Newspaper Page Text
OpEd
Planning, preparation:
Hurricane season here
The Georgia Insurance
Information Service reminds all
Georgians that names of hurri
canes or how many tropical storms
will form and which ones could
turn into hurricanes are interest
ing, but these are not exactly
action items. The only hurricanes
to fear are the ones headed for the
state or the ones that may hit land
close to the state.
When the storms are at their
worst, flooding, torrential rains
and severe thunderstorms may
carry inland farther than most peo
ple realize. Be prepared!
■ What planning should be done
as hurricane season begins? At
least three major items should be
_ on your list, says GIIS. First,
" "administrative plans.
• Review your insurance cover
age and make sure you know what
your policy says about damage to
j Spur property in the event of wind
"" storm, tree and water damage. If
you live in a flood-prone area,
, know if your county or community
.participates in the federal govern
ment's flood program. Flood
insurance will not take until 30
days after it is purchased. Flood
Insurance is a federal program and
flooding is not covered in most
homeowners policies.
r „ • Make sure you understand
what your auto insurance covers
. since it, not homeowners or
renters insurance, covers damagp
' tp your vehicles.
• Update your household
inventory. List all your possessions
including clothing, furniture, art
work, any item with a serial num
ber and high-cost items such as
jbwelry, stereo and TV systems,
collectibles and anything else you
United Methodists lead fight against gambling
One of the Social Principles
of the United Methodist Church
; js this: “Gambling is a menace to
J society, deadly to its best inter
ests of moral, social, economic
and spiritual life, and destructive
of good government.”
. „ Never has the issue been stat
jed so eloquently and succinctly.
What’s more, for three years, the
d denomination paid $3,000 a
month to UM Rev. Thomas Grey,
‘‘«n Illinois pastor “on special appointment"
' described by a Time cover story as “the merry mes
siah who has built a once lonely battle against a
Mississippi riverboat casino into a nationwide cru-
against gambling."
*♦ "He was just a local pastor in Galena, 111., a
quaint Mississippi river town which in 1991 voted
81 percent in opposition to hosting a riverboat casi
. no. But the referendum was non-binding, and local
officials lusting for job growth, invited the gam
, feling ship to dock anyway. “I got mad,” Grey told
Now with his nationwide campaign, “I’m get
ling even.”
‘ ‘He has been a dragon-slayer. His hometown
r \fight led to invitations to speak in lowa, Indiana,
Missouri and dozens of other states fighting casi
'.nps. He created a National Coalition Against
, Gambling Expansion which has won an extraordi
nary string of victories.
Gambling is a menace to
society, deadly to its best
interests of moral, social,
economic and spiritual life and
destructive of good government
Since 1994, 37 states have said no to further
expansions of legalized gambling. Only four states
have voted to expand, the most recent of which is
i Michigan which voted 51 to 49 percent to allow
’ -three casinos in Detroit. But now there is a battle to
overturn such votes. The Rev. Alan Rice, another
> -United Methodist pastor, is gathering 247,127 sig
. -natures on a petition for another referendum. He
•has 200,000 in hand, but only days before a June 12
‘ deadline, hopes to get the rest through newspaper
< Most recently, Grey worked in Missouri, where
, hp had one victory in the spring of 1994, and one
1 loss that fall which permitted riverboat casinos. His
j most important ally is United Methodist Bishop Ann
Sherer, who is mobilizing 200,000 church members
i from 1,000 churches to fight another round. The
gambling industry arrogantly constructed six “river-
may have to claim should your
property be destroyed or damaged.
Include either still photographs or
a videotape of your possessions
which helps validate your invento
ry to an insurance adjuster.
• Check to see how your insur
ance will handle damaged, stolen
or destroyed items. Does your pol
icy provide for replacement cost
coverage or actual cash value?
There is a difference since actual
cash value is determined after
depreciation of the items. This
may mean you could receive only
pennies on the dollar for older
items. Full replacement coverage
is preferable, and now is the time
to know.
The second plan is for prepara
tion should a storm occur.
• You should have a weather
alert radio, or at the very least, a
portable, battery-powered radio
and/or TV. If bad weather threat
ens especially a hurricane or
severe thunderstorms, stay tuned
to know if any warnings have been
issued so you and your family can
take appropriate cover or begin an
evacuation.
• A storm preparedness kit is
important, and should include at
least one powerful flashlight, extra
batteries for flashlights and
radio(s), first-aid supplies, essen
tial medicines, blankets, canned
and other non-perishable food,
bottled water and containers for
use of water.
• You should have a safety
plan in place for your family.
Where will you take cover if a
severe storm or hurricane strikes?
A basement is best, but which
See SEASON, Page 14A
Mike
UHWF McManus
Gambling has become more and
more a part of the state’s revenue stream. The state
becomes dependent on the ‘something for nothing’
gambling interest. Before long, they control the
state. That is not good for us. It is not productive for
the economy. It does not produce good jobs and is
negative for poorer people.”
Grey adds, “This is not economic development.
It is not entertainment. It is gambling. We are stand
ing up against three cartels: the Mob, the govern
ment, and Fortune 500 companies, all of whom are
selling the same product they call ‘gaming,’ not
gambling. But they have taken out the B and L,
which stands for Big Loser, and government is
doing the marketing.”
He says his argument against gambling is “as
simple as ABC: Addiction, Bankruptcy and Crime
and Corruption." He cites a Harvard study funded
by gambling interests that found 2.2 million
Americans have a pathological gambling disease and
teenagers are four times more likely to get hooked.
When casinos went into lowa, the percentage of
gambling addicts soared three- fold. These people
are more likely to destroy their marriages. A fifth of
the homeless got there through gambling. And Las
Vegas has the highest suicide rates in the country.
Bankruptcy: One study found that in the 298
counties with casinos in 1997, bankruptcies jumped
19 percent. Counties with five casinos have a 36
percent higher bankruptcy rate.
Crime & Corruption: Four of the last six mayors
of Atlantic City have been indicted. West Virginia
had several legislators and the head of the lottery
thrown in jail, as was a Speaker of the House in
Missouri and many others elsewhere.
Grey challenged Missouri Methodists recently:
“Will you put your name on a card, so we can come
back in two weeks and train you how to fight?”
Hundreds signed them.
Yet the sad epitaph of this story is that when the
United Methodist commitment to fund Grey ended
after three years, a renewal was turned down by
Thom White-Wolf Fassett, head of the UM Board of
Church and Society, and a native American who
may be sympathetic to casinos on Indian reserva
tions.
The National Coalition Against Gambling only
has a $130,000 budget to fight casino’s billions.
Your support can help. Send a check to 110
Maryland Ave., NE Washington DC 20002.
Guidance is missing in too many homes
We hear a lot today about how Johnny can’t
read, how he can’t write, how he can’t make
change for a dollar, but the most disturbing
aspect of Johnny’s learning is his inability to con
trol his threats, his anger, and his behavior.
Psychologists, school officials, government and
church authorities are well aware that there is a
more serious problem affecting our children than
their reading or writing skills, distinguishing the
difference between right and wrong.
Over the last year the nation has been stunned
by children who have been so angry that they
have killed teachers and classmates. Each night
we read about another child making and carrying
out threats of bodily harm. The news media is
filled with example after example of uncontrolled
rage of children, teen gangs, young adults, and
even young married people, who have committed
what was once “unthinkable” crimes of violence.
There is a deep moral confusion in today’s
society that we can add to the list of educational
problems. There is a definite lack of knowledge
concerning manners, morals, and standards of
behavior. Young people who should be well
Symposium explores ‘smart growth’ as alternative to urban sprawl
By Eric Weir
For the Forsyth County News
Residents of metropolitan Atlanta are getting
used to spending more time in their automobiles.
Probably few realize, however, that they spend
more time in their automobiles than Soviet
women spent in food lines.
This was one of the facts about “Urban
Sprawl” that participants in a March 26 Georgia
Conservancy Blueprints for Successful
Communities symposium heard about. The sym
posium focused on an alternative to sprawl
“smart growth” that is attracting growing interest
around the country.
Keynote speaker Gus Bauman provided prob
ably the clearest description of “smart growth”
when he said, “It’s not about stopping growth.
It’s about putting growth in the right places.”
The symposium was attended by approxi
mately 200 people developers, business represen
tatives, and local officials, as well as environmen
talists and homeowners.
What’s good about sprawl?
In kicking off the panel, Bauman, former
counsel to the National Home builders
Association, stressed the importance of being as
clear about what’s good about sprawl as about
what’s bad about it.
boat casinos” on concrete, far
from the rivers, with a moat of
water around them. A fall refer
endum may force them to close
down.
Bishop Sherer says, “Many
individuals do not know bound
aries. They have grave difficulty
gambling. It can become addic
tive, and even for those who are
not, they waste a lot of money.
t Julianne
Boling
aware of the Ten Commandments, the aspects
and consequences of legal and illegal behavior
are thumbing their noses at what is right and
wrong, choosing to display behavior that is unac
ceptable and often punishable for a lifetime.
The only way to receive attention is not
killing classmates and teachers. Certainly there is
violence on television but unsupervised viewing
ofthe violence can be blamed on parents not chil
dren and not television examines. The truth is
that parental guidance, supervision and instruc
tions are missing in too many homes. Parents are
struggling to maintain two cars, well furnished
homes, and making their careers a priority and
Bauman described spraws as “development
characterized by at least half acres lots, strip
malls along highways, and low rise, low density
office complexes.” Sprawl has broad appeal, said
Bauman. “For schools; for business and industry,
it provides low taxes and skilled workers; for
developers, it’s the market.”
What’s bad about it?
As it has come to dominate the American
landscape, the costs of sprawl are becoming
increasingly apparent. Bauman listed three things
it that make sprawl “bad.”
“It’s expensive. We have to keep in putting
roads, water, sewers, and schools further and fur
ther out. The amount being spent on roads alone
is enormous.
“It’s inefficient. We have become hostages to
the automobile. Between 1970 and 1995, the
number of automobiles has increased by 85 mil
lion. We drive twice as many miles as in 1970.
The average household spends 20 percent of its
income on the automobile, more than it spends
on food, almost as much as on housing.
“It’s eating up land at an unprecedented rate.
From 1970 to 1990, Chicago increased in size 46
percent to accommodate a 4 percent increase in
population. We are losing vital natural resources
and agricultural land.”
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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Sunday, June 7,10 M -
leaving the job of teaching their children right
from wrong to school teachers, scout leaders,
coaches, and anyone else who will make the
attempt.
But the question still remains: “who is to
blame for the moral and ethical standards in
today’s society?” We began with “if it feels good
do it” and have progressed to “disregard the con
sequences if you are angry.” We, as a society,
have tied the hands of school officials in disci
pline, teaching behavior standards, and dealing
with the complexity of educational and ethical
requirements. We have dumped the problems of
our world into the laps of schools and churches
and take no responsibility for our own creations,
our children.
What will it take to make us realize that our
children are more important? What will it take to
make us understand that when the restraints of
discipline are released the child is untethered in
his behavior and violent acts? What is it going to
take to make us acknowledge that unsupervised
and undisciplined children are in potential danger
to themselves and others?
Why does it continue?
If it’s so band, “why do we keep doing it?”
asked John Fregonese, former director of growth
management for Portland, Oregon. Part of the
answer, he felt, is that people don’t think about it
much.
According to the panel, the most important
reason, however, is that government at all levels
continues to invest in the infrastructure roads,
highways, water and sewer lines, schools that
make sprawl possible.
Indeed, established zoning practices, with
their minimum lot sizes and rigid separation of
land uses, allow no alternative. “People do want
inexpensive housing, safe neighborhoods, better
schools,” said Fregonese, “but they’re not neces
sarily looking for bigger lawns. They get them
whether they want them or not.”
Allow more options.
What’s the solution? According to Bauman,
it is “giving people more choice where they
will live, work, and play.” To make that possi
ble, he recommended two changes: allow
development at higher densities and allow
more mixed use development.
See GROWTH, Page 14A
PAGE 13A