Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2009
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5A
Why do I feel guilty?
WENT TO the doc
tor the other day. Drove
over there in my big
American-made vehi
cle. Signed in. No ques
tions asked. No forms
to fill out.
Receptionist didn’t
ask how I was going
to pay; insurance cards
- Medicare and BCBS-
already on file.
Sat down in comfort
able waiting room. Began perus
ing a slick magazine.
In about 15 minutes, door to
inner sanctum opened. Nurse
smiled and called my name:
“Mr. Adams.’’
Entered and stepped on
the scales. Gained only two
pounds over Thanksgiving and
Christmas. Temperature normal.
Blood pressure normal. “You’ve
got the body of a 20-year-old,”
said the young and beautiful
nurse. (She’s also a good psy
chologist.)
Had a good visit with my
favorite doctor and good friend.
We discussed politics, econom
ics, religion, the state of the
world and - incidentally - the
state of my health.
I asked if I could cut out a pill
or two. He said no. Gave me
some free samples. Told me to
come back in three months.
Stopped by “Check Out” just
long enough to confirm my next
appointment.
Got back in my big American-
made automobile. Stopped by
McDonald’s for a
sausage and egg bis
cuit. Didn’t give my
cholesterol a second
thought.
Drove home to
the waiting arms of
a loving, caring wife.
Settled down in my
easy chair. Turned on
the big flat screen TV
and began to won
der: Why am I so
blessed?
And then I wondered: Why
do I feel guilty?
A lot of old folks - friends,
neighbors, brothers and sisters
in the Lord - are not as fortunate
as I am. But what th" heck, I'm
not their keeper, am I?
I didn’t know this until AARP
told me:
“Five million seniors live in
poverty.
“Twenty-five percent of
all retirees depend on Social
Security for 100 percent of their
income.
“Twenty-three percent of
seniors have incomes less than
$10,000.
“Twenty-nine percent of
Americans say they skipped
their medical care or prescrip
tion because of costs.
“Some seniors even ‘share’
a prescription they both need.
Because they can’t afford the
medication, they’ll split pills
or alternate days with their
spouse.”
It gets worse.
❖ ❖ ❖
About five miles from where I
five, there is what’s called ‘Tent
City.”
Tent City is an enclave of
homeless persons. I imagine
some of them are on Social
Security. Others are military vet
erans drawing pensions for fight
ing our wars and keeping us free.
No doubt there are a few who
five off what they can beg, bor
row or steal.
I’m pretty sure none of them
has access to the kind of health
care I enjoy. They probably don’t
have an appointment with a doc
tor. The next time they see one
likely will be in the emergency
room. They probably will travel
by ambulance because someone
cared enough to call 911.
There are those who believe
the homeless and destitute are
where they are - in the condition
they are in - because of poor
choices. That may or may not
be true. Who among us has not
made a few bad choices? But for
the Grace of God, I might be liv
ing in Tent City.
Yes, I am aware that I am
treading deep water here. Health
care for all Americans - even for
those who can’t afford it - has
been a nagging problem for a
long time. Despite the best efforts
of the President, Congress, The
American Medical Association
and insurance companies, it like
ly will remain a problem for a
long time. It seems we’d rather
argue about it than do something
about it.
But something’s got to give.
Health care for all of us is
American as it can get. Doing
nothing but squabble, fuss an
fight is as un-American as it can
get. That the wealthiest country
in the world can’t or won’t do
anything is ridiculous.
It’s OK to nationalize Wall
Street, but universal health care
is out of the question. What a
country!
Once upon a time, it was not a
big deal. Families, churches and
communities took care of their
own. Now families are scattered,
churches seem more interested
in numbers and foreign missions
than they are in the few and
home missions, and communi
ties have been swallowed up by
suburbs and cities. And so we’ve
turned health care over to the
government. What can I do?
Coming home from the doc
tor’s office, feeling blessed and
guilty at the same time won’t
help much. I’d like to see old
folks on fixed incomes, the
homeless residents of Tent City
- all Americans - get the health
care they need. But I’m not doing
anything about it. I voted, but I
haven’t called the people I voted
for. I haven’t written them a let
ter. I haven’t even e-mailed them.
They don’t know how I feel.
I ain’t done nothing! Maybe
that’s why I feel guilty.
Virgil Adams is a former
owner/editor of The Jackson
Herald.
virgil
adams
‘Trickle down’ doesn’t work
Dear Editor:
Bush, Cheney, Paulson,
Bemake and Cox all should
have resigned in shame years
ago. Their lies, deceit, ineptitude
and arrogance are treasonous! I
personally know how we would
have dealt with treason in the
jungles of Southeast Asia during
the Vietnam War.
Bush and his cronies started
a war that was not needed in
Iraq. There were other ways to
get Sadaam without invading this
country and killing so many inno
cent civilians to include children.
This country has lost thousands
of great soldiers. We have tens of
thousands who have been gravely
wounded in this war of “Bush’s
Choice’ ’ and they will stay wound
ed, physically and mentally, until
the day that they die. This war, so
far, has cost us approximately one
(1) trillion dollars and will cost
us much, much more before it is
over plus the care of our wounded
for the remainder of their lives.
One bright spot in this: “Cheney’s
Cronies” (Halliburton) have done
real well. So, if you need a loan,
call Halliburton.
The financial debacle has been
caused by greed, un-regulated
gambling (hedge funds), more
lies, more deception, no supervi
sion, no foresight and getting paid
unbelievable salaries for their total
incompetence. My 22-month-old
grandson will be paying for this
when he is a grown man and that
is not right. It is asinine and must
stop! These men got us in this
fiasco, could not solve the prob
lem and failed to resign. What
a gutless bunch! We must solve
this problem and I will offer a few
suggestions.
Everyone says “There is not
work.” That is not true. There
are no jobs because there is no
money to do the astronomical
amount of work that this country
is in desperate need of getting
done. Here are my suggestions:
Clean up and rebuild the Gulf
Coast.
Repair and build new dams.
Repair and build news roads
and bridges.
Repair and install new water
lines.
Repair and install new sewer
lines.
Dredge all lakes and rivers.
Build new schools, hospitals
and parks
Build solar and wind facilities
for electricity.
Build more fuel efficient vehi
cles.
Grow more of our own food
and livestock.
Build a seawall along the entire
Gulf Coast.
Tap into our aquifers and Great
Lakes for additional fresh water
supplies.
This is not all of the work that
this great country needs now but
it should be a good start. The cost
will be in the trillions but the gov
ernment only needs to provide
the “seed money” and not a hand
out or a bail-out.
When people have jobs they
pay taxes, buy food, clothes, cars
and homes, which all are taxed;
they start business endeavors
(taxed) and all the government
entities collect this tax money.
So, the “seed money” makes a
full circle and returns where it
started.
Let’s try “circle economics”
because we all know that “trick
le-down” economics has never
worked and never will.
In Genesis, Chapter I, verse 28,
God said, “Replenish the earth
and subdue it: and have domin
ion over all things.” So, let’s go
to work!
Sincerely,
Wayne Garrett
Commerce
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Thanks for holiday help
Dear Editor:
A special thank you for the
generosity displayed during
Christmas. During the Christmas
holidays, the Jackson County
Sheriff’s Office held its annual
toy drive in order to distribute
toys to children for Christmas.
How blessed we were to be able
to provide toys to 39 children
throughout Jackson County, who
otherwise might not have had a
very good Christmas. The num
ber of children we were able to
furnish these toys to was more
than was expected, especially
with the economy as it is and has
been. We appreciate everyone
within the Sheriff’s Office who
donated toys and food for our
food drive.
A special thank you to the fol
lowing people, who without their
generosity, we could never have
provided these toys for this many
children: Lion’s Club Members-
President Mack Cates, Mr. Robert
Friedlander, Mr. Joe Carradi, Mr.
Don Lohmeier, Mr. Jim Smith,
Mr. Adyen Griswold, Mr. and
Mrs Bill Rosenberg, Rotary
Club Members-President Gina
Mitsdarffer, Hwy 11 Auction in
Jefferson-Henry and Janet Lance.
First United Methodist Church
Jefferson for the stuffed animals
provided every year. All you peo
ple are great!
In working with children, often
times during the year in addition
to Christmas, I will have people
contact me wanting to donate
stuffed animals and toys to the
sheriff’s office. These stuffed ani
mals are provided to Deputies to
place in their cars and to distri
bute to children they deal with
in their everyday activity. When
slightly used toys are donated
to the Sheriff’s Office, we make
sure these items get to the Peace
Place Thrift Store to be sold,
which benefits victims of abuse
and their children or to the Tree
House in Winder, which is our
Child Advocacy Center.
There is always a need in this
County and other places for
children. The Tree House serves
abused children from Jackson
County, along with Banks County
and Barrow County. They’re
are always in need of everyday
items, such as paper towels, tis
sue, markers, crayons, etc. When
you have something you feel can
be used to benefit these children,
please contact me at 706 367-
6016 and we will distribute these
items where they are needed.
For all the people who have
donated items and also the people
I have called on in the past to help
out, such as the Jackson County
Retired Educators, I would like
to send a special thank you to all
of you.
May God bless each and
everyone one of you.
Investigator Janis Mangum
Jackson County
Sheriff’s Office
Jefferson
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County needs recycling
Dear Editor:
The 2008 holidays are over and
I, who have a small family, was
left with a multitude of paper and
cardboard boxes. No problem, I
say, I’ll just recycle.
Oh my gosh, I live in Jackson
County, the visionary, progressive
county that recently spent $4,000
to develop a new county logo
and will spend “only those in
the know” how many $$ to redo
advertising material to reflect the
new logo.
Heck, no cardboard/plastic
recycling places in this “progres
sive” county that I know of. OK,
I’ll double check, as I know I’ll
be eaten alive with retort should I
inadvertently miss some obscure
hole-in-the-wall recycling facility
available to those who don’t do
curbside trash pickup. My veri
fication efforts confirmed what I
thought I knew. So, I loaded up
and took everything to the Athens-
Clarke County fire hall facility.
How much Jackson County
recyclable paper and plas
tic was probably burned, bur
ied, or driven to an adjoining
county recycling facility just in
the last 30 days as a result of the
lack of a viable alternative?
I was told by informed sources
that a recycling program is on the
agenda, but probably not in the
foreseeable future due to cost.
Perhaps the county should have
been “visionary” and spent the
money when there was money
to be spent. A couple of fore
gone governmental retreats might
have gone a long way towards a
recycling facility. Bet some other
frivolous spending could have
been diverted also.
Meantime, I find the lack of a
recycling facility in my “enlight
ened” county ridiculous, embar
rassing, inconvenient and retro.
Sincerely,
Lynn Smith
Jefferson
Jefferson cont’d from 1A
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the city
council discussed the following
requests that will also be on the
agenda at the Jan. 26 meeting:
•a request from MRH Two
LLC to annex and rezone 16.5
acres on Washington Street for
business, commercial and office
use. Doug Threlkheld, one of the
owners, presented the requests.
“It is a good thing for both the
city and the family,” he said.
•an amendment to the land use
management code concerning the
town’s sign regulations. The addi
tion to the code addresses require
ments for the illumination and
brightness of signs. The change
calls for “signs to be toned down
at night” and would require an
automated dimmer, officials
reported.
•a recommendation to update
the 1998 water and sewer revenue
bonds to save the city approxi
mately $195,000. The bond coun
sel said the city can get a better
interest rate for these bonds.
•naming Roy Plott as mayor
pro tem for this year.
•setting an election for Nov. 3.
The offices to be filled are dis
tricts 2 and 4 on the city counci
and school board, as well as the
mayor’s seat and school boarc
chairman.
•setting the city council meet
ing schedule for the year. Work
sessions are held on the seconc
Monday of each month and the
voting meetings are on the fourtl
Monday. Meetings are held at (
p.m. at the civic center.
ALSO AT THE MEETING
In other business at this week’s
meeting, the council:
•heard a budget update fron
finance elirector Amie Vaughan
who said the city has made greai
improvements in the past twc
years. “We hopefully have set our
selves up to be able to withstanc
any shortfalls that could occui
during 2009,” she said. “Everyone
should be proud of what we have
done the past two years. This
is only possible through sounc
financial decisions each persor
has made.” She also reported thai
the city has named a new auditor
Mauldin and Jenkins.
•a check was presented tc
members of the Jackson Count)
Humane Society for proceeds
from the Holiday Market.
Arcade cont’d from lA
Haynie to execute one or more
lease supplements for a lease
or leases under the Georgia
Municipal Association Direct
Leasing Program and to des
ignate such leases as qualified
tax-exempt obligations, and to
provide an effective date. This is
for new police vehicles.
•tabled action on an ordinance
to amend the Quad Cities Land
Use Management Code, Article
17, “Sign Regulations.”
•received a questionnaire on
the Comprehensive County
Transportation Plan. Haynie
asked the council to return the
questionnaire to the clerk by
Tuesday, Jan. 20.
•heard from Shirlvegene
Harris, member of Poplar
Springs Baptist Church, who
said the church congregation
was very appreciative of the
city’s police officers for patrol
ling the area around the church.
Harris said the church recently
installed its new pastor, Gary
Walker. “We appreciate the
mayor coming down to the
installation of our new pastor,”
Harris said. Harris introduced
the church’s youth advisor,
Shonda Harris, to the council.
Shonda Harris said the church
youth will be helping with
upcoming projects in the city
to help the kids learn to work
in their community and to work
as a team.
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PUBLIC NOTICE
In accordance with the Georgia Environmental
Protection Division, the City of Jefferson is required
to notify the public in the event of a major spill.
The Spill occurred on December 10, 2008 at the
City of Jefferson Water Reclamation Facility located
at 775 Peachtree Road in Jefferson. A rainfall
event caused elevated flow through the treatment
facility. Treatment capability was compromised due
to the elevated flow leading to an excess of
biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended
solids discharged into Curry Creek. Approximately
370,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater
was discharged during the storm event. The City
has taken an active role in identifying the causes of
inflow and infiltration into the City’s treatment
facility.