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Viewpoints
ur Views
Volunteerism
During the past 10 days, Perryans got a
first hand chance to watch volunteerism at its
finest. Many, many Perryans volunteered to
help make the 13,000-plus Family Motor
Coach Association members visiting the
community, along with others visiting for the
Dogwood Festival, welcome and well
received.
There is no way to list the many acts of
kindness which were extended to our many
visitors. There is no way to compute the
value of those acts, either in monetary pay
ment or in good will.
Perryans are well-known for their volun
teerism. That concern for fellow man and for
the community is obvious to visitors who
experience some of the specialness which
makes Perry so different from other commu
nities.
To all of those who worked during recent
days to prepare Perry for visitors, who greet
ed and helped those visitors in any way, and
who said or did things to make our many vis
itors feel more welcome, we say thanks for
being a dedicated Perryan, and for helping
our community to maintain its excellent rep
utation among those who visit this way.
Many of those involved were performing
their regular duties in a special way. Others
took time from their “day” jobs to help, to
add to the groups of people helping make our
visitors happier.
No matter how these volunteers or work
ers were involved, we appreciate their
efforts. Thanks, Perryans, for loving your
community.
Despite the rain
During the past week, when thousands of
extra visitors were in the community for the
FMCA winter convention and the Dogwood
Festival, the weatherman was unable to
deliver good springtime weather.
Despite the rain, however, attendance at
events, for both the FMCA and the Dogwood
Festival, was good. Those participating were
enthusiastic and appeared to enjoy these two
activities in spite of the rain.
Mike Froehlich and the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter staff, along with
Bill Westbrook and the Perry Area
Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Karen
Nikitopoulos and the Perry Area Chamber of
Commerce deserve accolades for continuing
with their projects despite the weather, and
for providing, as best they could, suitable
accommodations for activities.
Thanks to these leaders and their workers,
these events were successful. That’s good
news for everyone involved.
The real season reason
This is Holy Week, and millions of
Christians around the world are observing
the memory of activities leading up to the
crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of
Jesus Christ some 2,000 years ago.
This is the week which provides for
Christians the reason for their belief, the con
cluding promise of the Old Testament
covenant and the delivery to the world of
God’s Son who gave his life for the forgive
ness of sins of others.
We hope readers will continue to recall the
real reason for this season. Enjoy the visit of
the Easter Bunny and the egg hunts, but
don’t forget why there is an Easter. Pay a
visit to a church Sunday and reflect on the
goodness of life, of the gift of free choice
which is provided through Christian belief.
Recall the triumphant entry of Jesus into
Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and his visits to
the temple to teach. Remember his breaking
of bread with the disciples, his visit to the
garden to pray, his arrest, trial and trip to
Golgotha. Think about his words, the com
pletion of the story, and the empty tomb
which his followers found. This is the real
story of Easter.
Houston Tims-Jotnwl
P.O. Drawer M • 807 Carroll St. • Perry, Ga. 31069
(912) 987-1823 *(912) 988-1181 (fax)
e mail timesjrl@hom.net
Bob TVibble President
Jj Johnson Editor and General Manager
Sherri Wengler Advertising Manager
News: Emily Johnstone, Pauline Lewis, Rick Johnstone; Sports: Phil Clark;
Classified and Composition: Lynn Wright; Circulation and Photography: Eric
Zellars; Bookkeeping; Kathy Adkins.
Sometimes the bill is more than a fair share
During a speech to Perry Rotarians
April 1, Houston County Healthcare
Complex Chief Executive Officer
Eugene “Skip” McDannald said he
hopes to help save area healthcare con
sumers from another spiraling cost
increase.
He offered a variety of ways to help
resolve the cost crisis which has result
ed in the complex writing off from $4-
$5 million per year in combined bad
debts and indigent care.
McDannald and Houston Hospital
Authority member Jimmy Faircloth of
Perry said the system, which includes
Perry Hospital, Houston Medical
Center, the Houston Health Pavilion
and the Parkway Med Stop, now writes
off about $600,000 per month each to
bad debts and indigent care.
That’s a lot of money which is, to a
certain extent, coming from the pock-
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Agricenter grounds left clean by visitors
Editor:
Since I notice things like that, I want
to comment about the Agricenter
grounds after the Family Motor Coach
Association members departed.
There was no, and I mean no, appar
ent litter left over. Each campground
site showed a carefully-tied plastic bag
of waste. But that’s not litter.
I wonder if there ever was a public
gathering of more than 6,000 vehicles
and 15,000 people which escaped
being trashed.
No doubt about it, these people care
about their environment and each
deserves an “attaboy” from Keep
America Beautiful.
Bill Hafley
Perry Clean and Beautiful
Massey to enforce new law
Editor
The General Assembly passed legis
lation on March 18, 1996 allowing our
office to suspend business licenses of
professionals that are not paying child
support. As Secretary of State, I will
immediately begin to work with the
boards that regulate each profession to
implement this new initiative.
We must use every option available
to ensure that parents pay their child
support. Many families are on welfare
today because they are not receiving
any financial support from a parent
These non-paying parents are causing
hardship for their children and costing
Georgia taxpayers thousands of dol
lars. This new and innovative enforce
ment tool will provide quick results
and will allow many Georgia families
to be self-supporting.
Lewis A. Massey
Georgia Secretary of State
Public health week observed
Editor:
Our Policies
Unsigned editorials appearing in larger type on this page under the label of Our
Views reflect the position of the Houston Times-Joumal. Signed columns and let
ters on this page (and elsewhere in this newspaper) reflect the opinions of the writ
ers and not necessarily those of this newspaper.
Signed letters to the editor are welcomed. Please limit letters to 300 words and
include addresses and a telephone number for verification purposes. Letters are not
published without verification. Letters should be sent to P.O. Drawer M„ Perry,
Ga. 31069, or brought to the newspaper office at 807 Carroll St., Perry.
Our liability for an error will not exceed the cost of space occupied by the error.
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unless a stamped, return address envelope is included.
Our Goal
The Houston Times-Joumal is published proudly for the citizens of Houston
Wed.,April 3,1996
Page 4A
Letters to
the Editor
P.O. Drawer M
Perry, Ga. 31069
The North Central Public Health
District is celebrating Public Health
Week during the first week of April.
The district includes Houston County.
County health departments and dis
trict health offices all over the state are
celebrating our successes in protecting
Georgians from disease outbreaks,
food contamination, injuries, develop
mental disabilities and many other
health hazards.
We do this through protective mea
sures such as immunization, restaurant
inspections, prenatal care, and promo
tion of good health habits. These activ
ities save countless dollars and many
lives each year.
The Division of Public Health pro
motes the well-being of Georgians of
all ages by providing health care,
health education, screening, inspec
tions and disease monitoring. The
4,879 state and county employees
serve approximately 1.3 million
Georgians each year.
Most screening services and treat
ment services are , provided through
159 county health departments. Last
year, services included:
• A monthly average of 212,791
mothers and children served by the
Women, Infants and Children Program.
• More than 45,000 women were
helped to have healthy pregnancies and
births through perinatal case manage
ment.
• Some 165,814 men and women
Jj
Johnson
Editor
etbooks of paying customers folks
who have private insurance.
Six months ago this weekend, I
picked up the telephone, called 911
and began a journey which passed
through two trips in a local ambulance,
operated by Houston Healthcare
Complex, both Houston County hospi
tals and the Medical Center of Central
Georgia in Macon.
Upon my arrival at the Perry
Hospital with my heart attack well
under way, I was taken to the emer
gency room. There I received the best
Houston Times-Journal
of care, concern from the staff and sup
port from everyone involved. I know
they worked hard to keep things in
check and I am alive today in part
because of their excellent care.
When I arrived, I was placed in a
three or four bed bay (I don’t know
exactly, I saw the curtains go by on the
way to my ER bed). In the' adjacent
bay, separated only by a curtain, was a
man who, based on his comments, was
homeless, in his early 50s, and who
had been sliced in a fight.
Unfortunately, the man was also far
from sober and knew only one word
well, a four-letter word which isn’t
required for polite society. He also was
about three weeks overdue on a bath,
and I could smell his body oder even
though I had an oxygen tube in my nose.
That man received the same quality
of medical care I received. I don’t
1^
p~ -J
were served with family planning.
• About 12,813 chronically ill or
physically disabled children were
helped by Children’s Medical
Services.
• Some 638,402 people were immu
nized, including 22,549 two-year-olds.
More than 200,000 school children
were screened for vision, dental health,
hearing and scoliosis.
Gov. Zell Miller has proclaimed
April 1-7 as Public Health Week in
Georgia. Many other states are also
celebrating in the national celebration.
Joseph Swartwout, M.D.
District Director
Remember the letter policy
The Houston Times-Journal news
paper welcomes letters to the editors
from our readers.
There are some rules for publica
tion. All letters must be signed, and
must include an address and a tele
phone number for verification purpos
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lished without names of the writers.
Anonymous or “interested citizen” let
ters are not published.
Letters must be signed to be consid
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Preference is given to local letters
or letters about local concerns. Mass
distribution letters are rarely consid
ered unless of compelling subject con
tent.
Letters can be mailed to the Times-
JournaT at P.O. Drawer M, Perry,
31069, brought to the paper office at
807 Carroll St. in the downtown area,
faxed to (912) 988-1181, or sent via e
mail to timesjrl@hom.net
The newspaper also reserves the
right to refuse any letter which would
by libelous, or which would incrimi
nate anyone in the letter.
and adjoining counties by Houston Publications Inc., Perry, Ga. Our goal is to pro
duce quality, profitable, community-oriented newspapers that you, our readers, are
proud of. We will reach this goal through hard work, teamwork, loyalty and a
strong dedication toward printing the truth.
Member of Georgia Press Association and National Newspaper Association.
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hibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
press, or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
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tected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The Houston Times-Joumal (USPS 000471) is published weekly for $18.90
per year by Houston Publications Inc., 807 Carroll Street, Perry, Ga., 31069.
Second Class Postage paid at Perry, Ga. POSTMASTER: Send address
changes to the Houston Times-Joumal, P.O. Drawer M, Perry, Ga. 31069.
ISSN: 1075-1874.
know the disposition of his case, but I
am sure his injuries weren’t life-threat
ening and that he recovered nicely.
The bottom line is, my insurance
company paid the more than $40,000
bill I racked up during the next few
days. Some of that money was, by
McDannald’s admission, an over
charge to help pay for indigent care.
I don’t mind paying a fair share for
superb care, which I received at all
three hospitals and from the EMS
workers to transported me. I do resent
paying additional charges to provide
medical care for others who could do
something about their station in life.
McDannald said Monday that fund
ing indigent care is one of the major
unresolved issues which Houston
Countians must resolve quickly. I
agree. There has to be a better way.
Most of us can’t pay more.
From
Where I Sit
Bob Tribble
President
Republicans seem
to be in trouble
It’s for certain now, pending some
sort of disaster, that Bob Dole will be
the Republican nominee for president.
The unanswered question now is who
his running mate for vice president
will be.
Several names are on the drawing
board, including retired Gen. Colin
Powell, who, at this point has not said
publically he would take the slot if nom
inated. Maybe some of the candidates
who have unsuccessfully sought the
presidential nomination feel they should
be the vice presidential nominee.
There is no doubt in my mind that
whoever the vice presidential nominee
is, he must be a strong candidate with
wide appeal if Dole and the
Republicans are to have a chance to
unseat President Bill Clinton. Dole will
not be able to win the presidency with
out a strong, popular running mate.
Pat Buchanan pretty much elimi
nated himself recently as a vice presi
dential candidate when he broke ranks
with a bedrock Republican position on
labor-backed measures to ban compa
nies from replacing striking workers.
Major Republicans have long
backed companies in giving them this
right and have successfully defeated
legislation which would do otherwise.
Another player in the political
arena who seems to want to surface
again is Ross Perot. Should Perot toss
his hat into the ring as an independent
candidate seeking the presidency, he
could cause the Republicans addition
al stomach pain, something they don’t
need or look forward to.
There is an outside chance Perot
could have won the Republican nomi
nation for president had he been on
that ticket. The man has a good, com
mon-sense approach to government,
is a good conservative and is popular
with a wide range of voters. But the
simple truth is he has no chance of
winning as an independent candidate.
In my mind, if there is any one per
son responsible for Clinton being
president today and George Bush sit
ting home, it would be Perot. There is
little doubt that the majority of Perot’s
voting strength during the 1992 elec
tions came from folks who would
have voted for Bush. As a result, Perot
got enough votes to keep Bush from
receiving electoral votes which he had
a good chance of gamering, tossing
the election to Clinton.
Should Perot decide to run again,
there is a good chance we will see a
repeat of 1992. No doubt perot is
strong enough to claim some votes
and give Clinton four more years in
the White House.
The Republicans seem to be in
trouble. Dole is not the ideal presiden
tial candidate. There is no strong, pop
ular, committed candidate waiting to
run with him, and unfortunately for
the Republicans, Perot could again
become a strong pain in the stomach
once again.
/
M
