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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL THURSDAY. AUGUST 13. 2009 — PAGE 5A Opinions Rest of the BOA was going one way, while I was going the other Dear Editor: It’s kind of funny in a way. The “fire the tax assessors’’ crowd have had their way and we’re all gone, including me. What’s funny is that in so many instances, the rest of the BOA was going in one direction and I was going in another. I don’t even have count of the times that I was a minority of one when votes were taken by the board. Every time I voted as I did, though, I was trying to pro tect the best interests of the Madison County taxpayers. Now that the BOA is dis solved and I can speak freely for myself, I want to tell you some of the things I tried to do for you, Madison County taxpayers. This will take more than one letter, but first things first. Because I was so dissatis fied with some of the deci sions by the BOA, I tried to appear before the board of commissioners on Dec. 8, 2008, to give them infor mation (possibly evidence) that the BOA should be ter minated. I was informed that I would have only three minutes to speak, and there was no way I could have explained and clarified my concerns in that length of time, so I stopped trying. (I had always felt that some BOA members were work ing closer with some BOC members than they should have been, and I wondered if the BOC was trying to shield them.) After I sat down, one of the BOA members went to the podium and thanked the BOC. Later that night, anoth er BOA member threatened a possible lawsuit against me. Because Chairman-elect Anthony Dove was sitting next to me on the front row, I am sure he saw and heard everything that happened that night. After Chairman Dove took office I met with him and revealed part of my concerns, but I could tell he wasn’t interested in doing anything. After another conversa tion with him, he became so mad that he asked me to step down from the BOA. Eventually, the BOC decid ed action was needed and demanded that we all step down. It’s ironic that almost exactly eight months to the day after I first approached the BOC with my concerns on Dec. 8, 2008, we were all removed. Taxpayers of Madison County, I still worry about the way your values are set and I will continue to work as a private citizen to get things done right. Remember, over strong objections I was able to get an assessment notice mailed to every one of you this year. By receiving these notices, you have the right to appeal your values if you think they are not correct. I know some bloggers and others have tried to make me look bad for pushing to get an assessment notice mailed to every taxpayer, but anyone who will take the time to think this through can under stand that this could cer tainly benefit you. These are unusual times and people’s property values should be set correctly. After you look at your appraised value, if you think it is too high you have the right to appeal it and ask for a reduction. Reductions may not always be granted, but one thing is sure — if you don’t ask for it, you definitely won’t get it. The deadline for doing this is Aug. 17. I will have more to say on the subject of Madison County taxes in future letters to the editor. In the mean while, if I can ever be of help to any of you, please ask. Sincerely, Jim R. Escoe Sr. Former member, Madison County Board of Assessors Confusion on health care issue is truly amazing Dear Editor: Health care for everyone! If after hearing this statement for the last several months, you still have no idea what it means rest assured you are not alone. Most of the people, doing most of the talking on the subject do not know what it means either. Based on what’s being said it would appear that these five words have more definitions then Webster’s has pages. The confusion on this issue is truly amazing and totally uncalled for. Health care for every one means just what it says, health care for every one! The only way to truly have this happen is a single payer health system that provides coverage for every one. Now I know you have heard that this option is off the table but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There is a bill in the House of Representatives, HR 676, supported by over 90 Representatives that would provide for a single payer health care system. HR 676 details how the plan will work and how it will be paid for. If implemented, single payer would provide you with the best coverage at the lowest cost to you. The only people who would get less with a single payer system are the big drug companies, the big insurance companies and everyone else who profits handsomely from your health care. They are the reason single payer is off the table and they are spending millions of dollars to keep it that way. Congress is going home for the month of August. We hear this break will give them time to study the proposed health care plans and return to Washington with our best interest in mind. This sounds great, but I doubt if it will happen. Too many in Congress are too dependent on the money from big business to make the right decision for you on this important issue. You, on the other hand, could use this time to really find out which plan would be best for you. Take the time to really look at the single payer plan proposed in House Bill 676. Base your decision on what you know to be fact not what you hear from those who want single payer off the table. Decide for yourself and then let your representatives in Congress know which way you want them to vote on the health care issue. Learn the facts and let’s truly have a system that provides the best health care for everyone. “Of all the forms of inequal ity, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhumane.” Martin Luther King Jr. Sincerely, Drago Tesanovich The septic tank and how it works Dear Editor: The septic tank is unsur passed as a device for reduc ing the solid matter in our waste water using the bac teria that we send with it. This bacterium dwells in our digestive system which is anaerobic, or without air, and so is the septic tank, until we send it something that harms or kills the bacteria. The tank has an air trap at the entrance and exit and always remains full of some liquid. The first problem can begin at the entrance where water from the kitchen sink and dishwasher containing grease is sent directly to the tank entrance, without going through a grease trap. The water cools and the grease rises to the top, forming a plug around the entrance air trap. The grease trap is the most frequently omitted part of a domestic waste water system, for it costs a little money and sometimes needs a rerouting of the sink plumbing. It is usually installed soon after the kitchen water leaves the building and before it joins the other drainage plumbing and is the place where the water cools and the grease rises to the top for easy removal. The septic tank is the place where solid wastes settle to the bottom where they are acted on by the bacteria which must be kept without air or more accurately with out oxygen from the air. Here the wastes can be reduced to l/10 th their original volume. The tank is kept full of liq uid from bath taking, clothes washing, and yes, flush water with the urine. All of this is mixed together with one gallon leaving the exit for each gallon that enters; with the solids settling to the bottom. This exit water goes to a leach field where the chemi cal reaction reverses from anaerobic to aerobic, with air or oxygen. The nutrients left in the water require oxygen to complete this reaction. I pre fer the open drain tile and crushed stone bed in trench es no more than two feet deep that must be absolutely level. The effluent then coats the stone, and with bacte ria and oxygen from the air, the treatment is completed. The length and width of the trench must be sufficient to contain all the water entering the system including when it rains. All surface water from rain must be excluded. The water is leached into the sides and bottom of the trench and rises to the sur face by capillary attraction, where it evaporates and some used by grass and sod. Chlorine in drinking water displaces oxygen from the water and some of this oxy gen finds its way to the sep tic tank where it harms or destroys the bacteria needed for its operation. Perhaps this bacteria is harmed or destroyed while it is still in your digestive tract causing cramping and other prob lems. The tank then becomes a holding tank and fills with solids, followed by the leach field and it “leaks.” Sincerely, Jim Warren jimwarren27 @ wind- stream.net We must take responsibility for health care Dear Editor: I have been thinking a lot about health care in this country, not because I am sick, but because I am healthy, and that seems to be unusual in this day and age. Drug companies, doctors, supplement manufacturers, insurance compa nies, and advertising executives all seem determined to convince me that I am too fat. too thin, too old. too bored, too depressed, too lazy or too hyper to possibly be happy and healthy. Doctors I know make salaries of close to $750,000 per year, and young drug company sales reps can earn about $100,000 per year. My insurance company salesman drips diamond pinky rings, drives a L£xus, and loves to talk about his golf game and his house on Lake Lanier. In short, there is a lot of money being made on my behalf. Unfortunately, sometimes my coverage seems to cover an annual mammogram; other times that is an indulgence that the insurance company underwriters consider suspicious. If my doctor recom mends an annual exam, perhaps there is something wrong with me? Is there a pre-existing condi tion that they shouldn’t have to take responsibility for? And could this be an unfair risk to the insur ance company's bottom line? In short, my health is at the mercy of a veiy strange foim of free enterprise, one that has created a hodge-podge of medical supports and treatments that often seem to discourage, rather than support, living a responsibly healthy life. Should we allow "bottom lines” “free enterprise” and market forc es to be the deciding factors in our health coverage? Is that the freedom of choice people who are fighting health care reform are working so hard to save for us? Congress has been wrangling with an extremely complex health care debate, and I commend our president, his advisors and con gressmen and women on both sides of the aisle for having the guts to tiy to come to temis with what has become an insupportable situation. At the same time, I can't help but wonder if Americans’ access to cheap, processed food, unnecessary products, and easy access to inexpensive energy isn't catching up with us. Where does our own responsibility he if we choose to eat Twinkies, drink soft drinks, and spend our lives in the car? How can we expect any health care system, public or private, to care for us if we're not willing to take responsibility for our lives by eating healthy foods, getting exercise, and avoiding the things that we know make us sick? Should we ignore all that and expect the government to care for us as we age? As I see it, this effort by President Obama and the Congress is not about destroying choice, limiting care, or taking away "freedom." And it certainly isn't about eutha nizing elderly people. The govern ment is and has been involved in our care for decades and for the most part, it has done a good job. (Medicate never ceases to amaze me. And Medicaid assists the most needy while various government- sponsored insurance helps cover children, etc.) The current debate is about finding ways to address increasingly complex issues of our society’s ihs. We need to continue to think critically listen respectful ly and be generous in our efforts to understand the needs of the unin sured members of our society. But until we Americans are willing to take responsibility for our indul gences and our personal health, we will forever be paying outrageous prices for health care, no matter what system we’re using. Sincerely, Melissa Tufts Comer ACE HARDWARE & LAWNMOWER SERVICE Proudly Serving Northeast Georgia For 18 Years Master Your Great Outdoors With Professionally Proven Outdoor Equipment We Carry Parts & Service Most Brands Of Power Equipment Pick-Up & Delivery Available IT’S THAT EASY. 706-788-2878 • 706-788-3319 6145 Hwy. 72, West Colbert, Ga. 30628 www.colbertacehardware.com ‘TtCacU&cut ScAaal 'Daace 6£ garner ( \ Dance, Dance, Dance!! 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CARTER Pediatrician at medIlink COLBERT ON AUGUST 3, 2009 ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS • Birth to 18 years • Immunizations • Sick and Well Child Care • Hospital Newborn Care • School and Sports Physicals • Board Eligible in Pediatric Medicine Medlink Colbert accepts: Medicaid (Amerigroup, Wellcare, PeachCare for Kids, Georgia Better Healthcare), State Health Benefits Plan, Medicare, Tricare, most insurance programs and offers a sliding fee program for patients who quality with proof of income and household size. 11 Charlie Morris Rd. Colbert, GA 706-788-2127 Dr. Carter graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Exercise and Sports Science and earned her Doctorate in Medicine from Medical College of Georgia. She completed her pediatric residency at Greenville Hospital System in Greenville, South Carolina. Dr. Carter is a native of Barrow County and is excited to return to Northeast Georgia. When not practicing pediatric medicine, she and husband, Jonathan, can be found outdoors hiking and backpacking, or spending time with family. She enjoys cooking, quilting, and music.