Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5A
The importance of punctuation and punctuality
The power and importance of
the almighty comma came in to
play once again in the state leg
islature last week with the “Cam
pus-Carry Gun Bill.” Because of
the omission of a
comma between
the words “offic
es (.) or rooms”
in HB 280 mak
ing it “offices or
rooms where dis
ciplinary actions
are conducted,”
a clause became
somewhat ambig
uous and has
already created
problems for the
passage of that bill again this year.
This grammatical error can be
corrected, but something that hap
pened to a large company back in
1910 because of a comma, cannot.
Back when the telegraph was
the preferred means of business
communication, a man was sent to
negotiate the purchase of a large
quantity of raw materials for his
company. He had gotten the best
price and notified the owner of
the company as to what the price
was. The boss intended to send a
message back saying “No. price
too high.” The teletype operator
omitted the comma and sent the
message: “No price too high.”
His employee immediately pur
chased all of this material they
had. Shortly thereafter, the market
for that particular commodity took
a plunge and the purchasers were
stuck with a large quantity of stuff
they had paid far too much for. As
a result, the company went out of
business.
I was told early-on by my men
tor/editor. never to use a comma
in front of the word “and,” but to
always use one in front of the word
“but.” I didn’t understand this, but
I tried to comply.
It seemed to me that in very long
sentences, it should be at the writ
er’s discretion as to where there
should be a brief pause. If not for
any other reason, it would allow a
person reading aloud an opportuni
ty to take a breath.
Last week, I was talking to one
of the co-publishers and he told
about reading over a paper for
his grandson and making some
changes before the child gave it
to his teacher. He took out all the
commas before the word “and.” and
the paper came back with circles
around those places with points
taken off because it was incorrect.
This probably isn’t interesting to
most readers, but I do wish people
who determine the rules of gram
mar would be consistent amongst
themselves.
* * *
I had a comment from a neighbor
in regard to my segment last week
about the apartments that will soon
be getting under way at the end of
Storey Lane.
“The man you talked to painted a
rosy picture of how these projects
will be maintained and operated,
but isn’t it normal procedure for
large development companies to
build these things out. get enough
units rented to create a positive
cash-flow and then turn around and
sell them to whoever wants to buy
them,” he said. “How do we know
the next owner will be as particular
about who occupies the units and
how the buildings and grounds will
be maintained?”
That is a good point, Mr. Rob
erts. I did actually think about that
after I had already submitted that
article. What little research I have
done so far has revealed that since
government funding is involved in
the actual construction, companies
like Zimmerman Properties Con
struction, LLC. are required to hold
these properties for an unspecified
length of time, possibly until the
loan is repaid. I am trying to find
out more about this.
* * *
Braselton resident Ernie Johnson
Jr. was the commencement speak
er at the University of Georgia’s
graduation ceremony Friday night.
He is a graduate of the UGA Grady
School of Journalism, where the
editor and several of our other writ
ers attended.
“If I applied to Grady today
with the GPA I had back in 1975,
they would probably say something
like: Ernie, have you given any
thought to Georgia Tech.” he said
in one of his opening remarks.
Known for his “blackberry
moments.” he told of an incident
in a baseball game he played in
when he was 8-years-old. He said
when someone hit the ball out of
the park, the center and left-fielder
went over the fence to retrieve the
ball.
When several minutes had gone
by and they had not returned, oth
ers went to investigate. When they
found them, they saw what the
errant outfielders had been doing.
They had discovered a patch of
wild blackberries.
Some of the advice he offered to
the graduates of 2017: “Take your
work seriously, but don’t miss out
on the blackberry moments.”
Last year’s key-note speaker at
UGA’s commencement was Ryan
Seacrest and the year before that
it was GMA’s Amy Robach. Both
of them attended Grady also, but
Seacrest went on to Hollywood
before he graduated. In the seven
years my wife has worked there
in the advisory department, she
has met Monica Kaufman Pearson,
CNN’s Martin Savidge and a host
of CEOs like the vice president
of marketing at Coca-Cola while
they were there with their kids.
Sometimes they know ahead of
time people like that are coming,
but sometimes they just step off the
elevator.
* * *
On the importance of punctuality,
I will only say this: It is a desirable
attribute for anyone to have, but I
have always considered “on time”
to be whenever I show up some
where I am supposed to be. Many
employers I have had over the years
did not think highly of this concept.
* * *
“Paraprosdokians” are short,
humorous statements that don’t
end-up like you expect. I still
have some my brother sent me
back in 2012. I hope I don’t repeat
any I have already used. I tried to
scratch them off as I used them, but
it was ruining my computer screen.
Q: Do you know what they call
the badly decomposed blond they
found in the mop closet at the
office? A: “Miss Hide-and-Go-
Seek-Queen” of 2004.
That was not a paraprosdokian,
but the following is:
I asked God for a new bike, but I
know God doesn’t work that way...
so I stole a bike and asked for for
giveness.
Thanks for reading.
Mike Rector is a local contractor.
Send comments to mikerector405 @
gmail.com or 405 Washington
Pkwy., Jefferson, GA.
mike
rector
learning are complicated
Schools
It’s budget and hiring time for
schools. Graduations are upon us.
The school year will be over very
soon. Still, some time and attention
to our schools
are warranted.
Every state,
and Georgia is
no different,
seems to have
a funding for
mula to distrib
ute money that
is byzantine at
best. Georgia
has something
call QBE, Qual
ity Basic Edu
cation.
From what little I understand, it
has at least 19 different categories
to be considered before the state
can tell any school system how
much money it will receive.
You quickly can get bleary-eyed
from trying to follow all the state
databases that ostensibly tell us
how good, or bad, our local schools
are.
Jackson County is unique. It is
the only county in the state with
three school systems. That involves
decades of tradition, hostility, jeal
ousy and political fighting.
If the students from those three
systems were combined, and I rec
ognize that is not even a remote
possibility, the total number of stu
dents would be a bit less than the
number of students in the Barrow
County school system.
I use Barrow because it seems
to me to be just about right, big
enough to offer broad curriculum
and provide all kinds of student and
teacher support, but not so large
that it’s unwieldy. I also cover it so
it’s a handy comparison.
It has about 13,600 students. The
three Jackson County systems have
about 12,600. That perhaps makes
sense since the county populations
are about 74,000 for Barrow and
about 63,000 for Jackson.
Back to the dollars. School sys
tems have a state salary schedule
that provides for a salary for a
teacher with a bachelor’s degree
and no experience. Each year of
experience is another “step” on the
schedule and additional degrees are
a “step.” The top is likely a doctor
ate degree and about 25 years of
experience.
Most school systems pay a “local
supplement” also. That is an addi
tional amount to the state schedule.
Those supplements are all over the
map from as little as a few hun
dred dollars to as much as several
thousand.
Teachers also get “supplements”
for a host of activities. Coaches are
likely the most visible, but band
and choral programs, sponsors for
clubs such as drama, also are in
that category.
Teachers also do “extended con
tracts” that mean teaching in the
summer, when they would not nor
mally be paid for work. That could
be extra programs such as advanced
work, or it could be remedial work
for students who are behind.
Sometimes teachers get paid to
attend training programs in the
summer. Sometimes they attend
training for no pay.
A school system can have a bud
get that might be 200 pages. Those
are not the half-page summaries
you see published in this and other
papers.
Politicians are fond of saying
you don’t get a better education by
throwing money at schools. That’s
true. The money must be thought
fully managed and spent. Teachers
must get lots of training and time to
absorb that training.
It is equally true that you don’t
get a better education by starving
school districts.
Two current fads may be worth
comment. Technology is one buzz
word and college and career acad
emies are another. Both are expen
sive subjects.
The districts in our area are heav
ily into Chromebooks, a stripped-
down computer that allows stu
dents to search the internet and do
word processing. Some are used
to download textbooks. Typically,
school districts will have thousands
of those devices. They can be pur
chased for under $200 each and
generally last about five years.
College and career academies are
the technology-driven versions of
trade schools.
Educators will tell you. in great
detail, how students do not need
a four-year degree to make a good
living. That certainly is true. Check
out welding or mechatronics,
which is a word I’ve learned in the
past year.
Lanier Tech has a motorsports
program that is as detailed and aca
demic as anything you can imag
ine, but you get grease on your
hands and you’re around powerful
motors.
A number of the programs can
lead to four-year degrees. Think
computer science or health care.
Nursing and physical therapy come
quickly to mind.
I haven’t even mentioned such
areas as transportation or meals for
students. The logistics of both are
mind-numbing.
Schools are complicated, as is
learning.
Ron Bridgeman is a reporter for
Mainstreet Newspapers.
Call 706-367-5233 to subscribe to The Jackson Herald.
Disagrees with editor’s
grade of Trump
Dear Editor:
Obviously I disagree with Mike Buffington’s grade for
President Trump’s first 100 days. He deserves an A for
at least doing something.
Imagine that: A President who actually remembers
what he promised to do and hit the ground running on the
very day he was inaugurated and steadily worked on all
of his promises throughout his first 100 days.
President Trump has surrounded himself with some
very smart people. Not “yes” folks who will tell him
whatever it is that they think he wants to hear. Yes, there
will be conflict between these folks, but out of that will
come some truly great things.
You say that his biggest failure was the hype that doing
away with Obamacare would be easy and quick. We all
knew that it will not be easy. It is, however, on the way
out. For an eye-opener, check out Google to see what
taxes will be repealed when Obamacare is no longer
around. Update: On May 4, the House approved legis
lation to repeal and replace major parts of the Affordable
Care Act.
Just an FYI, if your health insurance premiums are
going up today, that’s Obamacare. If you are under
going cancer treatments today and you are having to
shop around for the treatment that you need because
your insurance is dictating what they will pay for, that is
Obamacare. Just remember that health care under Presi
dent Trump has not started and you cannot blame him for
what has not started.
You say the President is a serial liar. For goodness
sakes. Get real. I can deal with you having your own
opinion about things, but to call our President this is
going way too far!
You, of all people, should have the decency to respect
our President even if you do not agree with him. I could
not find “serial liar” in the dictionary. I did find referenc
es on Google where they used “serial liar” in reference
to the tapping of the phones of President Trump’s cam
paign staff before the election and the “unmasking.” The
news with this reference in it was reported by fake news
outlets. I have been waiting for you to cover the Susan
Rice unmasking story in your newspaper. So far, I have
not seen one word.
And no, contrary to what some folks might believe,
I did not converse with any Russian before I wrote this
letter. I do listen to Fox News, which is one of the few
news stations who dare report anything that is positive
about President Trump. When I listen to one of the fake
news stations, it is very apparent that they do not ever
intend to report anything positive about President Trump.
Contrary to what is reported in this newspaper, Amer
ica citizens are excited about what President Trump is
doing, along with world leaders who recognize a leader
when they see one. Also, business leaders outside the
United States are ready to invest in America. Check out
the company in Australia that supplies cardboard boxes
for Amazon. President Trump is going to make Ameri
can Great Again. It may take a while, but just give him
a chance. After all, he is only in his second 100 days!
As for the wall - just the “threat” seems to be working.
That’s good enough for right now. We can tackle the rest
after we get all of the criminals deported. The folks who
are here legally have nothing to worry about.
None of us know what will happen in the future. We
now have a President who is actually trying to make
things better for us. For that, and that alone, I am hoping
that everyone will at least give him the benefit of the
doubt.
Who knows, he might just succeed and that would be
a win-win for all of us.
Sincerely,
Mary Brenda Strickland.
Commerce
Says Americans
are worried about
their country
Dear Editor:
If, as Mike Buffington said in his May 3 column (“Bill
O’Reilly, Fox’s pinhead”) Mr. O’Reilly “was ousted by his
own moral turpitude,” then I agree that it “couldn’t have
happened to a more-deserving pinhead.”
However, even if one accepts all the assumptions he
makes about the culture at Fox News and their emphasis
on attractive females, he’s overlooking a larger fact.
It is not a “misleading view of the country as being
under siege by leftist liberals who are waging a cultural
war.”
Is he unaware of the violent protests by Black Lives
Matters and Antifa? Did he not hear about assaults against
people holding pro-Trump rallies before last year’s elec
tion? Did he not notice how many policemen have been
murdered lately? Does he think these are exaggerations?
Perhaps he should tune in to Fox News and listen to an
opposing point of view.
And how is a newspaper publisher unaware of bias in
non-Fox News media where 90 percent of political con
tributions are made to Democrats? Are you kidding me?
Barack Obama was never confronted with a question
about his role during the Benghazi terrorist attack that
resulted in the death of our ambassador.
Lois Lemer harassed and persecuted conservative orga
nizations while at the IRS and retired with a pension after
taking the 5th Amendment before Congress
Hillary Clinton endlessly contradicted herself over her
use of private e-mail in highly classified communications.
Obama’s intelligence agencies all alleged collusion
between Trump campaign officials and Russia then denied
they were eavesdropping on Trump’s campaign. (How
can you know there’s collusion without eavesdropping?)
Buffington is worried about Fox News, so I say, con
tinue to try convincing his readers to switch the channel.
However, many of his readers, as well as millions
of other Americans, are very worried about their coun
try. They simply switched Presidents.
Sincerely,
Stephen W. McReynolds
Braselton