Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 12A
, FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sundiy, Jun* 7,19 M
The Forty th County News
Opinion
This is a page of opinions - ours, yours and others.
Signed columns and cartoons are the opinions of the
writers and artists and may not reflect our views.
Commencement exercises
mark a milestone in the
lives of students, families
Pomp and circumstance is here - Forsyth Central High School,
North Forsyth High School and South Forsyth High School were to
hold graduation exercises on Saturday in separate commencement
services at Lanierland.
The life of a high school senior can be carefree with the number
of responsibilities limited by virtue of educational responsibilities. However,
more and more teens today are working part-time jobs, are involved in helping
with childcare for younger siblings and are active in extracurricular events which
occupy their time.
But the life of a student, especially a senior on the brink of some serious
decision-making, can also be trouble-ridden. There are concerns about the future
- college, technical school or a job? Is it time to pursue further now or would
some time away from the classroom be valuable in building the sense of respon
sibility needed to instill the importance of more learning experiences?
The financial aspects of further education must be considered, although the
HOPE scholarship and other financial opportunities are helping more and more
Georgia students pursue their aspirations. For families, the cost of college can be
a budgeting challenge, but it’s the family commitment that tends to make the
educational opportunity more valuable to the student. The student has a responsi
bility to succeed and make the family proud.
And many Forsyth County families will be proud this weekend as their high
school graduate takes centerstage at graduation. The child who has likely been
the centerpiece of a parent’s life is preparing to step out into another arena - one
more step toward their future.
A school system administrator summed it up well for writer Laura Lavezzo,
who work with school officials to gather photographs and information for the
graduation section which appears in this edition.
“Graduation is a very exciting time,’’ said assistant superintendent Paula
Gault. “You always have mixed emotions - you’re happy for the kids who
have reached milestones in their lives.”
This is a milestone for the graduates and we wish them congratulations.
Best wishes as you commence to seek your future.
: ' / ■ ; ‘7 : JJ#
' 3 1111 l
Photo/Tom Brooks
Practicing at Lanierland for graduation ceremonies on Saturday.
Letters
Expect the worst and
you get it from others
DEAR EDITOR,
Can you imagine being punished for
something you didn’t do? Well at South
Forsyth High, they are being punished
for last year’s seniors; no backpacks are
allowed in the school this last week of
school. I know that there are a lot of stu
dents that are not even bringing their
books (pro-active?) If you want respect,
- you need to give respect which you are
■not giving when you treat young adults
* like babies who cannot make a decision
on their own. The school has become a
prison, when we do not hear the students
or teachers that are pro-students on any
thing that concerns them. We listen only
to the opinions that are like ours (the
administration) and fire or get rid of the
teachers and support staff that do not
agree with the administration. I know of
a lot of teachers that have left the dis
trict in the last three years that were a
great loss to this county and more are
leaving this year, especially Mr. Shippey
. - this to the detriment of all the students
taking graphic, arts at South. We cannot
punish people for their opinions or for
the actions of others, we cannot accept
one person’s word over another person’s
word, which happens also. The schools
have gotten worse it was much better
five years ago when ideas were dis
cussed and not forced down your throat
with out thought. When you expect the
worst, you get the worst. So expecting
i
Forsyth County News letter policy
The Forsyth County News welcomes your opinions on issues of public concern. Letters must
be signed and include full address and a daytime and evening phone number for verification.
Names and hometowns of letter writers will be included for publication, without exception.
Telephone numbers will not be published. Letters should be limited to 350 words and may be
edited or condensed. The same writer or group may only submit one letter per month for con
sideration. letters must be submitted by noon Wednesday for Sunday publication. We do not
publish poetry or blanket letters, and generally do not publish letters concerning consumer
complaints. Unsigned or incorrectly identified letters will be withheld. Mail letters to the
Forsyth County News, P. O. Box 210, Cumming, Ga 30028, hand deliver to 302 Old Buford
Road, or fax to (770) 889-6017.
students to act like children, you get that
action.
Margaret Seme
Cumming
Much needed: North-
South Connector or
19,000 cars dumped
at Old Atlanta Road
DEAR EDITOR,
I write to express the dismay I feel
after watching the last commissioner’s
meeting. At the close of the meeting,
after the Citizens’ committee had pre
sented their recommended future land
use plan, Chairman Jenkins asked repre
sentatives of the planning department if
they had the “changes I want made.” He
then closed the meeting. He made no
3 mi
In J/
“Only God can
make a tree..." "But it takes the government
to make a fee!"
What the early primaries bode for Georgia
Alabama and California sent these
messages to Georgia voters and candi
dates last week: Veteran politicians are no
longer the enemy. Money is not quite
everything. And negative campaigns don’t
always work.
The gubernatorial primaries in those
states hint strongly that July’s voting in
Georgia may track similar paths.
Scanning the Alabama political landscape,
one might conclude Georgians had invad
ed our neighbor. Georgia-connected con
sulting teams were active in several
important contests.
Take-no-prisoners consultant Tom
Perdue of Atlanta guided Republican
challenger Winton Blount 111 to a runoff
against incumbent Gov. Fob James.
Former Christian Coalition guru Ralph
Reed directed James’ effort to hold onto
his seat. Reed, the boy wonder from
Toccoa, runs his campaign organization
out of Gwinnett County, Ga.
The battle between Blount and Gov.
James sounded to old-time Georgians like
a contest of dinosaurs. The Alabama
match featured Gov. James urging defi
ance of the U.S. Supreme Court and
demanding to put prayer back in the class
room. Challenger Blount and his friends
thought economic development might be
more important. (In Georgia, raging
against the federal court went out of style
in the 19605.)
Meanwhile, over on the Democratic
side, Lt. Gov. Don Siegelman racked up
an easy victory against meager opposi
tion. His main campaign issue: Give
Alabama a state lottery and a HOPE
scholarship program like Georgia’s. His
Republican foes are either flatly opposed
to or very skeptical of a state lottery.
public disclosure as to what those
changes were. This seems to violate the
spirit and intent of the open meeting
laws. One change is to “remove” a por
tion of the “North-South Connector,” a
much needed road from Hwy. 20 to
Hwy. 141 from the new map. The sec
tion from Hwy. 20 to Old Atlanta has
begun. That is where Chairman Jenkins
wants it to end. The county projects this
connector to handle 19,000 cars per day.
Look what will happen if this change
is allowed to happen. 19,000 cars per
day will be dumped at Old Atlanta,
instead of continuing on the thorough
fare to Hwy. 141. They will be forced
through Aberdeen subdivision or past
the new middle school or past the
Sharon Springs Park to get to Hwy. 141
This is not only foolish it is dangerous
as well. It seems Chairman Jenkins may
have a ulterior motive. The new road
comes within a couple of hundred feet
of his house. The fact is Mr. Jenkins and
IMLJ Bill
Shipp
(Remember Guy Millner running for
governor in Georgia in 1994 after declar
ing his opposition to the lottery? Millner
lost. He’s back this year for another try at
the governorship, and he’s one of the lot
tery’s biggest fans.)
Siegelman’s campaign staff includes
Jim Andrews, Rick Dent and Alan
Secrest, all of whom worked for Gov. Zell
Miller in his 1994 campaign. (Andrews is
also running Secretary of State Lewis
Massey’s gubernatorial bid and Michael
Coles’ Senate campaign in Georgia.)
Unless he stumbles badly, Siegelman
will win the Nov. 3 election against either
Blount or James, signalling a resurgence
of the Democratic Party in Alabama and
the South, some analysts believe. Georgia
Republican Mike Bowers and several
Democrats ought to be celebrating what
they read in the tea leaves from the
California primary:
• Elections in big states are not for
sale. Lt. Gov. Gray Davis won over gold
plated businessman Al Checci and
Congresswoman Jane Harman. Checci
spent S4O million on his campaign and
came in third. Harman spent S2O million
on her losing effort. Davis portrayed him
self as an experienced politician and gov-
his subdivision are better off from a
safety and convenience stand point if the
road is built. It also strikes me as unfair
and unconstitutional for Jenkins to make
changes .... to a Land Use Plan that a
citizen's committee has taken several
years to formulate.
Kimberly Snell
Cumming
More dangerous and
difficult to live in area
which is commercial
DEAR EDITOR,
I answered my telephone on Tuesday
morning, June 2, 1998 to receive news
What do you think?
Should Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds be allocated to
make infrastructure improvements in established developments in which
the developer elected not to finance the work at the time of development,
requiring sometimes-costly retrofitting? Should the improvements in roads,
water lines and other types of infrastructure be financed by ad valorem tax
payers, i.e., from the general fund budget of the county? Or should special
tax districts be created to allow the residents of the areas where the
improvements are needed to finance their own projects over a period at
time?
Send your response to: Forsyth County News,
P.O. Box 210, Cumming, Ga. 30028
ernment servant. (That should.be good
news for Republican Mike Bowers and
Democrats David Poythress, Lewis
Massey and Roy Barnes, all old hands at
government posts. The bad news is Davis
still spent a whopping sl2 million to Win,
which is about what Millner is expected to
plunk down in Georgia this year.)
•The effective edge is wearing off neg
ative campaigns. When the economy is
good and voters are mostly satisfied with
their lives, attack ads against entrenched
politicians don’t work. That was a clear
message from the California voting. The
picture from Alabama was not so clear, in
that every candidate lined up for mud
balls.
In any event, we can turn our attention
back to Georgia now. Despite the
California lessons, negative campaigns
already are boiling up in the lieutenant
governor’s battle (Clint Day vs. Mitch
Skandalakis) for the GOP nomination.
And the first skirmishes of thamud wars
in the governor’s race have started.
Massey’s ethics, Barnes’ profession (trial
lawyer), Bowers’ hypocrisy and Millner’s
money all those things are about to
bore us silly as the centerpieces of attack
TV commercials. The candidates’ spin
doctors promise the cacophony of nega
tive commercials will get louder and more
personal as we approach the July 21 pri
mary. ,
Bill Shipp is editor of Bill Shipp's
Georgia, a weekly newsletter on govern
ment and business. He can be reached at
P. O. Box 440755, Kennesaw, GA 30144
or by calling (770) 422-2543, e-mail:
bshipp@bellsouth.net, Web address:
http://www. bills hipp. com.
that our land use committee has been
asked by one of our to
zone one side of Sharon Road commer
cial and one side residential. I’ve heard
of spot zoning, but this is ridiculoui! If
this is not illegal, it is at least unethical.
My property is for sale - we haVe a
convenience store, fire station, school,
and football field within 300 feet of my
home. Plus there’s a stop sign 70 feet
away from the painted line of stopping.
This makes it more dangerous and diffi
cult to maintain a residence in this'area.
Since this commissioner lives in the
area, I feel like it’s a bid to protect his
property from the growth that everyone
else is having to cope with.
CJ. Delong
Camming