, which
is supposed to eventually link por
tions of south Georgia previously
inacessible by multi-lane roads,
but which has been discussed and
debated for more years than many
Capitol observers can remember.
Harris is making a reputation
for himself as a governor fully
capable of bringing new industry
to the state. He understands the
transportation needs of incoming
industries and feels they can be
met without the massive road pro
grams which are proposed by the
DOT.
The governor also thinks those
transportation needs can be met
without increasing the state’s rev
enues with additional taxes. We
tend to agree.
which has proven itself behind the
administration is indeed to re
duce the amount of public sector
intervention in areas best served
by the private sector.
The task force calls for more
public sector programs, more aid
from the federal treasury, more
dollars and more bureaucracy.
What it fails to recognize is that
those glorious programs which
look so good when outlined by
federal dream tanks rarely
materialize into the type projects
envisioned.
For two decades we have poured
good money after bad in housing
projects which fail to provide a
legitimate return on the invest
ment made. It seems the time has
come to try a different approach to
the problem.
words “disabled” or “hand
icapped.”
Those people in our nation who
suffer from physical handicaps
have long ago proven they are not
necessarily crippled.
Times change. So should words.
anticipated average pay increase
of 6.5 percent in 1985 will have
more buying power than an in
crease of 10 percent in 1980.
The bottom line on the pay issue,
according to the study, is that both
employers and employees have
"moderated their expectation,”
which seems like a sound founda
tion for assuring stability and con
tinued economic improvement.
JOHNNY SOLESBEE
MANAGING EDITOR
Forsvth County News
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It was worth the wait, after all
They came from Athens, Gainesville,
Dun woody, Lawrenceviile, Roswell, Alpha
retta, Cumming and points in bet wee
One lady and her friend were from Hi
awassee and got up last Thursday morning
at 5 o’clock in order to join the crowd
standing on Parson's doorsteps waiting for
the clock to tick off 9 a.m.
It was Parson’s 26th annual doll show and
for the uninitiated, that means the possibil
ity you and 200-plus other folks will get the
chance to buy a doll no, not a Cabbage
Patch Kid or a genuine Little People. These
are Madame Alexander dolls and those
wanting to buy one come from many areas
each year hoping their name will be drawn
and that the doll of their choice will still be
waiting.
This was my second year to stand in line
for a chance to buy a Madame Alexander
just doing a little to help out ol’ Santa Claus
at Parsons. Ijat year, my name was the
sixth one drawn from a box of perhaps 100 or
more. I had never been so lucky before.
Then, when I was allowed to enter the area
where the dolls are on display, the one I had
been instructed to purchase wasn’t there. I
It's a different kind of waiting
Lying awake in bed at 1 a.m,, my mind
racing with questions when, what and will
everything be alright, my hand senses
movement through the thin wall that shields
our developing child from the harshness of
the world.
Any day now, certainly, he will be done
and I can quit worrying. In the meantime, I
drive my wife and colleagues crazy with
nervous energy.
I’ll call Kim at work, “Hi. How are you
feeling?’’ I ask with anticipation.
"Fine,” she says, with more than a hint of
dissapointment in her voice.
“Oh, I was hoping something might be
happening. Call me if it does,” I say, and
hang up; wondering if anything has hap
pened yet.
It’s been going on like this for two weeks.
Anxious anticipation. Everyone tells me to
just relax, that Mother Nature will take care
of everything and that there is nothing good
worry can do anyway.
That may be. but if I worry about worry
ing too much. I’ll certainly end up with an
ulcer or a head of prematurely gray hair.
So, every time the phone rings, I think,
“This could be it.” Not yet
Waiting for the birth of a child is unlike
Giving north Forsyth more protection
To the editor:
To the citizens of Forsyth County and the
Board of Commissioners.
I am concerned ova- the issues surround
ing the Forsyth County Ambulance Service.
All of us as taxpayers would like to have
the best services fa the least amount of
money, but before jumping at the lowest bid
many things should be considered.
I have worked in protective services in the
metro area fa nine years and have worked
closely with ambulance departments. I have
seen them come and go from one bid to the
next and quite often with the next bid came
poorer services.
This may not be the case with the private
firm a firms now bidding but in all likeli
hood this same time next year another low
bid will be turned in. As recipients erf health
care in Forsyth, we as taxpayers are the
ultimate losers.
I personally would like to see the ambu
lance service come under protective serv
ices of the county, separate from the
hospital authority. This county already has
the resources such as ambulances, trained
personnel and a recently acquired heart
monitor defribillator to do an efficient job.
What appears to be tbe main problem is
poor management of our resources.
Johnny
Solesbee
had to make a quick decision cm an alternate
and wasn’t about to leave empty-handed.
This year, my name was at least the 100th
drawn. Person after person exited the doll
display area with their choices, which are
limited to one doll for each person The lady
handling the drawing kept assuring the
crowd still waiting that there were plenty of
dolls left. The store had about 250 to sell this
year, she said.
The pickings will be mighty slim, I told
myself, if my name doesn’t get called soon.
So-and-so from Dun woody; so-and-so from
Athens; so-and-so from Hiawassee. But, no
so-and-so Solesbee. I had promised me that I
would wait no longer than an hour. If my
name weren’t picked from the box by then,
DoM ® fl|
Allinger
most any other kind of waiting. It is a mixed
bag of anxiety, excitement, wonder, fear
and frustration.
It’s not like waiting for Christmas, to be
sure. We all know that Santa Claus comes
every year on Dec. 25. All you have to do is
mark the days on your calendar and wait in
a kind of childish excitement.
It’s not really like waiting in line for
concert tickets either. There is a certain
amount of frustration when people take too
long, but it lacks the wonder and anxiety one
feels when waiting for the unveiling of a new
human being.
I guess if it is like any kind of waiting, it is
probably closest to waiting for a special
cake to be baked to perfection.
You can’t take it out too soon or too late. It
has to be done just right. You can’t keep
opening the oven door to look at it, either
You just have to wait.
One thing that should concern all is the
very poor response time to many parts of
the county. I have been told by employees of
the ambulance department and know from
experience that a 15-minute cm- longer re
sponse time is not uncommon. In a life
threatening emergency this could easily
prove to be fatal.
Living in the northern end of Forsyth
County, I feel little or no protection. Tbe
solution to this problem is relocating ambu
lances to different sections erf the county. I
see very little chance of this happening with
a private firm without a large increase in
the cost of an ambulance ride and increased
The Forsyth County News welcomes let
tvs to the editor about items on this page or
of local or general interest.
Letters should be no longer than two
typewritten pages, double spaced, or one
and a half pages single spaced.
All letters must be signed and carry the
author's signature.
Letters that are not signed will not be
Your letters welcomed
I’d leave.
As the clock continued to click and the
parade of doll buyers continued to file by
me, I became more and more discouraged.
With two minutes left on the clock before my
self-imposed hour's wait would be up, my
name was called.
It was then that it dawned on me that I
hadn’t even thought about what doll I'd buy.
I made a steady stroll along the display
tables, checked a few dolls more closely
than the others but found none that really
stood out. More disappointment. Folks were
coming and going. I just stood.
Then, I saw her. There at the far end of a
table was the doll I had wanted to buy last
year. She was the only one left. The wait had
been worth it, after all.
She’s sitting in my office right now, wait
ing to be transported to Santa Claus’ storage
area. For a few brief moments last Thurs
day, I was able to experience again a bit of
the excitement and magic of waking up on
Christmas morning to find just the right
stuff under the tree.
Thank you, Parsons.
Also, once you’ve put the cake in the oven,
the baker has pretty much done what he can
to ensure the kind of cake that comes out.
One difference, however, between a cake
and a kid, is that you only have to clean up
after a cake twice after you’ve mixed it
up and put it in the pan, and after it comes
out of the oven.
When the kid comes out of the oven, you
have only just begun a lifelong series of
cleanups, as most of you know I’m sure.
This is the third child I have waited for,
and each time the experience puts my life
into a clearer, more meaningful perspec
tive. It helps me understand how little
control we have over the basics of life and
death. Creation is truly a wonder.
They say you are never ready for a child
until you have it in your arms, and then
parents must mature along with their chil
dren.
As my wife’s body is crowded more and
more by our imminent addition and as my
thoughts are increasingly dominated by
worry and wonder, anxiety and anticipa
tion, whether we are ready or not, I am
ready.
I guess he just isn’t quite ready. I keep
telling him it is not all that bad out here.
subsidizing from the county.
However, if the county ran the ambulance
department, I see no reason why our fire
stations could not house the ambulances and
personnel at very little cost. Anyone living
in Forsyth County or just passing through
may need an ambulance.
Unfortunately, only a portion live close to
tne hospital where the ambulances are
located, so regardless of who takes the
service over, we are still going to be short
changed if something isn’t done.
Handall Davidson
used.
Lettvs for the Wednesday issue of The
News should be in the News office by 5 p.m.
23* letters for the Sunday News
should be in the office by noon Wednesdays.
Send your letters to The Forsyth County
News, p.o. Box 210, Cumming, Ga., 30130.
Or, bring your letters by the News’ office at
107 Dahlonega Street in Cumming
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