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PAGE 4-A
—Page of Opinion
Looking To 1980
It’s been an historic year in
Houston County.
We've seen many things tran
spire during the past year that
have challenged us, weakened us,
strengthened us and given us
promise for the year ahead.
We must contend with com
mitments and consequences of
yesterday, but look ahead with
hope.
This coming year will bring us
events for which we’ve already laid
the foundation. And as we lay stone
upon stone, maybe a time will
come when our task will be held
sacred and men will say, “this is
what our fathers did for us.”
Whatever we do, maybe we can
be doing it with a view to the future,
not for the present alone, but in a
way that our descendants will
Ground Rules Needed
The fact that neither major party
has moved to establish official
ground rules for Georgia’s first
presidential primary set for March
11 may be confusing to Houston
Countians charged with monitoring
the balloting.
Until the political parties inform
the Georgia secretary of state’s
office what the rules will be, un
certainty exists as to how to con
duct the election, what the
balloting will decide and even the
deadline for registering to vote in
the primary.
Nevertheless, one aspect that
What About Flu Shots?
These days, Houston County
consumers are extremely safety
conscious. Increasingly, their
caution is extending into the
medical field as more and more
people show greater concern for
their own health care.
A case in point is the question of
vaccination against influenza.
Some people, weighing the risks of
side effects against the benefits of
vaccination against flu, choose to
risk getting the illness. For some of
them -- young and healthy in
dividuals -- an attack of flu may
mean little more than a week of
aches, pain, and bed rest. The
benefits of vaccination may not
seem as important to them.
But to a person suffering from
asthma, to the elderly, or to
someone with emphysema, vac
cination may be a lifesaver. Older
people and any one suffering from
heart, kidney, respiratory, or other
chronic diseases are especially
vulnerable to attack secondary
infections that can ravage a body
The 1980 General Assembly
The General Assembly is going
into session and lawmakers are
hard at work creating, changing
and deleting statutes which will
affect each of us individually.
Public participation in the state
legislative process is light and it
often forces our lawmakers to
make decisions on bills which is not
popular with a particular com
munity.
You can change that system and
it will work to your advantage.
Our representatives in the state
legislature will have a chance to
vote on every piece of legislation
which comes out of the hopper
Their decision on how to vote on
any one bill is based on a
culmination of things, but the most
important has to be how their
communities feel about the issue.
The attitude that one opinion isn’t
very effective has a measure of
truth. But if individually a lot of
people let their representatives
know how they feel about certain
issues, it can change the thinking of
the lawmaker.
Normally, it doesn’t take any
longer to sit down and write how
you feel about an issue than it does
to read the TV section of a
newspaper. Or, if putting your
feelings down in writing is hard for
thank us for.
Man has always been curious
about what the future brings and
about things unknown, and as
tradition holds, we will make
history and be responsible for each
passing day.
The year ahead brings us new
opportunities: the past is
challenging us to make it better.
Next year, we will have an extra
day to open up the new decade
1980 is Leap Year. Leap Year is
necessary to keep the Gregorian
calendar in tune with the solar
year.
Welcome to the new year to the
time that it brings to get on with the
business of life.
As it comes, hopefully we can
look backward with an appraising
eye, then go in search of the better
tomorrow.
can be stressed is that those per
sons not registered to vote ought to
do so now. This includes persons
just turning 18, or those who will be
that age by March 11.
It might also apply to persons
who have not voted in at least one
election in the past three years, and
who accordingly may have been
removed from the voter lists
because of state-mandated voter
purges.
So, while the elections board is
awaiting instructions on the
primaries, Houston Countians
ought not wait to register to vote.
weakened by the flu. These in
fections come in the form of
pneumonia, encephalitis, acute
kidney failure, and nervous system
disorders. All are diseases that can
be fatal.
Sqjne of those vaccinated may
have mild reactions that include
tenderness and reddening of the
inoculation site or slight illness
lasting a day or two. Severe
reactions occur rarely and don’t
usually lead to permanent damage,
although fatalities have occurred
on rare occasions.
The Georgia Lung Association
urges those at high risk of suffering
potentially fatal complications of
influenza -- older people and those
with chronic illness -- to weigh the
relatively slight risks of side ef
fects against the overwhelming
benefits that vaccination may
afford. If you’re a member of this
“high- risk group’’, talk to your
physician about getting vaccinated
against the flu. Protect yourself
from the dangerous complications
that influenza can bring.
you, pick up the telephone and call.
Legislators generally can use
written material better when
taking action on a specific piece of
legislation.
Keeping in touch with the laws
which are being proposed is a
responsibility of each and every
person. Keeping your represen
tative informed falls into the same
category.
Many times after legislation
becoms law it is not uncommon to
hear people complain about having
it shoved down their throats.
Contact with a representative
could help cut back on those
complaints.
If you are concerned about what
your legislators are doing write
them or call them today. Listed
below are the names, addresses
and telephone numbers of our
representatives.
Rep. Larry Walker, Rep. Sonny
Watson, and Rep. Ted Waddle can
be written at the Georgia House of
Representatives, State Capitol,
Atlanta, Ga. 30334 and can be
reached by phone at this toll free
number 1-800-282-5800.
Senator Ed Barker can be
written at the Georgia State
Senate, State Capitol, Atlanta, Ga.
30334 and phoned at 1-800-282-5803,
a 101 l free number also.
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 1980
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ANOTHER CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT
County SfrnGg Clf
■EL
BY JOEL FERGUSON
According to a press release we
received recently at The Home
Journal, Fred Weiland 111 wants to
be President of the United States of
America.
And one thing I’ll have to say for
Mr. Weiland is that he is not at a
loss for words when it comes to
outlining his campaign.
To destroy inflation, minimize
unemployment and prevent
depression, Weiland says the many
working people who produce all the
wealth must attack the greed that
causes a few super-rich to want to
own everything.
He goes on to say greed is
emotional illness, the unreasonable
desire to possess far more than one
produces -- to possess for more
than one can even use. In the case
of the super-rich, Weiland says
greed is the insanity of desiring
more than one can even count or
keep track of.
“To prevent the sickness of greed
in the super-rich, without limiting
the healthy ambition of persons
ready, willing, and able to work for
their wealth, we need to define the
border between greed and am
bition,” Weiland writes. “We must
allow for enough profit (unearned
income) to encourage working
savers to invest in new job
producing enterprise - so that
eventually jobs will chase men,
instead of men having to chase
jobs. There should be enough profit
opportunity so that one who saves
and invests during his middle years
can have enough income from
investment to provide a decent
living in his retirement years.”
Weiland suggests that two limits
be established by law to prevent
the few super-rich from exploiting
the many super-workers in
America. According to the can
didate, wealth beyond these limits
would pass automatically to the
federal government for reduction
of the national debt.
To achieve this objective, he said
the limits should be set, not by
Congress, but by referendum, so
that each voter can express his
judgement and the result will be
the average of all our best
judgements.
Weiland said the two limits he’s
talking about are net worth and
unearned income. He defines net
worth as the dollar value of all of
one’s possessions in excess of one’s
debts. He added that unearned
income is excess rent, excess profit
on investment and excess interest
on loans.
So what do we do about this
situation? Weiland said if the two
limits set by voter referendum
were 12 million net worth and five
percent annual unearned income,
the effects might work out as
shown in the following examples.
To accumulate $1 million,
Weiland says a person must save
$20,000 every year for 20 years. He
adds that few of us will be able to
work that long or save that much.
Therefore, he believes that very
few working savers would be
hindered at all in their healthy
ambition to produce, save and
invest for reasonable profit.
At the five percent limit on an
nual unearned income, he points
out that the millionaire would have
$50,000 yearly to live on -- far more
than the great majority of
productive workers can honestly
earn.
At this point, I somehow get the
feeling that Welland’s ideas will
probably appeal to almost
everybody except millionaires.
Anyway, he goes on to say that if
the voters set a million dollar limit
on net worth, only the greedy few
would have their standard of living
reduced to something more health
ful for themselves. He also men
tions that productive Americans
would have a fairer chance for a
better life, especially in their later
years.
“Inflation would be reduced
drastically by squeezing out the
hundreds of billions of dollars in
excess rents, profits, and interest
built in to the prices of most of the
goods and services we buy today
with rents, profits and interest
being raised even more,” Weiland
states. “Taxes could be lowered
because the excess wealth of the
super-rich could be used to pay off
at least SIOO billion worth of the
national debt annually for several
years. I estimate the tax saving
would amount to several hundred
dollars per person per year.”
Weiland said he urges all voters
to send postcards telling their
Senators and Representatives to
legislate a referendum im
mediately so that the voters can
establish greed limits on net worth
and unearned income to cure in
flation.
“Remember, inflation didn’t
come about just because Arabs and
oil companies had a one-time
windfall profit,” Weiland observes.
“It has been building for many
years, at just about the same rate
as excess rent, excess profit, and
excess interest -- excesses imposed
on nearly all manufacturers,
merchants, and employees
throughout our economic system.”
Weiland says you can elect him
President by marking your “X” for
“F 3”.
“Just strike out any printed
presidential candidate’s name,
write in F 3, and put your X on the
box beside it,” Weiland said.
‘-Bobby
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OUT ON A \^/
BRANCH
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Are You Happy?
Results of a 32 year medical study on hap
piness were released recently and the study
simply showed that it is a lot better to be happy
than to be unhappy.
The study seriously shows that people with
anxiety, depression and other emotional
problems stand a good chance of getting old
early or not living to ripe old age ... whichever
comes first. On the other hand, the happy person
stands a much better chance of fighting off
physical and mental illnesses and will
presumably grow old gracefully and healthy.
Reading the study set me to thinking about just
what makes me happy. I am sure we all have
different things that make us happy but as we
enter 1980 here is a list of some of the things that
make me happy ... Perhaps you share in some of
them.
HAPPINESS IS:
Harmony amongst family and friends.
A cup of hot coffee on a cold morning.
Getting an unsuspected compliment on
something you have done.
A mess of fried, roe mullet and cheese grits.
Your Georgia Power bill going down one
month.
Finding out you overpaid the Internal Revenue
Service.
Being healthy.
Being loved.
A warm fire on a cold night.
The aroma of real homemade chili simmering
on the stove.
Some of your children still young enough to
kiss you good night.
Real smoked, country sausage and grits on a
frosty morning.
Getting the weeks editorials and column
written before deadline.
Getting a scoop news story.
Losing five pounds and someone noticing it.
Taking a walk in the deep woods alone.
A smile from a child.
A good, high school football game.
The Falcons winning a ballgame.
A Sunday afternoon nap in your favorite chair.
Fried chicken and cold beer consumed at
Sanford Stadium on a football Saturday af
ternoon with good friends.
Not having to apologize for anything ... if that’s
possible.
Being able to wear last year’s jacket.
A slice of lemon chess pie from the New Perry
Hotel.
Watching a sunset on the Georgia coast.
Walking a deserted beach on a summer af
ternoon.
And, I guess, happiness is simply, being happy
with your family, your job, your life .... Are you
happy? „ —~
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The Houston Home Journal
OFFICIAL ORGAN CITY OF PERRY
AND HOUSTON COUNTY, GEORGIA, SINCE 1870
1010 CARROLL ST., P.O. DRAWER M, PERRY, OA., 31069
PHONE (912) 987 1823 OR NIGHTS (912) 987-1690
BOBBY BRANCH PHIL BYRD
Editor—Publisher General Manager
TONYBLAKLEY JOEL FERGUSON
Advertising Mgr. News Editor
TERRY WOOD
jr-L Features, Photographer
JUNE VOGT
AjL Bookkeeper, Proofing
iuOTfcjL/ DONNAOENNARD
Composition, Circulation
FRANK RUSSO
A {Jublujtioii EMILY MONTGOMERY
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