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PAGE 4A
-FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS-SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1989
Opinion
Strong judicial action
needed in digest case
The apparent rejection last
week of the tax digest should
come as no surprise to those
who have been following the diz
zying turn of events in the battle
which has dragged on for sever
al years.
But even more predictable is
the fact that, as it is in many a
situation, the final decision on
the digest will be in the hands of
a judge, in this case Superior
Court Judge Frank Mills.
Although it would premature
to predict how Mills will rule in
the latest suit, it should come as
no surprise if he rules the digest
void. He has after all ordered a
reevaluation to be completed by
the end of this year. However,
contrary to his order the reeval
uation will not be done until next
year.
Additionally, as state officials
noted in their rejection of the
Crunch time facing
county school system
Money talks and the lack of it
can bring government if not to a
standstill at least to a slow
walk.
That may be the situation fac
ing the Forsyth County School
System this year in light of the
new budget and millage recent
ly adopted. While the millage is
a slight drop from last year,
that will inevitably place a
crunch on the school system es
pecially at the end of this fiscal
year.
While action on the tax digest
could provide some changes,
when the board adopted its bud
get, the accompanying millage
rate will give the school system
an extra $224,0570. But if that
seems like a lot, think again.
Some of that, $75,000, has al
ready unfortunately been set
aside to help pay the costs of
the new activities building at
South Forsyth High School.
There will also be costs associ
ated with tearing down an old
unsafe building at Chestatee
and undoubtedly other ex
penses will be incurred during
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Cumming, Ga. 30130
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latest digest, there are several
imbalances.
Included in those areas is the
long standing situation of hav
ing property assessed at less
then the required 40 percent.
The latest sales tax ratio study
shows the county’s assessment
rate at 32.88, well below the 40
percent.
There are varying differ
ences of opinion of what will
happen and the cost if Mills does
order the digest void, which
could force the county to send
out bills and then resend them
out when the digest is
completed.
However, it is apparent some
strong action is needed in order
to finalize this matter. In the
past Mills has shown his deter
mination and his actions this
time will hopefully be the final
step to ensure the fairness of the
digest.
the year.
Granted, each of the schools
will be able to still seek to offer a
quality education, but teachers
were only given a S2OO pay hike,
and other cuts were made dur
ing the year which will make
that effort that much more
difficult.
And already the school sys
tem has had to borrow $1.5 mil
lion and when the school year
ends there is the possibility
more will have to be borrowed
to begin the next school year.
The board could have opted to
increase the rate, to 19 mills and
instead of $224,570, there would
have been $403,410 available,
still not a lot when considering
the needs of the school system.
But instead there is a slight
drop, which always looks good
to voters.
But those same voters better
think twice before approaching
the board to seek major im
provements this year in the
school system.
Because plain and simple the
money is not there.
PUBUSHER-SCOTTM. BROWN
MANAGING EDITOR-LEONARD KRANSDORF
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR-HARRIET H. VINCEN
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR - GREG B. SLOAN
Special thanks for helping the needy
Sometimes it is a word and sometimes
just a facial expression.
But they stay with you forever.
It is those little signs that serve as guide
posts to nurture memories throughout the
years.
For Thanksgiving 1989 the memories for
me will revolve around the caring and good
will exhibited by you for the needy in the
county.
And as a heightened memory will be the
reaction to that help.
For instance, I will remember the elderly
lady standing on the porch as we delivered
to her some canned goods and a turkey. Her
name is not important, but the look in her
eyes was unforgettable.
The house is modest, but it was obvious
the food she received that day helped make
her holiday that much better.
Or the lady in the mobile home whose son
came to the door and the first words he
spoke was, “Mom, they have some food.
That’s good we have not eaten today,”
There were also the volunteers.
The students from Forsyth Central High
School who braved some rainy weather to
help deliver nearly 50 boxes of canned good
and turkeys to the needy. Those and other
students at the school donated several full
boxes of goods.
Then there were the students at Cumming
Elementary.
The day before we began distributing the
goods, the school called to say they had
some goods to donate.
*
The political misuse of old glory
By Horance G. Davis
New York Times Regional Newspapers
Back when toothpaste came in flexible
metal tubes and cream rose to the top in
bottles of milk and watches had to be
wound, little children supposedly were
praying their heads off in the public schools.
Or so it seems to the Christian fundamen
talists who so much want return to good old
school days when morals were pursued as
vigorously as head lice. Trouble is, although
raised in the Southern Bible Belt in the 1930 s
and 19405, neither I nor my wife can remem
ber rendering praise to the Lord in the
whites-only consolidated high school which
served Florida’s Bradford County.
But we did recite the Pledge of Alle
giance. . .ahem. . .religiously. Every home
room had its flag to be faced in weekday
morning ritual, hand over heart, with mur
murs of the insecure overcome by the bel
lowing of the class clowns.
After that, I draw a blank.
And a strange blank it is. I spent the fol
lowing three and a years in the U.S. mili
tary where, one would think, every rising
sun was greeted with flag-raising, bugle
call, and pledge of eternal fidelity to coun
try. Certainly, as an aviation cadet, I must
have participated in a flag-raising or two.
But I remember not a single one while
still vivid are the daily dawn “march ons”
at Houston’s Ellington Field in which we
cadets paraded in fog so thick that the re
viewing officers could not be seen and, as
we speculated, may have remained at home
in bed.
Equally strange were the months spent in
the war zone in the Mariana Islands. Cer
tainly, Old Glory must have flown outside
headquarters, but I can assure it played no
part in the war effort. For mechanics re
pairing the B-29s and ground crews loading
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“I know they have strict building codes to ensure everything is earthquake proof.
That’s why I’m living here!”
Leonard
Kransdorf
Managing Editor
The “some” turned into about 10 boxes of
food along with some money.
There were the various churches whose
members showed their compassion and un
derstanding. Many did not seek thanks, but
just came by the office and dropped off bags
and boxes of canned goods. There were also
scout troops, subdivsion residents and civic
club members.
That enthusiasm and will to help was also
very evident in Gina Davis.
Some of you may know Gina, as the man
ager of the Jim Wallace food store at the
intersection of Hwy 9 and Buford Dam
Road.
Once about two months when I entered
her store there was a jar on the counter
intended to collect money to help a needy
family. She agreed to become a part of the
Hands Across Forsyth campaign and in the
short span of about two months people do
nated $l4O.
It was not all dollar bills, but there were
pennies, nickel and dimes that customers
The N&W Domino Theory.
the explosives and flyers concentrating on
survival, it would have been just too Boy
Scoutish to order up a patriotic ceremony at
the risk of disrupting the queue for the beer
allotment.
Since dedicated men were fighting and
dying without perfunctory salute to the flag,
I emerged from World War II with the dis
tinct impression that patriotism was not a
matter of public display but private deed.
Don’t get me wrong. Excepting those gi
gantic flags lofted to sell automobiles, I get
a lift from display of Old Glory. I’ve a neigh
bor who erected a flagpole and flies the
Stars-and-Stripes an admirable project
which not only brightens the day, but quiet
ly expresses high regard with no expecta
tion of personal gain.
But political use of the flag is something
else again. In this regard, I can even re
spect the nation’s leading presidental repro
bate, Richard Nixon. In times of stress, he
wrapped himself in his wife’s “respectable
Republican cloth coat” and whistled up his
dog “Checkers” and hid behind the U.S.
Constitution, but not once did he distract his
pursuers by flaunting Old Glory.
Not so George Bush. The man hails from
Flag City. Not in my lifetime, certainly, has
any other presidential candidate made such
a disgusting spectacle of himself. He laid
claim to patriotism as a virtual monopolist,
repeating the Pledge of Allegiance ad nau
seam, his rear propped atop the flag like a
guru on a magic carpet. His exploitation of
the national icon was flagrant self-serving
flummery and free speech at its tackiest.
Now, with the U.S. Supreme Court defin
ing flag-burning also as a mode of free
speech, President Bush is in his element
like B’er Rabbit in the briar patch. Seeing
an opportunity to add the illusion of momen
tum to an otherwise lagging administration,
had inserted through the small hole in the
jar.
No one forced her to participate, but she
said she felt there had to be a way to help
those in need. Her customers also felt the
same way as they took that extra moment
to reach down into their pockets to give a
coin to help someone in need.
Without sounding too gratuitous, I would
also like to thank those employees at the
News who took the time to help sort the
canned goods and deliver the items as well
as the Department of Family and Children
Services who worked closely with us.
We are now embarking on an attempt tc
further the campaign into the Christmas
season and include any type of gift you feel
is appropriate.
But it is important, I believe, to recognize
this latest effort and what it means in hu
man terms.
Many times we work at steady jobs and
go home to nice homes and forget about
those amongst us who are unable to enjoy
those activities. However, within the past
several weeks we have shown a deep caring
for those who need that loving and support.
When I looked into the eyes of someone
who benefited by this effort it helped me
realize we did indeed stretch not only our
hands but our hearts across Forsyth
County.
he sinks to the asinine by proposing to ex
empt the flag from the free speech provision
of the First Amendment.
Bush is exploiting a predictable emotional
binge. If my home territory of Florida is
typical, veterans the nation over are mail
ing in their medals and commendations.
Bearing baseball bats, they are standing
vigil over the red, white and blue.
Further inflammation comes from patri
ots who never heard a shot fired in anger,
such as right-wing gadfly, William Buckley.
He likens flag-burning to “desecration of
the Blessed Sacrament” which is hardly a
crime under the law unless burglarizing or
trespassing or painting graffiti on the
Washington Monument, which is not a mat
ter of free speech but of defacing public
property.
But Buckley declares Old Glory is “the
monument.” It is no monument. It is a sym
bol which is respected by most. But it also is
colored cloth available over the counter,
where it becomes private property to be
flown reverently but also to attract pro
spective auto buyers, sell real estate, ex
ploit the primeval urge in voters, and, alas,
start a bonfire. The U.S. Supreme Court
says so.
The Court wisely decided that respect
cannot be legislated and even George
Bush’s constitutional amendment won’t
change that. Neither will the politically gen
erated horror expressed by the claque of
congressmen led, no less, by my own Rep.
Cliff Steams.
But none can shinny up the flagpole to
clutch Old Glory quite as fast as George
Bush, whose political exploitation of the flag
is a form of desecration itself. Perversion or
burning it’s all a matter of degree.
Horance G. “Buddy” Davis writes for the
New York Times Regional Newspaper
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