Newspaper Page Text
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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 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
Oxendine's ready
to take the wheel
If there’s one lesson that John Oxendine should
have learned by now, it’s that cars and politics
don’t mix.
Georgia’s insurance commissioner, who is hard
at work on a 2010 campaign for governor, has had
more than his share of misfortune caused by his
involvement with official state vehicles.
Shortly after he first took
office as insurance commis
sioner in 1995, Oxendine ran
his state-issued vehicle off the
road and crashed into some
trees in Gwinnett County,
causing damages estimated at
$17,000. He told police that
he had swerved the car to
avoid hitting a deer.
A few years later, when he
was at the wheel of a state car
equipped with blue lights and
a siren (Oxendine also serves as the state fire mar
shal), he had the lights flashing and was weaving
through traffic on Interstate 285 when he crashed
into a pickup truck. As a result of this accident,
it cost nearly $7,000 to repair the truck and the
Crown Victoria was totaled at a cost to taxpayers
of $18,000.
“People go years and years without a situation,
and then have strings of bad luck,” Oxendine was
quoted in media accounts at the time. “Accidents
are accidents.”
Oxendine claimed that this particular accident
happened because he was rushing to get to his
capitol office after a fire alarm had forced an
evacuation of the building. The truthfulness of
that statement was investigated by both the GBI
and the attorney general’s office.
Investigators later concluded that Oxendine had
used his emergency blue light on several occa
sions to get around traffic and avoid being late to
social functions, including one dinner engagement
with his son.
These “repeated misuses” of emergency equip
ment prompted Attorney General Thurbert Baker
to recommend that Oxendine’s emergency privi
leges be revoked.
“Every time you flip on that blue light, you can
potentially create a situation of danger out there
on the highway,” Baker said, adding that with
Oxendine “there clearly seems to be a pattern of
abuse.”
Oxendine subsequently removed the blue lights
and sirens from his cars and requested that his
permits be “deactivated.” The state Board of
Public Safety voted formally in 2001 to rescind
his permits to operate emergency lights and sirens.
Newspaper columnists also started referring to the
insurance commissioner as “Crash” Oxendine.
You would think that after two high-profile
accidents Oxendine would go out of his way to
avoid any other incidents with state vehicles. But
no. In 2003, Oxendine spent $25,322 in taxpayer
funds on yet another Crown Victoria, including
$6,363 for extras like leather seats, a CD player
and a “pursuit suspension” package. This pur
chase occurred after he had been instructed not
to buy the vehicle because of the state’s budget
problems.
After reviewing the circumstances surrounding
the vehicle purchase, the state inspector gen
eral’s office reported: “Commissioner Oxendine’s
actions were in blatant disregard for established
authority. When informed that he would not be
allowed to purchase his automobile, his response
was, in general, ‘Try and stop me.’ ”
Oxendine eventually reimbursed the state for
the vehicle but also issued this defiant state
ment: “I have stated publicly my disagreement
with the report’s findings of fact and conclusions.
Although this office is not bound by the opinion
of the Office of Inspector General, I have decided
to purchase this vehicle personally and donate it
to the Georgia Department of Insurance to finally
resolve this matter and demonstrate this office’s
commitment to fiscal responsibility.”
As he gets deeper into the 2010 governor’s race,
it appears that Oxendine has retained his taste for
high-priced transportation. His initial disclosure
report shows that Oxendine spent $36,933 from
his campaign account on June 30 to buy what was
described as a “campaign auto.” The vehicle was
identified as a 2007 GMC Denali, a luxury SUV
that can cost as much as $58,785 when new.
Oxendine’s aides say the purchase and use of
the SUV will be in accord with all the applicable
campaign finance laws, but you can bet that one
of Oxendine’s critics will, at some point, try to
file an ethics complaint and stir up a controversy
about it.
Since the insurance commissioner obviously
likes those expensive cars, my advice to the other
candidates in the governor’s race is this: buckle
your seatbelts and check your rear-view mirror.
You could be in for a bumpy ride.
Tom Crawford is the editor of Capitol Impact’s
Georgia Report, an Internet news service at www.
gareport.com that covers government and politics
in Georgia. He can be reached attcrawford@
capitolimpact.net.
tom
cmwford
"Hey, in a. bad economy, keeping money
in the community is your best investment!"
American Legion Post offers thanks
Dear Editor:
We, the American Legion
Post 215 of Banks County,
want to give our utmost
appreciation to Banks
County Middle School and
everyone involved for such
a display of patriotism on
Veterans Day in your school
gym.
All of us veterans went
home feeling so proud of
all those fine students for
showing such respect for us
and I know most of us shed
a tear or two. I personally
was moved by Sgt. Gene
Griffith about his escape out
of the Choe-san Reservoir
after being trapped for 11
days during the Korean
War.
Thanks to all of you
for putting on such a fine
program. Those students
will always remember and
understand why veterans
are so proud of our great
country and great freedom
that we all enjoy.
Sincerely,
Bev Thompson
Adjutant
American Legion
Post 215
Homer
Booster Club expresses thanks
Dear Editor:
The Banks County All
Sports Booster Club had
a successful evening at
their Reverse Raffle Ticket
Dinner held on November
8 at the Commerce Civic
Center.
We would like to take this
opportunity to give thanks
to the efforts of the commu
nity, staff and our local busi
nesses who have supported
this fund-raiser.
Donations were generous
and largely appreciated and
volunteer hours invaluable.
Banks County High School
and all of its athletic depart
ments offer thanks as well
in supporting their programs
and for your continued gen
erosity to Banks County
High School. It is our com
munity that will help our
Leopards be the best they
can be.
Sincerely,
Banks County All Sports
Booster Club
Says pastor shows 'Spirit of Christmas'
Dear Editor:
Giving is a virtue.
Give and you shall receive; Give and it
shall be given unto you.
For many of us, sadly, the spirit of
Christmas is “hurry” where people do not
experience that magical feeling.
Unfortunately, many children and fami
lies are not able to have the same enrich
ing experience as others. Many children
in the United States will not have a single
gift to open this Christmas morning. Many
families will not have a Christmas meal on
their table.
They will not experience the magical
feeling that they are part of this special day
unless we all join together to help change
that.
Two years ago, I met a person that has
made a profound impact in my life and in
the life of others in our community. A man
that not only does his job as a pastor but
by making a monumental contribution to
future generations by respecting and honor
ing families as unique individuals.
Pastor David Carithers is a man that
believes in people and his generous and
dedicated character, heart, smile or simply
his attention gives us valuable deposits of
self-esteem that can last for the rest of our
lives. Pastor Carithers has dedicated his life
to better his community and its residents.
Throughout the year, you will find this pas
tor feeding the hungry, clothing the needy
and even rebuilding a roof for a family that
otherwise would be homeless.
This pastor takes time out of his busy
schedule to feed the homeless in Athens, to
host events at the park where he feeds his
community while searching for the lost and
lonely to lend a hand or simply a comfort
ing word.
You might think that while you are read
ing this article that I attend his ministry, but
I do not. It has been a privilege to have met
someone that holds the spirit of giving, the
spirit of caring and the spirit of Christmas
throughout the year.
For all he has done and continues to do,
the Spirit of Christmas remains.
Pastor David Carithers, I thank you on
behalf of all the families you have touched
and served.
Sincerely,
Amelia and George Mischner,
Commerce
Letters to the editor policy given
The Banks County News has established a
policy on printing letters to the editor.
Letters to the editor must also be signed
with the address and phone number of the
person who wrote them.
The address and phone number will be for
our verification purposes only and will not
be printed unless the writer requests it. Mail
to, The Banks County News, P.O. Box 920,
Homer, Ga. 30547.
E-mailed letters will be accepted, but
we must have a contact phone number and
address. Letters that are libelous will not be
printed.
Anyone with questions concerning these
letter to the editor policies should contact
editor Angie Gary at 706-367-2490 or angi-
eeditor@aol.com.
Contact staff members of the BCN
Anyone with general story ideas, com
plaints or comments about the news depart
ment is asked to contact editor Angela Gary
at 706-367-2490. She can be reached by
email atAngieEditor@aol.com.
Anyone with comments, questions or
suggestions relating to the county board of
commissioners, county government, county
board of education or crime and courts can
contact Sharon Hogan at 706-367-2350 or
Sharon @ mainstreetnews.com.
Justin Poole is sports editor and can
be contacted about coverage of local hgh
school, middle school and recreation sports.
He can be reached at justin@mainstreet-
news.com or 706-367-2348.
Calls for information about the church
page should go to Suzanne Reed at
706-387-5401 or sent to suzanne@main-
streenews.com.
Ginger Mitchell is the advertising rep
resentative for Banks County. She can be
reached at gingerm@mainstreetnews.com
or at 706-387-5404.
For subscription information, call
706-387-5405.
The Banks County News website can be
found at www.banksnewstoday.com.
Long campaign
season comes
to an end
By the time this paper arrives in
your hands, the campaign of 2008
will be over.
I am writing this before Tuesday’s
runoff election here in our state, so
I don’t know how those final three
races turned out.
(I know how I
would have
liked for them
to turn out, but
that’s another
issue).
For many,
including the
most die-hard of
political junk
ies, it has been
a long, gruel
ing affair which
chris
bridges
admittedly we all could use a little
break from. Personally, I’ll be fine
within a few weeks, but I know many
are past the point of bum out.
Quite frankly, how could you not
be? The U.S. Senate race and run
off has no doubt set some kind of
record for number of television ads,
unsolicited phones calls and cards in
our mailboxes. Most of them have
been complete distortions by Saxby
Chambliss, but we shouldn’t be sur
prised by that.
This was someone, afterall, who
didn’t serve in the military, but paint
ed Max Cleland as some kind of
coward in the election six years ago.
Now in 2008, Jim Martin, who served
in Vietnam, a hue fighter for the
blue collar worker in Georgia, was
labeled as something he is not by the
Chambliss distortion machine.
Yet, as we went into the final days
of the campaign (remember I am writ
ing this before the vote on Tuesday),
Chambliss was actually ahead in the
polls. Amazing what negative cam
paigning and bending, breaking and
distorting the truth will do for you
when you think about it.
But enough about Chambliss. He
isn’t worth my time anyway.
One thing which is encouraging
about the 2008 election has been the
massive number of voters who have
turned out to take part in the process.
Georgia can be proud as well as peo
ple have actually had to wait in some
cases to cast their ballots.
Still, despite the record turnout
in numerous areas, there are still so
many who don’t take the time to vote.
It pains me to think so many still don’t
care enough to take advantage of one
of the greatest rights we have.
I recently watched a documentary
in which I learned in Australia, citi
zens can be fined if they don’t take the
time to vote. Can you imagine what
would happed if people had to pay
$500 if they did not do their patriotic
duty and go to the polls in America?
Oh, the debate that would rage on talk
radio if that law was passed.
Looking ahead for a moment, a
full slate of statewide offices will be
on the ballot in 2010. One positive
thing about 2010 is that we will be rid
of Sonny Perdue, who will no doubt
go down as one of the least effec
tive governors in our state’s history.
Numerous plants and companies have
closed during Perdue’s reign in office
and the governor hasn’t even been
seen in months. Where is he these
days? No one seems to know, or care
for that matter?
Hopefully, the enthusiasm hun
dreds of thousands of Georgia voters
showed this November will carry over
into 2010.
We have many problems here in the
Peachstate which need to be ironed
out. I would love to see the rise of a
third political party to challenge the
broken two-party system. Now is as
good a time as any for that.
Still, I know most of you are tired
of hearing about, reading about and
watching politics on television. Take
a break, rest up and get ready to go
again. There’s too much at stake to
remain asleep at the wheel now.
Chris Bridges is an editor with
Mainstreet Newspapers. E-mail com
ments about this column to chris @
mainstreetnews. com.