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"Give thanks for a little, and you will find a lot."-Hausa Proverb
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The Progress
Editorial
November 25,2021
From the Staff
What we’re thankful for
What are we thankful for this Thanks
giving? Here at the Progress we’re in
credibly thankful for our readers who
support local journalism and trust us as a
news source; we’re thankful for advertis
ers who support us; and we’re thankful
to be part of a community we truly love.
We asked our social media followers
what they are thankful for this Thanks
giving season. Here is what a few of
them said:
Earlene Chastain Wigington - I’m am
thankful for the good health of my fam
ily, their salvation and love of God.
Michael B. Morris - I'm thankful to have
been born into the family I was. I'm
thankful to have received salvation on
top of Burnt Mountain and to be a mem
ber of Talking Rock Baptist Church.
Family is very important to me, whether
they be kin or not.
Pendley Creek Brewing Company - We
are thankful for each and every person
who has stopped in, offered encourage
ment, and become regulars. Without the
support of the people of Pickens County,
we would not be here. Thank you.
John Phares - I’m thankful for my God
and His promises, I’m thankful for my
family and their good health, and I’m
thankful for my house in Pickens County,
an absolutely beautiful place to live.
Maria Boling - Of course I’m thankful
for family and friends. Of course. I am
also thankful for fried okra, hearing aids
and my ability to make superior eggplant
parmesan.
Wil Nix - I’m thankful for good friends
and family.
Harry Miller - I am thankful I grew up
before this world has turned on a dime
into a society I hardly recognize today. I
pray people will realize what really is im
portant. Family and supporting each
other.
Anita Jones -1 am thankful for being an
American and bom into the best country
on earth.
Jennifer Loveless Weaver - My family
and my salvation.
Amelia Rose Rescigno - So thankful for
my family. So incredibly thankful to have
had my loving precious parents for as
long as I did. I am so thankful for my
friends and my wonderful community
who have stepped up in such a big way.
Most importantly I am so thankful for
God.
Amy Denney - My salvation, family, job,
and my sexy husband.
lailaswonderfullife - I am thank for my
Savior Jesus Christ, who knew me before
my birth; who knew all that I would do -
everything good, bad, loving, unkind -
and died for me anyway...And I am oh so
thankful for His saving grace.
Shanna Mariah Moore - Thankful for
public libraries.
Danny Hyde - I’m am thankful for the
goodness of God. And His grace on me.
Happy Thanksgiving
from the Progress staff!
Tell us your thoughts with a letter to the editor. E-mail to news@pickensprogress.com
See letter submission guidelines on the Letters to the Editor page or call us 706-253-2457.
Georgia lawmakers hear pitch
on vehicle-miles-traveled tax
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA - With sales of
electric vehicles on the rise,
transportation agencies are
going to have to find a way to
raise tax revenue other than
the gasoline tax, a transporta
tion consultant told Georgia
lawmakers earlier in Novem
ber.
Robert Poole, director of
transportation policy for the
Los Angeles-based Reason
Foundation, urged members
of the Georgia Freight & Lo
gistics Commission to start
thinking about replacing the
gas tax by taxing motorists
based on the number of miles
they drive.
“Electric vehicle technol
ogy is coming much faster
than most people realize,”
Poole said. “Fuel tax rev
enues have begun what is
going to be a long decline.
We’re going to need to re
place the fuel tax as a source
of transportation funding.”
Poole and Benita Dodd,
vice president of the Georgia
Public Policy Foundation,
teamed up on a recent report
extolling the potential of the
vehicle-miles-traveled
(VMT) tax.
Poole said another reason
to consider the VMT besides
the flood of electric vehicles
hitting the auto market is the
tightening of mileage stan
dards for new cars by the fed
eral government.
While the Trump adminis
tration temporarily blunted
the push for higher mileage
requirements by rolling back
the CAFE (Corporate Aver
age Fuel Economy) stan
dards, the Biden
administration is working on
restoring them, Poole said.
“You can expect even
tougher miles-per-gallon
standards,” he said.
Poole said Oregon and
Utah have launched pilot
projects experimenting with
the VMT, and the new $1.2
trillion infrastructure spend
ing bill President Joe Biden
signed this week authorizes a
federal VMT pilot.
But Poole conceded the
concept of a VMT has ran
into both practical and psy
chological obstacles.
On the practical side is the
bureaucratic complexity of
collecting a tax based on
miles driven, compared to the
simplicity of collecting gas
taxes at the pump.
“This looks like a lot of
record-keeping,” said state
Sen. Frank Ginn, R-
Danielsville, chairman of the
Senate Transportation Com
mittee and a member of the
Freight & Logistics Commis
sion.
Poole said the collection
issue could be addressed by
phasing in the VMT tax to
apply only to interstate high
ways at first, which account
for 28% of the road miles
traveled in Georgia.
Transponders installed along
interstates could reduce the
cost of collection to 5% of
the revenue the tax brings in,
he said.
But the idea of using
transponders to track how far
drivers are traveling has
raised concerns among the
public.
“One of the biggest wor
ries is privacy, that you have
Big Brother in your car track
ing you,” Poole said.
Sen. Steve Gooch, R-
Dahlonega, suggested a way
to sell the VMT politically
would be to levy the tax only
on electric vehicles and con
tinue taxing motorists who
use gasoline when they fill
up.
He said the General As
sembly passed legislation in
2015 levying an annual fee of
$200 on non-commercial
EVs in order to avoid the un
popular idea of tracking mo
torists.
I Are We I
Spot a mistake?
Contact our editor
dpool@
pickensprogress.com
706-253-2457
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Published by Pickens County Progress, Inc.
94 North Main Street, Jasper, GA 30143
(706) 253-2457
www.pickensprogressonline.com
DAN POOL
Publisher/Editor
Published each Thursday at Jasper, Pickens County, Georgia. Entered
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#lbe School
Get with the Tihes charge. brown \
nobody cms about thanksgiving anymore
Besides nobody can afford a turkey, y
Other Voices
Realistic expectations for the holidays
By Mary Migliaro
It is official. The holiday
season is upon us and with it
comes visions of more than
sugarplums dancing in our
heads. For many, it creates a
scenario of holidays past
mixed with the idealistic vi
sions of happy families sit
ting around a fire drinking
hot cocoa and singing Christ
mas carols. What happens
when those beautiful scenar
ios don’t materialize?
The reality is that family
issues do not disappear or be
come suspended during the
holidays. Many families try
to ignore them, but few suc
ceed. The minute something
happens contrary to your hol
iday vision, your overall vi
sion is shattered. Add to that
the fact that many families
only see each other once or
twice a year and personalities
can clash.
If you find yourself stress
ing about all the things that
you should be doing this
year, just let it go. You need
to adapt your holiday expec
tations to what works for you
and your family. Focus on the
things that you can do and
enjoy the time with your
family. Here are some other
ideas for maintaining realistic
holiday expectations.
• Be proactive. If you are
concerned about potentially
difficult conversations (think
politics) during the holidays,
remember these events are
about bringing people to
gether, not driving them
apart. Focus on good memo
ries and what you and your
family have in common. Plan
activities that foster fun and
laughter, such as playing a
family game or looking
through old photo albums.
• Set expectations only
for yourself. You have no
control over the weather or
the moods of your family
members. Setting expecta
tions for others or uncontrol
lable events and basing your
happiness on them will only
spell disaster. Instead choose
to focus on what you can
control—yourself and your
attitude.
• Remember what’s im
portant. Commercialism can
overshadow the true senti
ment of the holiday season.
When your holiday expense
list is fatter than your
monthly budget, scale back.
Homemade gifts such as
cookies or pies make excel
lent gifts because they come
from the heart and not the
local mall. Children can even
make some gifts for other
family members or hand
made ornaments for your
Christmas tree. Remind your
self that family, friends and
the relationships are what
matter most.
• Involve your kids in ac
tivities to help the less for
tunate. Show your kids that
there are ways that they can
help in your community. You
can purchase a gift for a child
in need or your family can
help serve meals at a local
soup kitchen. You can also
donate items to your local
food bank. The holidays are a
time of giving. This is a good
way to demonstrate to your
kids that helping those who
are less fortunate can feel just
as good as receiving gifts.
• Keep things in perspec
tive. The holiday season is
relatively short. It helps to
maintain a broader context
and a longer-term perspec
tive. If something goes
wrong, realize it’s not the end
of the world. Remember the
good things you have in your
life and recognize that this
situation will pass.
• Take time for yourself.
You may feel pressured to be
everything to everyone. Re
member that you’re only one
person and can only accom
plish certain things. Some
times self-care is the best
thing you can do. Reflect on
aspects of your life that give
you joy; go for a long walk;
listen to your favorite music
or read a new book. All of us
need some time to recharge
our batteries. Be mindful and
focus on the present rather
than dwelling on the past or
worrying about the future.
Maintaining realistic ex
pectations for this holiday
season will create a calmer
and more peaceful atmos
phere for you and your fam
ily
[Mary Migliaro, M.Ed. is
an educator and parent men
tor. She may be reached at
matymigliaro@aol.com.]
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