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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2008
Editor: Angela Gary
Phone: 706-367-2490
E-mail: AngieEditor@aol.com
Website: www.banksnewsTODAY.com
Opinion
“Where the press is free and every tnan
able to read, all is safe.”
— Thomas Jefferson
"Political conventions are like a 'Jeopardy' game...
they have all the answers, and we're left with the questions!
Atlanta's shadow over Denver
Our Views:
Baldwin needs
dramatic cutbacks
Over the last week, Baldwin leaders have been
pouring over a mountain of financial data and listen
ing to consultants about the town’s serious financial
problems.
There’s a lot of numbers in those documents and
a variety of financial tools for evaluation. It’s all
good data.
But what it all comes down to is this — Baldwin
has been spending more money than it takes in for
several years. The town’s general fund is empty of
reserves and is floating on borrowed money. The
town's water fund is shaky and may face additional
financial problems in the coming months.
Drastic action is needed by city leaders to fix
this mess before the town’s finances collapse com
pletely.
Every city department needs to be cut, but the
main source of Baldwin’s financial problems is its
police department, which alone consumes over 40
percent of the town’s revenues.
This problem isn’t unusual. Too many small
towns have created police departments that soon
balloon into a financial black hole.
Baldwin leaders are looking at cutbacks and at
raising taxes to offset the deficit.
But taxpayers shouldn't have to pay more in
taxes just because the town's leadership has been
financially irresponsible over the last several years.
Overspending, not a lack of revenues, got Baldwin
into its barrel of red ink.
Dramatically cutting runaway expenses is what
needs to happen now in Baldwin. The question is,
does the Baldwin City Council have the courage to
do that?
BOC should say 'no'
to motel moratorium
A request from a group of motel owners that the
Banks County Board of Commissioners place a
moratorium on any future motels being constructed
in the Banks Crossing area is ridiculous.
These motel owners were allowed to locate at
Banks Crossing. Why shouldn't future motel own
ers not be given the same consideration?
Perhaps these motel owners are afraid of a little
competition. That’s not the concern of the board of
commissioners. The BOC doesn’t shut the door on
restaurants locating in the area because restaurant
owners in the area are afraid of diners having more
options.
Doesn’t this argument sound a little weak: “I have
my motel up and running and now I want the board
of commissioners to stop anyone else from building
one. I don’t want to have any competition.”
First of all, it’s not the role of government, at any
level, to prop up any one business. In a free market
enterprise, a business should stand on its own. If
the Banks Crossing area has enough motels, then
market research should tell any prospective builders
to stay away. This is not the job of the county chair
man or the BOC. For existing motel owners to think
otherwise is showing a misguided belief in the role
of county government.
The BOC should not consider placing any type
of moratorium on future motel requests. Each one
should be considered individually and not denied
as a whole simply because current motel operators
don’t want a little competition.
The Banks County News
Founded 1968
The official legal organ of Banks County, Ga.
Mike Buffington
Co-Publisher
Scott Buffington
Co-Publisher
Angela Gary
Editor
Chris Bridges
Sports Editor
Sharon Hogan
Reporter
Anelia Chambers
Receptionist
Suzanne Reed
Church News
Phones (all 706 area code):
Angela Gary Phone
367-2490
Angela Gary Fax
367-9355
Homer Office Phone
677-3491
Homer Office Fax
677-3263
(SCED 547160)
Published weekly by
MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.,
P.O. Box 908, Jefferson, Ga. 30549
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U nfortunately for their hopefuls,
Democrats may be getting ready
to party like it’s 1988.
The Democrats open their convention in
Denver Monday to launch Barack Obama
against the GOP establishment guy, John
McCain. The donkeys are already singing
“Happy Days Are Here Again.” The Denver
convocation promises to be a wild but pre
mature victory party.
Remember 1988? Twenty years ago
thousands of happy Democrats rolled into
Atlanta for the big A’s first (and last) nation
al political convention.
Gov. Joe Frank Harris, a lukewarm Dem if
ever there was one, took the lead along with
Mayor Andrew Young in attracting the con
vention. However, the late Hamilton Jordan
drew up the plans for Atlanta’s debut on the
big-time political scene. Young and Harris
followed Jordan’s counsel to the letter.
The convention was a success by all mea
sures, though the old Omni was a bit small
and Sen. Sam Nunn was locked out at one
point. Still, Atlanta received tons of posi
tive international media exposure. Some say
the convention laid the groundwork for the
Olympics bid. Atlanta had demonstrated it
was ready for prime time, or at least that’s
what people thought. Aw, but that’s another
tale. Let’s stick to this one.
On the last night of the convention, a giant
fireworks show exploded in all its glory
between the Omni and the World Congress
Center. The idea was to instill enthusiasm
into those Democrats who could not get into
the Omni but wanted to feel a part of the
festivities.
Of course, the Atlanta show will hardly
compare to the light and sound Obama’s
folks have planned for Invesco Field in
Denver, but Atlanta’s exhibition was never
theless pretty cool for its time.
Nominee Michael Dukakis marched out
of Atlanta with a 17-point lead in the polls
against Vice President George H. W. Bush.
To Democrats, it all seemed too good to
be true. Turned out it was. Bush won in a
landslide, with a count of 426-111 in the
Electoral College and a voter margin of
nearly 7 million.
So why does the Denver conclave have the
feel of Atlanta’s 1988 gathering and subse
quent events?
Dukakis had run a brilliant primary cam
paign. Obama has run a near-perfect primary
campaign.
Then Dukakis launched perhaps the worst
general-election campaign in history. It
remains to be seen how Obama will run, but
he has had a rough few weeks lately in the
prelims. Events seem to be going McCain’s
way.
The conflict in the Republic of Georgia
threatens to ignite Cold War II with Russia,
Anyone with general story ideas, com
plaints or comments about the news
department is asked to call editor Angela
Gary at 706-367-2490.
She can also be reached by e-mail at
AngieEditor@aol.com.
Anyone with comments, questions or
suggestions relating to the county board of
commissioners, county government, coun
ty board of education and crime and courts
is asked to contact staff reporter Chris
Bridges at 706-367-2745 or by e-mail at
chris@mainstreetnews.com.
Bridges alsoissportseditorofthepaperand
covers local high school, middle school and
recreation sports.
Anyone with comments, questions or
and the wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq
seem to go on and on.
McCain’s forte is his
experience in interna
tional affairs — and
war. Obama’s strengths
are on domestic
issues — the economy,
health care and perhaps
immigration.
In 1988, Dukakis
stumbled repeatedly. He
allowed himself to be
photographed in a ridiculous situation with
a small Army tank. “Dondi Goes to War,”
read the comic caption to the photo. Dukakis
gave a cold and dry answer to Bernie Shaw’s
penetrating question about the candidate’s
feeling on the death penalty if his wife were
raped. He failed to respond promptly to
attacks on his record as Massachusetts gov
ernor.
Bush talked constantly about the Pledge
of Allegiance and the need to keep the death
penalty. Bush also ran following two terms
of Ronald Reagan. As popular as Reagan
was, he suffered several hits near the end of
his reign: Iran-Contra and a general feeling
that he was worn out. However, Reagan’s
dip in popularity was nothing like the cur
rent Bush’s record nosedive in the opinion
polls.
What really beat the Democrats in 1988
was a huge disconnect between Dukakis and
Middle America — and reality, for that
matter.
In their fierce primary fight this year,
Hillary Clinton’s strategists spoke repeatedly
(mostly in hushed tones) of the disconnect
between Obama and ordinary voters. Was
that perception real or just phony campaign
jabber? We shall soon see.
The conventions of Denver and Atlanta
won’t be exactly alike, of course. The econ
omy of 1988 was much better than today’s
economy.
Dukakis had the backing of mainstream
Democrats and seemed to have a solid
chance of besting the perceived milquetoast
Republican. Obama may not enjoy such an
advantage.
Many Clintonites appear reluctant to
throw in with Obama’s effort. A feeling also
exists among voters that they don’t quite
know what makes Obama run. And the race
question — will Americans elect a black
man president? — hangs heavy over the
election of 2008.
You can reach award-winning politi
cal columnist Bill Shipp at P. O. Box 2520,
Kennesaw, GA 30156, e-mail: shippl@bell-
south.net, or Web address: billshipponline.
com.
suggestions relating to Alto, Lula, Baldwin
and Gillsville, should contact Sharon
Hogan at 706-367-5233 or by e-mail at
sharon@ mainstreetnews.com.
Calls concerning the City of Maysville
should go to staff reporter Justin Poole at
706-367-2348 or e-mail him at justin@
mainstreetnews.com.
Calls for information about the
church page should go to Suzanne
Reed at 706-677-3491. Church
news may also be e-mailed to
churchnews@mainstreetnews.com.
The Banks County News website is
updated throughout the week and
may be accessed on the Internet at
www.banksnewsTODAY.com.
News department contact numbers
What makes
home such a
special place ?
I ’m one who’s always put a
high value on the meaning of
home.
In many ways I equal it to that
of a fort. It’s my home base so to
speak. It’s where I dig in my heels
on a daily basis. Whether my day at
work has gone smooth or has been
a bumpy ride, I know my home is
there waiting on me.
Some people don’t become
attached to a home the way I do.
It’s that way
for those who
move around a
great deal dur
ing their lives.
It’s impossible
to put down
roots under
those condi
tions and I
guess you don’t
ever feel part
of a home. The
walls that sur
round you, comfort you and protect
you aren’t part of you long enough
to give you any sense of being.
For me, it’s different. My parents
built a new home when I was very
small and still live in that house to
this day. My childhood memories
are still vivid partly because I am
still able to visit the house I grew up
in. One of my favorite photos from
my childhood is my maternal grand
father carrying me as he is walking
through the front yard at our new
dwelling. Grass had not taken hold
yet as you could see dirt in the old
photo beneath my grandfather’s feet.
Those were the true early days of
my childhood home. I can’t say that
I remember them, but as I began
to grow older I slowly started to
appreciate what a home meant. I
only recall my parents considering
a move once while I was grow
ing up. A house my father always
liked came up for sale and I knew
he would consider buying it if the
circumstances were right. The house
was closer to his job as well as my
mother’s so there was certainly a
chance a move could take place.
I remember breathing a sigh of
relief when my father said the price
for the home was too high as it was
in need of some repair. A move
would not take place afterall. I never
remember any additional talk of
the family moving. More than two
decades later, my parents still live
in the same house which I now visit
when the opportunity presents itself.
For me, the house I live in now
has been home for more than 10
years. When I moved into it dur
ing the spring of 1998 I would have
never placed great odds on making
it 10 months, let alone 10 years.
I quickly learned I had a terrible
neighbor and the job I was working
at was falling apart rapidly.
However, it’s funny how things
work out sometimes. Eventually, the
bad neighbor left and one of the best
one a person could hope for moved
in and hasn’t left. A better working
opportunity presented itself out of
the blue and I found myself becom
ing more and more attached to my
home. In fact, I felt like we had been
through the rough times together and
could now enjoy the good ones.
I’ve long ago lost count of the
times I’ve caught myself saying,
“it’s good to be home” after a long
day at work. I guess if you can hon
estly say that to yourself then you
have settled into your dwelling.
I have a strong sense of pride for
my little house. It’s by no means a
mansion. Most people would pass
by it without giving it a second look.
Yet, when the sky opens up and
rains this time of year and the grass
is green, the yard looks rather nice
after I cut it. I do my best to keep
the flowers blooming and the land
scape presentable.
Yes, it is a home, my home in fact.
It may not be a castle, but I look for
ward to driving home to it each day.
chris
bridges
Chris Bridges is a reporter for
The Banks County News. E-mail
comments about this column to him
at chris@mainstreetnews.com.