Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2009
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5A
If either side wins, we are doomed
ONE OF the great things
about living in America is that
there are plenty of things to argue
about. And the arguments never
end. That’s good. As long as we
arguing, there is hope. If either
side wins, it’s over. Turn out the
lights.
Democrats, Republicans, lib
erals and conservatives argue.
Independents and Moderates dis
cuss, sit on the fence, and enjoy
the fray.
Dictators win. And look what
happened to Hitler!
Don’t ever decide that you are all right and
the other side is all wrong. There’s some good
in the worst of us and some bad in the best of
us. Dear friends, let us love one another.
OK, so what do we have to argue about
(discuss) this week?
Unlike some of you, I just love William
Shakespeare. He asked the ultimate question:
‘To be or not to be?” And the ultimate answer
- if there is one - is out there somewhere in
eternity. It should keep the argument going
for a while.
If old William were alive today, what might
his question be? How about ‘To be or not
to be a socialist?” Or ‘To be or not to be a
capitalist?”
I guess that argument has been going on
since the beginning of time. I know it was a
hot topic in 1933.1 was only 10 years old, but I
remember Daddy and his peers sitting around
the pot-bellied stove at Mr. Jim Gamer’s mom-
and-pop grocery store in McLemoresville,
Tenn. (population 311 if you count dogs, cats
and chickens), arguing politics and econom
ics.
Some of those old codgers ( they were not
old; they just seemed that way to a 10-year-
old boy) thought Franklin D. Roosevelt was a
socialist (or worse) and that his New Deal was
going to be the ruination of America. Others
hailed him as the Messiah and argued that the
New Deal would miraculously pull the coun
try out of the Great Depression.
Fast forward to Barack Obama and the
Stimulus if you want to, but I want to
talk about other socialistic and capital
istic issues first. I probably shouldn’t
bring this up, but there are divergent
views in the Bible.
Fuke, writing to Theophilus, said,
‘‘All the believers were of one heart
and mind, and no one felt that what
he owned was his own; every one was
sharing. . . and there was warm fel
lowship among all the believers, and
no poverty - for all who owned land
or houses sold them and brought the
money to the apostles to give to others
in need.”
If that’s not sharing the wealth, redistribu
tion of the wealth and socialism, I don’t know
what is.
But wait! Let’s give Paul an opportunity to
rebut.
Writing to the Thessalonians, he said, ‘‘Stay
away from any Christian who spends his days
in laziness and does not follow the ideal of
hard work. You never saw us loafing; we never
accepted food from anyone without buying it;
we worked hard day and night for the money
we needed to live on, in order that we would
not be a burden to any of you. We wanted to
show you, firsthand, how you should work
for your living. He who does not work shall
not eat.”
How about that, sports fans! The only shar
ing going on there was hard work. Sounds like
the opposite of socialism to me.
So the argument - aided and abetted by
politicians, Shakespeare, disciples, apostles
and the Bible, continues.
But Newsweek scared me half to death the
other day. I thought for a minute there that the
argument was over and the socialists had won.
On the cover of the magazine’s February 16th
issue, in black bold letters, was this headline:
‘‘We are all socialists now.”
Thank goodness, editor Jon Meacham
backed off from that a little bit in his com
ments on page 2. “Without a great deal of
fanfare, the America of 2009 has become a
more socialistic country.” That’s not harsh as
“We are all socialists now.”
And Meacham added a phrase that is
sure to keep the liberalism-conservatism,
socialism-capitalism argument alive. “And
the shift began not under a Democrat but a
Republican.. .the trend began under President
Bush, not President Obama.”
As long as we keep pitting one president
against another, we need not worry about
arguments ever ending.
One of the favorite arguments of all time
is over money. That is true between hus
bands and wives, kids and parents, and mer
chants and shoppers. And it’s certainly true of
President Obama’s nearly $1 trillion stimulus
package.
Take it or leave it. Some governors, includ
ing Georgia’s Sonny Perdue, are having
trouble deciding. Other governors who didn’t
like the stimulus bill and urged their con
gressmen and senators to vote against it
must be arguing with themselves whether
to accept the money. California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s response to those who
don’t want it: “I’ll take it.” California needs
it; is has a $42 billion budget deficit.
Here are a couple of Atlanta Journal-
Constitution Vents that are sure to add fuel
to the fire:
“The capitalists who are bemoaning
America’s recent supposed shift toward
socialism can only blame capitalist greed
itself.”
“If we weren’t all so used to living ‘high on
the hog’ for the last ten years, this economic
downturn wouldn’t feel so horrific.”
Here’s hoping you’ve found something
in this epistle that will help you argue intel
ligently, respectfully and calmly the rest of
your life.
Final note: If you are interested in my
Scripture references, they are found in
The Living Bible in Acts 4:32-37 and 2
Thessalonians 3:6-10. If you are inclined to
argue religion with me, remember that I am
not a real preacher, but a frustrated one, get
ting on up in years, and I will appreciate it if
you go easy on me.
Virgil Adams is a former owner/editor of
The Jackson Herald,
virgil
adams
Defends Clerici’s relationship with county
Dear Editor:
I am writing in regards to an
article you wrote on February 26
titled, “Relationship with con
sultant needs a clear line.”
After reading it, I thought it
would be good for your readers
to hear an opinion from some
one who actually knows Mr.
Don Clerici. I may not be famil
iar with Mr. Clerici’s job and his
relationships with county man
agement. But I do know what
kind of person Don Clerici is.
I first met him and his wife at
church in 2005. Since then, he
has filled in as a Sunday School
teacher when needed, volun
teered for the Awana program
and been involved in various
community outreach missions
the church has had, and coached
two of my children in soccer and
baseball. Through all of these
experiences, I feel I know him
well enough to assure your read
ers of these things: Don Clerici
is a stand-up person and he is
very ethical.
When I first moved into this
community, I subscribed to
The Jackson Herald because I
felt it was a community-based
newspaper. One that cared about
reporting the facts, yet showed
support to the community. The
past several months, I have been
very frustrated to see that the
paper is attacking the teachers
and government employees.
In the case of Mr. Clerici,
I’m sure the county official that
asked Mr. Clerici to step in as
interim did this to save the tax
payer’s money. They had just
cut several of their employees
and needed someone to immedi
ately step in and assume respon
sibilities. This was all due to
the economy and not making
the taxpayer pay out more than
necessary. (Wliich I thought was
your point of posting all the
salaries, which I felt to be very
demeaning)
I work with GSES PTO and
know firsthand how sacrificing
most of the teachers are. By put
ting their salaries in the paper
(which I know is public record,
but you were shoving it in peo
ples faces) without giving any
background on what their sal
ary was based on (years of ser
vice, education received) left the
reader uninformed. These teach
ers work so hard and donate
so much of their personal time
for our children ( which are the
future of this world!) In most
peoples’ opinion, teachers are
way underpaid in light of what
they do and hours they work. We
need to support our teachers.
This is a very difficult time
in history. We need to come
together as a community, not
tear down those who work for
our community. By saying
that Mr. Clerici’s “tick-tight”
relationships within the county
is why he has received the jobs
he has, makes it sound as if what
he is doing is wrong and needs
to be looked into.
And by relating to him as
a hybrid (in reference to him
either being a consultant or a
county employee), you deper
sonalize Mr. Clerici. That’s why
I wanted to write this letter,
so your readers can understand
what kind of person you were
attacking with your words. I
will end by reiterating a few
points about Mr. Clerici: He is a
Christian, a loving husband and
very involved in his children’s
lives.
Perhaps the reason he has
good relationships with county
officials is because he is an hon
orable person. Please stop try
ing to stir up things that don’t
need to be stirred.
Sincerely,
Holly Tullis
Hoschton
Opposed to ban of dirt bikes, ATVs for children
Dear Editor:
For the past 12 of my 17 years, I have
raced dirt bikes competitively in the off-road
field. With the help of smaller bikes, such
as a KTM 50cc, I have grown into a dedi
cated racer claiming four championships
for the Southeast region. Many other up and
coming racers like myself are starting out on
small motorcycles everyday.
However, many inside and outside the
motorcycle industry are not aware of a law
passed by Congress regarding dirt bikes,
as well as ATVs, designed for children 12
years of age and below. On February 10, the
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
of 2008 banned the sale of youth vehicles.
The CPSIA banned youth vehicles due to
600 parts per million of lead content. The
parts included on a motorcycle surpass the
allotted amount of lead a toy designed for a
child is allowed.
The idea of any child digesting a part
from a motorcycle is absurd. Motorcycles
are usually not stored within the home and
are out of reach of children who may put
parts in their mouth. The government has
painted a disoriented picture of youth vehi
cles by highlighting only the lead content.
Any child that has the passion or spark to
take a step into this industry needs to have
a small motorcycle to start with. Waiting
to place a child on a motorcycle or ATV
until they are of age increases the risk of
an inexperienced rider being in control of
a machine that is beyond their capability of
riding. Therefore, I feel the risk of rider inju
ry occurring due to inexperience outweighs
the chance of a child digesting lead.
Many of the racers we have today, such
as Ricky Carmichael and James “Bubba”
Stewart, all began with the smaller motorcy
cles racing in the local series. Now because
of the ban against these machines, these
racing series that have produced so many
dedicated racers, are now not able to host
races.
A vote for this law by any official is a vote
to kill the motorcycle industry.
Sincerely,
Katie Norton
11th Grade EJCHS
Jackson County Schools
Proposal Request
for
Lawn Care / Ground
Maintenance
The Jackson County Board of Education
is requesting a proposal from interested
and qualified lawn care maintenance
companies for the lawn care of 15 school
/ facility sites.
Interested companies may get a
“Request for Proposal” package from the
Jackson County Board of Education, 1660
Winder Highway, Jefferson, Ga. Offices
hours are Monday through Friday 8:00
a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Proposal due date: Wednesday, April 1,
2009 at 2:00 P.M.
Kids • Moms
Winder First United Methodist Church
Consign
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8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
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Half price sale Noon to 2:00 PM
Strollers
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Winder First United Methodist Church
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For information or to volunteer, call
Allison Clark at 770-867-4594.
Call for consigner code numbers
Erika (770-307-4781) - Last Names A-L
Christy (678-687-8072) - Last Names M-Z
Adamson congratulated
on Superior Court service
Dear Editor:
On behalf of the State Bar
of Georgia, I extend congratu
lations and thanks to Judge
Robert Adamson on his retire
ment from active service as
Superior Court judge in the
Piedmont Judicial Circuit.
Judge Adamson has served
the people of Banks, Barrow
and Jackson counties excep
tionally well during his years
as a Superior Court judge.
The wellbeing of Georgia’s
justice system depends upon
the service of public-minded
lawyers like Judge Adamson.
His distinguished performance
as a public servant inspires the
members of the legal profes
sion.
Judge Adamson’s colleagues
of the State Bar wish him well
in his new status as a senior
judge. We are grateful for his
distinguished service to the
public and to the principle that
fair and impartial courts are
essential to the rule of law.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey O. Bramlett, President
State Bar of Georgia
Property owner disputing
land with Hoschton officials
Asks city to move historic building
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
AN OLD building recently
moved to downtown Hoschton
is causing one property own
er’s family and city officials
to dig into decades-old land
records.
The Hoschton Historical
Commission moved the
century-old Darby Building
to the “Hoschton Historical
Commons” near a city play
ground in January. The build
ing was located behind the
Hoschton Church of God
of Prophecy Church on Ga.
Hwy. 332.
But when the single-room
building was placed on the
property, the family of a
neighbor contested the move
with city officials.
The family is now asking
Hoschton to move the Darby
building.
“I personally don’t think
the house should have been
put there because I don’t
think y’all were authorized
to give anyone permission,”
said Marsha Womble, grand
daughter of neighboring prop
erty owner Horace Johnson.
Womble told the city coun
cil on Thursday that while a
city-funded survey looks like
Hoschton owns the land, there
is no deed stating where the
property line is located.
Johnson owns 1.32 acres
on Railroad Avenue, which
is located behind a parking
lot that serves the Hoschton
Depot and a city playground.
Before the playground was
constructed on the property,
the city built tennis courts on
the land in the early 1970s.
Womble said it’s possible
that the former tennis courts
were placed on her grandfa
ther’s property and he was
paying taxes for the facilities.
The property line dispute
largely centers on the former
property of a railroad line that
ran through Hoschton.
Railroad service in
Hoschton ended in 1947, and
Womble said the property and
the rights-of-way for the rail
road should have returned to
the original property owner
and not the city.
Womble said an attorney is
reviewing property deeds and
surveys for the family.
“I want it to work out for
everybody, but private prop
erty is the one thing — the
only thing — that we say we
have and own and I think it’s
something that should be pro
tected,” she said.
Historical commis
sion chairperson Dianne
Blankenship said exterior
repairs to the Darby building
are moving forward during
the property line dispute.
“We’re doing things that are
not of a permanent nature,”
she said.
Council member Jim Jester
suggested that the historical
commission continue renova
tions, except foundation work
during the dispute.
BATTLE ZONE PAINTBALL
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• The Jackson Herald • The Commerce to
• The Braselton News • The Bunks County Ms
BANKS COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
meets first Monday each month
7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial
Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441
North in Homer pa,07/09
JEFFERSON
AMERICAN LEGION
Albert Gordon Post 56
Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Harvie Lance, Commander
Phone (706) 654-1274 310
VETERANS OF
FOREIGN WARS
Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr.
Each 4th Tuesdasy, 7:00 p.m.
Lamar Langston, Commander
Phone 706-652-2627
UNITY LODGE
F & A.M.
No. 36, Jefferson, GA
1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
Dwayne Potts • 706-367-4449
Borders St. behind Tabo’s 260
BANKS COUNTY
AMERICAN LEGION
Riders Club Post 215
Meets each 2nd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 pd.02/10
St. Catherine Laboure
Catholic Mission
Mass Schedule: Sat. 4:00 p.m., Sun. 11:00 a.m.,
Wed. 12:10 p.m.
Parish Council meetings: 2nd Sunday of the month
after 11:00 mass
Stations of the Cross Wednesdays
after Mass during Lent
First Friday Adoration 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Website: www.stcatherinelabourega.org
706-335-2622 Pd.03/09
Citizens Organized for
Pipeline Safety
investigating the health risks to citizens from
underground pipelines and booster stations in
Madison Co. Meetings 6:30 p.m. at the Colbert
Grove Baptist Church the 2nd Thurs. of each
month. 706-783-4702. Pd.04/09
BANKS COUNTY
AMERICAN LEGION
Post 215
Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 Pd.06/09
JEFFERSON FIONS CFUB
Meets 2nd & 4th Monday
Jefferson City Clubhouse
6:30 p.m, *(706) 387-1156
Mack Cates, President
JEFFERSON ROTARY CLUB
Meets Tuesdays
Jefferson City Clubhouse
12:30 p.m, *(706) 367-7696
Gina Mitsdarffer, President
^8) Georgia Real Estate Investors
iS Association, Inc. - Athens
Meets the third Thursday each month
6:30 pm at the UGA Conferen ce Center
1197 South Lumpkin Street,
Athens, GA 30601
Tom Hewlett - Chapter President
thewlettl@charter.net
Pd. 12/09