Newspaper Page Text
June 29, 2011
^Reporter
PAGE 3A
Open
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Commissioners: No more
job vacancies in Reporter
Monroe County commissioners voted on
Tuesday to quit advertising job openings
in the county’s legal organ newspaper.
Commissioner Larry Evans proposed a
change saying that the county could find
people for open positions through the
internet, the Department of Labor and
bulletin boards rather than the Reporter.
Commissioners changed a part of the
county’s personnel policy that had
required that openings be advertised at
least one week in the county’s legal
organ, which is the Reporter.
Evans said the move will save money
and said the county can eliminate other
advertising as well except that which is
required by state law.
Commissioner Jim Ham commended
Evans for the research he did, calling
him a good “conservative Democrat” try
ing to save money.
Asked if the move was a response to
stories in the Reporter critical of the com
missioners, county administrator Anita
Buice said that it was just about saving
money.
The county spent just $1,059.40 on help
wanted ads in the Reporter in all of 2010.
That’s about the same amount the county
spends in a year on Dish Network for jail
inmates.
Will Davis, editor of the Reporter, said
for commissioners to provide less infor
mation to the taxpayers they serve is nei
ther good for the commission nor for the
public. To ensure that the public doesn’t
miss job opportunities in county govern
ment, the Reporter has offered to post
vacancies in the newspaper for free for
the next 12 months. That, said Davis,
should free up $1,000 (out of a $20 mil
lion annual budget) for commissioners to
save during the year. See Our View on
page 4A.
Input on Hwy. 87 roundabout due July 6
Monroe County residents have until
next Wednesday, July 6 to sound off on
DOT plans to build $3.5 million round
about at the intersection of Hwy. 87 and
Hwy. 18 near Juliette.
The roundabout would convert what's
now a 4-way stop into a giant circle like
the one recently built in Culloden at the
intersection of Hwy. 341 and Hwy. 74.
Hwy. 87 used to include no stops at
Hwy. 18. But several severe and some
times fatal wrecks over the years prompt
ed the DOT to make it a four-way stop
two years ago. That seems to have
reduced the number of accidents.
Now the DOT is planning for the round
about and locals can view plans for the
addition at the Monroe County commis
sioners office at 38 W. Main Street.
To register your opinion about the
plans, write to: Attn: Bobby Dollar, GDOT
Office of Environmental Services, 60 W.
Peachtree St. NW, 16th floor, Atlanta, GA
30308 or go to www.dot.ga.gov and select
Public Outreach from the Information
Center menu.
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Gingrich at Rocksprings: Country in a mess
BY RICHARD DUMAS
Republican presidential
candidate Newt Gingrich
visited Rocksprings Church
in Milner Wednesday and
told reporters his 2012 cam
paign remains on track
despite recent news reports
to the contrary.
Just two weeks after 16
members of Gingrich's staff
allegedly resigned, Gingrich
was asked by a Griffin
Daily-News reporter about
the state of his campaign.
Gingrich responded he
thinks the campaign is
going "very well" on the idea
side but admitted to "chal
lenges" on the organization
al side.
"Candidly, we brought in
some outsiders who didn't
understand us and didn't
understand how we oper
ate," Gingrich said. "And
that wasn't the right fit. But
I think the core team, which
has been with us for the last
12 years, is intact. We only
lost one person from our
core group."
Gingrich added the team
is rebuilding "very careful
ly," only bringing in new
persons that "share our val
ues and share our commit
ment and share our passion
for bringing this country
back on track."
The former Speaker of the
House served as the keynote
speaker Wednesday in front
of a near capacity crowd in
the Rocksprings sanctuary.
The event raised money for
Melba's Manor, a year-old
maternity home founded by
Rocksprings pastor Benny
Tate. The home, which was
named for Tate's mother,
gives young women an all
expenses paid place to stay
while pregnant. Tate said 16
women have come through
the home in the first year,
and 15 of them have accept
ed Christ.
Gingrich, who appeared
with his wife Callista, told
reporters he was glad to be
back in Georgia supporting
a good cause.
"This is a great event
tonight, and a very good
cause," Gingrich said.
"Being able to do something
to help young ladies so that
they have the choice of hav
ing their child is really a big
deal. It's a great program."
Tate thanked Gingrich for
coming, noting that most
politicians tend to want to
"disconnect" from places like
Melba's Manor.
Mackenzie Vaughan Harnist
and daughter Madison
Bogulski of Forsyth pose with
Newt and Callista Gingrich at
Rocksprings Church on
Wednesday.
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including diseases
such as diabetes and
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■ Surgery
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Caldwell Veterinary
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"Thank you (Gingrich) for
not running from us," Tate
said.
Gingrich met with some of
his financial supporters for
about an hour before giving
a 25-minute speech in front
of several hundred Middle
Georgians, including many
Monroe Countians. Gingrich
then signed copies of his
book, "Rediscovering God in
America."
Gingrich was introduced
by Dr. Duke Westover, who
served as an admininstra-
tive assistant for the well-
known late evangelist, Rev.
Jerry Falwell. Westover said
he first met Gingrich after
he gave a speech in Dallas
when Gingrich was still a
young representative in the
House. Westover said
Gingrich told him then that
the place for change in
America was not within the
White House, it was with
the Speaker of the House.
Westover said Gingrich told
him then he would be
Speaker one day, a goal he
realized after the
Republican Party's sweep
ing victory in 1994.
Gingrich told reporters he
would not liken the current
Washington climate to that
of 1994, but more like that
of 1979-80 at the end of the
Jimmy Carter administra
tion.
"I think that you have a
bad economy," Gingrich
said. "You have an adminis
tration that's too far to the
left, and you have an oppor
tunity to have I think one of
the most decisive elections
since 1860. A really big
choice between European
socialism and American
exceptionalism, between
free markets and giant
Washington bureaucracies,
between a balanced budget
and enormous deficits. And
so I think this could be an
election of truly historic pro
portions."
Gingrich told reporters
the magnitude of America's
problems motivated him to
run in 2012.
"Well I think the country's
in a mess," Gingrich said. "I
think that when you have
14 million people out of
work, and you've got one out
of every four families living
in a house that's worth less
than it's mortgaged. You've
got three wars going on in
the Middle East with no
coherent strategy, and
you've got a $2 trillion
deficit from a government
that's not getting the job
done, you need sombody
who has real experience and
who's tough enough and
prepared enough to try to
lead the country to change
things.”
Gingrich said under his
leadership as Speaker from
1995-99, Congress passed
welfare reform, cut taxes to
create jobs leading to an
unemployment rate of
under four percent, and bal
anced the budget.
"If you compare that to
where we are right now,
clearly we'd be much, much
better off," Gingrich said.
In his speech, Gingrich
spoke of the uniqueness of
America, and the near
impossible odds the country
had of survival during its
early stages. He said that
the early Americans
believed their new nation
was one that was under
God, and that "it's amazing
how courageous people get"
when they believe they are
"part of an invisible thing
called God." Gingrich said
he has become especially
fascinated by America's
founding fathers and told of
George Washington's har
rowing night crossing of the
Delaware River. Gingrich
said Washington's army sur
vived despite dwindling
numbers and no boots for
one-third of the troops. He
said if the German army in
Trenton had not still been
asleep as a result of a horri
ble snowstorm when
Washington's troops
marched upon the city, the
American army would have
been destroyed. Gingrich
noted Washington personal
ly spent eight years in the
field fighting for America's
survival.
"That's how much he
believed in freedom. That's
what he was prepared to
sacrifice," Gingrich said of
Washington.
Gingrich added Americans
are the only people in the
history of the world who
believe God has granted citi
zens sovereign, inalienable
rights.
Gingrich said, "No judge,
no bureaucrat, no politician
can come between you and
your rights."
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