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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 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
Too busy to think
Recently, someone asked me why my columns
have been missing from the editorial page.
The truth?
I don't have the time to
write columns.
An even better answer?
I don't have the time to
THINK about writing a col
umn.
That’s not to say I don’t
think — but when your
schedule is packed, some
times you just don’t have
that “down” time to think.
I mean, really think. Just
think about stuff and what
it all means.
My thinking time seems to come while I'm driv
ing. Even with the radio turned on, that’s where the
thoughts come flowing. I think about my daughter,
my husband, my job — and occasionally just little
random things come to mind.
And it’s become the norm that I use my driving
time to make “notes to self.” Instead of writing a note
while driving, I pick up my cell phone from the center
console, press a speed-dial button to either my house
or office and leave a “note to self’ about whatever is
on my mind.
Sometimes, it’s a reminder about a work-related
item. Other times, it's a reminder to get something
from the store or send something to someone. It’s
whatever random task comes floating through my
head.
And then, there are the sticky notes.
The little pieces of paper are plastered around my
computer screen at work. That’s where my eyeballs
stay focused on for many hours of the week. So it
makes sense that my little reminders would always
be on my mind, right?
The reality, however, is that the more sticky notes
around the screen, the easier it becomes to ignore
them. With a choice of yellow or pink sticky notes,
they seem to decorate my working space.
Each sticky note represents a task: Follow-up with
this story. Call this person. Do this thing. E-mail that
person.
It feels good to take down a sticky note when a task
is completed. But, one — if not two more — sticky
notes around the screen usually follow it.
An even more pathetic tactic? Notes on the back
of my hand.
Yep, if I'm away from the sticky notes — and I fear
I may forget to ask someone about something — I
write a note on the back of my hand.
The other day, the red ink on my hand said,
“Store!!” It was a reminder to get some medicine at
the store before it closed. My day was busy, and it
was possible that I’d forget to go to the store between
all of the things on my schedule.
The problems with notes on hands is that they rub
off easily after a few washes (what if you haven’t
completed that task yet?) and they make you feel like
a forgetful second grader who needs such an obvious
reminder right in front of them.
This Christmas, I'm not asking for much. Just time
with my family and a personal digital assistant (PDA)
— to keep up with the busy schedule.
Kerri Testement is a news editor with MainStreet
Newspapers. Her e-mail address is kerri@main-
streetnews.com.
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
Justin Poole
Sports Editor
Sharon Hogan
Reporter
Anelia Chambers
Receptionist
Suzanne Reed
Church News
Phones tall 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
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P.O. Box 908, Jefferson, Ga. 30549
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Member: Georgia Press Association
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Where is leadership during budget crisis?
At a time when Georgia is fac
ing the worst economic downturn
since the Great Depression and has
to deal with a budget deficit of $2
billion or more, what has been the
response of our political leader
ship?
Let’s put it this way: there is defi
nitely room for improvement.
The Legislative Services
Committee, whose member
ship includes the top leaders of
the state Senate and House of
Representatives, voted last week
to defer a 3 percent cost-of-living pay increase
that lawmakers were scheduled to receive in
2009. They made it sound as if they were
making a huge personal sacrifice for Georgia’s
taxpayers.
“As we face tremendous budget challenges,
it is appropriate that we do our part," said
Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), the outgoing
Senate president pro tem who plans to run for
lieutenant governor in 2010.
How much of a sacrifice are we really talking
about? Deferring the salary increase will cost
each lawmaker about $525 next year - or about
$124,000 total for the entire General Assembly.
The budget now exceeds $21 billion a year, so
the legislative reduction will amount to less
than one-thousandth of one percent of total
state spending.
As my accountant friend would say, that’s
not even a rounding error. It’s certainly a nice
symbolic gesture, but it won’t get you close to
making up a $2 billion budget deficit.
The legislative leadership could have made a
bigger dent in state spending if they had called a
special session during the fall and started some
serious discussions about which programs
should be cut and which should be retained.
They declined to call a special session prior
to Nov. 4 because they were all running for
reelection to another two-year term. That’s
an understandable reason for not acting on
the budget crisis. The problem is, they also
declined to call a special session after election
day, apparently thinking they can just let the
state’s problems drag on while the economy
goes deeper into the tank.
Evidently, a deferred pay raise is the most
we’re going to see from our lawmakers. How
about the state’s chief executive, Gov. Sonny
Perdue?
His department heads are actually talking
about budget cuts and one of them resulted
in the closing of an assisted living facility in
Milledgeville where more than 80
military veterans were trying to live
out their final years. The veterans
were told to find new residences by
Thanksgiving, because after that they
would be evicted.
The savings to the state from shut
ting down that veterans’ facility totaled
about $2.7 million. It seems like a
harsh way to save a few dollars, but
these are hard times we’re facing and
sometimes budget cuts are going to
hurt people. There’s just no way to
avoid that reality.
Of course, Perdue could have saved even
more money if he had canceled the ill-fated
"Go Fish” program that he announced last year
to great fanfare.
This initiative, which will cost taxpayers at
least $19 million, authorized the construction of
larger docks and boat ramps at state reservoirs
in hopes that the new facilities would attract
bass fishing tournaments. It was a great idea,
Perdue claimed, that would boost tourism and
make Georgia a destination state for all those
people who just can’t get enough professional
bass fishing.
Perdue had the misfortune of proposing this
wonderful idea at the same time that a record
setting drought swept across the state, dropping
the water levels in reservoirs to historic lows.
Two fishing tournaments that had been
planned at Lake Lanier were cancelled because
of the drought and the boost in tourism spending
that Go Fish would bring about doesn’t seem to
have happened. But that hasn’t stopped Perdue
from plunging ahead with plans to build a new
visitors center and hatchery to support the fish
ing program in Houston County. The cynical
among us would note that Houston also hap
pens to be the county where Perdue was bom,
raised, and first elected to the Legislature.
So, with the next session of the General
Assembly soon upon us, here’s the tally on
how our political leadership is dealing with a
huge budget deficit: they’ve deferred a small
pay raise for legislators and they’ve kicked 81
veterans out of an assisted living facility.
That would reduce the budget deficit to about
$1,997,000,000. I’m sure they’ll be able to take
care of that with little trouble.
Tom Crawford is the editor of Capitol
Impact's Georgia Report, an Internet news
service at wmv.gareport.com that covers gov
ernment and politics in Georgia. He can be
reached at tcrawford@capitolimpact.net.
Ironing things out
Ironing just isn’t one of my favor
ite chores. In my laundry room, I
have a large basket which contains
several tablecloths, napkins and a
variety of shirts pants, and dresses
which belong to different family
members. All of these items are
waiting to be ironed before they
can be worn or enjoyed.
Years ago, I remember
Grandmother having a heavy black
iron which sat beside the fireplace
on the hearth. I often wondered
if “back in the old days” she or her mother
used the heavy object to do their daily iron
ing. The iron was made of iron. I rationalized
that ironically it was how the iron probably
got its name.
Before Grandmother passed away, I was
very fortunate to have her spend a couple of
mornings each week at my house, helping me
try and stay caught up with of the abundance
of laundry. With my family of five, it seemed
to grow like kudzu while we slept at night.
The clothing and linens always looked
so nice and neat when Grandmother folded
them. One day I observed her to see what
her secret was. I found that she ironed each
and every piece of laundry, only she didn’t
use an iron.
She would lay each individual item
on the table, then carefully smooth it
out with her hands before making
any folds. Many of the things which
I would have thrown in the basket
to iron at a later date didn’t have a
wrinkle in it after being exposed to
Grandmother’s warm hands.
Relationships can be a lot like
laundry. We all have a few wrinkles
in them. Many times we just toss
situations which need to be dealt
with in the basket and let them
sit there. We feel like the wrinkles must
be all ironed out before matters can be
resolved. Removing wrinkles usually takes
work, which we feel that we don’t have time
for or just don't want to deal with until a
later date.
As you spend this holiday season with
family, friends and acquaintances, remember
how Grandmother dealt with wrinkles —
she simply smoothed things over. Take this
opportunity to empty your laundry basket.
Go ahead and start the new year by ironing
things out.
Sherri Stephens is a South Jackson resi
dent. She may be contacted at charmbug5 @
hotmail.com.
sherri
Stephens
'Success'
can describe
Hart's term
in office
In less than a month, Gene Hart
will leave behind his office as Banks
County Commission Chairman.
He will have served just one term
in office, but
I believe the
impact he
leaves behind
will be a posi
tive and suc
cessful
There
be those
disagree
one.
will
who
of
course. Such is
the nature of
politics. Being
a county chair
man is a sure
fire way of making enemies. On
almost any decision you make, you
are going to make someone upset or
mad.
Hart took office almost four years
ago and immediately had an impact of
streamlining the commission’s office.
In his relative short time as chairman,
the business of the office he oversees
runs more efficiently and smoothly.
Hart has been a chairman who can
been found in the office for regular
hours and beyond. It’s not always that
way, even with so-called “full-time”
commission chairmen.
Yet, it was basically one issue
which led to Hart’s defeat. A dispute
involving volunteer firemen in Banks
County led to Hart’s ouster as chair
man and to the election of a new one.
On one hand, there is something posi
tive to be said for citizens who don’t
like the way their county is being run
and who then take action about it.
On the other hand, ousting a county
chairman on the primary basis of one
issue can be dangerous.
What if the new chairman doesn’t
give in to every whim of the group
which “helped” get him elected?
What if the new chairman doesn’t
reverse the decision made by the
former chairman on his initial day in
office? Will the group which basically
threw out the old chairman then turn
on the new chairman as well.
Being elected on one issue is also
dangerous in that the business of
operating a county is 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Once that sole,
hot topic issue is resolved in one way
or another, the business of the county
must go on and must be conducted,
even when those who cried the loud
est are gone.
Hart stuck to his guns concern
ing the volunteer firemen issue in
Banks County. He did so because he
believed what he was doing was right.
Hart is not a career politician and
that made his decision to do what he
thought was right easier. He was not
worried about getting re-elected and
in fact even had given consideration
to not running before this controver
sial issue came up.
Still, Banks County has benefited
from Gene Hart's leadership during
the past four years. He is an hon
est man who has deep roots here.
I believe he would have served the
county well if re-elected.
Let’s hope the new leadership can
continue to move Banks County in
the same positive direction it has
been going. Many issues Hart has
been pushing for are still on the table.
Many other issues need addressing
and perhaps the new chairman will
take those up.
One positive for the county will be
the expansion of the current three-
member commission to a five-member
one. The current setup is long out of
date and voters did the right thing by
expanding the number of county com
missioners by a vote in November.
As for Hart, I believe he deserves
the citizens’ thanks for what he has
done for the county since January
2005. It remains to be seen if voting
him out of office over one issue was
the right thing to do. History says,
however, it is usually unwise to take
that approach.
Chris Bridges is an editor with
Mainstreet Newspapers. E-mail com
ments about this column to chris @
mainstreetnews. com.