Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4A
Mav 21. 2008
Opinion
Declare among the nations,
and publish, and set up a standard;
publish, and conceal not;
Jeremiah 50:2
OUR VIEW
An oinker of a bill
Both houses of Congress passed a $300 billion farm
bill last week that will burden taxpayers for years to
come with more farm subsidies and crop payouts.
As National Review notes, the spending largesse is
worse than the 2002 farm bill, which at the time was
considered the most bloated and wasteful in history.
The bill fattens up direct payments to farmers at a
time when average farm income is hitting record
highs. Even liberal Jay Bookman of the Atlanta
Journal Constitution notes that “farm bills are a scan
dal, and this one’s worst than most. The farm lobby is
a millionaire’s cabal, with sugar states, cotton states,
corn states and others dominating the ag committees
and protecting each other’s sweetheart deals from out
side attack.”
We’re not surprised that our own Rep. Jim Marshall
and Sen. Saxby Chambliss, facing re-election, voted in
favor. As long as more voters demand a government
handout rather than the freedom to keep income
earned in the private sector, we’ll continue to get bigg-
ger government, larger deficits, and heavier tax bur
dens. President Bush has promised a veto. But it will
take a lot of noise from the American people to stop
this debacle. Unfortunately, the loudest noise will like
ly be the happy snorts of those already attached to the
farm handout nipple.
KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR
Name: Minnie Myrick
Age: 37
Education: Jones
County High, Central
Georgia
Technical College
and Harcourt
Learning
Family: spouse
and three chil
dren
Place of wor
ship: Zion Hill
Baptist
Your job: Dock
Associate at new
Dilliard’s in Macon
First Job: commercial
cleaning
Passion: Reading
Favorite possession:
Family pictures
Favorite Movie: “Why
did I get married?”
Favorite book: “From
the Front Pew”
Car you drive: 1993
Mazda Protega
First car: 1986 Pontiac
Sky
Hometown: Gray
Something you’re
considering doing:
Starting my own business
Words you live by:
Live for today
Something you can’t
live without: My family
The thing you are
most proud of: Being a
mom
Thing that keeps you
awake at night: tired
feet
Something
you will never
do again: Pick
at someone’s
weight
Favorite web
site: I have a
variety
If your life
had a theme
song, what
would it be? “Never
would have made it”
If you could start
your life over, what
would you change?
Make better decisions
Food you could eat
everyday: Pizza
Something people
don’t know about you:
I can sing
Worst idea you’ve
ever had: Can’t think of
anything
Best thing about liv
ing in Monroe County:
Friendly people
If you could change
one thing about
Monroe County, what
would it be? I wish
Monroe County had a
movie theater
is published every week by The Monroe County Reporter Inc.
Will Davis, president
Robert M. Williams Jr., vice president
Cheryl S. Williams, secretary-treasurer
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The comments featured on the opinion pages
are the sole creations of the writers, they do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Re
porter management.
Publication No. USPS 997-840)
Point Blank: Cartoons best understood via last week’s Reporter
FOimj.BbAflfe!
Recently overheard at the Kroger gas pumps.,.
Gaseous Maximus
Since 1865
WiIkdmNufEiQ
Hey it says in The
Reporter that gas prices
3re cheaper In Macon
than Forsyth* „ ,
Lies I That ain't
nuthin but lies!
evAds os
On the Porch
Putting the wreck in recreation
My mother spent three
days in Forsyth last week
and got a taste of life in
Monroe County. She went to
Dairy Queen, Grits, Ingles,
the Monroe County Library
and the Monroe County
Recreation Department, and
enjoyed getting to
know our town.
A couple of you
flattering types
commented to her
that you didn’t
know I had a sister.
With comments like
that, she’ll definitely
be back.
We’ve
bragged on
Monroe
County a lot
to our family:
about our good school sys
tem, the friendly people, our
excellent restaurants and
bustling little business dis
trict. And that held up, until
we visited the recreation
department.
Yes, part of the fun of hav
ing mom here was that she
got to see her granddaugh
ter, Abbie, in the playoffs of
the 8 and under softball
league. You regular readers
(both of you) know we’ve
talked about the,
ahem, interesting
things that have
been going on at 8
and under softball
games this year.
Well, I thought by
shining the light of
exposure on it a few
weeks ago,
some people
might think
twice before
pulling a
Bobby Cox in front of 7-8
year olds. And they had,
until Friday night.
A very close game ended
with a coach’s disagreement
over the score. That led to a
shouting match between
coaches behind the bleach
ers as puzzled parents and
kids watched. My mother
looked on in utter amaze
ment. One coach’s wife was
seen sprinting out of the
ballpark with a scorebook
hidden in her clothes.
Officials declared the game
over, as it stood.
The next day my brother
and his family were coming
to join us for Game 2 of the
playoffs, and we braced for
more fun of the World
Wrestling Federation vari
ety. But, alas, we got a call
later that night to say there
had been another incident
in the second game. It seems
a parent stormed onto the
field during that contest and
started offering cash to the
umpires for better calls.
Fed up, recreation officials
decided to suspend the sea
son for the 8 and under
girls. As they should have.
Folks, I am not writing
this to lay blame. There are
so many people at the rec
department serving our kids
by coaching, umpiring and
helping. Recreation is too
good of a thing to be ruined
by overzealous parents and
coaches. Sports, especially at
this age, should be about
sportsmanship. It’s about
learning to yield your own
self-interest to something
greater: your team, the
other team, etc., and espe
cially to accept that life, and
sport, is not always fair. Big
deal, get over it. Sadly, the
kids seem to know that a lot
better than some adults.
Next year, I’m told the recre
ation department may
impose higher standards
before naming coaches. This
may be the thing that
makes the rec department
once again safe for visitors
to our county. Heck, we may
even get to finish a season!
It can only get better, right?
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Time to call ‘strike three’
To the editor:
t seems from reading the let
ters to the editor May 7 that
many people in Monroe County
are concerned with teaching
young people to be team play
ers and follow established rules; I
agree. This being the case, it is time
to sign some of the the county com
missioners up for t-ball. It takes a lot
of patience dealing with t-ball play
ers, but you have to start somewhere.
Going on six years ago, I stood before
the county commissioners and point
ed out to them that they were not
following the rules , the rules being
the home rule legislation written in
black and white that should be
understood and followed. After let
ters to the editor and statements to
the board for the next two years, two
of the rules were changed; not legal
ly, but changed. This left four or five
that still needed to be changed or fol
lowed, so I continued to bring this to
their attention. Last year, 2007,1
was assigned a desk in the annex
building and asked if I would recom
mend changes to the code, which I
did. Another year has passed without
action.
The following oath, "I, (name), duly
elected commissioner for Monroe
County, do solemnly swear that I will
discharge the duties for said office to
the best of my ability; so help me
God." Considering this and the per
formance review above, I cannot but
conclude that the commissioners
have little ability, considering that
Harold Carlisle is chairman and
should provide leadership. I would be
concerned if he were appointed cap
tain of the t-ball team. Citizens of
Monroe County, being the umpire of
this game, it is time to call ‘strike
three, next batter!’
Mick Ashmore
Monroe County
Keep liquor out of our neighborhood
To the editor:
am putting an appeal out there
for homeowners in District 4 to
help me stop a piece of proper
ty located at 6418 Hwy. 42 N
from being rezoned to a com
mercial property. If it gets rezoned
commercial, the owners can apply for
a liquor license and it would not go
to public notice. I as a homeowner
around the corner bought our proper
ty because I wanted to live out in the
country. If I wanted to be near
restaurants and stores and bars, I
would have purchased my home else
where. There is a county commission
ers meeting on May 20 at 6 p.m. I
urge people in District 4 to attend
this meeting, let us keep our neigh
borhood a family friendly area. Jim
Peters is our county commissioner.
Kristen Richardson
Forsyth
Editor’s note: The Reporter received
word at presstime that this rezoning
application had been cancelled.
Proud of survivor who keeps fighting
To the editor:
here is a special lady in our community who I
am certain most everyone knows. She has had
many trials and battles like everyone, but her
greatest fight happened about a year and a
half ago. Dorothy Edge was diagnosed with
colon cancer. She is one of the strongest people I know.
She looked cancer right in its face, took it on and won the
fight. For all of us who know her we all know she is one
fighting lady.
I am kind of partial to her because she is my adopted
grandmother. When I first heard the news I felt like
someone had kicked me in the stomach. I said to myself
“not her, please God don’t let this be happening to her.
She can’t leave us.” She is such a wonderful wife, mother
and “Maw Maw.” Life just would not be the same without
her. Well fortunately, and by God’s grace we don’t have to
worry about that for awhile.
Well after her diagnosis she was scheduled for very
extensive surgery that lasted 17 plus hours. She ended
up spending the Christmas of 2006 in the hospital, but
her family nor Santa forgot about her. Who could? I am
so proud of her for fighting the way she has. I pray every
one with this terrible disease will fight just like she has.
I thank God everyday for helping her with her fight and
her winning the battle. We are so proud of you Aunt
Dorothy. I could not imagine a day without you. Thanks
for fighting for yourself and your family.
Jessica F. Starr
Forsyth