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Viewpoints
Top school
Out-of-state educators have confirmed
what we have suspected for a long time
that despite the quality of the building, the
quality of the education taking place at Perry
Middle School is as good as it is anywhere in
Houston County.
Twenty-four hours ago, faculty members
and students learned that Perry Middle has
been named the Georgia School of
Excellence for the Eighth Congressional
District. That school joins many other
Houston County public schools in having
achieved this award which is one way of
measuring the quality of education which
students are receiving at a school.
Just as was the case another year, when
Perry Elementary School received a Georgia
School of Excellence award, we believe that
the quality of the teachers and the desire to
learn by students is more important than the
finest buildings in the country. Of course, a
new building will be nice when it is com
pleted, but bricks and mortar never replace
good educators and sound instructional pro
grams.
PMS Principal Bobby Pennington and his
staff have every right to be very proud of
their accomplishment. The students at that
school, and their parents, are right to swell
their chests a bit in pride too. After all, they
have been selected among a large number of
entries as the best as a school which offers
students an opportunity to achieve.
Another Nunn advantage
Over the years, Perryans have benefitted
greatly from having a native son represent
ing the state of Georgia in the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn has done his hometown
proud, and Perryans certainly haven’t forgot
ten that.
Now news comes that Nunn’s work with a
volunteer organization to cut through some
of the tangle of international rules has result
ed in thousands of dollars of new art for the
walls and ceilings of Perry Hospital.
Thanks to Nunn’s work in helping the
Foundation for Hospital Art, the local hospi
tal will receive a four-day visit from an artist
who will create wall canvas hangings and
ceiling decorations which will make the hos
pital more visually appealing to those who
are sick and in recovery.
We appreciate the many things which Sam
Nunn has done to make Perry a better place
in which to live. This is just one small exam
ple of how much he has meant to Perry.
County produces state leaders
Houston County’s legislative delegation
members continue to gain and hold important
positions in the Georgia General Assembly.
Ga. Sen. Sonny Perdue, D-Bonaire, has
recently been nominated for the post of
President Pro-Tern (or second highest rank
ing officer) of the state senate. Because of a
majority of Democrats in the Senate,
Perdue’s nomination is likely to become real
ity.
Meanwhile, Ga. Rep. Larry Walker, D-
Perry, has been nominated to continue in his
post as the Majority Leader for the
Democratic party in the Georgia House of
Representatives. He has held this post for
several years.
Both positions are very important, power
ful posts. Both men have earned the opportu
nity to hold these positions by being diligent
representatives of the people who are willing
to work with their fellow legislators for a bet
ter Georgia.
We congratulate these two men for their
new positions and wish them well during the
approaching Georgia General Assembly ses
sion. We believe they will do all they can to
fairly and honestly represent Houston
County, and all Georgians, in a conservative,
careful style which will continue to bring
accolades to these two men.
Houston rones-Journal
P.O. Drawer M • 807 Carroll St. • Perry, Ga. 31069
(912) 987-1823 • (912) 988-1181 (fax)
e mailjjedit@hom.net
Bob THbMe President
Jj Johnson Editor and General Manager
John Smalley Advertising Sales
News: Emily Johnstone, Pauline Lewis, Rick Johnstone; Spoils: Phil Clark; Classified
Motor voter legislation turns into real lemon
Georgia Secretary of State Massey’s
recent statements regarding record
voter turnout in the 1996 elections
missed the mark and might leave the
casual observer with the feeling that
the Federal Motor Voter Act has been
an unequivocal flop.
First, motor voter cost Georgia tax
payers $6.6 million to implement with
an estimated $3 million annually to
maintain. Even if the Secretary of State
could prove the handful of additional
voters who came to the polls in 1996
were a direct result of motor voter, it
would mean that Georgians paid S2OO
per vote for the added registration con
venience of these new voters. Not
exactly what I call getting a bang for
your buck.
The 1996 elections brought 62 per
cent of eligible Georgia voters to the
polls and 42 percent of the voting age
population. This is in contrast to 73
percent of eligible voters who cast bal
lots in the previous presidential race in
1992.
For those who are keeping up with
the numbers 807,000 new Georgia
voters have registered under motor
voter, but only 49,000 more voters
turned out in the 1996 elections. This is
only 6 percent of the additional regis
trants under the act —far from the over
all voter turnout of 62 percent.
Nationally, the picture is no differ
ent. Voter participation was the lowest
since 1924, dropping below 50 percent
for the first time in 70 years. Tlimout
by percentage was down in every state
—=TW£ PEAHor &AUBHV
RECENT DECISIONS
/ [( education! §
"SOUNDS GOOD IT
TEN EARS." C m
Eighth District winner has his say
To the residents of Georgia’s Bth
Congressional District:
Once again, you have humbled me
by electing me to serve you in the
United States Congress. I thank you for
your confidence and your trust and I
want you to know that as your repre
sentative. I accept these duties as a
sacred responsibility.
My job in the House of
Representatives is to represent all the
people in Georgia’s Bth District. My
first priority remains to provide unpar
alleled constituent service. As a mem
ber of the House Agriculture and
National Security committees, I pledge
to work for the interests of our district
and to always strive to represent you to
the best of my ability.
We live in the greatest country in the
world, but we face serious issues
which threaten to affect the livelihood
of our children and grandchildren
issues such as fighting crime, saving
Medicare, creating more and better
jobs, maintaining a strong national
defense and balancing the federal bud
get. I will also seek to rise above nega
tive, partisan rhetoric and work to
ensure that we keep this country head
ed in the right direction for future gen
erations.
We must keep making hard deci-
Ads: Mark Felly; Composition: Chad Lewis; Circulation and Photography: Eric Zellars;
Bookkeeping: Paula L. Zimmerman.
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 letters on this page
(and elsewhere in this newspaper) reflect the opinions of the writers and not necessarily
those of this newspaper.
Signed letters to the editor are welcomed. Please limit letters to 300 words and include
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out verification. Letters should be sent to P.O. Drawer M., Perry, Ga. 31069, or brought to
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- Wed., Nov. 27,1996
Page 4A
Letters to
the Editor
P.O. Drawer M
Perry, Ga. 31069
sions on the important issues as we
work to get this country back on track.
I want to hear your ideas and concerns
as we address these and other issues
during the 105th Congress.
We will solve the problems of this
country with common sense and perse
verance. I will continue fighting for
conservative solutions that are in the
best interest of people throughout the
Bth District.
Julianne and I thank you again for
your support and your confidence, and
we ask for your prayers as we move
forward in the 105th Congress.
Saxby Chambliss
Georgia’s Bth District
And a word from the loser
Editor,
I would like to thank all of the peo
ple in the 30 counties of the Eighth
Congressional District of Georgia who
took the time to vote on Nov. 5. While
Paul
Coverdell
U.S. Senator
and the District of Columbia.
Moreover, fewer than 96 million
Americans voted and more than 90
million registered voters did not vote.
Registration apparently is not the cen
tral problem in low voter turnout.
The true spoils of motor voter regis
tration are the increases, not in voter
turnout, but in voter fraud. My office is
aware of many different instances not
only in Georgia, but around the coun
try where voter fraud occurred as a
result of the motor voter registration
process.
For example, an Oklahoma televi
sion station “tested” the vulnerability
of the process by registering their pets.
The station in turn received voter ID
cards for a schnauzer named “Phred
Kelly,” a cat named “800-800 Kitti”
and 10 other pets including a pig. This
gives a new meaning to animal rights.
On a more serious note, my office
has been presented with numerous
instances of illegal immigrants being
registered in Georgia and other states
to vote through motor voter. Even
more disturbing is the brazen attitude
toward fraud adopted by some motor
voter advocacy groups.
Richard Cloward, executive direc-
Houston limes-Journal
/
tor of Human Serve, a leading motor
voter advocacy group, says that he
takes a “more expansive view” of
fraud in the voting process.
Cloward supports his claim by stat
ing that “It’s better to have a little bit of
fraud than to leave people off the rolls
who belong there.” Obviously, this
type of attitude and its associated prob
lems point to the fact that the Motor
Voter Act needs a lot of work.
But the real point here is that
Washington continues to mandate
already cash-starved state and local
governments to death, in this case
attempting to “fix” a system that may
not be broken.
At issue are not the merits or goals
of the motor voter system. We all want
greater participation in our political
process. The issue is financial prioriti
zation whether or not Americans
can afford to pay for a voter registra
tion system that obviously does not
achieve results.
I think not. Our efforts should be
directed at programs deemed more
pressing by the American people, such
as education, drugs, crime and our
national financial security. Over time,
we have proven the ability to effect
changes in these important area, unlike
the unchartered and unpredictable
waters of voter participation. Just think
what you could have otherwise done
with the S2OO paid for the voting con
venience of 49,203 others.
To be sure, the Motor Voter Act will
be closely evaluated and defended.
m
krr
i r J
I was not elected to serve in the 105th
Congress, I am greatly honored by the
fact that more than 80,000 citizens
endorsed my candidacy with their
vote. My family and I are particularly
grateful to those people who con
tributed their time, their efforts and
their money to my campaign. I am
very proud of our effort. We came very
close considering our extremely limit
ed financial resources.
I want to congratulate Saxby
Chambliss on his re-election. While
Mr. Chambliss and I disagree on some
issues concerning the Eighth
Congressional District of Georgia, I
believe him to be an honest public ser
vant who has earned the opportunity to
represent us in Washington D.C. for
the next two years.
In time, there will be other elec
tions, but for now we need to put par
tisan politics aside and work with
Congressman Chambliss and all of our
other elected officials to seek solutions
to the serious problems that face our
nation. For the present, we must put
aside our differences as Democrats,
Republicans or Independents and work
toward the common good as
Americans.
Jim Wiggins
Eastman
Our Goal
The Houston Times-Joumal is published proudly for the citizens of Houston and adjoin
ing counties by Houston Publications Inc., Perry, Ga. Our goal is to produce quality, prof
itable, 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.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of
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ances.” 1 Your right to read this newspaper is protected by the First Amendment to the United
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by Houston Publications Inc., 807 Carroll Street, Perry, Ga., 31069. Periodicals Class
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Times-Joumal, P.O. Drawer M, Perry, Ga. 31069. ISSN: 1079-1874.
Many will claim that we have
improved the system by making it eas
ier to register to vote and increasing
participation.
But the simple fact remains that
since its passage, voter turnout as a
percentage of eligible voting popula
tion has fallen steadily, while imple
mentation costs and fraud cases have
risen. Contrary to the Secretary of
State’s report, motor voter, in its cur
rent state, does not work for Georgia or
America.
(Paul Coverdell is a U.S. Senator
from Georgia.)
Letter to
the Editor
P.o. Drawer M
Perry, Ga., 31069
Georgia will help
you help yourself
Editor:
Last Friday, Gov. Zell Miller and
the director of the Department of
Family and Children Services,
Michael Thurmond, submitted
Georgia’s welfare reform plan to fed
eral officials. The bold plan establish
es personal responsibility as its theme.
The message is clear: the state of
Georgia is willing to help you if you
are willing to help yourself.
Where past reforms were weak and
watered down, this plan qualifies as
“tough love.” Lifetime benefits are
limited to four years and individuals
who refuse to work, fail to cooperate
with the state in establishing paternity
or are convicted of certain felonies
lose their benefits entirely.
Additionally, mothers on welfare will
no longer be provided extra money
when they have even more children
for which they cannot care.
Although Georgia’s new welfare
plan places greater expectations on
welfare recipients, it also provides a
helping hand. To prepare recipients for
work, the state will offer job training,
education, child care and drug rehabil
itation. After the recipients are ready
for work, they will receive extended
health care benefits and employers
will receive subsidies to offset training
costs. Welfare recipients will also be
allowed to use vouchers to seek job
training, drug rehabilitation and the
many other services available from
private, charitable and religious orga
nizations.
Critics have labeled these require
ments as unfair, yet the unfairness
actually resides in the current system.
For the average low-to middle-income
mother working full time to support
her family, the mere thought that her
tax dollars are subsidizing an able-bod
ied welfare recipient who is therefore
able to stay home with her children is
frustrating and unjust. The new plan
ends this inequity by requiring welfare
recipients work for their benefits.
Georgia’s plan is a solid step ir. the
right direction, but there is room for
improvement. Welfare recipients
should be required to participate in
some activity from day one unless
they are disabled, infirm or have a
newborn at home. The state of
Wisconsin, which has had great suc
cess with its tough new approach,
never allows its recipients to simply
do nothing. It has a four-tiered system
that requires recipients to spend 40
hours per week at work, job training,
education or community service.
Georgia’s plan is somewhat ambigu
ous in this area, but hopefully state
officials will be far more aggressive
that the official plan indicates.
For the last thirty years, govern
ment has taken over the traditional
role of charitable and religious organi
zations in providing assistance to the
poor and needy. As a result, many such
organizations have scaled back their
programs or focused on different
needs in the community. It’s past time
for us to demand of our government a
decreased role in perpetuating poverty,
and an increased role for charities in
helping those who are truly in need.
Kelly McCutchen
Executive Director