Newspaper Page Text
December 2, 2009
PAGE 5A
On the outside looking in
And so just
who is ‘we’?
BY DONALD JACKSON DANIEL
lack Friday is not an American African
holiday. The Friday after Thanksgiving,
as we all should know by having been
bombarded with just about every pocket-
book and credit card advertisement, is
the day merchants attempt to make up the money
they have so called lost during the prior 10 months.
In other words, make a profit in one day.
In my opinion, it should be called “Green Friday”
which is more fitting for the colors of the season.
You know, like mistletoe, wreaths, Christmas trees,
dollar bills. You get my drift.
So here’s hoping you are not in
the “red” after Black Friday
and have some “green” left
over so you can pay your coun
ty taxes.
You can bet the county is not
going to have a “Black
Monday” on Dec. 28 when our
county taxes due! No special
deals. It’s either the full
amount or an interest penalty
plan that your credit cards
offer.
NOW to the headline of this
column. As you are aware, the
Monroe County Board of
Education in essence “fired”
the principal of Hubbard Elementary. She still has
a job and is probably at the same principal’s salary.
So what’s the problem?
Hats off to the BOE for being responsive to par
ents whose children attend the school and general
public concern. Their voices were heard and the
majority of the BOE, being a publicly elected board,
was attentive and acted dutifully, representing the
majority of the citizens it serves. I don’t understand
why the former BOE chairman, who represents the
Forsyth district, would abstain from voting. Also,
wonder where two other absent BOE other mem
bers were at such a pivotal and crucial time. Maybe
attempting to avoid controversy?
The Board’s action was met with some mixed
emotions but stronger threats with the comment
from a former mayoral candidate—who once didn’t
know where he lived—with the reported comment,
“We will get some answers, whether we get them
now or have to go through the law” further stating,
“we won’t stop until this is has been corrected.”
Duh! It has been corrected. The former principal
has a job!
So, who is “we” and a “large group of supporters”?
Is it the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference, or a group who doesn’t accept a basic
American freedom of “the majority rules?”
Here is my question, with an opening statement
first: the principal is an American African, as is the
former mayoral candidate and members of SCLC.
That should not make any difference whatsoever.
But it does since that is what is promoted and
advocated in our “One Nation Under God.” Here’s
the “what if” question: would the former mayoral
candidate, the SCLC make the efforts for a princi
pal to keep her job if she had been, American
Caucasian, Asian, Spanish or any other than an
American African?
Please quit making us look at our Monroe County
as being divisive as far as color, race, ethnicity and
religion because you are dividing our fantastic
Monroe County into opposite polar positions based
on misguided and self-serving beliefs. I was taught
at a very early age, you have to earn respect,
because if it is given to you, then you become disre
spected.
ON THE lighter side, I got my first Christmas
card on Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was from
the Monroe County Commissioners and, believe it
or not, it was “signed” by all five. I wonder if they
were rubber stamped signatures or personally
signed? Anyway, thank you and a Merry Christmas
to each of you. You are fun to write about.
HEY, did you see the story on a Macon television
station about “Forsyth Prepares for DOC Arrival”?
One of the most interesting points of the story was
how the local Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber
helped create a “readiness group”. According to the
story, the group is comprised of “about 30 people
divided into three sub-groups for infrastructure,
community development and quality of life.”
Wonder what the 30 Group have recommended?
Why don’t you tell us? Are your minutes public
record? If not, they should be. Promote what you
are doing to make Forsyth acceptable to the DOC.
GET READY! There may be some exciting news
coming out of the commissioner’s office in regards
to our taxes. I am sure reports of the meeting will
be in this newspaper soon.
THIS from Jim Wooten’s column in the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution: Data shows that two-thirds of
children under the age of 18 in seven Georgia coun
ties were living in poverty in 2008. Hint: Check out
the marriage rate. A household created by the birth
of a child to an unmarried low-income woman is
instant poverty.
Preach on Jim - but why didn’t you tell us the
seven Georgia counties? Hope Monroe County is
not one of the seven.
Donald Jackson Daniel is the founder and former
publisher of The Reporter. Send him an e-mail at
tullaybear@bellsouth. net.
^Reporter
Around the Bend
A woman on a mission
I n all my 42 years I have never,
ever ventured out past the end
of my driveway on the morning
after Thanksgiving, also known
as Black Friday. While throngs of
bargain-hunters are attacking the
malls, I stay snuggled in my bed. I hate
crowds. I hate being in crowds.
I hate fighting crowds. I have
always said “There's nothing
worth getting up at the crack of
dawn and fighting hundreds of
other shoppers for.”
But two weeks ago our TV
conked out for good. After
weeks of teasing us by
going in and out, it finally
bit the dust.
Larry wanted to run
out and buy the first
TV he could find.
Hunt and gather as
they say. We needed a TV, and he
was going to go get us a TV. But, I
am as tight as they come. I was
not content to just fall for the “Get
Black Friday prices right now!”
commercials two weeks before
Thanksgiving. I knew the prices
would go lower if we waited until
Black Friday.
Finally, something worth getting
up early for. I am probably the
only person that will admit this in
this politically correct world
but I love watching TV. Television
is right up there with food, water,
and oxygen, as far as I’m con
cerned. The only thing more impor
tant than getting a new TV was
saving money on a new TV.
I researched and studied and
Googled and Yahooed.
“I’m telling you,” I announced to
Larry. “I believe we can save at
least a hundred dollars if we wait
until Black Friday. Maybe even
two hundred.”
MY FAMILY indulged my need
to wait until the day after
Thanksgiving. Andy reluctantly
agreed to let us move his 25 inch
TV into the living room for a
while. Of course every morning I'd
find him asleep on the couch
instead of in his own bed.
After almost two weeks of search
ing for sneak peeks at Black
Friday ads, I finally pinned down
the TV I wanted. It was at Sears. .
. and on Black Friday it would be
marked down 200 bucks. On the
Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I
made a trip to the mall
to scope out the scene
and plan my attack.
All Thanksgiving
night I felt like I was 8
years old waiting for
Santa to come. I kept
watching the clock. . .
waiting for it to be time
to hit the mall. Andy
had said he wanted to
go with me ....
vf until he found out I
O was leaving at 2
a.m.
Stores open earlier and earlier
every year in an attempt to be the
first one open. This year the magic
hour was 4 a.m. - a time I hereto
fore did not realize actually came
twice a day. But the stores were
opening at 4 a.m. so I planned to
be there before 4 a.m. I planned to
be there by 3 a.m. I wanted to
make sure I was first in line. I had
waited two long weeks for this. I
had sacrificed my TV viewing
pleasure long enough. I had
endured the “Amazing Race” in low
def on a teeny weeny screen. I had
watched a 3-inch Donny Osmond
take home the mirror ball trophy
on “Dancing with the Stars.” I was
ready for a new TV and not even
exhaustion was keeping me from
getting it at 200 dollars off.
I tried to lay down around 11 and
take a nap. I set the clock for 1
a.m. - just to make sure I was at
the store on time. I planned to
leave the house at 2 a.m. I wasn’t
sure why I needed a whole hour to
get ready, but I figured if it was
like every other morning I would
hit the “snooze” at least 6 times.
That would put me actually get
ting up around 1:54 a.m.
I KEPT dreaming of being locked
out of Sears while everyone else
went to the correct door and got in
and shopped and shopped. In my
dream I kept banging on the glass
but no one would let me in. People
were strolling around with giant
screen HDTVs in their carts. I
woke up and looked at the clock.
11:52. Great. Four hours to go.
It finally got time to go and,
armed with a giant cup of coffee,
my gloves, scarf, and big winter
coat, I drove off into the night in
search of 1080p.
As I drove past Best Buy, the line
was already winding around the
building. “Oh my gosh,” I thought.
I pushed harder on the gas pedal.
“I should have camped out. I’ll
never get one of the sale-priced
TVs.” I panicked.
But when I entered the Sears
parking lot, I saw exactly four cars
parked there. I drove around the
entire mall looking for the long
line. It was not there. I parked and
went inside the mall, certain there
would be standing room only. It
was completely empty. A couple of
security guards, who must have
been required to come in early to
thwart the potential Tom-Tom GPS
riots, were sitting on a bench sip
ping coffee.
“Where is everybody?” I asked.
“Ma’am, it’s 3 a.m. They’re in
bed,” said one of the sleepy guards.
“But, it’s Black Friday,” I said.
“Where are all the mobs of shop
pers I always see on TV?”
“Wal-Mart,” said the other guard.
And he was right. I waited in the
cold for another hour and soon the
doors opened wide. It was all so
organized and uneventful. I
strolled to the electronics depart
ment with my sale paper in hand.
I opened to the right page and told
the salesman. “I’m here for this
one.”
And by the time the dawn actual
ly cracked on the Friday morning
after Thanksgiving, I was feeling
pretty darn thankful while I
leaned back in my recliner watch
ing “The Early Show” in 40 inches
of high def.
Email Gina at news@mymcr.net.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Good time to fix up city part
To the editor:
I took my kids to
the city park to
day and I want to
tell you how dis
appointed I am in
our city. There are vul
gar words and vulgar
pictures drawn on the
playground equipment.
I talked to the mayor
about 3 months ago re
guarding this and he
guaranteed me that
they were in the process
of trying to get this tak
en care of. He also stat
ed that it was suppose
to be cleaned up back in
May. It is sad that our
kids have no where
clean to go to. Also I
have seen used personal
birth control items lay
ing on the ground. Most
of our kids that go to
this park are old
enough to read and ask
questions about what
they see and read. Why
has this not been taken
care of? The play equip
ment is ruined and it
seems that the city of
Forsyth care nothing
about our children or
the numerous com
plaints would have been
taken into consideration
and the problems fixed.
Now that the weather is
getting colder there is not
gonna be alot of traffic and
kids in and out of the park
now would be a great time
to get busy fixing it up for
the spring.
Crystal Baker
Forsyth
This bench at the city park is
shown earlier this year with its
sitting area missing. The bench
es have been removed but Crys
tal Baker says more work re
mains to be done. (File photo)
Guest Column
The something- for- nothing mentality
BY CHARLIE COURTOIS
hen our government
uses our tax dollars
to market unpro
ductive “something-
for-nothing” gim
micks, it certainly seems like it is
very bad and irresponsible. It is
deceptive and creates
false expectations for
many of the citizens look
ing to Washington for
real answers and solu
tions to very serious eco
nomic declines.
For the past one-half
century we Americans
have embraced the con
cept of “something-for-
nothing.” First, we all
came to learn about the
idea more deeply from K-
Mart’s, “Blue Light
Special.” The cosmetic
industry mastered the technique of
selling the female consumer with a
gift with purchase in the 60’s, and
by the middle 70’s the public
expected their free gift as a regu
lar thing. This practice spread to
consumer marketing in general.
The Este Lauder’s, Revlon’s and
Max Factor’s of the industry had a
sales and marketing stranglehold
on their consumers. It created so
many gift expectations that the
sum total of the gift, the printing
of the inserts and mailers, along
with the postage, made the sales
costs prohibitive. On the one hand
the participating merchants loved
the new retail sales generated by
the promotions, but the
manufacturers suffered
the ever growing expense
which led to millions of
people who would only
buy something if they
received a gift. This was
“fool’s gold” for the mar
keters!
So, something-for-noth-
ing not only became a
part of our persona, but
Madison Avenue promul
gated the concept sub-
liminally into our psy
che.
Everyone now expects something-
for-nothing, but giving away the
nation’s hard-earned tax money
frivolously on things like: Cash For
Clunkers, unemployment benefit
extensions stretching out to nine
months, irresponsible lending prac
tices, and stimulating the housing
market with first-time buyer’s spe
cials is nothing more than an
extension of the something-for-
nothing concept. I also think the
practice is a despicable pandering
for votes by our elected officials . . .
not helping those in need ... as
the practice is touted to achieve by
its proponents.
Is something-for-nothing bad?
Not in and of itself it is not. But all
the giveaways do is to create mil
lions more people who want and
expect something for nothing. Is it
bad or evil of our government to
use our tax money on these con
cepts? I say a resounding yes!
Not only is it bad and evil, it is
criminal to steal our tax money
claiming that these schemes are
helping a floundering economy by
wasting billions of dollars in the
name of saving jobs and creating
new jobs in a cruel dishonest
deception of lying and cheating the
tax payers.
Charlie Courtois is a retired
entrepeneur who lives in Forsyth
with his wife Charlotte. He once
played bridge with Winston
Churchill and speaks German,
French, Spanish and a little Latin
and Greek. E-mail him at
cbcourtois@bellsouth. net.
By Charlie
Courtois