Newspaper Page Text
Page 4A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Opinions
Just who owns that property anyway?
hen I first
moved to the
area over 42
years ago, 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 trucks.
1 noticed also that it was
never the same doors. 1
was puzzled but, being
young, naive and some
what shy, 1 did not ask 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 mus
tard and a cup of coffee. 1
discerned that both had
multiple rental properties.
They also had multiple
tenants in common, 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 CO-
V1D crisis. Governments at
the federal, state
and local levels
moved to impose
restrictions on
evictions due to
the pandemic
and many rent
ers being out of
work. That was a
kind and compas
sionate move or it
would have been
if initiated by a
landlord with a
conscience. But,
when government
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 benefits
to the point people took
home more cash if they
just stayed home instead
of taking one of the mil
lions of jobs that returned
as COV1D lock-
downs faded
away, hopefully
never to return.
It doesn’t take
a genius to figure
out what hap
pened next, some
of the folks taking
all this govern
ment cash still
didn’t pay all or
part of their rent
both current and
past due. They
expected the
moratoriums would be
continued, were correct in
that assumption and lived
rent free.
The good and com
passionate move on
the part of the various
governments turned into
a disaster for owners of
those rental properties
who were still expected
to pay property taxes and
maintain their properties
to the standard they had
when they actually col
lected rent.
During the summer
as COVID seemed to be
subdued, many called for
the moratoriums to be
lifted and, late last month,
most of them expired and
evictions were once again
allowed. Then, on Aug. 3,
the Centers for Disease
Control issued orders tem
porarily halting evictions
in areas with high rates of
the new Delta COVID vari
ant. The CDC is supposed
ly a health agency though
its guidance on dealing
with the virus has mean
dered all over the place
and never really exhibited
any clarity. The CDC has
no business in the hous
ing business and has no
authority over landlords.
In fact, no government at
any level should be in the
housing 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. 1 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.
GEIGER’S
COUNTER
Walter Geiger
Editor & Publisher
Change your camp,
improve your home
tiny bit by bit
BY CHARLES WHATLEY
cbwhatley@hotmail.com
Some of you have
read Bret Harte’s “The
Luck of Roaring Camp.”
It’s the story of a baby
born to Cherokee Sal in
a mining camp; she dies
and the
men in the
camp are
left to raise
the baby ...
they named
him Tom
my Luck.
They talked
about
hiring a
woman
to raise
Tommy
Luck, but
any woman
who would come to
their “roaring camp”
wouldn’t be a fit moth
er. So the camp begins
to change ... bit by bit!
Jesus even told a
little story in Mark 4 de
scribing what happens,
“[26] Jesus went on to
say, “The Kingdom of
God is like this. A man
scatters seed in his
field. [27] He sleeps at
night, is up and about
during the day, and all
the while the seeds are
sprouting and growing.
Yet he does not know
how it happens. ...[29]
When the grain is ripe,
the man starts cutting
it with his sickle, be
cause harvest time has
come.”
The miners knew
they’d have to clean
out a cabin for Tommy
to live in and they
bought a mail-order
rosewood cradle for
him. It made the other
furniture look bad and
so they replaced all
the furniture. Anyone
who wanted to hold the
baby had to bathe and
clean up for the privi
lege. Slowly and qui
etly the circle around
Tommy Luck’s little
cabin grew until the en
tire camp was a quieter
and cleaner place... it
was no longer the “roar
ing camp” of the story’s
title.
Our
word for
the week is
“morality”
and our
Scripture
is from 2
Corinthi
ans 5, “[9]
More than
anything
else,
however,
we want
to please
(God), whether in our
home here or there.
[10] For all of us must
appear before Christ, to
be judged by him. We
will each receive what
we deserve, according
to everything we have
done, good or bad, in
our bodily life.” Moral
ity is the good in “good
and bad.”
If you invite Jesus
into your life, then it
follows that your life
will begin to change. It’s
not a “grit-your-teeth”
and “clean up-your-
life” sort of change.
It’s more the “Tommy
Luck” sort of change.
Gradually, without
really sitting down to
make a comprehensive,
rest-of-your-life plan for
change; you just begin
to change bit-by-tiny
bit. Morality replaces
immorality!
Charles 'Buddy' Whatley is a
retired United Methodist pastor
serving Woodland and Bold Springs
UMC and, with Mary Ella, a mis
sionary to the Navajo Reservation
in Arizona.
What’s the key to joy? Be thankful!
KAY S. PEDROTTI
kayspedrotti@gmail.com
Every day that goes
by, I get mad at myself
for griping about “little
stuff.” My aches and
pains are so minor com
pared to those of other
people I know who really
do suffer from whatever
ails them. My husband is
wonderful to me, my chil
dren and grandchildren
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 I really don’t have
anything to complain
about - and yet I do
whine. I think most of us
have little aggravations,
and days when every
thing seems to go wonky.
The other day I had a
few setbacks here and
there and began thinking
of myself as the
person walking
on the beach
who saw a “mes
sage 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; I might
have read it someplace.
However, I am trying to
recover all the happy
moods I’ve had since
the COVID slowed down;
now that it’s jumping up
all over the place I’m un
happy again. Being fully
vaccinated, I still wear a
mask in places of close
contact with a lot of peo
ple. Maybe that makes
people think I’m
not vaccinated?
That’s okay -1
can whip out
my card that
says I am! I wish
everyone would
be.
Trying to
find answers to
mood swings
can send you
into more mood swings.
So I have just adopted
the “this too shall pass”
mantra, and little all-day
long prayers for forgive
ness, grace and stamina.
Learning to want what
you have, instead of hav
ing everything you want,
is probably the best way
to solve the puzzle of
intermittent gloom.
Being thankful some
times is hard - like
during rancorous govern
ment meetings when I’m
trying to be an honest
and thorough reporter.
Jesus said “pray for
your enemies,” but I
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 badger
ing others who may have
ideas or workable solu
tions.
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!”
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 Pedrotti.
Kay S. Pedrotti
SUBMITTED PHOTO
FFA officers include (front row l-r) Maelee Hendrix, Mia McGurl, Lilli Moore, Lilly-June Prewitt (back row l-r) Bailey Powers, Mi
chael Matthews, Carter Steele, Brayden Pilkenton, Gil Johnson, Braylen Thompson, Landon Goodman and Noah Keffer.
High school FFA officers for the 2021-22 school year announced
Pike County High
School’s 2021-22 FFA Of
ficer Team were recently
announced after being
selected from 20 candi
dates who were vying for
the positions. Candidates
take part in an extensive
interview process with
the Chapter FFA Officer
Nominating Commit
tee leading up to the
selection. The new team
was announced during
the annual Pike County
FFA Banquet.
The new FFA officers
include President Mia
McGurl, Vice Presi
dent of Growing Lead
ers Brayden Pilkenton,
Vice President of Build
ing Communities Maelee
Hendrix, Vice President
of Strengthening Agricul
ture Carter Steele, Sec
retary Lily-June Prewitt,
Treasurer Gil Johnson,
Reporter Lilli Moore, Sen
tinel Bailey Powers, His
torian Michael Matthews,
Parliamentarian Braylen
Thompson, Quarter Mas
ter Landon Goodman and
Chaplin Noah Keffer.
Founded in 1928, the
former “Future Farm
ers of America” brought
together students, teach
ers, and agribusiness
to solidify support for
agricultural education.
The name of the organi
zation was changed to
the National FFA Organi
zation in 1988 to reflect
the growing diversity of
agriculture. Today, more
than 700,000 student
members are engaged in
a wide range of agricul
tural education activities
Pike County
Journal
Reporter
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
P.0. Box 789
16026 Barnesville St.
Zebulon, Ga. 30295
770.567.3446
The Pike County Journal
Reporter is the official
organ of Pike County, the
cities of Zebulon, Molena,
Meansville, Williamson
and Concord. It is
published weekly by
Hometown Newspapers
Inc. Second class
postage is paid at the
Zebulon, Ga Post Office.
Publishers; Walter and
Laura Geiger; staff:
Jennifer Taylor,
Brenda Sanchez and
Rachel McDaniel.
AT PIKE
BY BWAIN W. PENN
100 YEARS AGO
August 12, 1921: Pike County residents read of
a Lamar County funeral for Frank Hunt of Milner,
killed in France during the “war of the world” and
his remains had recently arrived stateside. Hunt
was a soldier of Christ and of this country: his
death was noble, his example worth emulating.
75 YEARS AGO
August 15,1946: Although other schools in Pike
opened September 2, it would be at least October be
fore the new Meansville school was ready. Until then,
elementary grades were housed at Concord while the
first two and last two grades were bussed to Zebulon.
50 YEARS AGO
August 13, 1971: The Georgia Baptist Children’s
Home announced plans to build a chapel on the
property. The $140,000 building was a gift of W.R.
Cox of Atlanta, a trustee of the home, and would be
named in honor of his wife, Ruth Still Cox.
25 YEARS AGO
August 14, 1996: The Pirates high school foot
ball team with head coach James Knowles, was
optimistic of a great season. Ralph Hogan from
Jackson High was hired to work with coach Jimmy
Sessions on defense.