Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4 - THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013
Opinions expressed by writers on this page are their
own and not necessarily those of The Georgia Post
CODE OF ETHICS: Seek Truth & Report It - Minimize Harm -
Act Independently - Be Accountable.
Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is
safe. - Thomas Jefferson
Guest Editorial
Transparency Is More
Than Mere Compliance
Editor’s Note: Ask yourself
how transparent are our gov
ernment entities in Crawford
County. Simply complying with
the law does not mean trans
parency.
by Jim Zachary
The sun was shining brightly
Sunday to usher in Sunshine
Week in Georgia.
As citizens become more
involved in local government,
show up at public meetings,
comment during the allotted
times, circulate petitions, protest
actions they believe usurp their
rights, file open records requests
and hold elected officials ac
countable, the more the sun will
shine on local government.
The darkness of executive ses
sions and back-room deals casts
a cloud over local government
and those elected to serve.
Sunshine Week is all about
government transparency.
Newspapers everywhere join
their press associations, the
American Society of News Edi
tors, the John S. and James L.
Knight Foundation, the Report
ers Committee for the Free
dom of the Press, Freedom of
Information organizations, open
government advocates and citi
zens in communities throughout
the country this week in this
national initiative.
Sunshine laws matter because
the rights of all citizens matter.
However, simply complying
with the state’s open meetings
and open records acts is not
enough.
It is disheartening that in a free
nation something like Sunshine
Week would even be needed. It
is disenchanting that local of
ficials hide behind the law when
they hide the people’s business.
It is disappointing to hear our
elected officials lash out when
someone questions their lack of
transparency.
Every time local officials are
challenged about things that
transpire in executive sessions
or outside of open public meet
ings, they immediately start
pushing back and protesting,
saying, “We didn’t break the
law.”
We challenge them to think
about how that sounds. More
over, we challenge them to
think about what that means.
It means they know they did
the public’s business in private,
but they technically complied
with the provisions of Georgia’s
Open Meetings Act. When
public records are requested,
more often than not records cus
todians stall the request, check
with administrators or lawyers
to find out if they have to make
the records available and then
charge the maximum amount of
money they are allowed by the
law to produce the records.
Think about that. The records
belong to the public.The records
are kept in the public’s build
ings. The records are documents
that were produced by public
employees. The records are
documents that were created
using public equipment on the
public’s time.
And now you have to decide if
the public has a right to see their
own records and double charge
them to produce and reproduce
the records that were created
using taxpayer dollars to begin
with.
It is high time for our county
commissioners, city council
members, the board of educa
tion, water authorities, our state
representatives and senators and
all public officials to take a hard
look at government transpar
ency.
See COMPLIANCE, Page 5
Letter To The Editor
Make It Easier For Businesses
Editor, The Georgia Post”
Maybe the commi si oners
could justify paying 5,000 an
acre for a 140 acre tract when
anything else that size lists for
under 2,500 an acre by nam
ing the person trying to sell it..
Do the commisioners ever
do anything but think of ways
to waste, I mean spend, our
money? How can spending
700,000 plus developement
NOT fall back on the taxpay
ers?
Here’s an idea, how bout
lowering taxes, eliminating
the inventory tax and making
it easier for the businesses you
have to grow, before wasting
money in hopes of fooling
new business?
Lloyd McGowan
~ Quotable Quote ~
Government ”help” to business is just as disastrous
as government persecution... the only way a govern
ment can be of service to national prosperity is by
keeping its hands off. Ayn Rand
On Claudine & A Furbaby Update
Heaven gained a saint last
week. Oh, I do not mean that
Claudine Gatlyn was perfect,
as none of us are, but she
was one of God’s children
and was a great lady evange
list. I was honored to know
her and heard her preach on
occasion.
She had been in and out
of the hospital the past year
or so and I am sure she was
tired and ready to go home.
She was not one to sit still so
being hospitalized was very
tough on her I am sure.
I first met the Gatlyns when
I worked for another news
paper. The Gatlyns, who ran
a crisis center at one time,
came in to see about placing
an ad and about Dan writ
ing for the newspaper. We
became friends. We kept
having gremlins and strange
happenings at the office. Dan
and Claudine prayed over
the office with some of us.
Things would calm down for
a long time until we would
have a change in employees
or something crazy happen
and then it seems the grem
lins would again surface and
we would have to pray again.
I had the pleasure of attend
ing their 50th wedding an
niversary celebration. They
had been everywhere min
istering. Dan was a jokester
and Claudine balanced him
very well. They were a great
couple and I enjoyed talking
with them, not only about
godly issues but Dan can
hold his own in a discussion
about practically anything
and everything. All in ah, I
guess I have known them for
15 years.
Claudine will be missed
by many but she was one of
those who made the world
a better place and she has
left her footprints behind for
others to follow. And we can
rejoice knowing she is wor
shipping at the feet of Jesus.
We recently had our furb-
aby, Roxie, spayed. We had
no intentions of breeding
her and in spite of your best
efforts things can happen,
especially in our neighbor
hood where dogs are on the
loose all the time. We did not
want puppies.
We waited until she was
nine months old but I wish
we had done it sooner be
cause had she been smaller
I believe it would have been
easier on her. Our now 50
lbs. lap dog, did not do well
after the surgery. In fact, on
Tuesday night, I was begin
ning to think we were going
to lose her. She was not eat
ing nor drinking, nor was she
really hardly moving. Ah she
did was he on her bed and
look pitiful.
I cried off and on that night,
wanting the night to pass
quickly so I could call the
vet the next morning. My
husband was also worried.
The vet explained that each
dog was different but after
I informed them of how
she was acting, wanted us
to bring her in, but I could
not do so until after work. I
hand fed her that morning,
which she did eat but she
did not want to drink any
thing. We were told to try
popsicles which we did and
that worked. I prayed over
her before I left for work and
we came home to a dog on
the mend. The next day she
was beginning to get back to
her normal self though I was
still hand feeding her canned
food for a day or so because
otherwise she did not want
to eat. By the weekend, we
had Roxie back and she was
starting to eat her regular
food without having to be
hand fed.
We are making much prog
ress in the minding area and
she definitely understands
the word ”no”. She does not
chew up as many household
items as she did in the begin
ning but still likes to get the
stuffing out of her toys and
some of our small pillows.
She no longer gets our shoes
to chew up but she still likes
chewing up plastic like her
frisbee.
We have attemped leash
training on several occasions
but she, so far, is not having
any of it. She wants to be the
one leading the leash. Have
3
IP
Too Many Chiefs, Not Enough Indians
Have you ever heard the
saying “you have too many
chiefs and not enough Indi
ans,”? It’s what people say
when you have a group of
people who simply want to
run the show and not do any
of the work. I find this is get
ting more and more common
nowadays. Too many people
want to run the show leaving
nobody to help get the work
done.
Sure there are plenty of
people around to tell you
how to do the job and plenty
of people to direct you and
supervise. The problem with
“chiefs” in this day and age
is they just want to be the
head honcho and not put out
any of the work they expect
from their “Indians.”
I was raised in a family of
“Indians,” no not real Indi
ans, but the kind of people
who knew you had to work
to get where you wanted to
be and you had to work hard
to become someone impor
tant. I was never spoiled and
by the time I was old enough
to put in some hours during
the summer I was a full-
fledged dog kennel caretaker
for a breeder for whom my
mum worked.
I held that job for two
summers in a row and in my
second year there I worked
weekends too. I was only
13 when I started. I wanted
better clothes and money
of my own to spend. My
parents lived from paycheck
to paycheck trying to feed
us and keep a roof over our
heads and couldn’t afford to
give me the best of the best.
So I did what I was raised to
do, I went to work!
I never stopped working
from then on. I held a job at
a fast food restaurant hand
ing out samples on the week
ends after I left the job at
the breeder. Then I worked
every night after school and
on the weekends for the lo
cal grocery store, sometimes
walking from the school to
the store in the afternoons
after I wrecked my dad’s
truck on the way to school
one morning.
I chose to go to work right
after high school instead of
skipping off to college to
rack up student loan bills
since my parents’ income
was just enough to keep me
from receiving financial aide
but not enough to cover my
college education. I worked
full-time for a Veterinary
hospital and worked my way
from the bottom (cleaning
dog poop) to the highest I
could go without a college
degree (I was the technician
for the exotic veterinarian
there for a good long time).
I stayed with animal
hospitals for almost ten
years. It is not a pleasant job
and sometimes it could be
downright heart-breaking for
someone who loves animals
as much as I do. I held two
jobs for almost six months,
Pay at a Time
Victoria ’’Vicky” Simmons
vsimmonsS4@gmail.com
to figure out a ditferent tactic
on that one. She does not
like to for you to put doggie
clothes on her either though
she is more tolerable than
she was when smaller.
We also have not been able
to stop her from begging
food when we are eating but
she is at least more patient
about it! She is not greedy
about food like some dogs
and will actually share. In
fact, sometimes, I think she
is too nice.
One of her favorite things
is to ask for treats. We will
not give her a treat unless
she ’’sits” and she has this
figured out and sits before
being asked to sit.
Other than her humans
which she has to get atten
tion from constantly, she
loves being outdoors. She
tried to help David on a
project the other day. After
he had dug a hole, she would
run off with the clumps of
grass and dirt he discarded.
She also likes to chase but
terflies. So far, she has not
caught one. She goes with
David to feed the fish, the
ducks and chickens and
seems to know which one he
is talking about when he tells
her. Our furbabies bring us
much joy and are like family
members. We sit and laugh
at her sometimes because
she is such a clown at times.
Can’t imagine life without
them.
Blessings to you this week.
Life is short so make the
most of it.
From Moo To You
Abigail ”Abby” Adams
abbyadams@pstel.net
working from 7 a.m. to mid-
night and sometimes for 24
hours straight. I have been
exhausted and worn down
to the bone, but the thought
that my parents worked just
as hard and even harder to
give me a good life always
pushed me further. I’m an
“Indian”!
I have worked hard ah my
life. Even before I worked
for money I worked for my
parents in the yard, in the
house, anything they needed
done, I was right there doing
as I was told. Learning to be
the most important part of
society. An “Indian!”
published every week by Crawford Publishing, LLC.
Our Staff
Floyd Buford - President
Victoria ’Vicky” Simmons - GM/Publisher
vsimmons54@gmaiLcom or byronbuzz@pstel.net
Abigail Adams - News Reporter/Editor’s Assistant
Office Assistant - Michael Fleming
Kelli Johnson- Marketing Executive
Robbie Robertson - Distribution
Carey Lee - Sports Photography
Trenesia Y. Stubbs, Charles Cook,
Nancy Gibbs, Billy Powell, Angie Carr, Jeff Cook, Wade
Yoder, Dan Gatlyn, James Earnhardt Robert Tharpe, Rev.
James Snyder, Spencer Price - Contributing Columnists
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