Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 12A
k FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Sundiy, March 7,2004
The Forsyth 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.
The bonds failed,
now what?
Now it is back to the
drawing board.
Again.
With the latest effort to
secure funding for a new
courthouse and jail rejected
by the county's voters last
week, the burden is again
upon the county govern
ment to start anew in
exploring options and alter
natives to address a badly
overcrowded and outdated
jail and the realities of coun
ty courts that are rapidly
outgrowing their allotted
space.
As proposed bonds for
the building projects have
been rejected three times in
four years, there is ample
evidence of what does not
appeal to the county’s vot
ers. The challenge for coun
ty leaders now is to deter
mine what will.
The needs for the jail and
sheriff's office are particu
larly pressing. While some
opponents of replacing the
county's detention facility
are quick to note that too
many nonviolent prisoners
are being housed and that
the courts could free up
space by releasing more
inmates, the fact is the
county can do nothing to
make that happen, nor is
there the likelihood that any
changes in state law or judi
cial procedure are likely to
happen in such away as to
have a timely impact on the
problem at hand.
Certainly county officials
have to look at the pros and
cons of funding such facili
ties as part of a future
SPLOST program. The
upside to doing so is that the
facilities are paid for when
they are built and millions
are not spent on long-term
Letters
Justice Center opponents
should offer their solution
When Republicans talk about lowering taxes,
they actually mean reducing services. The reality
facing Forsyth County is that the need for servic
es are increasing, whether you like it or not. Mr.
(Gray) Smith and Mr. (David) Richard both claim
there isn't enough time to investigate alternatives
to the proposed Justice Center facility to have an
election this year.
Well the opponents had about four years since
the first vote. It is time now to show all Forsyth
County taxpayers their proposal, its cost and plan
for financing, unless of course they don’t have
one. Time is money, the cost to Forsyth’s future
citizens, our children is growing.
George Mitchell
Cumming
Name calling unnecessary
in debating the issues
During the justice center election, I became
disappointed with those active both for and
against this issue, as well as with the Forsyth
County News.
In the days following Sept. 11, while our
country was in shock over the attacks, we didn't
hear about Democrats fighting Republicans. We
didn't hear about racial wars. Crime was lower in
the days following our nation’s greatest tragedy.
Why? Because we were too busy holding each
other up.
We saw Democrats and Republicans embrac
ing each other on the Capitol steps, while singing
financing and interest. The
downside is that a new
SPLOST vote can’t be
taken for four more years,
and there is no guarantee a
SPLOST program heavily
weighted with funding for a
courthouse and/or jail
would succeed.
Opponents of the bond
defeated last week have pro
posed a number of alterna
tives to replace or expand
the jail, some of which
deserve consideration. In
every' case, county officials
will have to weigh the
impact of short-term general
fund financing on the coun
ty's taxpayers as compared
to long-term indebtedness.
Since this is an election
year and a majority of the
commission seats are up for
grabs, an argument can be
made for waiting until next
year to start assessing the
situation again. But doing
so will toss new commis
sioners into a complex
process that will require a
substantial “learning curve."
when again there are press
ing needs demanding
immediate attention.
Last week's effort failed
to win passage despite the
year-long involvement of a
broad-based committee of
residents who worked on
the proposal. Any future
effort needs to have similar
input from various factions.
The county's leadership
both elected and in the
private sector has to find
away to address these
needs that garners public
support, or future growth
will overwhelm the existing
infrastructure and the coun
ty will fall so far behind the
building curve that it cannot
catch up.
"God Bless America.’’ We held hands with
strangers and prayed for the victims, their fami
lies. and our nation. We supported each other. We
supported our country. We were neighborly. We
understood that we were a people of varying
opinions, but none of that seemed to matter. We
were still Americans. We were proud.
It is a sad day in America when people cannot
express their opinion on an issue without being
subjected to name calling by each other and by
your newspaper.
Some who favored the Justice Center were
called “liars" and “crooks” by some who
opposed. Also, those who opposed it were labeled
“obstructionists" by your newspaper.
Have we learned nothing from Sept. 11? Can
we not accept that we are a people of varying
opinions, and respect each other’s right to express
their’s? Can we not disagree without being so dis
agreeable?
I am disappointed in your paper for contribut
ing to this demoralization of the Forsyth County
voter. With or without a justice center, the com
munity deserves better from our local newspaper.
Anna McManus
Suwanee
Maybe more money just
buys ‘good government’
Shame on Robert Bourne. Just because a
whole lot of developers and their family members
are giving Mrs. Kreager campaign contributions
for as much as $ I .(XX) each (even though they do
not live in Forsyth County), he needs to concede
the possibility that they are giving this money
because they want “good government," not
W into MY I
Senate race may be for runoff slot
Who is Johnny Isakson?
Forget for a moment what
you have read in newspapers
or seen on TV about the 6th
District congressman who is
running for the U.S. Senate.
If your information came
only from email and Internet
commercials, you would know
this cyberspace version of
Johnny Isakson:
* Isakson consistently
votes in the House with
Democratic leaders Dick
Gephardt. Nancy Pelosi and
(brace yourself) Barney Frank.
Career-Republican Isakson is
really a secret ally of ruthless
labor unions, mean feminists,
obnoxious gays and. worst of
all. liberals.
* Isakson supported legis
lation that would provide aid
and comfort to child molesters
and voted against measures to
help commercial pilots defend
themselves against terrorists.
In other words, he's sympa
thetic to creeps but has no
enthusiasm for protecting
brave flyers who ferry him to
Washington and back.
* He opposes zero drug
tolerance in schools. So he
wants kids to have a little
sniff-and-snort in the class
room. does he?
* And. of course, he's a
raving abortionist who favors
distribution of the “French
abortion" pill. Got that? "The
French pill." In addition to
everything else, he must be
one of those aw ful frog lovers.
Most of this stuff is signed
by rival Congressman Mac
Collins' senatorial campaign.
Some of it is anonymous. The
Isakson campaign says it's all
a pack of lies except the
allegation about the frogs that
Bill
Shipp
we forgot to ask about.
Until this Internet cam
paign began, you probably
thought of Isakson as a stand
up guy. a successful real estate
executive, a 35-year pillar of
the Republican Party, a former
state legislator, a former state
school board chairman, a
Georgia Bulldog and a
Methodist. Aren't you happy
to be set straight?
Nor can Congressman
Collins escape Isakson's
(slightly softer) Internet “truth
gun.”
The Bth District lawmaker,
a member of the important
Ways and Means Committee,
votes almost automatically
against all important pieces of
farm legislation, the email rap
sheets tell us.
He even opposed the main
farm bill to re-establish pro
grams to supply payments to
farmers when commodity
prices fall below a specific
level. He voted against billions
for agriculture research, much
of which would have gone to
UGA and other Georgia
schools.
A congressperson from,
say. Delaware or New' York
might get away with votes like
that. But a senatorial wannabe
from Georgia one who
would follow in the footsteps
of Sens. Russell. Talmadge
and Nunn could never, ever
vote against such legislation,
or could he?
Like Isakson. Collins has
because they want favorable treatment on their
rezoning requests and variances.
The more money the developers give, the
more "good government" they get.
Patrick Anderson
Cumming
Developers shouldn’t
fund local campaigns
Bravo to Mr. Bourne. It appears the cat is out
of the bag. As a resident of Forsyth County. I also
want an explanation as to why a commissioner
would take campaign contributions from develop
ers.
This is one of the fastest growing counties in
the United States. There is no stopping develop
ment. nor should there be. But the focus should
be on quality, not quantity. The fact that a com
missioner would take campaign contributions
from developers is unsettling.
Vivian Heady
Cumming
First Vote program
served students well
Thanks to the program “First Vote," some
very fine young citizens were able to be actively
involved in the election process. First Vote was a
great success.
Rob Abraham and Leigh Jackson from
Forsyth Central and Francesca Depalma-Arena
from North Forsyth were student helpers at the
an impressive resume: con
gressman, former state sena
tor. county commissioner and
a successful trucking line
owner. The data against him
paints him as an irrelevant
loose cannon in Washington or
a stupid bungler who doesn't
comprehend his job. Or both.
The Republican primary,
which will probably decide
the successor to Democrat
Sen. Zell Miller, is still
months away (July 20). but the
intensity of the campaigns
between the two perceived
main candidates is already
picking up steam.
Collins tears at Isakson.
trying to reduce his poll num
bers and slow his stream of
campaign contributions. In
every poll. Isakson leads
He is way ahead in the
campaign money game (more
than $4.5 million at last
count); he is No. 1 in “favor
able" ratings among voters
and he seems certain to get the
most votes in the primary.
However, in the four-can
didate primary race, no one is
likely to capture the 50 per
cent-plus-one needed to avoid
a runoff with the No. 2 vote
getter.
Collins evidently assumes
that he will be the second
place finisher with a chance to
win in a runoff.
If running to become run
ner-up is indeed his strategy.
Collins may be aiming his
ammunition at the wrong tar
get. At this writing. Herman
Cain, an ultraconservative
black business executive,
appears a reasonably good bet
to finish second, ahead of
Collins.
So far. Cain has avoided
Otwell Precinct. They were helpful and fulfilled
their duties and assignments well, their cheerful
attitude helped make our day brighter.
Rosa Norwood
Assistant poll manager
Otwell precinct
Resident appreciative
of Bannister Road paving
I want to thank the SPLO.ST fund, the Forsyth
County Board of Commissioners and anyone
who was instrumental in getting Bannister Road
paved.
I want to thank the workers who did such a
good job. they seemed to take such pride in put
ting all the finishing touches down to the bright
lines and the reflectors. I'm sure that all the peo
ple who live along Bannister Road share my
thanks and appreciation.
lx>Ls Bannister Heard
Cumming
TYade agreements hurt
economy in short term
On Thursday. Feb. 5. speaking at the Forsyth
Chamber of Commerce. Congressman Johnny
Isakson spoke in favor of NAFTA and fair trade
agreements in general. He said that overall popu
lations benefit when regions that supply needs are
those that produce goods most economically.
See LETTERS, Page 13A
the early nastiness of the
Collins-lsakson bout. Instead,
Cain, using positive TV com
mercials in smaller Georgia
markets, paints himself as a
rags-to-riches multimillionaire
determined to repay his nation
for the good things it has done
for him.
Cain's agenda is so conser
vative that he makes Collins
and Isakson appear to be
Bolsheviks.
Cain is easily the best
speaker and, by far, the
most ardent antiabortion can
didate in the field. Having
reported about $l.B million in
campaign funds, Cain is ahead
of Collins, whose total is
about $1 million.
Besides, a vote for Cain
assuages the guilt of some
Republicans who feel uncom
fortable with the racist label
sometimes applied to the
Georgia GOP. Cain's cam
paign assiduously avoids men
tion of racial topics as the can
didate drives home his
antiabortion, anti-IRS and pro-
George Bush messages.
Though an additional black
candidate has not campaigned
as actively as the others, Al
Bartell's relatively few votes
will help keep the frontrun
ner's totals below 50 percent
and thus in the runoff range.
Despite the more visible
Collins-lsakson fracas, the pri
mary results could easily pro
duce an Isakson-Cain runoff
with Collins eliminated and
all those bags of dirt gathered
for a final runoff assault going
for naught.
Bill Shipp's column
appears each Sunday and
Wednesday. His email address
is bshipp@bellsouth.net.