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4A ®jjc Heraltr Tuesday, August 10,2021
Geiger's Counter:
Just who owns that property anyway?
When I first moved to
the area over 42 years
ago now, I would occa
sionally see the same two
older gents riding around
town in pickup trucks
with assorted doors and
the requisite hardware
for them in their truck
beds. 1 noticed also that
it was never the same
doors. 1 was puzzled but,
being young, naive and
somewhat shy, 1 did not
ask either the obvious
question though both
went to my church.
Early one cold morn
ing, I caught both of the
men at a local breakfast
place and sat down with
them, a country ham
and cheese biscuit with
mustard and a cup of
coffee. 1 discerned that
both had multiple rental
properties. They also had
multiple tenants in com
mon, those who would
be evicted by one only to
rent from the other. They
referred to these renters
as the ’deadbeats’.
Having seen both their
trucks outside the cafe
with doors in the beds,
1 worked up the nerve
to ask about them. Both
chuckled to themselves
and proceeded to tell me
how, when the rent on
homes was past due by a
certain number of weeks,
they just took the front
doors off the homes.
“You’d be surprised
how fast they find that
rent money once that
door comes off,” one
said. “Just who owns that
property anyway? Most
of the time, when I show
up with the toolbox, they
go ahead and pay,” the
other chortled. 1 remem
ber thinking this was
pure genius - harsh but
pure genius.
Fast forward to the
COV1D crisis. Govern
ments at the federal,
state and local levels
moved to impose restric
tions on evictions due
to the pandemic and
many renters being out
of work. That
was a kind and
compassion
ate move or at
least it would
have been if
initiated by a
landlord with
a conscience.
But, when gov
ernment issues
edicts, they
seem never to
expire.
During this
same time
span, the government
was handing out stimulus
money, rent and utility
assistance money and
enhanced and extended
unemployment ben
efits to the point people
took home more cash if
they just stayed home
instead of taking one of
the millions of jobs that
returned as COV1D lock-
downs faded away, hope
fully never to return.
It doesn’t take a genius
to figure out what hap
pened next, some of the
folks taking all
this government
cash still didn’t
pay all or part
of their rent
both current
and past due.
They expected
the moratori
ums would be
continued, were
correct in that
assumption and
lived rent free.
The good and
compassionate
move on the part of the
various governments
turned into a disaster
for the owners of those
rental properties who
were still expected to
pay property taxes and
maintain their properties
to the standard they had
when they were actually
collecting rent.
During the summer as
COV1D seemed to be sub
dued, many called for the
moratoriums to be lifted
and, late last month,
most of them expired
and evictions were once
again allowed.
Then, on August 3, the
Centers for Disease Con
trol issued orders tem
porarily halting evictions
in areas with high rates
of the new Delta COV1D
variant. The CDC is sup
posedly a health agency
though its guidance on
dealing with the virus
has meandered all over
the place and never re
ally exhibited any clarity.
The CDC has no business
in the housing business
and has no authority
over landlords. In fact, no
government at any level
should be in the hous
ing business. It would be
much more efficiently
operated and policed by
private sector landlords
with the marketplace -
not bureaucrats - setting
rents.
The vast majority of
landlords understood the
situation and dealt with
it. Likewise, the majority
of renters no doubt have
or will make an effort to
pay all or most of their
back rent. But, there
are many who will stay
in their current homes
as long as the CDC or
whomever lets them then
move out while laughing
all the way to the bank
at the expense of their
landlords.
These are the same
type folks who saw the
two old gents remove
the front doors of their
homes and toss them
in the back of a pickup
truck. I wish those guys
were still around to offer
the CDC their wisdom
and expertise in dealing
with deadbeats. With
their common sense,
they’d soon be running
the place.
Walter Geiger is editor and
publisher of The Herald-Gazette and
Pike County Journal Reporter. He
can be reached at 770-358-NEWS or
news@barnesville.com.
GEIGER’S
COUNTER
Walter Geiger
Editor & Publisher
What’s the key to
joy? Be thankful
for everything
Summer Reading Club participants
KAV S. PEDROTTI
kayspedrotti@gmail.com
Every day that goes
by, 1 get mad at myself
for griping about “little
stuff.” My aches and
pains are
so minor
”■ ,/i to those
' 1 of other
people
1 know
who re
ally do
suffer from whatever
ails them. My husband
is wonderful to me, my
children and grandchil
dren still love me (even
if they don’t write or
visit often), my friends
seem content to have
me around, my house
is solid enough for all
kinds of weather.
So 1 really don’t have
anything to complain
about - and yet 1 do
whine. I think most of
us have little aggrava
tions, and days when
everything seems to go
wonky. The other day 1
had a few setbacks here
and there and began
thinking of myself as
the person walking on
the beach who saw a
“message in a bottle”
floating onto the sand,
grabbed the bottle and
uncorked it, shook
out the paper. On it
some joker has written,
“Land, at last!”
That imaginary
scenario at least made
me giggle at my sense
of humor. It probably
isn’t original; 1 might
have read it some
place. However, 1 am
trying to recover all
the happy moods I’ve
had since the COV1D
slowed down; now that
it’s jumping up all over
the place I’m unhappy
again. Being fully vac
cinated, 1 still wear a
mask in places of close
contact with a lot of
people. Maybe that
makes people think I’m
not vaccinated? That’s
okay - 1 can whip out
my card that says 1 am!
1 wish everyone would
be.
Trying to find an
swers to mood swings
can send you into more
mood swings. So 1 have
just adopted the “this
too shall pass” mantra,
and little all-day-long
prayers for forgiveness,
grace and stamina.
Learning to want what
you have, instead of
having everything you
want, is probably the
best way to solve the
puzzle of intermittent
gloom.
Being thankful
sometimes is hard -
like during rancorous
government meetings
when I’m trying to be an
honest and thorough re
porter. Jesus said “pray
for your enemies,” but
1 know a few folks who
would find that very
difficult - just because
they think they have
so many “enemies” in
those who don’t think
as they do. People who
are convinced they
have all the answers are
woefully mistaken; they
only hurt themselves by
badgering others who
may have ideas or work
able solutions.
But hey, that sounds
like complaining,
doesn’t it? Better start
saying “thank you, God,
that I’m on the beach
and not bobbing around
waiting to be rescued!”
Besides, today’s my
birthday!
Kay S. Pedrotti has spent some 50
years writing for newspapers. She
is active in the Lamar County com
munity and currently serves as the
president of Lamar Arts. She lives in
Milner with her husband Bob.
The following 251 local
children participated in
the Barnesville-Lamar
County Tales and Tails
Reading Club program
over the summer:
Kyle Addison, Ryan
Addison, Jakyle Akins,
Everly Allen, India
Alsobrooks, Timber
Alsobrooks, Zaidyn Also
brooks, Zaria Alsobrooks,
Raven Anderson, Zane
Anderson, Aav Andrews,
Annaleigh Andrews, Con
ner Andrews, Kayleigh
Andrews, Kennedy An
drews, Clayton Andrews
Jr., Kingston Appling,
Adora Banks, Maddison
Banks, Zaidyn Banks,
Dee Bankston, Ceasia
Bell, Jordan Bell, Olivia
Bernard, Truitt Black-
erby, Weslee Blackerby,
Emmett Blalock, Mills
Blalock, Khloe Boyt,
Ashlyn Brock, Eli Brock,
Haven Broome, Makayla
Brownlee, Zakayla
Brownlee, Landyn Bruice,
Emma Bryan, Madelyn
Bryan, Byran Buckner,
Kaliyah Buckner, Wyatt
Bunn, Finn Bush, A’Vunna
Carter, Ace Carter, Jury
Carter, Kel’Moni Carter,
Aubre Chambers, Skylar
Chatman, Liam Ches-
tosky, Monroe Clinton,
David Collins, Dawn
Collins, William Collins,
Estelle Cormier, Rem
ington Cormier, Able
Daniel, Collier Daniel,
Hannah Daniel, Payton
Daniel, Londyn Davis,
Haydyn Dickerson, Kylar
Dugger, Dillon Ervin,
Grace Ervin, Clayton
Estes, Katie Lane Estes,
Cheyanne Faircloth,
Alana Fambro, Anah
Jema Fambro, Dustin
Ferrier, Hannah Fer-
rier, Kate Ferrier, Chloe
Foster, Cobey Foster,
Demontae Foster, Jadyn
Foster, Joi Fuller, Joshua
Fuller, Cheyenne Gard
ner, League Glawson,
Jhontazz Goggins, Arlon
Graves, Arlondi Graves,
Ayden Graziani, Megan
Greene, Koleigh Guthrie,
Jaycee Gutierrez, Daylen
Hamm, Jay Hamm, Nylah
Hamm, Liam Hammock,
Ryleighmoon Hardy,
Emily Harris, Luke Har
ris, Carson Hartsfield,
Jeremiah Haygood, Lon
dyn Haygood, B. Higan,
R. Higan, Emily Hight
ower, Hunter Hightower,
Kaylan Hightower, Reid
Hill, Rhett Hill, Morgan
Holder, Byron Hughes,
Charlee Hughes, Emma
Hope Hughes, Alice
Hursey, Jayden Ingram,
Jeremiah Ingram, Alexia
Jackson, Briana Jack-
son, Javeon Jackson, AJ
Jennings, Auna Johnson,
Maeve Johnson, Niyuna
Johnson, Sophia John
son, Walker Jones, Kylee
Kington, Anna Kitchings,
Aidyn Korb, Eli Lake,
Jesse Lake, John Luke
Lake, Danielle Landress,
Olivia Landress, Reece
Landress, Kyleigh Laney,
Parketia Lindsey, Quinton
Lindsey, Aniyah Marti
nez, Blake Matthews,
Caroline Matthews, Sadie
McCook, Marley McGill,
Addisun Meadows, Ella
Melton, Emma Melton,
Madison Melton, Abel
Mercer, Blake Mercer,
Aubrey Merritt, Autumn
Merritt, SeMarya Miller,
Alexis Milner, Amber
Mobley, Haven Moore,
Jace Moore, Tayden
Morris, Marlowe Moyer,
Ashton Murphy, Caden
Murphy, Randy Murphy,
Talaijah Murphy, Kaitlyn
Neal, Henry Norswor-
thy, Kaylee Norworthy,
Harlie O’Mary, Piper
O’Mary, Isabella Odom,
Waylon Odom, Lily Ogle,
Desmond Owens, Jyler
Owens, Teegan Owens,
Emmarie Palmer, Gavin
Parker, Hayden Parker,
Micah Parker, Alanah
Pate, Andy Peek, Brad
ley Peek, Luke Peek,
Elizabeth Pressley, Lillian
Rischbieter, William
Rischbieter, Amelia
Rooks, James Rooks, No
lan Saccucci, Arya Sand
ers, Bella Grace Sanders,
John Wyatt Sanders,
Madeline Sanders, Quinn
Sanders, Sawyer Sand
ers, Albert Selph, Austin
Selph, Garrison Selph,
Layton Selph, Amelia
Sieli, Bailey Sieli, Gabriel
Simpson, Raelynn Skaggs,
Avery Smith, Breanna
Smith, Briyonna Smith,
Dantavious Smith, Kyle
Smith, Maddie Smith,
Maddox Smith, Tralyn
Smith, Tyler Smith,
Easton Sneed, Hutson
Sneed, Landon Sneed,
Annalin Solyomvari, Ella
Solyomvari, Luke Soly
omvari, D’Corian Starks,
Robert Swann, Abel
Swatts, Addison Swatts,
Asa Swatts, Asher Swatts,
Montez Tanner, Shelby
Taylor, Haddon Teal,
Mercy Teal, Nola Teal,
Willow Teal, Alexis Thom
as, McKenna Thompson,
Paris Thompson, Xavier
Thurman, Brooke Tolan,
Grayson Tolen, Myla
Tolen, Scarlett Tolen,
Kaylee Town, Makennah
Tucker, Ethan Turner, Sul-
lay Tyus, Zy Yonia Tyus,
Adrian Ventura, Lauren
Ventura, Valeria Ventura,
Caly Walker, Choreigh
Walker, Morgan Walker,
Walt Wallace, Waltiraney
Wallace, Andrew Wil
liams, Ivan Williams,
Carly Williamson, Abram
Worthy, Aaron Yang,
Willow Young, Joseph
Zeager, McKinleah
Zeager.
Aug. 8-14
10 years ago
William Tuttle and
Bart Key, executives at
United Bank, completed
an adventurous sum
mer by climbing to the
summits of Mount St.
Helens and Mount Ranier
in Washington State. The
duo trained hard for six
months, running stadium
bleachers and hiking the
Pine Mountain Trail.
25 years ago
Snap Morgan demand
ed and got a recount
after losing the Dist. 4
county commission race
to incumbent Royce
Turner by three votes.
Turner outpolled Mor
gan, a former commis
sioner, 234-231 and the
recount confirmed the
result.
50 years ago
Milner Methodist
Church was preparing to
celebrate its 100th anni
versary Aug. 15. Rev. J. U.
Little, former pastor now
at Williamson UMC, was
to deliver the keynote
sermon. The church was
organized in 1871 by Rev.
William H. Graham who
was known affectionately
as Uncle Billy.
100 years ago
Elijah Matthews
Barker, 83, died and was
buried at Bethlehem
Cemetery near Triune
Mills in Upson County.
A Confederate veteran,
Barker fought almost
the entire Civil War. He
volunteered in the spring
of 1862 and fought until
he was wounded in the
Battle of Atlanta. Both
his hands were mangled
in the fight.
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divisive.
Send letters to P.O. Box 220, Barnesville, 30204,
email it to news@barnesville.com or drop it by 509
Greenwood Street, Barnesville.
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