Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 10A
> FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sunday. March 14,2004
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.
Sad commentary
on state’s schools
A defining moment of
Gov. Roy Barnes’
tenure in office was
the passage of sweeping
educational re-forms meant
to improve Georgia’s public
school.
We may never know if
those reforms approved in
2000 would have worked as
a complete package, as var
ious components of the
school improvement plan
have fallen by the wayside,
abandoned or delayed by
state lawmakers.
Mandatory reduction in
class sizes was postponed
due to budget concerns.
Now there is a push to
delay enforcement of a pol
icy that requires third
graders to earn a passing
score on a standardized test
to win promotion.
State school Superin
tendent Kathy Cox said
last week she expects as
many as 23 percent of
Georgia's third graders to
fail the Criterion
Referenced Competency
Test this spring. Those who
do will be provided with an
opportunity for special
instruction during the sum
mer and given a chance to
take the test again, but even
so Cox said as many as
I 1.000 Georgia third
graders, roughly 10 percent,
likely would be retained
rather than promoted even
after a second testing.
State legislators, mean
while. are considering a bill
Leders
County must invest in
infrastructure for future
While I don't relish the idea of raising taxes.
I was very disappointed when the
courthouse/jailhouse bond issue failed.
Why? I grew up within 3 miles of where
Disneyland was built. The growth there was
phenomenal, but the city/county planners and
taxpayers realized that if the infrastructure did
n’t keep pace, the price of catching up at a future
date would have been many times more expen
sive.
Everyone here, as in Anaheim/Orange
County then, wants growth to increase property
values, but here there is a short-sightedness
toward how to support that growth. The taxpay
ers here have got to look toward the future and
further out than their own property lines. If the
infrastructure doesn't support the growth, values
will notjncrease. Basic services like wider
roads, sewage treatment, school construction
and, yes, courthouses and jails need to keep
pace. Growth in value does have a price tag. It’s
time to step up to the plate now. Don’t ignore
these things like Atlanta has with their sewer
system.
Dennis Faulkner
Cumming
Creative alternatives
needed to save tax money
The “no” vote against the Justice Center is
just away for the residents of Forsyth County to
express their outrage at the out of control growth
permitted in this county.
How many times have the citizens of Forsyth
County protested rezonings because of the lack
of facilities like roads, fire and police protection
and lack of adequate jail facilities? Time after
time the protests have been ignored. No concern
was given to the obvious shortage of infrastruc
ture.
Maybe now, the commissioners will listen to
the objections. The center is too costly and too
that would delay at least
another year implementa
tion of the policy for third
graders. They note that
since other elements of the
school reform package have
not been implemented,
there is no reason to think
students are ready for this
stage in the accountability
process.
Cox does not favor post
poning implementation.
It seems that when the
subject of improving
Georgia's schools is
broached everyone recog
nizes the need and
embraces the idea. But
when it comes down to
enacting true reforms, there
are always reasons not to
move ahead.
Everyone is for reform,
but seemingly only so long
as no parents are angered,
no students are made
uncomfortable, no educa
tors are challenged, and no
schools are held account
able.
We do not have the
expertise to know whether
the test proposed for
Georgia's third graders is
appropriate for use as a
pass-fail benchmark. But
we do know that something
is wrong when the state’s
schools have known for
four years this day was
coming, and still one stu
dent in five in the third
grade is expected to be
lacking in the basic skills
required for promotion.
many non-violent offenders are stuck behind
bars at taxpayer expense. Let’s find other ways
to restrain non-violent prisoners. Confine them
to their own home and work place. If confined
in a county prison, the county is responsible for
food, medical treatment, and even dental care.
If confined to the home, the prisoner must
pay the bills and can keep working. A simple
alternative to prison confinement would be an
ankle bracelet tracking device. Save prisons for
the criminal who is a threat to another living
creature or a repeat offender. Prison confinement
is like the old debtors prison. You cannot pay a
fine or pay back society if locked away.
Next vote, let’s have some reasonable alter
natives. The answer is not always, spend, spend,
spend.
Pam Wood
Cumming
Shipp fails to understand
Northern Arc opposition
Once again [columnist Bill Shipp proves his]
idiocy by calling N. Arc opponents “carpetbag
ger suburbanites.” Why did [he] use the term
carpetbagger? Are you assuming opponents of
the N. Arc were all Yankees trying to “take over”
the South?
For your information, a lot of NATF mem
bers are good native Southerners who saw this
project for what it is and was —a boondoggle
designed to pay those with special interests
related to this community dividing road.
N. Arc opponents are not opposed to a
east/west connector and we are not going “to die
sitting in traffic and breathing bad air.” Your
embellishment is comical. We agree something
needs to be done. But the path chosen was
empty when first proposed. But now, 17 years
later, the area is covered with neighborhoods,
schools and local parks where children play
sports. If Barnes would have emphasized com
munity preservation instead of community
destruction, his chances of carrying constituents
"north of Atlanta” wot|ld have been substantially
- . n .SfcAßss
•~
safe©**, e * *"■* ° °
S ■ 0 ** 0 '
SA x? ■ ~ _
0 l?°° ,-T- 1
KERKYMI I&!s7b4 I I
. _ IB—A. ClZl—
* ' o • ■. Q •. • 0 < - -"v
W 0 •» ' v*— # ♦ _ ■ -J
0 0 'jfigSpV <* ' Z*' ■y /
< ‘Y —|
‘Big Guy’ faces some big decisions
Lt. Gov. Mark "Big Guy”
Taylor, one of only a handful of
ready-for-prime-time stale
Democrats, ought to consider
running for the U.S. Senate.
Despite long odds. 46-year
old Taylor has the potential to
become another Sam Nunn if
elected. The politician from
Albany would have time to gain
seniority and power.
If Taylor exited the Gold
Dome for a run at Washington,
however, the struggling
Democrats could lose hope of
hanging onto power in Atlanta.
Taylor is emerging from the
current sorry session of the
Legislature as one of the few
high achievers in either the
Senate or House.
The lieutenant governor has
been a stout (no pun intended)
advocate of the HOPE scholar
ship program, child protection
and reducing class size in public
schools.
He has fought talk of tax
increases and tried vainly to
stave off drastic reductions in
state-provided health care, espe
cially women's medical pro
grams. He exploded in public
anger when the Board of
Regents announced yet another
tuition increase for Georgia's
universities.
While his Democratic coun
terpart. House Speaker Terry
Coleman, has attempted to
cooperate with Republicans.
Taylor has been a constant irri
tant to the elephants, challeng
ing the accuracy of their budget
numbers and scoffing at many
of their proposals, often to no
avail.
I
Bill
Shipp
“Hey, what happened to all
the fiscal conservatives in this
state?” he pointedly asked in a
recent meeting with Republican
budget writers who responded
with cold silence.
Taylor offered to debate
Gov. Sonny Perdue on Perdue's
determination to chop the
HOPE scholarship. Perdue
won't come out.
As lieutenant governor and
president of the state Senate,
Taylor depends on his soapbox
for strength. He is virtually
without real power in the GOP
dominated upper chamber,
w hich Republicans took over by
inducing four just-elected
Democrats to defect. If the flee
ing donkeys had held their
ground. Taylor would likely to
be on his way to becoming the
Democratic nominee for gover
nor in 2006 without much trou
ble.
As it is, his future is by no
means certain. Secretary of
State Cathy Cox is gradually
becoming a favorite of w hat is
left of the Democratic brain
trust.
A bruising primary between
Cox and Taylor might leave the
winner so weakened that the
Republican nominee (incum
bent Perdue. GOP strategy guru
Ralph Reed. Senate President
Pro Tern Eric Johnson or some
one else) would have little trou-
higher.
[Shipp’s] latest column shows lack of
knowledge regarding the N .Arc.
Michael Merck
Suwanee
Pure democracy is
a dangerous concept
I couldn’t help but take note of the few
remarks by Franklin Graham on television the
other night. Franklin had recently been to see
Mel Gibson’s new movie about the death of
Christ. According to Dr. Graham, it was democ
racy. effectively, that spelled the end for Jesus.
The story goes that Pontius Pilate, an able
politician, appealed to the local popular opinion
to make his decision to crucify Jesus. By simply
acting on the local opinion, rather than deciding
on rightful principle, Pilate did just what any
democratic politician would do. In this case,
however, the actions of a democrat did far more
harm than usual. This time, a decision derived
democratically destroyed the man many consid
er to be the savior of mankind. But for his own
purposes, by following popular opinion, Pilate
gained favor from the mob and furthered his
career. Had he acted on principle, he might have
been thrown out of office. Does this scene sound
familiar?
Os course, after Jesus' death the mob was
sorry. That’s the danger of a society making its
decisions by the rule of popular opinion.
Popular opinions change from day to day. Many
times the majority opinion is wrong.
There is a distinct parallelism between the
actions of Mr. Pilate 2000 years ago and the
actions of the American high courts today. In a
large part, the American courts have ceased to
formulate decisions from the principled will of
the American people expressed in the
Constitution. The courts have increasingly acted
in favor of certain prevailing societal opinions.
By so doing, over time much of our Constitution
has become effectively meaningless. The more
our Constitution becomes effectively meaning
less, the more our nation resembles a global
ble winning the general elec
tion.
So the easy fix for
Democrats one that might
make them competitive again -
is to enlist Taylor for the Senate
race with the united backing of
the party. And let Cathy Cox try
for governor in two years,
unimpeded by any other big
name candidate.
Sounds logical enough,
right? Trouble is, Taylor won't
cooperate. He sees his future in
Georgia, not Washington.
Besides, the Republican senato
rial frontrunner, Johnny
Isakson, would be virtually
impossible to defeat in an antic
ipated Republican landslide in
the November general election.
Taylor knows his way
around Georgia politics. While
fellow Democrats Gov. Roy
Barnes and Sen. Max Cleland
were getting hosed in the last
election. Taylor ran up impres
sive victorious vote totals.
Capturing 52 percent of the
electorate (1.041 million votes)
and majorities in 97 counties,
Taylor easily defeated
Republican challenger Steve
Stancil, who appeared on paper
to be the quality of the GOP
crop.
Before being elected lieu
tenant governor. Taylor spent 11
years in the Senate. WTien Gov.
Zell Miller tried to change the
state flag in 1993. Taylor served
valiantly as his floor leader and
took his share of lumps for the
ensuing debacle over the Rebel
cross.
When Gov. Miller zig
zagged to save his career by
democracy run by the rule of popular opinion
rather than a self-governing republic deciding by
its ideals, republican principles and laws which
spring from those principles. America was not
designed to be a democracy. The founding
fathers would roll over in their graves if they
knew what their progeny had done with their
grand republican experiment. It’s perhaps the
shame of the world that Jesus did not have a
Constitution protecting his rights.
Hank Sullivan
Cumming
Moving jobs overseas
endangers U.S. econoomy
The United States cannot close its trade
deficit if our economy is being moved offshore.
Offshore production hits the trade deficit
from both ends goods once produced domes
tically become imports and. as production
moves offshore, the ability to export declines.
When a U.S. business moves a factory to China,
that factory’s products are no longer potential
exports. They are potential imports.
Offshore production is not your father’s tra
ditional foreign trade. Goods are not being trad
ed. Offshore production is not a case of United
States making good X and trading it to China for
good Y. It is a case of the United States no
•longer making good X in the United States. We
are making it in China instead.
Foreign labor is being substituted for U.S.
labor in the production of the goods and services
that Americans consume.
So what is the future for U.S. workers?
According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report
released Feb. 11, the 10-year outlook for U.S
job growth is poor for high-tech and knowledge
jobs. Seven of the 10 fastest-growing areas are
those that require only on-the-job training
retail sales persons, janitors, cashiers, waiters
and waitresses, service assistants, etc.
Our economy is "outsourcing" itself out of
existence.
Wendell Nutt
Cumming
t j <
introducing the most draconian
criminal code (remember two
strikes and out?) in America.
Taylor carried the governor’s
water again.
Taylor is loyal and smart,
two almost unheard-of qualities
in today’s state political climate.
In 2002, sensing Barnes and
Cleland were headed over a
cliff. Taylor divorced his re
election campaign from the
Democratic pack.
While the others touted their
heroic (and unpopular, as it
turned out) records, Taylor
adopted a bland platform based
on improved public safety, bet
ter schools and more jobs. His
TV ads depicted the lieutenant
governor as The Big Guy. pos
ing in the Senate chamber with
a gurgling toddler. Voters,
chuckling at the jollier and gen
tler candidate, turned out for
Taylor, even as they dumped
Cleland and Barnes.
In his career. Taylor has
taken some tough hits, ranging
from innuendoes about drug use
to slurs about depending on his
father's wealth for political suc
cess. He has weathered those
blasts to become one of the
Democrats' brightest stars.
So what's next for Taylor
run for re-election, stand for
governor or go for the Senate?
“Not the Senate.” says a top
aide emphatically. Notice the
aide didn't say “never." but then
hardly anyone in politics ever
does.
Bill Shipp’s column appears
each Sunday and Wednesday.
His e-mail address is
hshipp @ bellsouth, net.