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Viewpoints
Our Opinions
Tonya's reward
In today’s world persons in the limelight who become hooked on drugs,
go on a sensational crime spree or otherwise become notorious are
rewarded with book and movie right payments.
In Tonya Harding’s case this isn't entirely accurate. She won a national
skating championship. But that alone wouldn't have made her the subject
of a film and books. What did that was her role in a physical attack on her
competitor. She pled guilty and has been sentenced.
Yet she emerges as a celebrity, garners more publicity and fame than
skaters who outskated her in the recent Olympics. What does this tell our
children? What does it say about us?
How's that?
In the trial of mass murderer Danny Rolling, in Florida, his defense
called—of course-a psychologist The psychologist spent hours (well paid,
one can be sure) interviewing the man who admitted to brutally murdering
five University of Florida coeds.
The psychologist then told the jury the murderer had an "increuible
amount of underlying anger," which everyone already knew. He said the
murderer felt betrayed by his mother because she was weak, had mixed
feelings about his father.
The families of the six young girls killed couldn't care less about the
murderer's feelings toward his parents. Nor does that have much relevancy
to the situation.
No one much cares what a mass murderer’s specific mental hangup is.
Obviously there is one. The object is to put him away permanently;
psychologists' theories in such cases are really beside the point.
On China
In recent years human rights groups have convinced administrations in
power in Washington to demand human rights for all in China. The goal
is one all Americans agree on.
President Bush was criticized for not breaking off trade with China (he
was once ambassador there). President Clinton is being urged to deny
China equal trade rights.
The key question is whether getting tough (restricting imports) will
produce movement in Beijing. It may please some U.S. manufacturers and
activists, but will it intimidate the Chinese government? Repeatedly,
these leaders have said it will not
We trade with other tyrannical regimes. China is an emerging
superpower with a billion citizens. Many believe, including Bush, greater
trade and more communication will do more to influence the Chinese than
attempting to dictate internal policy there. How would Americans feel if a
foreign power demanded changes in our domestic policy?
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Editor
Houston Times-Journal
P.O. Drawer M
Perry, GA, 31069
Houston Times-Journal
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Daniel F. Evans
Vice-President
Julie B. Evans
Treasurer
Something must be done about the medical industry
According to a recent Georgia
Public Policy Foundation statewide
poll, an overwhelming majority of
state voters believe controlling
health care costs, providing long
term health insurance, and
maintaining quality care can occur
without overhauling the entire
health care system.
The poll says that 80 percent of
Georgians are satisfied with the
health care they receive, and that 88
percent are insured; but most worry
about rising cost and whether they
will lose their insurance coverage.
Georgians are not willing to
limit their freedom to visit the
doctor or hospital of their choice as
a trade-off for controlling cost or
guaranteeing universal coverage,
according to the poll. Nor are they
willing to wait several months for
non-emergency procedures or
operations, pay more income taxes,
or spend more of their out-of-pocket
money on medical expenses. They
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Perry Scrapbook
A reception for Father Michael O'Keefe, recently appointed to St. Patrick's Catholic Church
was held Sunday afternoon, March 14, 1984 at the Holiday Inn In Perry. The Perry
Ministerial Association, In conjunction with Mr. and Mrs. John Amos of Columbus and the
Honorable and Mrs. Richard Ray hosted the event. Pictured are Congressman Ray, Father
O'Keefe, Mrs. Ray and Mr. and Mrs. Amos.
STREET TALK:
People throughout the world will be celebrating Easter this Sunday, April 3. This
week, we asked six local residents what they enjoy doing most on this special day.
Bp Jf -W JH
Jeff McCormick
“This year, I’m going to
enjoy spending the day
with my new family-my in
laws.”
Elsie Hatton
“Spending time with my
family.”
Houston Times-Journal
feel that President Clinton's plan
will cause all of the above.
According to the poll, what
Georgians find as acceptable health
care reform include targeted efforts
that would make insurance portable,
establish medical IRA's, prohibit
insurers from cancelling policies
when a policyholder files several
claims or develops an expensive
illness, and fund a high risk
insurance pool for those with pre
existing medical conditions.
There is little doubt the Clinton
plan is a step towards socialized
medicine and I have always opposed
that. Our free enterprise system
thus far has allowed our country to
be a leader in the field of medicine,
and has provided us with the best
health care of any other nation
worldwide. We do not want to do
anything to change that.
But on the other side of the coin,
folks, we have a problem out there
in our health care industry. We
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Laronda Lane
"Being with my boyfriend."
|§* *\
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Dario Copeland
"I like Easter egg hunts
and eating the candy.”
Page 4A
t - Saturday*April 4,1994 "Houston Times-Journai
have doctors, drug companies and
hospitals charging what appears to
me to be highway robbery amounts
for services they perform, we have
insurance companies increasing
rates so high it would take
millionaires to pay them, and then
we have the insurance chasing
lawyers forcing cost up even
further.
Our company has changed
insurance carriers three times over
the past four or five years, in an
effort to continue coverage for our
employees. Just a couple of weeks
ago we were notified by our present
carrier of a rate increase of 82
percent set to go into effect March
1. Simply put, we cannot afford to
continue our coverage with an
increase of that magnitude, nor can
our employees afford to shoulder
that amount of increase. Therefore,
we are wading through the
headaches of finding a new carrier
that will accept our employees at
"HhL
Shirquon Robinson
"Being with my friends.”
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Mike Harreii
"My favorite part is defi
nitely hunting Easter eggs
with my little girl."
JKm Bob j
J Tribble I
rates we and they an afford.
Bottom line for me: "If doctors
and hospitals don't do something to
get their charges in line and stop
taking advantage of those with
insurance, if insurance companies
don't stop 82 percent rate increases
when a company has a few claims,
and if lawyers don’t back off and
stop throwing fuel on the fire, as
conservative as I am, we will be
forced to join President Clinton and
his borderline socialized medical
plan. We have a problem in our
medical industry and someone has
to do something about it
SRoley I
Staff Writer I
Don’t expect
a new school
for Perry
It’s nice to see a community
swing into action as Perry parents
and citizens have swung into action
on getting a middle school for the
city.
There is no disputing that the
school board needs to do something
about Perry Middle School. After
all, the school seemingly has more
students attending class outside in
portable buildings than inside the
school building.
And the school board says that
they are doing something about the
overcrowded school. They are build
ing a new wing to the school, and
they are building two new middle
schools that should take 100 stu
dents away from Perry Middle.
But, they aren’t considering
building one of the two new
schools in Perry. The new wing to
the school, while needed, won’t
make a difference until the 1995-96
school year. Perry Middle School
already looks like a trailer park;
how many trailers will be towed
away when the new wing is built,
and how many will be left?
The fact that one of the two new
middle schools is not going to
Perry is what has the parents con
cerned. And as happy as I am to see
a community come together over an
issue like Perry has come together
over the middle school, it is a little
bit too late.
Houston County School
Superintendent Tony Hinnant has
been talking about two middle
schools since he addressed the Perry
Exchange Club in August. It hasn’t
really been a great secret that the
Houston County Board of
Education would try to build two
new middle schools if the funding
could be found to build them.
At least three times before
February, and after August, school
board meeting articles have men
tioned the fact that the school board
was looking to build middle
schools on their Feagin Mill prop
erty and Ferguson property near
Bonaire.
Yet, it was not until February
that a delegation of Perry business
and political leaders appeared at a
school board meeting requesting a
new middle school in Perry.
It is technically wrong to say
that the United States is a democ
racy. We are a republic, where peo
ple elect legislators from them
selves to make decisions for a
community, be the community the
United States or Houston County.
My question is simple. Where
were the people who wanted a
school built in Perry at during
school board meetings before
February, when the decisions were
being made on how many schools
were to be built and where those
schools were going to be built?
From what I can tell the decision
to build two schools was made in
September, with the only holdup,
at that time, being money. There
was no secrecy to the board’s deci
sion to try to build two sdhools.
September, or earlier, is when Perry
business, civic and political leaders
should have been at the meetings,
asking for a school. Not February
when the decision had already been
made.