About The Georgia post. (Knoxville, Crawford County, Ga.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2013)
I Swear By My Life And My Love Of It... If the title of this column rings a bell, you’ve prob ably read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. The complete quote is “I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” That principle is both sound and morally praiseworthy. A huge part of my pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is the ability to keep what I’ve earned and spend it in a manner I see fit. The proper role of govern ment is to protect my country from enemies, protect my property and safety. That’s it. Nothing more and nothing less. Every dime spent by our government apart from those protections is an armed robbery we volunteer for by either not taking part in or paying attention to the pro cess by which my earnings are spent. There are over 1,600 items in the Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assis tance. Even a cursory review of these items yield monies not nearly as clearly defined as I’d like. A closer look at these governmental expen ditures reveals an illogical hierarchy for the spending of these funds. Added to that is the inescapable inertia and waste that is bureaucracy. Anyway, take a look at some of this stuff: (a) Abstinence Education, $40,895,000 total fund ing. While I applaud both abstinence, education and abstinence education, that’s a moral goal best left to families, churches and com munities. (b) African Elephant Con servation, $1,062,000 total funding and Asian Elephant Conservation, $1,063,000. I’m not at all interested in conserving the African or Asian Elephant, most espe cially not to the tune of more than $1 million dollars for ei ther. I wonder why conserv ing the Asian elephant costs $1,000 more than conserving the African elephant. (c) Assistance for Indian Children with Severe Dis abilities, $3,832,000 total funding. While I feel for any child with severe disabilities, I’ve even more feeling for American children. Nearly $4 million dollars! $4 mil lion dollars! (d) Aviation Education, $130,000 total funding. Really? A mere $130,000? Perhaps the bright people at TSA would not propose idiotic things like allowing knives on airplanes if this item were better funded (but I wouldn’t count on it). The above items are just a few from the programs be ginning with ‘A.’ There are various grants for this and grants for that. How about we grant military families a reprieve from ingratitude? These are the people and their families who put them selves in harm’s way, yet we zap huge chunks of their monthly income, first? Oh yeah, and why exactly is it that Social Security is always such a convenient target of where to tighten our belts? Social Security is a horribly mismanaged affair, to be sure. But things are out of whack in so many other areas that can be reduced or eradicated, why must we perpetrate the fraud of having people contribute to what amounts to defunct stock? Let’s roll back all of the raises our elected officials vote for themselves. It’s my understanding that as a gen eral rule raises are earned by people for a job well-done. Of This & That Trenesia Y. Stubbs Columnist email:trenesia@pstel.net S oooooooo? The honorable working person is being destroyed by the very people who claim to champion their rights and interests. It’s like the woman who purchases the perfect pair of shoes that pinch a bit. Ev eryone who sees her can see the telltale sign of discomfort and that her feet are swol len and overflowing. Like that woman, we have to lose weight and purchase a pair of monetary shoes that keeps my tax dollars going where I choose and within the right ful scope of governmental protections. (And leave my guns alone!). I suggest a great start could be made by adding a sheet listing the “programs” in the Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance to all tax forms. If an item is of interest to those paying taxes the item can be checked off by them and they can scratch the itch of their interest with out dipping into my wallet. My parents taught us that the world owed us nothing. Anything received for free is, in fact, charity. I happen to prefer choosing my own objects of charity. There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him. Robert A. Heinlein How Much Am I Willing To Give? True love is being more concerned about what another person wants or needs than ourselves. Selflessness is a quality that God admires and respects. Most children have a selfish attitude. But as they grow, they should come to understand that being selfish is not a desirable trait. The frue character of a Christian is evident by what he or she is willing to give away. As we grow closer to God, we become less self ish and more giving to those around us. Money and possessions are not the only things we should give to others. As Christians, we should be willing to give of our time, while sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone around us. Spouses should want to do whatever it takes to make his or her mate happy. When both parties strive to make the other happy, remarkable things can and will happen within the bonds of mar riage. Marriages will not be as strong as they could be if they are one-sided or if one partner always gets his or her own way. A good marriage re quires some give and take on both sides. Anything less will cause strife and heartaches. Jesus is the perfect example of a selfless person. In every decision Jesus made, He made it based on what was good for His fellow man. He cared deeply about those, with whom He came into contact. Jesus was concerned about those He loved - His mother, His brothers and other family members. But Jesus also cared about those who were not so kind to him. Jesus loved the unlovable. He loved those who had dreaded diseases. Jesus loved the tax collectors and the lowly men who tended sheep. The world may have looked down upon these people, but Jesus’ heart went out to them. Jesus even loved those who crucified Him and the crimi nal who hung on the cross beside Him. Not only was Je sus willing to give something to all of these people, He was willing to give His own life to enable them to live. His unselfish attitude was evident, as He took His last breath for all the people of the world. We should all take the time to evaluate our actions and consider how willing we are to give to those around us. If husbands and wives aren’t even willing to give unselfish ly to the other, would they be willing to give to those who have cheated or hurt them? As mature Christians Ge/eforafe. /r/e Nancy B. Gibbs Motivational Speaker/Writer www.nancybgibbs.com seeking to live a life pleas ing to God, we should be determined to think more of the needs of others than of ourselves. Every individual we pass in the supermarket, at the post office, or on the street comer is a person whom God loves. He cares deeply for widows and children. God’s heart goes out to the poor, the lonely, and those who are ill. It is His desire that as His children, we will put our childish ways behind us, and mature into giving and loving adults. Giving is like a boomer ang. When we give from our hearts, many blessings will be returned to us. Shouldn’t we ask ourselves this important question today? “How much am I willing to give?” The Skinny On Summer Shape-Up! We’re in the short season now for a summer shape up, but it’s not too late if you don’t use the wrong approach to shaping up or losing weight. Have you ever noticed that two people can be the same height, frame, and weight with two complete different shapes? The reason is simple, “the one has more muscle and the other has more fat.” Ofttimes the one with more muscle is usually much more active, which will in turn bum more fat for ener gy, while toning, building and strengthening muscle “which is where the added shape comes from.” Example: I took a girl’s body analysis when she started her exercise routine and she weighed in at 180. She was very serious and stuck with her routine over the next 2 months and she really shaped up, looked very healthy and had a younger look about herself. BUT she had gained 2 pounds and was at 182. When we took the analysis again we were able to see why she looked so differ ent at about the same weight, “she had dropped 20 pounds of fat weight and gained 22 pounds of lean weight giving her a complete different look!” When you begin a fitness routine, you want to give your self at least 2 months of muscle conditioning time before expecting to see a lot of weight loss on the scale. Throughout our life as we mature, we gain muscle, and any good condi tioning program will help you regain this former muscle tone, bringing with it, renewed me tabolism and bone density! Rather then have such a bend toward how thin we can be by a certain date, “we should aim toward seeing how toned we can get the underlying muscle” which will firm things up even if at a larger size and will look much healthier and shapely then a thin untoned shape. Lots of times along with rapid weight loss comes a sag gy appearance and the sickly look can come from the rapid release of toxic substances from our fat cells into our system. Fast Routine: Do a full body routine (minimum of 3 rounds) that involves squatting move ments for the lower body along with exercises that involve the pulling and pushing muscles of the upper body (different angles helps force different muscles to work harder). For stomach/ low back/core do leg raises, crunches and planks. Going directly from one muscle group to the next, so as to keep up heart rate (will help you get car diovascular conditioning and stimulates the release of body fat for energy along with the added muscle tone). Speed of exercise movement also helps muscle to tone more rapidly. r ■ ^ m. I Your Health by Wade Yoder Master Trainer & Fitness Nutrition Specialist Weight we all need to lose: Depending on the types of foods we eat and our age, “we can be holding up to 20+ pounds of residue/waste in our midsection. Eating mostly raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans for about 5-7 days can be a real belly flattener, (due to the removal of excess intestinal waste). Add in some oils to your salads, etc. to help with the cleanse (fish oil caps can help as well). Drinking a warm cup of water with the juice from 1 squeezed lemon, (add lemon juice after heat ing the water), can really help the detoxifying process in the morning and boost your im mune system! “Our approach to weight loss and fitness can have an aging and sagging effect or a toning, firming and rejuvenating effect! Our body and its systems have to last us for the rest of our life and it’s worth doing it right!” Public Hearing Notice Crawford County will hold a public hearing pertaining to the update of the community’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan on Wednesday, May 1, at 10 a.m. at the Crawford County Development Authority Building, 1011 U.S. Highway 341 North, Roberta, Georgia. The purpose of this hearing will be to inform citizens of the planning process and to obtain citizen input into the development of the plan update. Representatives from the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Planning Committee, Crawford County EMA, and the Middle Georgia Regional Commission will be on hand to provide information and receive comments. NOTICE CONCERNING APPOINTMENT OF CHIEF MAGISTRATE Due to the Judicial Qualification Commissioner’s suspension of the Crawford County Chief Magistrate on March 8, 2013, ARTICLE VI, SECTION VII, requires that the Governor appoint a replacement during the pendency of the suspension. In the event of the subsequent resignation or removal of that elected Chief Magistrate, a permanent replacement Chief Magistrate will be appointed by majority vote of the Superior Court Judges of Crawford County. Should the elected Chief Magistrate be reinstated, the appointed position shall terminate. Please realize that the office of Chief Judge of the Magistrate Court may terminate on December 31,2016, as the Board of Commissioners has asked that legislation to consolidate the office of Probate Judge and Magistrate Judge be evaluated and considered in a future legislative session. In order to be considered for this position, an applicant must be not less than 25 years of age, a resident of Crawford County for at least one year prior to appointment, have a high-school diploma or equivalent, provide for a criminal background check, and list not less than three nor more than five references. Application forms can be accessed on the Crawford County official website (www.crawfordcountyga.org) or found at the Crawford County Administrative Offices located at 1011 Highway 341 North, Roberta, Georgia 31078. All applicaitions must be received in the office of S. Phillip Brown, Chief Judge of the Superior Court of Bibb/Crawford Counties, Macon Judicial Circuit, 310 Bibb County Courthouse, Macon, Georgia 31201, on or before April 26, 2013. Applications received after April 26, 2013 will not be considered. An appointment should be made no later than May 15, 2013.
