Newspaper Page Text
November 2,2022
Page 5A
ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN by Don Daniel
Its something
to celebrate
H ope you are planning to attend The
Reporter’s 50th birthday party next
Thursday at
The Reporter
office starting at 5:30. Will
and his staff have planned
an exciting celebration
from what I have been
privileged to be informed.
Really hard to believe it
has been 50 years since I
printed the first edition. A
lot has changed in the
newspaper industry/
business from printing
methods to news report
ing. We as Monroe
Countians should be
proud we have a newspaper of the caliber of this
newspaper, a rare first class example of what inform
ing a community should be all about. That’s the
reason I began this newspaper.
I BELIEVE it was in the late 1950s beginning my
teenage years when I went to my first live concert
and it was held at the WJAT Nancy Auditorium in
Swainsboro and the entertainer was no other than
Jerry Lee Lewis. I enjoy still enjoy now listening to
some of his songs, such as “There’s A Whole Lotta
Shakirf Going One” and the one that made him
famous, “Great Balls Of Fire.” Brings back a lot of
memories.
His performances such as standing up playing the
piano and at some performances totally trashing the
piano was a characteristic attraction. His on-stage
antics were entertaining. Rest in peace, Killer.
I WATCHED (if you want to call it) a debate
featuring Gov. Brian Kemp and hopeful wannabe
governor Stacy Abrams. In my opinion Gov. Kemp
“won” and Abrams had a hard time answering com
ments and questions attempting to put the blame on
non-existent issues.
If she loses her quest to become Georgia’s first
female governor, get ready for the election deniers
suing and blaming all the way into the court system.
I HAVE often wondered where the political party
symbols, the elephant and the donkey (jackass) orig
inated. Research revealed they were originated by a
political cartoonist, Thomas Nast, in the late 1800’s.
I like the donkey representing the Republican Party
as being stubborn as a jackass and the Democrats
being fat and sassy as an elephant.
Research has proven that elephants using their
trunks can peel bananas, suck up tortilla chips and
lift hundreds of pounds, according to the Wall Street
Journal. The article quoted a study of elephant’s
brains which have thousands of brain cells devoted
to facial movements.
If you study, watch and listen to Republicans and
Democrats during this election, I think you would
agree Republicans have many donkey characteristics
and Democrats are surely elephants.
HERE ARE a few unattributed commissioner
comments before they found out they were going
to lose $2.6 million due to the Plant Scherer tax
revisions: “that is a great example; “I don’t want to
digress”; “I observed with my two eyes”; “Having a
little skin in the game”; “I am not sure what I am try
ing to say”; “We love you, we appreciate you”; “I’ve
dug in”; “And a few hiccups”; “It raised the hair on
the back of my neck”; “I’m gonna get personal”; “I
don’t want to do a Nancy Pelosi”; “This is so stupid”;
‘A four hour meeting listening to John interject with
his babbling.”
Sure do wish the others that think they are the
“almighties” had listened to Number Five Almighty
George Emami several months ago after he blasted
the county manager. Instead Emami atoned with
praise of the county manager a couple of weeks later.
One of the most classic and should go down in
PIO history and be framed was the news release
written by the county PIO in regards to the tax re
assessment of Plant Scherer, extensively quoting and
defending the county manager. I am going to use it
in my media relations classic as an example for what
a PIO should do as the best evidence at obfuscating.
THE FORSYTH Convention and Visitors Bureau
released the latest, August, hotel/motel tax collec
tions with a total of $45,989.40 collected from 14
hotels and internet bookings with $45,989.40 going
into the city coffers and the Forsyth CVB getting
$27,593.44 to be used to promote the hotels/motels
who collected the tax.
The biggest hotel /motel tax collector was the
Hampton Inn sending the city $9,625.04. The lowest
collector of the tax was Econo Lodge paying the city
$739.00. Gray Lodging sent in $298.03 with Agoda
International paying $6.86 and Hotel Tonight $1.76.
DON’T KNOW why but there were no answers
to last week’s The Question. So here’s this week’s:
How many people have applied to be the Forsyth
police chief so far?
First correct answer to mediadr@bellsouth.net
gets the goodie certificate for a dozen Dunkin
donuts, Whistle Stop fried green tomato appetizer,
carwash at Big Peach, Blizzard at the Forsyth Queen,
single dip at Scoops, and a slice of Shoney’s straw
berry pie.
FROM “THE Devil’s Dictionary” by John
Ambrose: Merchant One engaged in a commercial
pursuit. A commercial pursuit is one in which the
thing pursued is a dollar. Here’s one more: Monday:
in Christian countries, the day after the baseball
game. And this one: November, the eleventh twelfth
of a weariness.
Don Daniel founded the Reporter in 1972. Email
him at mediadr@bellsouth.net.
^Reporter
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Cant people in Juliette get a break?
To the Editor:
lant Scherer poi
soned our water,
trees, animals,
underground pipes
before county water was
placed in front of our houses
after 18 years-plus. I have
10.43 hexavalent chromium
in my water, which is sup
posed to be 0.22, plus other
major chemicals that can kill
you.
Now as a favor Oct.-Dec.
2022 it will only cost us $500
for a meter that is supplied
in Forsyth. There is a $75
deposit, which is under
standable, plus we have to
pay a plumber for pipes
from meter to house and PSI
valve.
I am on social security and
am in poor health. How do
they expect us to come up
with all of this, plus after
Dec. 2022 the meter goes up
to $1,200, and we are paying
for water, too! Plant Scherer
should be paying for hook
up pipes.
I need county water. I
am 70 years old, and I can’t
afford this. Can’t people in
Juliette get a break from
something we had no con
trol of?
La Donna Dvorak
Juliette
Christians must stands up and vote
To the Editor:
I n 2nd Timothy 3:1 Paul
explains, “this know also,
that in the last days peril
ous times shall come.”
Oh, I’m not a pastor. I’m cer
tainly not a prophet. I’m not
even claiming these are the
last days. But I am a Christian
who accepted our Lord Jesus
Christ many years ago. I am
nothing more than a lowly
man who by the grace of God
Almighty prays every day for
this wonderful country we call
America.
I see the same evil you see in
thought. If we disagree with their life
style and attend a Trump rally
we are now called Nazis. If we
are white by birth we are born
racists!
I end this article praising Will
Davis and Sloan Oliver for
continued bold speech for the
truth in all their articles. The
truth shall set us free! Thank
Dale Likens
America.
you!
In our national elections
on Nov. 8, will we rush to the
polls or will we sit by and say,
“I should vote, but why? What
will one vote mean?”
As my wife often says, “We, in Amer
ica, need to come together in praying
and fasting to invite God back into our
churches, our nation and our individual
lives!”
Finally, above all, let us show our love
for our country and our children by
rushing to the polls! Let us stand for
truth! I pray it’s not too late! May God
bless America!
Dale Likens
Lima, Ohio
Editor’s note: Dale Likens used to live
in Forsyth and was a columnist for the
Reporter. Good to hear from you, Dale!
I wake up each morning, like
many of you do, and cry out to
God when I see evil running ram
pant because truth has stumbled
in our streets.
We in America are at a seri
ous crossroads. Will we humble
ourselves to God Almighty and
invite Him back into our nation?
After all, didn’t we shut God out
of our schools many years ago?
Didn’t many of our churches
invite worldly passions into our
sanctuaries, perhaps to fill our
pews? Are we so weak and pusil
lanimous that we push truth aside
to satisfy the whims of the “woke”
generation?
Today the media supports the
transgender movement, abor
tion rights, vaccines for everyone,
even small children whom many
doctors believe is not in the
best interest of the child. Many,
in the media, are pushing for
the rights of young children to
pursue a gender change without
parents’ permission and the right
to change their birth certificates
to record their new lives as a
transgender.
Recently our president invited a
transgender (a man who decided
he was really a woman) into the
White House to dance around
with high heels and women’s
apparel to prove we are open to
teaching our children that they
can be a gender other than the
gender God made them.
A few days ago a young man
was attacked and brutally beaten
in Florida because he carried
a sign that promoted Senator
Rubio. Did we forget the riots,
the burnings and robberies from
Antifa and Black Lives Matter?
Did we dare protest the U.S.
State Department for spending
$20,000 to fund Drag shows in
Ecuador?
Because he stands for truth,
Hershel Walker, whom I believe is
a true Christian, is being criti
cized for what may have occurred
years ago. What about those like
Liz Cheney, who have vowed to
keep President Trump from run
ning for the presidential office in
2024? What must these people be
hiding in their own lives that they
do not want us to know?
Our gas pipelines have been
shut down while the price of gas
has more than doubled in the past
two years. Now we are told that
there is a dire shortage of diesel
fuel in America. Would that
mean our trucks may not be able
to bring food to our stores? What
about our needed prescriptions
from our pharmacies or other
necessities in life?
Years ago I could honestly listen
to our media and believe they
were not biased. Now, I refuse
to listen to their lies and danger
ous verbal attacks against “we
the people.” Were “deplorable”
people and must be dealt with if
we refuse to follow their train of
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
OPE for Constitutional Amendments
Friends,
In addition to the races for US Senate,
Governor, Lt. Governor, US Congress,
General Assembly and local races,
ballots in Georgia also include two
statewide referendums and two
constitutional amendments.
Given a number of constituents’
questions and the need
for our citizens to stay
informed, here are my
explanations for the
amendments, the
background and why I
support them.
Proposed Statewide
Referenda
Referendum A:
Grants tax exemption for certain timber
harvesting equipment.
Question:
“Shall the Act be approved which
grants a state-wide exemption from all
ad valorem taxes for certain equipment
used by timber producers in the
production or harvest of timber?”
Overview:
Georgia is the number one forestry
state in the nation, leading all other
states in the production of timber,
export of forest products and number
of trees planted each year. In your
community, that translates to tangible
impacts to the economy. At the center
of Georgia’s forestry success story are
people who own and operate sophisti
cated equipment that supports tree
planting, land management and
harvesting operations all across the
state. The forestry supply chain is under
extreme economic pressure. Over the
past two years, rapid inflation in wages,
equipment, fuel and insurance have
compounded the costs for managing
land. This legislation received strong
bipartisan support in the State Legisla
ture, and now requires approval from
Georgia voters.
My position and why:
Please vote YES. I am in full support of
this referendum.
Referendum B:
Expands tax exemption for agricultural
equipment and certain farm products.
Question:
“Shall the Act be approved which
expands a state-wide exemption from
ad valorem taxes for agricultural
equipment and certain farm products
held by certain entities to include entities
comprising two or more family-owned
farm entities, and which adds dairy
products and unfertilized eggs of poultry
as qualified farm products with respect
to such exemption?"
Overview:
Current law allows family farms to be
eligible for CUVA tax exemption an ad
valorem property. When you have a
situation where two family farms
partner together to operate a partner
ship together, their farm is ineligible for
CUVA on pieces of equipment like a
$400,000 combine. This legislation
makes the intent of the law clear that
this should make this entity eligible. In
today’s world, farm equipment and
operations are very expensive and
capital intensive. Two family-owned
farms working together should be
eligible for CUVA tax benefits.
My position and why:
Please vote YES. Again, we should not
tax inputs to agricultural or manufactur
ing processes.
Constitutional
Amendments
Amendment 1:
Suspends compensation
for public officers indicted
for felony.
Reason for
Amendment:
After J im Beck was
elected in 201 8 to be
Georgia’s Insurance Commissioner, he
was indicted in 201 9 for multiple
counts of fraud and money laundering.
He was subsequently convicted in July
202 1. However, due to wording in our
State Constitution, Mr. Beck continued
to earn a salary until he was convicted,
costing taxpayers hundred of thousands
of dollars.
My position and why:
I support this amendment. Our taxpayer
funds should not go towards making
payroll for elected officials under felony
indictment.
Amendment 2:
Grants temporary tax relief to proper
ties severely damaged or destroyed
because of a disaster.
Reason for Amendment:
There have been several natural
disasters in Georgia, where in the
aftermath, the county property tax
digest wasn t able to be adjusted
immediately after a natural disaster.
The most recent example of this was in
Newnan/Coweta County where
tornados went through the area, taking
lives and causing extensive damage.
However, since the property tax digest
has already been adopted months
before the storms, neither the county
nor the school board was able to adjust
the value after the storms. As a result,
property owners, whose house or
building was destroyed, were a couple
months later also hit with a property tax
bill for the full value before the disaster.
My position and why:
I support this amendment. Local
governments must have the flexibility to
reduce such property tax bills in such
horrible circumstances.
I hope these explanations are he Ipful to
you and your family as you go to the
polls. Please do not hesitate to reach
out to me if I can provide any further
explanations.
As always, thank you for allowing me to
serve as your representative.
Rep. Robert Dickey
404-656-5099
228-B State Capitol
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
robert.dickey@house.ga.gov
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