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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009
Named the best weekly editorial page in the nation for 2007, 2008
Opinions
“Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent. ”
- Henry Ward Beecher ~
Mike Buffington, editor • Email: Mike@mainstreetnews.com
our views
New BOC
members face
big challenges
I T’S A daunting challenge.
New board of commission
ers chairman Hunter Bicknell
and new board member Chas
Hardy are taking office at one of
the most difficult moments in the
history of local government.
At the top of the list of problems
is finance. Revenues to the county
government in 2009 will likely be
dismal. Sales taxes are down; fees
are down; permits are down.
On top of that, a revolution
against property taxes is brew
ing. Some state officials say they
will cap the increase in assess
ments. In addition, property own
ers are up-in-arms over paying
taxes on property that they believe
is over-valued in today’s econom
ic downturn. A lot of property
owners will no doubt petition the
county for lower assessments on
their property a move that has
the potential to push the county’s
tax digest downward for the first
time since the Great Depression.
(One offset could be that some
industries are now coming onto
the tax books that had been at
discounted rates.)
On the other end of the equa
tion, county expenses are rising.
During the boom era, county lead
ers committed to a number of
large projects and bond debt; now
those payments are starting to
come due at the same time rev
enues are flat.
In addition, the county like most
governments, has been slow to
respond to the economic crisis.
During the boom years, govern
ment pay and benefits ballooned,
making government employees
higher paid than many of their
private market counterparts. Now,
officials are reluctant to cut those
benefits, salaries or staff numbers.
Local government bureaucracy is
in “protect our staff” mode, resis
tant to change.
The result of all this is tremen
dous internal pressure on county
leaders to maintain the status quo
and even to raise taxes if neces
sary to pay for it while at the same
time taxpayers are demanding that
government make cutbacks.
It’s a tough time to be taking
office in local government. Back
when times were booming and
money was flowing into the coun
ty at double-digit rates, it was a
little easier to govern. Now, during
difficult times, it will be much,
much more of a challenge.
Strong leadership is needed
now more than ever.
The Jackson Herald
Founded 1875 • The Official Legal
Organ of Jackson County, Ga.
Mike Buffington Co-Publisher & Editor
Scott Buffington Co-Publisher &
Advertising Manager
News Department
Angela Gary Associate Editor
Jana Adams Mitcham Features Editor
Brandon Reed Sports Editor
Kerri Testement Reporter
Sharon Hogan Reporter
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letters
Appreciates support for JCCO
Dear Editor:
On behalf of the members and board of the Jackson
County Community Outreach (JCCO), I wish to
express our appreciation to the Jackson County
community for their support of our 2008 community
activities. Without the support of the business, govern
mental, religious, educational sectors and private citi
zens, the level of our volunteer, non-profit community
service would not be possible.
2008 was a very eventful and satisfying year for the
JCCO. With your support, we were able to award 11
scholarships, bringing our 10-year total to $59,500. Our
2008 annual county-wide essay contest was a tremen
dous success - under the three-year chairmanship of
Mrs. Doris Brown, we had 1,062 students participat
ing, honoring 12 winners at a reception. The JCCO
endowment fund continues to grow and we thank all
those who contributed this year. We also thank those
who supported our other fund-raisers to support our
operating expenses.
Our 10th anniversary annual awards banquet on
Nov. 22 was a record breaker with over 300 in atten
dance. We are indebted to Georgia Commissioner of
Community Affairs, Mike Beatty, who served as our
keynote speaker and delivered a very timely, motiva
tional, direct message to all in attendance. Our appre
ciation likewise goes out to Jackson County commis
sioner Jody Thompson for his welcome message and
his support. Thanks also to Mr. Michael Williams,
Boys and Girls Club director, and Dr. Howard Ledford
for their superb dedicated service as master of cer
emonies and banquet honorary chair, respectively.
Our thanks go out to the Rev. Dr. David Bowen and
the Rev. Mitchell Appleby for their inspirational and
devotional service and their attendance at this historic
event. We congratulate all of our 2008 award honorees
for their service and devotion to this community. Our
2008 banquet being 10 years of encouraging educa
tional excellence was designed to inspire our mem
bers and the entire Jackson County community, that
as we focus on our future the support of our education
systems is an investment in our economic growth.
The JCCO is excited about the work to be done and
we are exploring future service opportunities to widen
our scope. This banquet event is a tribute to the team
work of our faithful and dedicated JCCO members to
plan and execute to make this event a success.
And last, but not least, the generous support of the
great majority of our citizens enables us to use the
gross proceeds of our banquet to award scholarships
to deserving Jackson County area high school gradu
ates each year. We invite those who have not contrib
uted to our work to do so at any time during the year.
We anticipate that, considering the increased cost of
post high school education and our present economic
situation, that the need for scholarship assistance will
be great.
We realize many of our sponsors, supporters and
friends have been adversely affected by the economic
downturn and we are grateful for those who sacrificed
and contributed to our work according to their abil
ity. The value they place on citizen volunteerism and
education support is of the highest order. Again, thank
you, Jackson County and we look forward to 2009 with
great hope. God bless you and God bless our United
States of America.
Sincerely,
Jim Scott, President, JCCO
Poythress tests the waters for 2010
WHEN HE RETIRED as the commander of the
Georgia National Guard in 2007, David Poythress
could look back on a long and honorable career
in military and government service. He had been
Georgia’s secretary of state and labor commissioner,
as well as an unsuccessful candidate for governor.
Anyone else in Poythress’ situation might consider
retirement so that he could enjoy life at a more lei
surely pace. He jumped right back into the political
mainstream, getting the word out last August that he
would run for the Democratic nomination in the 2010
governor’s race.
Is he crazy, or what?
“I just enjoy politics,” Poythress said. “I think I do it
reasonably well, and that really has been pretty much
my career - public service in the broadest sense. I’d
like to be part of creating a new
Georgia.”
Poythress was a revenue
department official in the 1970s
before then-governor George
Busbee appointed him secre
tary of state after the death of
Ben Fortson in 1979. When
Poythress ran for a full term
in 1982, however, he lost the
Democratic nomination to
Max Cleland.
He got back into politics in
1992, winning a special state
wide election for labor com
missioner. When Poythress
stepped up to run for governor in 1998, he finished
third in the Democratic primary. Roy Barnes, who
won that governor’s race, appointed Poythress adju
tant general in 1999, a post he continued to hold under
Gov. Sonny Perdue.
While Georgia voters have become more conser
vative and Republican in recent years, Poythress
contends the electorate is becoming a little more
independent and possibly open to the idea of electing
a Democrat.
“I’m encountering a lot of people - who I’ve known
to be Republicans in the past - who are now self-
identified as independent,” he said. “They’re saying,
‘look, it’s time to get beyond labels, we’re looking
for a candidate who is reasonably moderate with a
proven record of leadership.’ That is what I bring to
the table.”
Perdue has been a low-key, hands-off style governor
over his two terms in office. Poythress thinks there
could be a desire among voters for someone with a
more active approach.
“There’s a general sense of frustration, particularly at
the national level but also at the state level, that noth
ing much seems to be happening,” he said. “There’s
not any real strong leadership to be seen. Folks feel
that, and they’re feeling disconcerted, frustrated. More
people are interested in the pragmatic capacity to lead
the government than they are in ideology.”
“A big part of it depends on how intense the
Democratic primary is,” Poythress said. “I think it’s
really important that the Democratic Party come
together behind a consensus candidate pretty soon
so we don’t repeat the experience of Mark Taylor and
Cathy Cox [in 2006]. If we can get beyond that and get
a candidate out of the primary without being bruised
and broke, I think we can win it.”
Unlike the current governor, who has signed bud
gets cutting more than $1.6 billion in state formula
funding for K-12 education, Poythress wants to see
more emphasis put on the state’s public schools.
“Most everybody understands the importance of
education to the economic development of the state,”
Poythress said. “There is a very practical, day-to-day
connection between educating our workforce and
attracting good jobs to the state of Georgia.”
There are already several GOP candidates in the
governor’s race: Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Insurance
Commissioner John Oxendine for sure, with possible
entries by Secretary of State Karen Handel, U.S. Rep.
Lynn Westmoreland and Cobb County Commission
Chairman Sam Olens.
Poythress so far is the only announced Democratic
candidate. He may be joined by such figures as
House Minority Leader DuBose Porter, state Sen. Tim
Golden, or the 800-pound gorilla in Democratic poli
tics, former governor Roy Barnes.
If Barnes gets into the race, would Poythress get
out?
“Absolutely not,” he vowed. “I’m in the race. I think
Roy’s future probably should be that of political men
tor rather than a horse on the track. I can think of lots
and lots of reasons why it wouldn’t be a good idea for
him to get into the race.”
Whether it’s a good idea for Poythress to be run
ning can’t be known at this time. He’s convinced the
race is worth it, and for any politician that’s all that
matters.
Tom Crawford is the editor of Capitol Impact's
Georgia Report. He can be reached at tcrawford@
capitolimpact.net.
Every parent’s
nightmare
T HE DEATH last week of movie
star John Travolta’s 16-year-old
son is every parent’s nightmare.
While all the medical details are not fully
known, the young man reportedly died
after having
a seizure.
As the par
ent of a teen
age boy who
suffers from
seizures, this
story hit a lit
tle too close
to home.
The sad
truth is, there
are many
children
across the
country who
suffer — and
sometimes die — from seizure disorders
and related neurological conditions.
Some of those deaths are the result
of accidents caused by uncontrolled
seizures. The early reports about Jett
Travolta’s death indicated he might have
hit his head while falling from a seizure.
That’s one of the main concerns care
givers of many seizure patients worry
about. Some children who suffer mul
tiple seizures a day even wear helmets to
prevent such a tragedy.
In my son’s situation, for example, we
try to have him sit in chairs that have side
arms so that if he has a seizure, he won’t
topple onto the floor head-first. He has
fallen, once hurting his shoulder and a
few times bumping his head, but thank
fully, nothing more serious.
Seizure patients around water is also
a major concern. Swimming isn’t off
limits for many seizure patients, but close
supervision is mandatory; a seizure in a
pool, or even a bathtub, is immediately
life threatening.
Beyond accidents, seizures are
sometimes just one of multiple medical
conditions a person suffers. There are
a number of neurological syndromes
where patients have multiple physical
problems of which seizures is just one
aspect. Jett Travolta reportedly had other
medical problems, but whether those
were related to his seizures, or his death,
isn’t clear.
And then there are what is known
as SUDEP seizure deaths — Sudden
Unexplained Death in Epilepsy. A person
has a seizure and dies for no obvious
physical reason. Some doctors think
certain seizures may cause the patient to
stop breathing and die before help can
arrive. Often, SUDEP happens at night
while the person is asleep.
A number of years ago, not long after
our son began having seizures, he got
up one Sunday morning and stumbled
down to the master bedroom. He was
covered in vomit, couldn’t talk and was
semi-paralyzed on one side. We called
his doctor and rushed him to Egleston
Children’s Hospital in Atlanta.
By the time we got there, he was bet
ter, weak, but talking and coherent. It
turned out that during the night, he had
a major seizure that lasted a very long
time. The convulsions had caused him
to vomit and the length and intensity of
the seizure left his right side temporarily
paralyzed. He recovered, but could have
died from asphyxiation, or the seizure
itself.
While seizure disorders don’t get the
attention that cancer and some other
medical problems do, they are more
common than many people realize.
Some seizure conditions are minor,
managed with medication and aren’t
life-threatening; other kinds of seizures
are more serious and require extensive
medical and lifestyle management.
The tragedy of Jett Travolta’s death
has, for a moment, highlighted the prob
lem of those who suffer from uncontrol
lable seizures and brought it to the atten
tion of the general public.
Sadly, there are thousands of other
kids like Jett who aren’t the children of
movie stars, but who also suffer from
various kinds of uncontrolled seizures.
For them, life is a daily balancing act; the
fear of the next seizure is never far from
their thoughts, or the thoughts of their
parents and caregivers.
Life goes on, but you can’t help but
wonder why such things happen to inno
cent children.
Mike Buffington is editor of The Jackson
Herald. He can be reached at mike@main-
streetnews.com.
mike
buffington