About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 2020)
10A OPINION Sttnes gainesvilletimes.com Weekend Edition-December 12-13, 2020 Shannon Casas Editor in Chief | 770-718-3417 | scasas@gainesvilletimes.com Submit a letter: letters@gainesvilletimes.com The First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. JIM POWELL I For The Times EDITORIAL Maintain balance Important role of the Congress is to serve as limit on power of presidency Editor’s note: Not all members of The Times editorial board are in agreement with the opinions expressed in this editorial. The members of the board are published weekly at the bottom of this page. We do not believe it is an exaggera tion to say that we are at a crisis point in the government of our nation. On one side are political opponents of the sitting president who anx iously await their chance to claim total control of the government so as to change the political direction of the country completely, and in so doing, undo some of what the current administration has done. On the other side are factions who refuse to accept the outcome of this year’s presidential election and are willing to destroy the entire founda tion of our government and under mine the rule of law in an attempt to keep the incumbent in office. Neither of those opposing extremes will serve the future of the nation well. Barring some monumental discov ery of proof that a concerted effort existed to illegally impact the results of the presidential election, which at this point seems unlikely to happen, we have to assume that Joe Biden will become the president on Inaugu ration Day in January. We think that fact, coupled with the reality that the U.S. House of Repre sentatives remains firmly under the control of the president’s political party, make it urgently important that the U.S. Senate maintain a Republican majority. The people of Georgia can make sure that happens. Ours is supposed to be a national government with three separate branches which serve as checks and balances for one another. An important role of the Congress is to serve as a limit on the power of the presidency, so that the nation’s chief executive does not take on a role of governmental omnipotence. In recent years, the partisanship that has come to define Washington has meant that the respective houses of Congress have in some instances abandoned their role of restraining the power of the president, choosing instead to elevate the concept of party allegiance to priority status. Now, more than ever, we fear that if both houses of the Congress are con trolled by the president’s party, the opportunities for opposing opinions to be heard and to have merit will be few and far between, and the need for reasonable and intelligent political compromise will be non-existent. There is ample frustration that comes from having the president and the Congress at odds, such as has been the case for months with proposals to provide financial help a nation suffering through a pandemic economy. But that is better than having a Congress that does nothing more than rubberstamp a presiden tial agenda, replacing the need for debate and compromise with an eagerness to coordinate and approve. It is hard to have a badly needed system of checks and balances if all who participate are speaking from the same partisan playbook. For his entire term, President Donald Trump has been stymied by the necessity of working through Congress to get things done. He would have much preferred a government structure that gave more power to the office of president, so that whatever he decreed should happen would in fact be done. And yet, that’s not the way our government is designed to work, nor should it. We are convinced that the need for a Congress to limit the power of the presidency is vital to the survival of our democratic republic. And in this election, that means returning Geor gia’s incumbent Republicans to the U.S. Senate. The two Republican candidates have staked out questionable posi tions in the post-election chaos and have championed courses of action with which we disagree relative to the veracity of the voting process. Even so, maintaining a system of check and balances within the gov ernment is of paramount importance. There is a concerted effort among supporters of the president to con vince Georgians not to vote in the upcoming runoff election. Two high profile attorneys who have been at the forefront of legal battles challeng ing Trump’s defeat have been vocal in saying the residents of our state should not vote because they cannot trust the election process. We do not believe that to be true. The state’s system of elections has been under a bigger microscope for the past six weeks. Other than conspiracy theories spread on social media and indefensible legal chal lenges by lawyers whose proficiency in their professions has to be suspect, there has been no credible evidence presented of any widespread, coordi nated effort that would have changed the outcome of the presidential elec tion on Nov. 3. The president himself, appear ing in Valdosta last weekend, urged Georgians to return to the polls and vote in the election. We think our nation is best served when the highest possible number of legally registered voters participate in any election, regardless of their political party. We hope the turnout for Jan. 5 will be reflective of the importance of the decisions being made at the ballot box. Whether they choose to do so by absentee ballot, early voting or visiting the polls on the day of the runoff, Georgians should vote, and we believe they can do so with confi dence in the electoral system. We think our federal government will be better for us all if a Republi can majority retains control of the Senate. The voters of our state can make that happen. We hope they do. We are convinced that the need for a Congress to limit the power of the presidency is vital to the survival of our democratic republic. And in this election, that means returning Georgias incumbent Republicans to the U.S. Senate. 15 years after Berry, I know my education was superb I graduated from Berry College 15 years ago this week. If you’ve ever been to Berry, you’re now think ing something along the lines of, “Oh, that’s a beautiful campus.” It is, and I don’t think a year has gone by since December 2005 that I haven’t thought about how much I value the experi ences I had there. Seeing deer graze in the field along the road that led to what’s referred to as mountain campus. Wor shiping in Frost Chapel, its stone, wood and metal architecture still one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Spreading a blanket out on the grass to do some homework, with the daintiest little white flowers covering the lawn. As a high schooler, I considered a few other colleges, but I applied just to Berry. I’m sure I didn’t fully understand the financial implica tions at the time of private vs. public school, but I also got a good bit of financial aid thanks to my being the goody two-shoes kid who earned mostly straight-As. In any case, it was worth every penny. As a rising freshman, I was so excited that I remember searching the internet for anything I could learn about Berry. There was no Reddit in those days, and I don’t think I was able to learn much. Now, you can get an immersive experience on the Berry College website to learn all about the dorms and every other aspect of life at Berry. As a freshman, I moved into the Morton Lem- ley dorm, my parents and I lugging a big tube TV and awkward, bulky computer monitor and com puter — because those were two different things in those days — up two flights of stairs. I will always remember the deep purple shade of the carpet in that dorm and the learning curve of living with someone new. My roommate and I eventually became the best of friends, living together at the campus townhomes and later Thomas Berry suites. Berry now has dorms that look more like posh ski resort accommodations than dorms. There are outdoor fireplaces built into the stone walls, adirondack chairs and glass panes reaching toward the sky. The immersive experience on the website assured me, though, that some of the dorms still look like dorms, with their twin bed, desk and drawers. What drew me to Berry wasn’t the dorms, of course. And the beauty of the campus was only part of it. More important to me was the feel of the institution — a focus on academics and faith. I don’t know how many times I heard the phrase “head, heart and hands,” while at Berry. The mission of education in those three areas is integral to the Berry experience. As a student, it certainly felt like a cliche pulled out by every administrator at every event, but the mission seeped into every part of Berry. My professors challenged me. I recall sitting in a rhetoric and writing class wondering if it was possible for my brain to physically hurt from thinking too hard. That professor, who I only had for the one class, pushed us to think through our arguments, prewriting persuasive essays by jot ting down question upon question upon question and then determining how to answer those ques tions. There are quite a few times I’ve wished I could enroll someone in the class. No matter your argument, you should make it well. I’d take the class again, too. Berry is a caring place, too. It’s not closely tied with any religious denomination, but faith is important to many of the students. I learned a lot about how to relate to others. Some of that was the byproduct of living with people of different backgrounds and personalities. Something seems to tie Berry students together, too, though. When I learn now that someone went to Berry, it usually makes perfect sense to me based on what I know about his or her character. Berry also puts its students to work. It’s cer tainly got its share of required book learning, but work experience matters. I worked in the dining hall my freshman year. I recall showing up to class smelling like French fries after a shift frying up sandwiches. I also worked in the child development center on campus. Later I spent evenings once a week in a windowless tower of the castle-like Ford complex putting together the weekly student newspaper. It was hard work, and I’m better for it. I learned much in my first few years at The Times — including some of the ins and outs of planning and commission board meetings and how that affected what headline to write — but my experiences at the campus paper and in my communication classes laid a strong foundation. Berry College laid a strong foundation, helping me learn not what to think but how to think and providing a space for me to grow into a better ver sion of myself. I wish everyone could be so lucky as to have the opportunity of a Berry education. Shannon Casas is editor in chief of The Times and a North Hall resident. SHANNON CASAS scasas@gainesville times.com (the (Times Founded Jan. 26,1947 345 Green St., Gainesville, GA 30501 gainesvilletimes.com EDITORIAL BOARD General Manager Norman Baggs Editor in Chief Shannon Casas Community members Cheryl Brown Brent Hoffman David George J.C. Smith Mandy Harris Tom Vivelo To submit letters: Send emails to letters@gainesvilletimes.com or thecontactformatgainesvilletimes. com. Include name, hometown and phone number. Letters are limited to one per writer in a month’s time on topics of public interest and may be edited for content and length (limit 500 words). Submitted items may be published in print, electronic or other forms. Letters, columns and cartoons express the opinions of the authors and not of The Times.
