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2455 Jefferson Road in Homewood Hills
706.546.0840
Open at 2pm M-F • 12pm Sat
Wednesday
KARAOKE & DRINK SPECIALS
9pm
Thursday
BLUES NIGHT with
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Friday. August 19
THE COMMON PEOPLE BAND
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Saturday. August 20
CITY DOCS
9:30pm
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"Small Government" in Action: Now that
Republican legislators have unveiled their
plans for ensuring that Athens-Clarke County's
representation on the state level is reduced to
practically nothing, their boy Doug McKillip
can get down to the important business of
his office as ACC's representative: screwing
around with our commission district map.
So, how do other local Republicans feel about
Doug's foray into local control—you know,
from above?
Regina Quick, the GOP rep on the local
redistricting committee that would be made
irrelevant by Doug's exercise of big-govern
ment power, says she would have to support
a plan for ACC that resulted from the commit
tee's work over one that was imposed on the
community by the state—unless the commit
tee ended up recommending the map proposed
by professional redistricting consultant Linda
Meggers, which would alter the existing dis
tricts as little as possible. Quick says she has
a "philosophical problem" with the current
map's splitting of Five Points into two dis
tricts, and won't support a plan that doesn't
combine it into one.
State Senator Frank Ginn, who made a very
big deal out of his firm commitment to local
control while chatting with the M&C along
with other members of the legislative delega
tion back in May, says he would "lean more
towards the maps that are requested" by local
governments in redistricting. "Somebody's
going to have to demonstrate to me why you'd
want to change it," he says.
Rest assured, McKillip will. He's already
convinced former Athens-Clarke GOP Chair Bill
Griffith, who weighed in with his support for
Doug's intervention in an Aug. 13 letter to the
Athens Banner-Herald.
So, it's like this: Republicans—especially
Doug McKillip, who's a big one—are against
big-government intrusion on local decision
making... unless it's needed. And when is it
needed? When it suits them.
Small Surprise: In an item for this Thursday's
mayor and commission agenda session, ACC
staff recommends the M&C
put off funding for a trail-connecting bridge
in Sandy Creek Park. At a work session last
month, staff had stated a preference for a
bridge over Lake Chapman as opposed to
a less-expensive option traversing nearby
wetlands that would have been partially paid
for by an anonymous donor. It seemed clear
at the time that, in recommending the much
more costly option, staff members were hint
ing that their real preference was for no bridge
at all, so why the run-around?
It's a perfectly reasonable position that
now is not the time to spend upwards of
$150,000 on a trail bridge, though it would
certainly be a shame to decline the donor's
offer to share the costs of a recreational
amenity that's been planned for years. Why
go through the song and dance of advocating
an expenditure of more than $350,000 on
an alternative plan, when that was obviously
never going to happen? Seriously—wasn't the
restructuring of the Leisure Services depart
ment supposed to increase efficiency?
Think at the Sink: In case it hadn't already
occurred to you, water-wise friend to Flagpole
Ben Emanuel sends word that it's time to start
thinking very seriously about daily water con
servation. The ongoing drought has our rivers
low, and even beyond mandated restrictions
on outdoor use (look up "water conservation"
at www.athensclarkecounty.com or call [706]
613-3729), it's a good idea to limit your con
sumption. Quick showers, not leaving the fau
cet running while you brush your teeth, fixing
leaks—that type of thing. Keep it in mind.
Dine Out for Kids: This Thursday, Aug. 18,
local restaurants will help raise funds for
Family Connection/ Communities in Schools,
which supports Whatever It Takes, among
other important local education initiatives, by
donating a portion of their receipts to the
nonprofit. “So, if you're thinking of stepping
out for a bite this week, that's the night—go
to www.witathens.org for a complete list of
participating businesses.
Dave Marr news@flagpole.com
b’s Krazy Korner
Congressman Paul Broun, Jr. got some flack during the debt
ceiling debate for a perfectly clueless “let-them-eat-cake” statement
he made on MSNBC. Speaking on our nation’s economic and fiscal
woes, Broun made this analogy: "When someone is overextended
and broke, they don’t continue paying for expensive automobiles;
they sell the expensive automobiles and buy a cheaper one. They .
don’t continue paying for country club dues; they drop out of the
country club." Observers and commentators found Broun’s references
to country clubs and luxury cars out of place and tone deaf when so many
Americans struggle to provide their families with the most basic needs. Medicare and
Social Security are not analogous to country club memberships; tax cuts for the super-
wealthy are.
But maybe Broun’s analogy wasn't so krazy. Broun is, after all, a member of
the posh Athens Country Club. We taxpayers pay Congressman Broun a generous
$174,000 salary which, since he’s no longer a licensed and practicing doctor, appar
ently constitutes his entire income. Broun uses this salary to pay his quite hefty dues
at the club, an elite establishment which demands $20,000 just to initiate one’s mem
bership. According to Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner’s calculations,
42 cents of every federal dollar spent is borrowed, so $73,080 of Broun’s salary is paid
for with deficit spending, often borrowed from the Chinese.
So, Broun is absolutely spot-on when he advocates that he should quit using
money borrowed from China to pay for his expensive country club membership. Bravo,
Congressman. I expect to hear a public dissolution of his association with the club
shortly. [Matthew Pulver]
HAPPY HOUR
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ATHENS NEWS AND VIEWS
4 FLAGPOLE.COM-AUGUST 17, 2011
