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PAGE 4A — THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JANUARY 15, 2009
4i Opinions
Frankly
Speaking
frankgillispie671@msn.com
By Frank Gillispie
Satisfaction
possible without
living high on the hog
You do not have to have a large income to live well.
That is. unless your definition of living well is buying all
the latest gadgets and eating "high on the hog.” Living
well does not require a McMansion with a half dozen
bedrooms and multiple showers. It does not require
having two cars in your garage, each of which cost more
than a modest home. It does not require T-bone steak and
crab legs at every meal.
You can only use one shower at a time. A 3-year-old
Ford will get you there just as comfortably as a new
BMW. A modest TV will show you that great catch in
the end zone just as well as that giant liquid crystal set
You can have a very nutritious diet on a fraction of what
those T-bones cost you.
I am a book nut. I collect and read books by the dozen.
I have a house and garage full. But I paid full price for
only a few of them. I find that I enjoy the murder mystery
that I picked up at a garage sale for one dollar just as
much as the new one that cost $25 or more. I live in the
small house that I helped my father build 50 years ago.
My income would be considered below the poverty level
anywhere in the U.S.A. But I am happy with my life.
There are many advantages to the modest lifestyle.
You do not have to work long hours to afford it. Instead
you can spend quality time with your family, your neigh
bors and your church. You do not have to worry about
your impact on the environment. A modest home uses
far less energy than the McMansions. You do not have
to concern yourself with whether the neighbor down the
street has more than you do. In fact, if he is enslaved by
his possessions, you can feel sorry for him.
I am a product of rural Madison County. That is a good
way to learn to appreciate the lesser things in life. It was
normal for us to have few resources. It taught us to take
what we have and make a good life with it. We learn to
build and repair our own furniture. We learn to make full
use of the clothes we had and only replace things when
they wear out. We learn to make tasty nutritious meals
out of whatever foods we happen to have in the pantry.
Last week. I went to my kitchen to see what I could
find for a meal. In the freezer I found a pound of catfish
nuggets and a pound of cut okra. In the storage bin I
found potatoes and onions, and in the upper shelf of the
pantry I found a collection of canned vegetables that I
had purchased a few weeks ago when the store had a
sale.
I diced up the catfish nuggets and tossed them into a
big stew pot. I opened the pack of okra and tossed that in.
I diced up three potatoes and a big onion. I filled the pot
about half full of water and put it on the stove at medium
heat. After a couple of hours, the potatoes, onions, okra
and catfish were tender. So a poured in two cans of diced
tomatoes, a can of cut com, one of butter beans, green
beans and sweet peas. A pod of finely diced cayenne
pepper and some seasoned salt gave it flavor. After it all
cooked together, I had 15 man-sized servings of catfish
gumbo that cost me less than fifty cents a serving.
You can live a productive, entertaining and comfort
able lifestyle on a limited budget. I recommend it.
Frank Gillispie is founder of The Madison County
Journal. His e-mail address is frankgillispie671@msn.
com. His website can be accessed at http://frankgillispie.
tripod.com/
Letter to the Editor
Thanks for
community support
Dear Editor:
The family of Charles McCarty would like to
express their appreciation for tire acts of love and
kindness shown during their bereavement. We
would also like to thank tire staff of Athens Regional
Medical Center ICU for the care and compassion
given to Charles during his hospital stay. Our heart
felt thanks to Colbert First Baptist Church, Colbert
U.M. Church and Lord and Stephens Funeral Home
for their love and support during this difficult time.
Our personal thanks to the many special friends
and family who visited Charles regularly during the
years after Iris spinal cord injury. What a wonderful
blessing they were.
Also, a big “thank you” to all tire wonderful and
special caregivers we have had over tire years.
Sincerely,
Martha McCarty and family
The Madison
County Journal
(Merged with The Danielsville Monitor
and The Comer News, January 2006)
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Madison & surrounding counties $19.75/year
State of Georgia $38.85/year
Out-of-state $44.50/year
Military personnel with APO address $42.50/year
Senior rate $2 off all above rates
College student discount rate $2 off all above
rates
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
THE MADISON COUNTY JOURNAL
P.O. Box 658, Danielsville, GA 30633
Love of gadgetry shouldn’t overshadow road safety
We know that people drive while
talking on cell phones, while put
ting on makeup, while changing
clothes, while eating dinner, while
searching through CDs, while
intoxicated, while half asleep,
while reading, while air drum
ming, while making out, while
reaching into the backseat to dis
cipline their kids.
There are coundess scary things
that might be happening in the
couple of tons of metal approach
ing you at 75 mph on the road.
And who hasn't seen a car or
duck weave into their lane and felt
that rage, wondering what in the
heck is wrong with that idiot who
doesn't respect the centerline?
Amazingly, in the future, that
fool who swerves toward you may
be blogging on his computer.
Here’s a quote from a CNN
article I read this past week titled
“Technology’s next frontier: In-car
computing.”
“In March, Ford will release a
fully functional, dashboard com
puter — complete with keyboard
— geared to contractors and other
business folks who want to access
the Web, review documents and
In the
Meantime
zach@
mainstreet
news.com
By Zach Mitcham
log inventory while on the go,”
the article stated. “In the spring,
AT&T will launch an in-car enter
tainment service with 22 satellite
TV channels.”
I sure hope no bailout money
goes toward these hairbrained
ideas. Of course, these innova
tions are touted as technologi
cal breakthroughs — ways for
busy people to “move seamlessly
between their digital lives at work
and home.”
Or, perhaps, move seamlessly
into the grill of a Mack truck.
“Consumers want a vehicle
that’s always on and always con
nected,'”’ said Kieran O'Sullivan,
vice president at Continental
Automotive Systems, which sup
plies parts and technology to auto
makers.
In the near future, he said, “con
sumers and carmakers will be
able to customize the [dashboard]
instrument panel to their individu
al tastes the same way that people
customize their mobile phones.”
These technological “break
throughs” include a new system
by Hyundai that “lets motorists
know when they start to drift out
of the lane.”
I guess that’s necessary because
their eyes will be too busy with
matters more important than
vehicular homicide, like checking
their Facebook page.
Now, I consider myself to be on
the old side of the generational
divide when it comes to technol
ogy. While I maintain this news
paper's website, I have never sub
mitted a blog comment to any
website. I have never participated
in MySpace or Facebook. I have
a cell phone, but I prefer to keep
it off. And I generally don’t want
to do anything with that phone,
except talk when arrangements
are being made. I have never sent
a text message and am annoyed
when I get one.
But I understand the appeal of
toys, at least to some extent. The
iPhone is pretty cool, with all that
it can do. I don’t care to spend my
money that way, but I understand
why other people do.
But the notion of a dashboard
computer — you mean, people
actually like this idea? What's up
with these folks? Could such a
marketing pitch really take root?
If so, what does this say about our
common sense?
I hope lawmakers understand
the absurdity of such plans and
enact legislation banning the
installation of computers on dash
boards. Likewise, I think TVs
mounted anywhere in the driver’s
view should also be illegal. Most
people would object, but I would
even be in favor of banning cell
phone use while driving, or, at the
very least, outlawing texting while
driving.
The roads are scary enough now.
We don’t need to compromise our
safety even more out of allegiance
to gadgetry and Google.
Zach Mitcham is editor of The
Madison County Journal.
Letter to the Editor
Former councilman speaks
out on Danielsville raises
Dear Editor:
Up until 2000, the employees were getting
a five percent cost of living increase and the
annual cost of living Federal index was 1.9
and 2.5 percent.
The council decided that we would change
the policy to what the federal cost of living
was each year. For the last seven years, it has
been 2.5 percent or lower. This past year it
was 5.8 percent. This was in the employee
work policy. It was not something that the
council just came up with.
Should we reject the raises just because the
cost of living went up that much in one year?
I think not. The council can change it during
this year if they so desire, but for myself, I
was not about to vote to change it at the last
minute. It would not have been fair to the
employees - and fair is fair.
Sincerely,
Roger L. Watson
Danielsville
Will lawmakers act like adults?
The Capitol
Report
tcrawford@
capitol
impact.net.
By Tom Crawford
One of the advantages of being more than $2
billion in the hole is that it forces you to priori
tize and focus on tire things that really matter.
So it is with our state legislators as they gather
in Atlanta this week to begin the latest chapter of
the General Assembly.
In recent sessions we have seen lawmakers
fighting openly, to the point where the House
speaker yelled at the lieutenant governor to “be
a man” and allow a vote on a tax break measure.
Not to mention the time the speaker accused the
governor of "baring his back
side” on another tax issue.
No time for that kind of
petty bickering this year.
Georgia, like every other
state, is in a deep budget
ary hole aggravated by the
worst economic recession in
75 years. Theoretically, that
should mean the House and
Senate will set aside their
usual differences and try to
work out a way to plug a
revenue hole that could even
tually exceed $2.5 billion.
"Challenging times have a way of bringing
people together,” said Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.
Challenges ? There are plenty of them to be
worked out this session, including:
Tax cuts. You'll hear several lawmakers pro
pose them, but as a practical matter, any tax
cut just adds to tire $2.5 billion budget defi
cit. Corporate CEOs and special interests may
have to wait another year for their usual tax
goodies.
Tax increases. Republicans claim they don't
like them, but tax hikes may be unavoidable this
year if the budget is to be brought into balance
without wrecking state government.
Gov. Sonny Perdue has already floated a state
wide provider tax on hospitals to raise money
for Medicaid. Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah)
wants to raises taxes on cigarettes and Rep.
Chuck Sims (R-Ambrose) would reinstate
the sales tax on groceries. Sen. Jack Murphy
(R-Cumming) even wants to tax patrons of strip
clubs (a tax that might fall disproportionately
upon legislators during the months of January,
February and March).
Homeowners tax relief. To help balance tire
budget, Perdue will propose cutting $430 million
in state grants to local governments that provided
a small bump in property tax exemptions for
homeowners. To offset this loss of a property
tax break, the Legislature could well approve a
cap on yearly increases in property assessments.
Highway improvements. After failing last year
to adopt a plan for raising funds to build new
highways, legislators will try again this year.
Their ability to get campaign contributions from
business leaders in 2010 hinges upon their suc
cess.
Guns. Some lawmakers want to make it legal
for anyone to carry a pistol in such public places
as schools, churches, and mental hospitals. Cagle
says he’ll try to holster that particular idea.
Capital punishment. Frustrated by the inability
to secure the death penalty for courthouse shoot
er Brian Nichols, lawmakers will try to authorize
the imposition of the ulti
mate punishment through
less-than-unanimous jury
verdicts.
School vouchers. Sen.
Eric Johnson (R-Savannah),
M jj, m a candidate for lieutenant
governor, will continue Ms
drive to expand tire issuance
of vouchers for students
to attend private schools,
a step that could further
weaken the state’s public
school systems.
Healthcare. Another area of failure last year
was the effort to upgrade Georgia's woefully
inadequate network of trauma care hospitals.
Lawmakers will try again on trauma care, as
well reorganize the sprawling bureaucracy in the
Department of Human Resources. Part of the
DHR restructuring could include the privatiza
tion of mental hospitals.
Overshadowing all of those issues, of course,
is the state budget and that $2.5 billion revenue
shortfall. Major spending cuts will have to be
enacted somewhere, a painful process that
could eventually cause a breakdown of the
goodwill that legislators bring into the ses
sion.
It would have been easier if the Republican
leadership had called a special session last fall
to start dealing with the budget cuts, but the
gumption to do that just wasn't there.
"The ill-advised decision to not hold a
special session to address the budget has left
the Republican-dominated General Assembly
with little choice other than falling in line like
lemmings behind their leader,” said Senate
Minority Leader Robert Brown.
Whether you call them lemmings or legisla
tors, the pressure is now on them to make the
decisions that will somehow get the state out
of this mess.
Tom Crawford is the editor of Capitol
Impact’s Georgia Report, an Internet news
service at www.gareport.com that covers gov
ernment and politics in Georgia. He can be
reached at tcrawford@capitolimpact.net.
Letter to the Editor
Please help those in
need in Madison Co.
Dear Editor:
This letter is to the residents of Madison
County. Our county has babies and elderly
who are cold and hungry! Yes, and one of
those could be you or me!
I talked with ACTION this morning ask
ing how I could help. By the grace of God,
I've never been hungry, cold or not have a
place to live.
My request to you is that you gather up
coats, blankets and food and take them to the
ACTION office in Madison County to help.
If you can't do this, then send them money
so they can go and get what these people
need. Their phone number is 706-795-2128.
It won’t take much of your time and you’ll
be blessed for what you do -1 promise. We
all feel the crisis with the economy, but our
residents need help. It is heart-wrenching
to me wondering if a baby, toddler, teen,
middle-aged or elderly person is cold and/
or hungry. Won't you please be a blessing to
just someone by helping?
I knew you would.
Sincerely,
Janet Andrews-Epps
Hull
Letter to the Editor
Mentors truly
make a difference
in children’s lives
Dear Editor:
TMs January brings the eighth annual National
Mentoring Month. I would like to thank each of
our current mentors who are helping 155 of our
students head toward a healthy and productive
life.
We all need others to share our ups and downs,
to encourage us, or to just be there. If you want
to be a special friend who fills these needs for a
cMld, please consider joining the Madison County
Mentor lYogram. Your student will not be the only
one who benefits: Mentors say, ‘This has been the
most rewarding experience of my life."
Become a part of tMs ever-growing program as
the commumty umtes to make a lasting impact on
our cMldren’s lives. Please offer your friendsMp
and counsel to help meet personal and academic
goals of one of over a thousand students waiting
for a mentor.
Please become a mentor. You can make a dif
ference. For more information, contact me at
706-338-3689 or mcmentor@madison.kl2.ga.us.
The Madison County Mentor Program is spon
sored by the Madison County Board of Education,
the Madison County Family Connection, and the
Madison County Chamber of Commerce.
Sincerely,
Shirley Aaron
Want to submit a letter?
Email us at zach@mainstreetnews.com,
fax us at 706-795-2765 or mail us at
P.O. Box 658 Danielsville, GA 30633.
Please include your first and last name,
town of residence and phone number for
verification purposes.