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PAGE 4A - THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS. WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 22. 2008
mion
Editorial Views
Vote Early And
Avoid Long Lines
It appears that there will be an unusually
heavy voter turnout for the Nov. 4 elections.
That could mean some lines at local polling
places.
But there is a way to avoid the lines, and 16
percent of the county's voters have already
taken it. Advance voting is offered through
Oct. 31.
Until Oct. 24, it can be accomplished only
at the Jackson County Registrar's Office at the
county Administrative Building on Athens
Street in Jefferson from 8:00 to 5:00. But
for five days, Monday through Friday, Oct.
27-31, advance voting will also be possible at
the Commerce Recreation Office on Carson
Street and the Braselton municipal complex.
Hours will be 9:00 to 7:00.
That's an opportunity for voters to avoid
any difficulties or inconveniences that the
heavy turnout might cause Nov. 4. A minute
or two spent before the election could save a
half hour or more Election Day.
New Ordinance Will
Require Commitment
The consultants tasked with drafting a new
sign ordinance for the City of Commerce
expressed strong opposition to the idea of
granting variances during a public hearing
last Thursday night.
Unfortunately, not one member of the
Commerce City Council — which has a his
tory of granting variances to the current
ordinance — was at the hearing to receive that
good advice.
It is inevitable that once a new ordinance is
drafted and approved, no matter how liberal
or restrictive it will be, someone will soon
request a variance. If the council is as recep
tive to variances to the new ordinance as it is
to the existing sign law, the new ordinance
will soon be worthless.
The purpose of the ordinance is to preserve
the charm and atmosphere of the community
against the onslaught of signs. That is not an
issue that captures the public's (or the city
government's) interest until a specific issue
arises, which is likely why only one citizen
and four public officials bothered to attend
the public hearing. Most people favor the
concept of preventing further clutter from
signs, but most also are not offended by pro
posed signs that are a few feet bigger or taller
than allowed.
That's what makes enforcement tough. The
most common thought expressed by the
city council when a variance is sought is "I
don't have a problem with that sign." Yet the
ordinance can be effective only if limits are
set and adhered to. Commerce will spend
thousands of dollars of the taxpayers money
to create a fair and workable ordinance. The
city council ought to develop the backbone
to resist changing it every time someone
requests a variance.
Editorials, unless otherwise noted, are written
by Mark Beardsley. He can be reached at mark@
mainstreetnews. com
Your Views Are Welcome
The Commerce News reserves space on its opinion page for readers to express
their views on current issues. The News welcomes comments in response to
events in the news and to editorials or columns expressing opinions.
Send letters to: Letters to the Editor, Ihe Commerce News, P.0. Box 459,
Commerce, GA, 30529 or email them at commercenews@mainstreetnews.
com.
The Commerce News
ESTABLISHED IN 1875
USPS 125-320
1672 South Broad Street
Commerce, Georgia 30529
MIKE BUFFINGTON Co-Publisher
SCOTT BUFFINGTON Co-Publisher
MARK BEARDSLEY..Editor/General Manager
JUSTIN POOLE Sports Editor
TERESA MARSHALL Office Manager
MERRILL BAGWELL Cartoonist
THE COMMERCE NEWS is the legal organ of
the city of Commerce and is published every
Wednesday by MainStreet Newspapers Inc.
Periodical postage paid at Commerce, Georgia
30529.
Subscription Rates Per Year: Jackson, Banks
and Madison counties, $19.75; State of
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POSTMASTER send address changes to THE
COMMERCE NEWS, P.O. Box 908, Jefferson, GA,
30549.
got a lot from the last debate between Obama
and McCain—an extra hour of sleep.
Things Have Gone So Well
I was interested to
hear a newscaster say
some voters are wor
ried that the upcom
ing election might
give the Democratic
Party not only the
White House but a
majority in both hous
es of Congress.
Why are they wor
ried? I guess they're
afraid something might go wrong.
I mean, things have been going so
well, really, unless you're into peace
and economic security, or afford
able health care or some other frill.
But if you're just a plain old patriotic
American, why, you don't care about
stuff like that. You just want to be able
to make a million trillion gazillion
dollars and get it stuffed into a giant
mattress before anybody catches on.
Take Richard Fuld, for example. I
know he was pleased that he managed
to take $500 million out of Lehman
Brothers during his seven years there.
And of course I'm happy for him,
because I want to be able to take $500
million myself someday, just like we
all probably do. Actually, Richard says
it was only $250 million, but who's
counting? Nobody, that's who! That's
the beauty of it. And hey — he didn't
break a single law, because there
weren't any. He just redistributed some
wealth from people who didn't really
know what to do with it. See, it's not
socialism as long as the money is
redistributed upwards. That's the other
beauty of it.
Everything is supposed to travel
upwards, really; it's the American way.
That's why it's important for CEOs
to make 500 times as much as their
employees — because that's what you
and I would want to make, in case we
were so blessed to become CEOs. So
A Few
Facts t A
Lot Of
Gossip 2
BY SUSAN HARPER
our money travels up
to them, and then they
can share a little of it
with the less fortunate,
should they so choose.
/ Ik Or not. They don't
K have to, of course. It's
a free country.
And if they screw up,
why, it's our job to
bail them out, because
our money still has to
travel upward. And anyway, they're the
only ones who really know how to fix
things. Take that Hank Paulson guy
who's the head fixer of the economy.
He knows how to privatize profit and
socialize loss. Isn't he smart? He used
to be the CEO of one of those com
panies that got in trouble and had to
reorganize, before he became the big
fixer, so he's had plenty of experience
with privatizin' and socializin'.
The important thing is to make sure
that none of the money starts travel
ing downward — or no more than a
trickle, anyway. And you have to sort
of harden your heart, because people
need things, like food, for instance.
People want things, like medicine.
So say a person wants a bottle of eye
drops, and it costs $300; well, that per
son might have to give up eating for
a while. It's just the price we have to
pay to keep the money flowing in the
right direction.
So when you see grandmothers sleep
ing in their cars or having cat food for
supper, or if you spot little kids out
collecting money for their own kidney
transplants, don't go getting all upset.
Just remind yourself that America may
be free, but it isn't cheap. And then
get your own mattress ready, just in
case you hit the jackpot, should you
be so fortunate.
Susan Harper is director of the
Commerce Public Library.
Lessons From The Rankings
What have we
learned in the first
eight weeks of college
football?
Texas is real. No. 1
Texas has always been
a good offensive team,
but they're playing
defense now. Don't let
the final score of last
Saturday's game trick
you into thinking that
the Longhorn defense
wasn't shutting down its opponent.
Their game against Missouri was
over halfway through the first quar
ter. Quarterback Colt McCoy is a
bona fide Heisman candidate, but the
most impressive offensive player on
Texas' team is running back Chris
Ogbonnaya. Ogbonnaya's ability to
move in space is unparalled in college
football.
Texas' schedule has them playing No.
6 Oklahoma State this Saturday and
No. 8 Texas Tech the following week.
If they can get through the next two
games without a loss and win the Big
Twelve Conference, we'll see Texas in
the BCS Championship game.
Alabama is the best first-half team in
the country. If No. 2 Alabama coach
Nick Saban can figure out a way to
maintain his team's proficiency into
the third quarter,
Alabama's a team we
may see in Miami
in January. One side
note, Alabama's defen
sive tackle, Terrence
Cody injured his right
knee in last Saturday's
game against Ole Miss
and will have an MRI
sometime this week.
Alabama, although
it plays in the toughest
conference in football, has a pretty
easy track to the conference champi
onship. With games against diminish
ing Tennessee and Auburn and only
one game against a ranked opponent,
No. 13 LSU Nov. 8, Alabama should
remain at the top of the standings.
Joe Paterno deserves a contract exten
sion. No. 3 Penn State has gotten away
from its traditional smash-mouth
Big Ten scheme with the new spread
HD offense and it's paying off. Penn
State survived a first-half scare against
unranked Michigan Saturday and by
the time the dust settled, the score
was as one-sided as expected. We'll
find out how real Penn State is when
it faces No. 9 Ohio State this Saturday
night.
Please turn to Page 5A
Viewpoints
In
Rotation
BY HASCO CRAVER
It's
Gospel
According
To Mark
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
Ready To
Serve If The
Need Arises
Reluctantly, I will serve if
called upon to be president.
Not likely, but it could happen.
Here's how: the Republicans
steal Florida, North Carolina
and Ohio, and McCain and
Obama wind up tied in
Electoral College votes. The
matter goes to the House of
Representatives, where a melee
results and not enough mem
bers survive to select a presi
dent. Responding to a brilliant
suggestion from Gov. Palin, the
House decides to hold a lot
tery of every e-mail address in
America. Having just been noti
fied that I won a similar lottery
conducted in Amsterdam, my
selection is not unprecedented.
Here's my one qualification:
I'd be a better commander in
chief than the current president.
By that, I mean if terrorists from
Colombia bomb the Starbucks
at Banks Crossing, I will not
invade Venezuela in response.
I know, neither would you,
but I had to spell that out.
America will not spend the lives
of its soldiers to implement for
eign policy.
In a Beardsley administration,
there will be no tax cuts — until
Congress approves a balanced
budget, which means it could
be awhile. Don't be a whiner.
By executive order, I will end
the war in Iraq, ban Jet Skis,
ATVs, reality TV shows and
competitive cheerleading. I will
terminate the No Child Left
Behind Act, the Bush tax cuts
and the Bush Doctrine of pre
emptive warfare. There will be
no budget earmarks, not even
for a bridge to somewhere.
My administration will open
lines of communication with
Cuba, North Korea, Iran and the
Confederacy. Talk is cheap; it's
one thing we can afford to do.
I will ban the Republican and
Democratic parties, but will
allow them to reconstitute
under new names. The boost to
the economy in reprinting all
of their propaganda will spur an
economic recovery.
I will add one new income tax
bracket. Consultants hired by
news organizations and politi
cal parties will pay a 95 percent
income tax. That could well bal
ance the budget.
I will restore the Bill of Rights,
require that candidates in politi
cal debates be attached to poly
graph machines so viewers can
see the results, and mandate 29
psi of air pressure in all auto
mobile tires. My administra
tion will require major athletic
events to begin before 7:15
Eastern Standard Time, move all
federal holidays from Monday
to Friday and shorten sessions
of Congress by 75 percent.
A Beardsley administration
will sue boards of directors of
financial institutions who lead
their companies into insolvency
and, when Congress is in ses
sion, heat the White House with
hot air piped over from the
Capitol.
Finally, under no circumstanc
es will I run for re-election. I've
more important things to do.
Mark Beardsley is editor of The
Commerce News. He can be reached
at mark@mainstreetnews.com