Newspaper Page Text
November 30, 2016
PAGE 5A
Outside Looking In...
Water bill shock
is a real flusher
By DON DANIEL
tullaybear@bellsouth.net
A s Gomer Pyle of the Andy Griffith Show expressed,
“Surprise, Surprise, Surprise”, many Monroe
County water customers are expressing the same
sentiments after receiving their most recent water
bill from the county. Yep, rates went up and to add
insult to injury, the bills no longer include a payment enve
lope!
Get ready for another rate increase
as “A Special Message” on our water
bill informed, “Effective January 2017,
our water rates will increase”. Be care
ful how you complain/protest about the
water rate increase or our commission
ers will admonish us with the state
ment, “if you don’t like us raising your
water rates, dig a well!” Sorta like a
throne-occupying commissioner stating,
“If you don’t like the way we do busi
ness, take your business to another
county”.
The county commissioners used the
excuse for the water rate increase
because the Macon Water Authority
raised their supply rate and the “They Think They Are The
Fabulous Five” passed the increase right on to us customers.
My bill doubled although my water usage was less.
Up here in the northern Monroe County, our water comes
from Butts County and according to my reliable sources, Butts
County did not increase the rate charged to Monroe County.
But since Bibb County raised the rate, the rate increase was
passed on to everybody.
There was no public hearing on the rate increase, the com
missioners were informed by Bibb County of the increase, and
by edict the commissioners voted 5-0 to raise our water rates
across the board. Since Monroe County, unlike the City of
Forsyth, does not have a water supply it purchases our county-
supplied water from Bibb and Butts Counties. Two of the
largest checks approved for taxpayer payment go to Bibb and
Butts counties for water.
Supplying water to rural Monroe County is a money loser
and has been used as a vote-getter for those commissioners
seeking re-election and those wanting a commission throne.
Running water lines is often discretionary with each commis
sioner having their priorities as to who gets county water and
where their votes are.
On the positive side, digging water lines is an incentive,
particularly for residential growth in the rural areas of the
county. Of course, industry looks at water supply as a locator
factor.
On the negative side, the water has to go somewhere when
we flush and as it is now, we do not have a county sewer sys
tem. We have to have more septic tanks per capita than any
other county in the state.
A friend living out in the county who has access to county
water told me he would stay on well water because every
time he flushed, if connected to county water, he was flushing
money into his septic tank.
UNLIKE the Monroe County Commissioners, Forsyth’s City
Council members and mayor will be “strutting” now that the
city has received a clean financial bill with a “clean audit”
which in essence means the city is spending taxpayer money
judiciously, with caution and being extremely conservative
with city taxpayer money.
The county’s most recent audit was filled with “dirt” despite
getting a clean audit and many suggestions how to clean-up
county spending have been ignored.
BY the time you are reading this, hopefully—-according to
the weather prognosticators—the long-needed rain will have
put a dent into our drought situation.
Forsyth’s thronesitters have issued a ban on serving water
in restaurants unless you specifically order it. Over at the
Bluetick you have to ask for and pay 75 cents for a cup of
water that has, according to the server, been filtered seven
times. Guess Forsyth’s tap water is just not good enough for
their dining clientele.
Then there is this one: Water is free at some fast-food restau
rants but you have to pay 25 cents for the cup. It happened to
me up at Zaxby’s up in Jackson.
ANNOUNCED at the Forsyth City Council meeting last
week, Kennie Bowman manager/owner of the local KOA on
Frontage Road told of the proposed expansion of the camp
ground, adding an 18-hole putt-putt course, more campsites,
really upscale parking pads that will be more elite and upscale
than other parking pads, a storage lot for those RVers who
want to park/store their camper and then venture either north
or south using Forsyth as a home base.
Kudos to Kennie and KOA for recognizing the tourism poten
tial of Forsyth, capitalizing on 1-75 traffic and our location.
WEIRD: Looks like the MP Bulldogs are setting their sights
on a state championship title after squeaking by a suburban
Atlanta team, Blessed Trinity, 28 to 27 this past Friday night.
Then on Saturday, the UGA Bulldogs lost to archrival Georgia
Tech 28 to 27. Same score just different football fields.
There has been Facebook and coffee shop banter for the
Board of Education to dismiss school at noon on Friday for
another round of MP Bulldogs’ playoff up in Cartersville. With
Atlanta traffic as horrendous as it is, maybe the BOE should
consider no school on Friday.
IF YOU missed the “not a” Christmas Parade in downtown
Forsyth last week, Bolingbroke’s Community Club will spon
sor a “real” Christmas Parade in downtown Bolingbroke this
Saturday at 3 p.m.
Bolingacons do a great job getting in the Christmas spirit.
NO correct answers to last week’s The Question. So, here’s
another: Name one person who was arrested in this week’s
Arrests report. First correct person identified, after 12 noon
on Thursday, gets the goodie certificate for a dozen Dunkin
Donuts, Dairy Queen Blizzard, Lucky Cafe eggrolls (2), Main
Street t-shirt, Jonah’s cookie and a Whistle Stop fried green
tomato appetizer.
LISTEN to The Reporter On The Reporter on Sunday morn
ings at 7 or anytime by clicking on the radio tab at mymcr.net.
ANSWER The Question by contacting Don Daniel at tul-
laybear@bellsouth.net. Any other comments can be made by
emailing or calling, 478-994-1312. P.S. Don’t forget to listen to
The Reporter On The Radio on Sunday mornings at seven or
anytime by clicking on the radio tab at mymcr.net.
«Reporter
Carolyn’s Corner
Pain is just the potter’s hand
BY CAROLYN MARTEL
ads@mymcr.net
ne of my favorite
theology profes
sors was Dr. David
Baldwin. He is
deceased
now, but I vividly remem
ber his lectures. He was
a great communicator.
To this day, I remember
a story he told about the
potter and the clay. He
tells the story about
walking across the
college grounds one
Sunday afternoon
and he decided to keep walking
until he entered into the little
town near the campus. There
was an arts and crafts festival
taking place in the town and
there many artists and crafts
men displaying their wares. As
Dr. Baldwin strolled through
the town, he noticed a crowd
standing around a man sitting
at a potter’s wheel. He decided
to move in a little closer to
see what the potter was mak
ing. Someone from the crowd
said, “Sir what are you making
now?” And the potter replied, “I
haven’t decided yet.”
DR. BALDWIN said the
crowd was really surprised at
the potter’s reply because they
had been standing there for a
long time watching him knead
and roll a piece of clay. The
crowd’s patience was rewarded
as the potter’s vision for
the lump of clay began to
take shape. He placed the
clay on the potter’s wheel.
With his hands he applied
just the right amount of
pressure as the clay spun
on the wheel. The
onlookers witnessed
a work of art unfold
ing before their eyes.
When the potter was finished, a
simple lump of clay had become
a beautiful vessel. With this
short story in mind, Dr. Baldwin
shared with the class the follow
ing analogy.
I’VE shortened the analogy,
but in essence Dr. Baldwin said
God is the Potter and we are
the clay. As clay in God’s hands,
He is shaping us into what we
shall become. And as the Master
Potter works with the clay, if it
should get out of line during the
fashioning process, the Potter
(God) does not throw the clay
away. He simply takes the clay
off the potter’s wheel; he presses
any air out of it (because we get
a little inflated sometimes), and
he smooths out the lumps (those
bumpy places in our lives when
we get out out of God’s will), and
he starts the entire process over
again.
DURING this shaping and
molding process, sometimes we
want to climb down off the pot
ter’s wheel. Big mistake! Dr.
Baldwin admonished, “We may
feel the pressure of His loving
hands as they shape and mold
us, but stay on the Potter’s
wheel. The result? When the
process is complete, you and God
both will like what you see. A
simple lump of clay will become
a beautiful vessel.” Isaiah 64:8
says, “But as for you, 0 LORD,
you are our Father; and we are
clay, you are our potter; we are
all the work of your hands.” I’ve
never forgotten this verse or
the lesson Dr. Baldwin taught
us that day. God is not through
with me yet. But at least I’m not
as lumpy as I was a year ago. I
call that progress.
Carolyn Martel is the advertis
ing manager and regular colum
nist for the Reporter. E-mail her
at ads@mymcr.net.
Unfair and Unbalanced
Heavens to Betsy, our schools
BY MARILYN LANGFORD
mdlangford@bellsouth.net
f there’s one thing we
learned from the Nov.
8 election, it’s that
Georgians care about edu
cation and their children.
Gov. Deal’s plan to take over our
schools was repudiated by 60
percent of the voters. Who would
have thought this vote would be
so meaningless, so fast?
On one hand, we voted
overwhelmingly not to
dismantle our public edu
cation system, while at
the same time, voted for
a President who ran on
an education platform of
doing just that!
EVERYONE
knew Trump
promised to build
a wall. Everyone knew Trump
promised to wage war on immi
grants. Everyone knew he prom
ised to repeal ObamaCare. But,
how many people knew Trump
even had an education plan, not
to mention a plan to use public
money for unregulated for-profit
charter schools? Yeah, that one
kinda slipped by a bunch of
people.
TRUMP’S sound bite rallies
only allowed for time to say he
would abolish Common Core.
Betcha didn’t understand that
to mean the entire elimination
of public education, as we know
it. Trump’s plan calls for the
states collectively to contribute
$110 billion of their education
budgets and the Federal would
chip in $15-20 billion in Title 1
monies that go to schools in the
poorest areas. In turn, Trump’s
plan calls for each student from
K-12, to be allocated $12,000 per
year for school vouchers. That
will send parents on a shopping
spree among private and reli
gious schools, charter schools,
and even on-line schools.
JUST in case you think that
was just “campaign talk” by
Trump and he really doesn’t
mean it, look no further than
Exhibit A, his pick for U.S.
Secretary of Education—Betsy
DeVos. Unless you hail from
Michigan, you may not have
heard of her. It, is said she is
worth $4 billion by marrying
into the Amway fortune.
She is former chair
woman of the Michigan
Republican Party. She is
described as an educa
tion activist, even though
she has never worked in
education, and neither
she, nor her chil
dren ever attended
a public school. Ms.
DeVos has deep ties
to the Christian
Reform community in Michigan.
She is founder and chairman
of the American Federation of
Children, which advocates for
school choice reform. She has
made it, her life’s work to destroy
public education in Michigan,
spending tens of millions to
steer public money away from
public education and into State
charter programs. Further,
thanks to Ms. DeVos’ unwaver
ing support, private companies
run 80 percent, of Michigan’s
charter schools. That, my
friends, is the future of educa
tion in the U. S. A. The End.
NO! Wait! It, doesn’t, have to be
the end. Betsy DeVos, nominee
for U. S. Secretary of Education,
must, first, be confirmed by the
Senate. Hold that, thought,.
TRUMP’S appointments thus
far have been abysmal; the
appointment, of Steve Bannon,
the leader of the Alt-right, move
ment,; the appointment, of dis
affected General Mike Flynn.
They do not, have to be con
firmed by the Senate. So forget,
them!
SOUTH Carolina’s Gov.
Nikki Haley has been picked by
Trump as U. S. Ambassador to
the United Nations. Her job will
be to keep the Secretary of State
informed on issues presented
to the world body and inform
the Secretary of State and the
President, on her recommenda
tions on how to handle these
issues. Her pick was not, due to
her vast, experience, but, her loy
alty to Trump. Haley is probably
one of the least, prepared for this
job in recent, history. In ordinary
times, she would probably never
be confirmed. But, with so many
more important, nominations
to oppose, we must pick our
battles.
THE FUTURE of our chil
dren is worthy of a battle. We
cannot, put, our entire educa
tion system in the hands of a
person simply because she is
a billionaire whose hobby has
been making profits for inves
tors in Charter Schools, procur
ing public funding for Christian
schools and busting teacher
unions. But, Betsy DeVos does!
With Betsy DeVos at, the helm
of the Department, of Education,
the constitutional lines between
separation of Church and State
will be erased.
WE GEORGIANS sent a
clear message on Nov. 8, that,
our children’s education belongs
in the hands of parents and
school boards. This is one more
battle we must, fight,.
CALL our Senators today to
make your voice heard and say
“No” to Betsy DeVos.
Marilyn Langford of High
Falls writes a regular op-ed col
umn in the Reporter sharing the
liberal perspective on events.
KOA
continued from front
resign from the CVB board and the Downtown
Development, board, on which he has served for 5-6
years and is currently vice chairman, to focus on
the upgrades at, KOA. He said that, a recent, health
problem prompted him to take a break from some
of his civic involvement,.
“I have appreciated the opportunity to work with
council and the boards,” said Bowman. “But, I’ve
made that, two-year commitment, and I’m going to
follow through.”
He said the miniature golf course and mining
adventure will be completed first. Then they will
begin developing the additional acreage to serve
the increasing number of travelers with very large
RVs who need bigger spaces and turn-arounds and
also want, more amenities, like patios, at, the sites.
There is also an increasing demand for places to
park RVs for several months, such as by travelers
who spend part, of the year in Florida and part, in
the northern U.S. and would like to leave their RV
in between.
In the Forsyth community, Bowman and KOA
are identified with the Forsyth KOA Express, a
trackless train that brings KOA visitors on tours
of the town and is also generously provided for
special events like the Historic Train Festival. The
Express will carry the Forsyth mayor and council
members in the Hometown Holidays Parade on
Dec. 1, complete with lights and decorations .
Forsyth KOA has received awards among camp
grounds and draws visitors to Forsyth and Monroe
County with its favorable reviews. It, has RV and
tent, sites and regular cabins that, sleep four and
deluxe cabins with kitchenettes, TV, AC and heat,
that, sleep five.
Forsyth KOA has a swimming pool, catch &
release fishing lake, paddle boats, bike rentals, a
children’s playground, horseshoe pits, basketball
hoops, volleyball court, wifi, cable TV, and a large
meeting room. Tent, sites have water and electric
ity and a covered picnic table and grill. There is
a fenced area for dogs. Firewood and propane are
available for sale.
The KOA registration area is also home to a
snack shop and ‘Pizza Shop.’ The Pizza Shop is
open from 4-7:30 p.m. to deliver not, only pizza but,
also baby back ribs, hot, wings, chicken tenders and
more choices to camp sites. Forsyth KOA is at, 414
N. Frontage Road, just north of downtown Forsyth.