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The Monroe County Reporter • April 11, 2018
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ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN by Don Daniel
Here’s where your
money is going...
O ne thing you learn in journalism courses,
reporting on numbers can be confusing to
readers. Here are some numbers I hope you
don’t find confusing. Ive tried to keep them
simple, so here goes:
We paid $2,333.54 to American Express for the Sheriff
to travel; $240 to tax commissioner Lori Andrews for
meals while attending a conference; AT&T got a taxpayer
check for $21,223.40 for telephone which included E911;
We paid Central Georgia EMC $5,057.15 for using their
electricity; The City of Forsyth got a county taxpayer
check in the amount of $8,435.94 for the county us
ing city water; Snakes! We paid $159 to Critter Control
for snake deterrent; Commissioner Eddie Rowland got
reimbursed $201.62 for travel, which we can only assume
was around his district; Gulf States Dist. Inc. got $8,505
for guns, etc.; Hubbard Alumni Association was paid
$35 for “parade entry”; front door parts costs us $304.33;
$76,497.67 was paid to Pro Construction for new fire sta
tion shell; seven county or future employees underwent
employee psychological testing for $3,150 paid to Stone
and Associates. Total county taxpayer money paid out
was $281,162.68
GOOD news from Forsyth City Council, it was an
nounced the splash pad opened in April. Guess it has
been open a couple of weeks. Writing of the splash pad,
although previously reported by Diane Glidewell, the
splashing cost $199,065.11, funded by property taxes.
Also paid from the same fund, the city skate park cost
$110,799.11. It’s gonna take a lot of golf playing to pay
back the $324,473.88 paid to purchase the Forsyth Golf
Club. It’s also gonna have to take a lot of “rent-out” of the
American Legion Hall after ap
proving over $11,000 for repairs
for the delapidating building.
As one city resident cornered
me with this comment when
we were discussing how the city
is spending money: “Not a one
of those three projects, nope
four, are revenue positive for
the city. They are all ‘vote for
me’ projects!”
Here are some Forsyth City
Council members’ unattributed
comments:
“Comes to you from you”;
“Do we need it in writing”;
“What was the motion?”;
“He’s the elder councilman”
“I want to echo”;
“I don’t have anything tonite”.
20,000 EASTER eggs were dropped at the county recre
ation department and Wayne Calhoun and Lynn Parrish
were mini-seconds apart as the first with the correct
answer to The Question, which was how many eggs were
dropped from the helicopter. Wayne and Lynn each get
a certificate for a dozen Dunkin Donuts, Jonah’s cookie,
Dairy Queen Blizzard, Whistle Stop fried green tomato
appetizer, slice of Shoney’s strawberry pie, Forsyth Main
Street t-shirt, and a sandwich, chips and drink from The
Pickled Okra.
Here’s The Question for this week: What is the name
of the new person hired by the Forsyth Convention and
Visitors’ Bureau? First correct answer after 12 noon on
Thursday gets the goody certificate.
LUNCH with Lorraine Smith, our new Monroe County
Hospital administrator, was an absolute pleasure. Her
enthusiasm for what she and Navicent want to accom
plish at the taxpayer debt-ridden facility gives hope that a
turn-around just may be possible in the near future.
While that lunch was encouraging, the story about the
hospital audit in last week’s paper, with the headline, “Au
dit: Despite gains, hospital still facing losses” is perturb
ing. Here’s the statement from the audit: “The hospital is
facing financial difficulty and recurring operating losses.
The hospital has become fiscally dependent of Monroe
County”.
Until the present hospital authority members and
Navicent take a pro-active, honest and truthful approach
to the attempts to turn-around the financial straits of the
hospital, the hospital will continue to wallow in public
distrust.
THE DATE is set for qualifying for the Forsyth City
Council throne vacated due to the untimely and unfortu
nate death of Dexter King. Plop down your $301.35 any
time between April 12 and 12 noon on Wednesday, April
18 and you can be qualified to run but not necessarily
qualified to be elected. Voters will make that determina
tion with early voting April 30 thru May 18 with the polls
opening on May 22.
I’LL ADMIT as a teenager I did some things that I look
back upon and call myself stupid. My only excuse is I was
a teenager and my oats had just started growing. But, re
ally the one that is making the news is—get ready—Teen
“Condom Challenge”.
Not surprising, “The Challenge” started in Texas and
according to news reports it works like this: A teenager
stuff's a condom up her/his nose and pulls it out in the
mouth! Honest that is what several news outlets and
particularly the internet is reporting and showing. As a
specialist in teen reporting stated, “Because these days
our teens are doing everything for likes, views and sub
scribers”.
I better quit writing before I find something else dis
gusting and repulsive and have the inclination to tell you
about. City and county government is enough!
Don Daniel founded the Reporter in 1972. Email him at
mediadr@bellsouth.net.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Where are young families to live?
To the Editor,
y husband, myself, and
our daughter moved
from Jacksonville, Fla.
to Georgia a little over
two years ago after he separated
from the Navy. We decided to move
back where our families were, a
place that felt like home. For me that
was Monroe County. I immediately
became obsessed with the real estate
websites. I set up the notifications. I
started to save homes and then my
husband and I realized we weren’t
quite ready for such a big purchase.
So, we decided to wait, save up for a
while and then start looking again.
Well, as many people can attest to,
two months soon turned into two
years and now, here we are, pre
approved, and ready to purchase.
Except, there is one thing missing,
the HOUSES! I have looked at the
websites recently and found a few
in our budget that were only on
the market for one or two days so
I called the listing agent and they
said, my now least favorite phrase,
“I’m sorry that house is already
under contract.” At first, I thought it
was just a budget issue so we raised
our maximum purchase price and
the same thing happened. We kept
getting let down easily by all the
agents who kindly offered to help
us with our search and show
us any homes we were inter
ested in, but we laughed and
said “what homes?” I have had
so many realtors ask if we are
willing to change counties and
my response is always a firm,
“No.” The taxes are cheaper, the
area has more of a hometown
charm and the school system
are some of the reasons why
people want to live here. I want
to give our daughter the same
experience I had. I attended
Monroe County schools from
pre-K to high school gradua
tion. We just had our 10-year
class reunion and it was like
we never skipped a beat. The
friendships, the memories, and
the families you become a part of in
a town like Forsyth is what makes
us want to raise our daughter here. I
have found people all over that have
this same view. I have met at least
10 residents of Monroe County or
neighboring areas that are trying
to find a home and have expressed
the same frustrations. These houses
that become available in an afford
able price range are gone before you
can even see them and because this
area is so in demand they are bought
for an amount well over the asking
price. Which is a problem because
my husband and I have a VA home
loan, which means it only pays for
what the house is appraised at. We
can’t compete. Please, help find some
brilliant real estate investor who
sees this demand for affordable new
homes and communities in Monroe
County. Build these places for us
and all the others who so desperately
want this amazing small-town life
for themselves and their families.
Patiently Waiting,
Tiffany Larrabee
High Falls
TAKING A LIKENS TO YOU by Dale Likens
Funny lines from Bush and Biden
I love true, clean comedy. I love
simple, honest laughter over
simple, common things. I
remember George Burns and
Grade Allen, Jack
Benny and Red Skel
ton. What enjoyable
moments my family
and I enjoyed as we
sat around our radio
and laughed together
at these hilarious and
quite amusing come
dians. What wonder
ful memories! Howev
er, I must admit that
two of my favorite
comedians of all time
are Vice President Joe
Biden and President
George W. Bush. With
no rehearsal, no dummy runs and
no scripts to guide them each was
able to make us laugh as very few
comedians could ever do. Here are a
few of their recorded, embarrassing
slip-ups. Let’s begin with Joe Biden,
our past Vice President of the United
States of America.
1. A man I’m proud to call my
friend. A man who will be the next
president of the United States of
America—Barack America!
2.1 mean you get the first main
stream African-American who is
articulate and bright and clean and
a nice-looking guy. I mean that’s a
story-book man!
3. His mom lived in Long Island
for 10 years or so. God rest her soul.
And although she’s—wait—your
mom’s still alive. Your dad passed?
God bless her soul.
4.You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a
Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a
slight Indian accent; I’m
not joking.
5. When the stock
market crashed, F.D.R.
got on television and
didn’t just talk about the
you know—the prince
of greed. He said, “Look,
here’s what happened.”
(F.D.R. wasn’t president
when the market crashed
in 1929, and only experi
mental televisions were in
use at that time.)
6. Hillary Clinton is
qualified or more quali
fied than I am to be Vice
President of America. Quite frankly,
it might have been a better pick than
me.
7. Look, John’s last minute eco
nomic plan does nothing to tackle
the number one job facing middle
class, and it happens to be, as Barack
Obama says, “A three letter word:
Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!”
8. “Stand up, Chuck, let em see
ya.” (This was said to State Senator
Chuck Graham, who was in a wheel
chair and couldn’t stand up.)
9. Folks, I can tell you I’ve known
8 presidents, 3 of them very inti
mately!
10. Look at what the Republicans
value; look at their budget. And
what are they proposing? Romney
said in the first 100 days, he’s going
to—well they’re gonna put y’all back
in chains! (Speaking to a largely
African-American audience in
Danville, Va.)
11. My mother believed and my
father believed that if I wanted to be
president of the USA, I could be the
Vice President.
And now I present a few of
President George W. Bush’s famous
slip-ups!
1. The important question is, how
many hands have I shared?
2. Our enemies are innovative and
resourceful, and so are we. They
never stop thinking about new ways
to harm our country and our people,
and neither do we.
3.1 know how hard it is for you to
put food on your family.
4. Rarely is the question asked: Is
our children learning?
5. Too many good doctors are get
ting out of the business. Too many
OB/GYNs aren’t able to practice
their love with women all across the
country.
6. We have a firm commitment to
NATO, we are a part of NATO. We
have a firm commitment to Europe.
We are a part of Europe.
7. You teach a child to read, and he
or her will be able to pass a literacy
test.
8. It’s time for the human race to
enter the solar system.
9. There’s an old saying in Tennes
see—I know it’s in Texas, probably
See LIKENS . Page 7A
Austin (never in) City Limits
Monroe Countys congressman Austin Scott (R-Ashburn) held
his last Town Hall with his constituents in Forsyth (at right) on
Aug. 20, 2014, which was 1,330 days ago. Scott defeated
incumbent Congressman Jim Marshall in 2010 after Marshall
went several years without hosting a Town Hall meeting with
his constituents in Forsyth. If you want an opportunity to let
Scott know what you want him to do in Congress, call his
Washington office at (202) 225-6531 and let him know.
Kemp dawdles on county line
When Brian Kemp became secretary of state on Jan. 8, 2010, Terry Scarboroughs
survey of the Monroe-Bibb county line was on his desk. The law says it s his job
to do something with it. But Kemp, an ambitious politician who announced on
March 13, 2017 his intention to run for governor, punted. He announced on Aug.
23, 2011 that he was rejecting the Scarborough survey because he can t be sure
its the original line. Unfortunately, the law gives him no such option. So on March
10, 2014, the Supreme Court ordered him to set the line and resolve the dispute.
That was three years ago. The Reporter is devoting this space each week to
counting the number of days Kemp has been on the job, and yet not done his job.
If you want Kemp to do the job which hes sought three times before he gets a
promotion to governor, call his office at (404) 656-2817 and let them know.
2,998 DAYS
^..without
^raking a
county line
X l .
decision.