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-FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS-SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1988
Forsyth County News
USPS 205-540
IIYjT| A New York Times Company
A New York Tfmes Company
(Established 1908)
Forsyth County News
121 Dahlonega Street
Cumming, Georgia 30130
Telephone BB7-3126
Published Sundays and Wednesdays by Forsyth County News Company, 121
Dahlonega St. Second class postage paid at Cumming. Ga. and additional offices.
Subscription rate for Forsyth and adjacent counties, SIO.OO per year; other
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Forsyth County News/P.O Box 210, Cumming, Ga. 30130
Opinion
The price we all pay
No matter how elected officials
fight among themselves it is ulti
mately the citizen who end up pay
ing the price.
This will ultimately be the result
of the protracted tax issue which
has engulfed the county.
One price taxpayers will have to
pay was vividly displayed last
week when the school board was
forced to approve a resolution
which will enable the system to
borrow up to $6 million to help pay
its bills beginning in January.
There is no guarantee the full
amount will need to be borrowed,
but that is not the point. What
should be of paramount concern to
taxpayers is that just a few short
months ago the school system was
getting paid interest for certifi
cates of deposit it had in the bank
and a nest egg of money being
used to help pay for a much need
ed building program.
Now, the school system will be
borrowing money and paying in
terest. This is not just anyones
money but the taxpayers who
would no doubt rather see that
money going toward such areas as
improved teacher salaries or the
implementation of new programs
to help students.
It all results from the ongoing
Helping the needy
The Girl Scouts, the Jaycees and
Feed The Hungry Foundation are
just a few of the groups trying to
help the needy this holiday season.
In their own way these and oth
ers are displaying the true spirit of
the holiday. But, they can not do it
without your help.
Whether it be toys or canned
goods, it is important that we take
What do YOU think?
For what purpose would you be
willing to pay higher taxes?
Your response:
Your name:
Your phone number: _
Write to:
Forsyth County News
P.0.80x 210
Gumming, Ga. 30103
PUBLISHER-SCOTTM. BROWN
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR-HARRIET HOUSTON
MANAGING EDITOR-LEONARD KRANSDORF
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR - GREG B, SLOAN
tax issue which is now in the hands
of the court. Not only are the
Board of Equalization and Tax As
sesors Board arguing over the tax
digest or lack of it, but now the
issues of complying with the open
meetings law found its way into
the fray.
Serveral months ago we ex
pressed support for the old tax as
sessors board attempt to increase
the digest, noting the county has
been cited for having some of the
lowest assessements in the state
and the distinct potential exists for
losing highway money within the
next two to three years if the di
gest is not updated to a reasonable
level.
We still believe the digest needs
to be increased, but even more im
portant this issue needs to be re
solved.
It has now reached the point
where the verbal jousting and ma
neuvering between all those in
volved is beginning to have a deep
effect where we can least afford
it...on our educational system.
It is time for the citizens of the
county to realize this has devel
oped into an intolerable situation
that cries out for a fair resolution.
If it is not resolved soon the price
we all pay will continue to grow.
that extra minute to contribute to
make life better for the less fortu
nate around us.
Members of various community
organizations have shown their de
sire by taking the time to organize
the events. Now we should also
take that extra moment to aid in
the effort.
Walking down the high school halls
While walking down the halls I could feel
the ever present eyes looking, analyzing
and in effect just sizing me up.
The high scool students stood by their
lockers or walked from class to class, trying
to beat the bell.
It is a strange feeling walking through the
high school and reflecting what it is like now
as compared to when I was in school in the
early 1970’5.
Things seem so structured now, or maybe
I didn’t realize it was that way back during
my high school days.
During a recent visit to the high school
there were assistant principals Dave Reyn
olds and Jeannie Garrison walking the halls
talking to each other on walkie talkies.
Especially during the change in classes
the two keep in constant contact with each
apprising one another of potential prob
lems. They situate themselves in different
parts of the building each keeping a careful
eye on the actions of the students.
They also have a system worked out
where they can talk on two or three differ
ent channels, depending on who they want
to hear.
When I was in high school we also had
teachers or principals walking the halls but
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Let me tell you about my wife
A while back in this Forsyth County
News, my picture appeared inadvertently
on a column about dieting. Alot of laughs
were had and life went on.
I’ve never given much thought to dieting
and excersize. Both have no appeal to me. I
like meat and potatoes, apple pie and cook
ies. Oh, how I love those little elves!
Time and again, I hear on the radio, see
on the tele, and read in the periodicals,
methods that are guaranteed to make you
slimmer... fast. America wants to be slim,
sleek and vivacious. You see, we have this
idea about ourselves.
And how many out there have tried the
fad diets. The all banana, all vegetable and
only liquid types, that seem to perhaps work
for a week but your back off these diets
before you know it.
Now here is where I make some points!
Let me tell you about my wife Kathy.
My lovely wife of almost seventeen years,
decided to do something about her figure.
After all, having four children and living
with yours truly c or almost two decades,
can take a toll. And I may also add, that
Childrens toys reflect the real world
By Horance Davis
New York Times Regional Newspapers
A visit to the local Toys R’ Us this Christ
mas season reveals the toy makers still be
lieve that hate sells.
Their instinct appears to be sound. The
traffic in war toys tripled in the past six
years. The long-favored GI Joe comes these
days with mortars, attack rifles and mines
as accessories. His drill instructor sidekick,
Sgt. Slaughter, has a pastime of “marching
over the boys’ backs while they do finger
push-ups in the mud and spewing out brutal
verbalities.”
The rubber-bulbed water gun that was
such a joy in my sodden youth has been
transformed into an ugly Uzi, and the sale
of such replica weapons soared 74 percent in
a single year. The war toys are augmented
by an awesome number of other killers, like
the robot Bonecrusher which the manufac
turer says “creates fear and terror.”
Nor is technology to be denied as wit
ness the video game which has blossomed
into a $2 billion a year industry. In a study of
95 of the most popular, the National Coali
tion on Television Violence found 83 percent
centered on violence and 58 percent fea
tured war.
The story line of the video game
“Rambo” is obvious enough and, not sur
prisingly, equally violent themes have de
veloped from President Ronald Reagan’s
rhetoric in the likes of “Aliens of the Evil
Empire” and “Contra.” Note also the game
“Rush ’N Attack” (read it aloud for the full
message) in which the scabby-knee set is
assigned the task of freeing prisoners of war
with hand grenades and bazookas.
America’s kid-huggers deplore the war
like trend, arguing the toymakers are cater
ing to the lowest common denominator.
Leonard
Kransdorf
Managing Editor
I don’t recall them having walkie-talkies.
But we knew that if we did anything wrong
and they caught us, well, the punishment
could range from suspension, to paddling to
just a good talking to by the person in
charge.
There is also the presence of snack foods.
There are probably more snack food ma
chines at the high schools than some busi
nesses have.
But between classes the demand is there
as several students could be seen dropping
their coins in the machines to get their fa
vorite drink or snack food.
Just a mere 10-15 years ago we had to
sneak across the street to get some junk
food and if we were caught eating or drink
ing it on campus, well it meant yet another
Jerry
Laycak
Columnist
women seem to be pressured much more
than men, into action to look good,
regardless.
Kathy took it upon her own and went
about this task of shedding off, and toning
up the body. Kathy is by no means “fla
key”, so fad diets were out from the start.
With my income, the Health Spas were on
the bricks too. So for her birthday last
month, I bought her an excersize bike. She
decided on pedalling no where, vice, jogging
on the streets of the neighborhood, with the
other health conscious zanies. Those are the
people who hit the pavement before sun-up
and you spill your coffee all over the front
They contend the toymaker’s zeal for prof
its is a psychological disaster, that it thrusts
violence onto the agenda of young minds.
Some of the children’s advocates have pick
eted offending toy stores.
If they have time to spare, the kid-hug
gers also should be picketing some of Amer
ica’s real life cold warriors.
The Cold Warriors have been in the saddle
since the 1946, when Britisher Winston
Churchill keynoted the era with an oratori
cal flourish about the “Iron Curtain” clang
ing across Europe. As proven by Soviet
feints since, Churchill’s advice was not all
bad.
But Cold War zealousness and inflexibil
ity exacted its price. Those of us who pre
date World War II certainly can remember
when the federal government, partieulrly
military affairs, did not dominate the econo
my and the culture. Since then, thanks to
the terror-spreading tactics of Cold War
riors, the United States has been trans
formed into a national security state.
The sickness runs deep. I was utterly ap
palled to learn the other day that this year’s
Pentagon budget of S3OO billion is only a
shout away from the S3OB billion which
Americans spent on education.
Imagine! The U.S. military blows almost
as much on shot-and-shell as 240 million
Americans spend to improve their lives
with learning.
In a national security state, peace is not a
very welcome commodity. Politicians, Ron
ald Reagan among many, have found the
Soviets to be very handy opponents. Con
gressmen have vested interest in local mili
tary establishments. The military-industri
al complex threatens economic disruption if
the national priority shifts from Pentagon to
peace-keeping. And working together for
these 40 years, all these powerful forces
A
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k.
ll
walk down to the principal’s office.
There are of course some things that nev
er change.
If a stranger walked onto campus he or
she would be sized up by the students, as
suming of course that it was some type of
undercover cop.
I don’t know how the students sized me
up, but with a camera draped across my
neck and a notebook sticking out of my
pocket they should have received a pretty
good idea.
There are also the gatherings of friends
who are either planning what they will do
when school lets out or discussing what
went on in their last class. There is also the
boyfriend and girlfriend who are also able
to share a brief moment as they rush from
one class to another.
With each new year comes a new class
and with that there will invariably be new
changes on how the students act and how
they are treated by the administration.
If you ever go back to the school and walk
the halls it is a weird feeling how some situ
ations but how there are some big differ
ences. It will be interesting to see just how
different it is another 15 years.
Or maybe I don’t want to know.
seat, trying to avoid smashing them to
death.
At any rate, Kathy started pedaling in
place, at least once a day for just over a
month now. She cut out the salt intake and
ate, rather moderately. I didn’t know until a
few days ago, what a devastating effect ,
this regime had on her.
Kathy won’t tell me exactly, but it is a fair
estimation, on my behalf, to say that she
lost over thirty pounds! I don’t know how
many dress sizes that equates to, but I know
that 111 have to work some extra hours for
that new wardrobe that she earned.
But hey guys, it’s worth it!
She’s right where she wants to be right
now and intends to keep up on the excersize
and conscious food intake.
Pretty common sense stuff, if you think of
it. No pain, no gain.
Now that she’s a raging knock-out, I
might have to get off my can, and trim up
the old gut...
Nah..!!!
Kathy looks good enough for the both of
us.
scared the hell out of the rest of us.
Since Churchill’s speech at Missouri’s
Westminster College in 1946, the Cold War
has undergone only one truly startling re
versal. It happened a few days ago at the
United Nations when Mikhail Gorbachev
punched holes in the Iron Curtain.
Suddenly, peace threatens to break out.
Wonder of wonders, President Reagan
welcomed it although he is a retiring el
der stateman who long ago milked the Cold
War politically and now has no further use
of it. But other Cold Warriors are horrified
at the Soviets have launched a peace ini
tiative. As professional Red-baiters threat
ened with obsolescence, they damn Gorba
chev for peace-mongering with the same
vigor they damned other Soviet leaders for
war-mongering.
As a Cold War mouthpiece, consider com
mentator William F. Buckley Jr. He con
demns Gorbachev as an inveterate killer
because the “genocide in Afghanistan” has
en on his watch, but neglects mention of
millions of Asiatics killed with a similar
eight-year U.S. misadventure in Vietnam.
uc ey wishes that the bone-busting, kid
killing Israelis were in charge of U.S. for
eign policy.
Or consider another Cold War spokes
thai'r' 00^ lumnist William Safire. He grouses
ho or bachev has become a peacenik only
because the Soviet economy is bankrupt and
pnH S h° Vle ! people cannot eat tanks, cannon,
stltoc ♦ * rS ' And while ur g‘ n g the United
not to cooperate in a peace initiative,
mm k Ua y pra y s that peacenik Gorbachev
hardliners ei 't* lr ° Wn nhhtaristic Soviet
Imagine that! The professional U.S. Red
baiters literally seek the downfall of the So
£fl U , m< ? n s leadi ng peacenik. So there’s a
S? ** ™ ade in the hate business, folks,
and not just in the toy factories.