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Viewpoints Our Views Giveaway problems Editor: Below is an editorial from the Charleston Gazette newspaper. It tells 1 iow the state of West Virginia gives away millions of dollars in tax breaks, tax incentives and so forth. Like West Virginia, Geor g i a gives away millions. When the state gives away mil lions of dol- Letters to the Editor p.o. Drawn M Perry, 6a. lars there should be some form of accountability. That accountability starts with the news media publicizing this type of activities. Unfortunately, the news media in Georgia is not doing their job. Not one time have I seen any information about the amount of tax dollars given away. These "give aways" should be reported in the news media. Presently, there is no accountabil ity. It is time to have some form of accountability. When is the news media going to start doing their job and report this informa tion? Ronald L. Cain South Houston County Giveaway Saturday September 4, 1999 Did you read the good news? The give away from West Virginia's treasury finally has dropped below SIOO million a year. The state Tax Division reported that all types of tax credits fell from $lO3 million in 1997 to the mid-S9O million range in 1998. 71 lit* liiCcUib umt UUiCi Wctot ViigiiUc* ) axpayers must cough up only about $95 million to make up for the writeoffs given to special investors. "Super tax credits" and other such incentives are offered to firms that make new investments, supposedly creating jobs. But it doesn't always work. After Gaston Caperton became gover nor a decade ago, he discovered that credits can be a sham. At that time, sev eral coal companies were ducking about S6O million a year in taxes, on grounds ihat they had created new jobs - but the firms actually had laid off 1,300 miners. Apparently, they won the credits by investing in bigger machines, which elim inated workers. After that unpleasant discovery, the legislature cracked down on tax give aways - but not enough. The public still can’t learn the exact amount given to companies (credits are revealed only in broad categories) and can't learn how many jobs supposedly were created. As long as this secrecy continues, West Virginians' may suspect that other employers are doing what the coal’firms did: claiming credits for "creating jobs" vhile actually eliminating workers. Even when a firm publicly announces i he number of jobs it will create (usually upon getting a huge government grant). Ihe jobs may not materialize. Charleston researcher Wendy Radcliff went to the state Development Office to find reliable numbers, but nobody knew any. In fact, she found that one firm s promised jobs went to another state. In effect, tax credits are a bribe given by the state to industries to gain more employment. If the bribe really works, and more jobs result, perhaps it's worth the $95 million price. But with employment figures hidden, West Virginians can't know whether ' hey re getting anything for this expensive giveaway. Concern for family Editor: Nearly two weeks in the small bedroom community of Cochran, a 64-year-old business woman was attacked in an act >f violence that was senseless. She was working alone in her place of business Aug. 23, when a temporary See LETTERS, page 5A Houston Home Journal P.O. Drawer M • 807 Carroll St. • Perry, Ga. 31069 email homeJrn@hom.net (912) 987-1823 (voice) • (912) 988-1181 (fax) Bob Tribble President Jj Johnson Editor and General Manager Ellen T Green Advertising Director Phil Clark Sports Joan Dorsett Lifestyles Torey Jolley News and Classified Alline Kent Sports Pauline Lewis Lifestyles Kob Mead News and Circulation Charlotte Perkins News and Composition Paula Zimmerman Bookkeeping 171 Yard sale-itis strikes the Home Journal staff Joan Dorsett and I went “yard saling” last Saturday morning. My goal was to take some pictures and write a stoiy about yard sales. Since Joan and I had another project set for a little later in the morning, she offered to help me find those addresses under the Home Journal’s “Yard Sale" list ings. I’ll admit I've avoided yard sales most of my life partly, I think, because I tend to avoid doing anything before 10 a.m. on Saturday morning except drinking coffee and reading the paper but also because the word “yard sale" has automati cally brought visions to my mind. These are visions of shade less lamps, toasters which don’t work and odd little fig- The peanut gallery WHO NOT ME! I J \ Vj 6HAG r~fj m yotJ L 4 Grandma , you are beautiful V I have made a tremendous discovery —and it only took 15- plus years to achieve this suc cess. The amazing thing 1 dis covered is (drum roll, please) I can go to a water park and not feel stupid. OK. That may not seem terri bly important to some; howev er. 1 have not been swimming (or even owned a bathing suit for that matter) in more than 15 years. I could not imagine myself out in public in a bathing suit. 1 just avoided my favorite sport. A few months ago, 1 went to a new store in town and pur chased a bathing suit. I admit 1 didn't look like Tyra Banks or Claudia Schiffer but I was passable. I don’t know why I bought it. I was too shy and uncomfortable to put it on at home or even go to a pool. (I think it was on sale and. like my mother, I couldn’t resist a bargain). However, this past Saturday was a turning day in my life. My husband, my daughter, her husband, and I took my grand son, Dylan, to White Water in Atlanta (OK ... Marietta to be exact). 1 put my bathing suit on under my shorts and shirt to , Our Policies Unsigned editorials appearing in larger type on this page under the label Our Views reflect the posi tion of the Houston Home Journal Signed columns and letters on this page (and elsewhere in this news paper) reflect the opinions of the writers and not nec essarily 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 - Wed., Sept. 8, 1999 Page 4A Charlotte Perkins ■ ■ novncs Journal Staff urines that cost $1 to start with and are now on sale for 50 cents. My visions include bed spreads with torn fringes and large collections of Reader's Digest “condensed" books. Was I wrong? Well, yes. In fact, I could probably become a yard sale addict in a matter of weeks. In the first place, the people are fun. I mean the people who Torey Jolley Home Journal Staff travel. The closer we got to the park, the more unsure 1 began feel ing. When the time came to put the shorts and shirt in the lock er, I began to get paranoid. Negative thoughts began, such as: Suppose someone laughs at me? I look awful. I cannot believe I came here. Oh, goodness. What was I thinking? Then something miraculous happened. My five-year-old grandson said. “Grandma do you have a bathing suit?" I said, “Yes.” He asked to see it. When I took the shorts and shirt off. Dylan said. “Oh, Grandma, you are beautiful." My husband and my daughter quickly exclaimed how nice 1 looked too. I felt so much better and the negative images of space occupied by the error. We cannot be responsible for the return of pictures or submitted materials unless a stamped, return address envelope is included. Our Goal The Houston Home Journal is published proudly for the citizens of Houston and adjoining counties bv Houston Publications Inc., Perry. Ga. Our goal is to produce 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 Nation al Newspaper Association. ceased. Oh, I had a tinge or two of worries pop up throughout the day. but I quickly realized 1 was just fine great, in fact. No one made fun of me. No one really cared I was in public with a bathing suit. I had a grand time. I swam. I played with Dylan and the oth ers. 1 cannot remember the last time I had such fun. I had given up going swimming or to amusement parks • for fear of not fitting in. But I think I finally figured it out. Life is a one shot opportu nity. You live it to the fullest, doing the best you can each and every day. If you let life pass you by without trying things because of silly thoughts, ideas, or such well, you only have yourself to blame. 1 will never again avoid doing something I want to try, or love doing, because 1 am afraid of how others will perceive me. 1 have one life and will enjoy each day making memories. And whenever 1 am feeling a lit tle scared or unsure, 1 will remember Dylan’s words, “Grandma, you are beautiful." % s-V Houston Home Journal hold the sales and the people who come to check out the bar gains. Our first stop was at an indoor sale held by Susan Strickland across from the Perry Hospital. That's where Joan found a smokeless grill and I talked her into buying it. Then we went on to the old Shelton home along Main Street where Nancy Shelton McLendon had a big sale going on under the trees in the front yard. I met Becky Sheffield and Jessica Wright there. Both are preteens who got permission to walk to the sale, and they were having a great time poking through things. Also, I talked with Harold Ross, who told me that he was there mainly because his wife was there. (She's the one who doesn't miss a yard sale, but he admitted that he's found a few bargains himself over the years.) I found I had to have the set of six rainbow-striped, hand sewn place mats that were on sale for $1 not to mention the painted wooden basket 1 intend to repaint. Alter that, we headed on to a big family-style sale being held by Lea Rogers and Donna Hardage both of whom, like me, are originally from Macon County. These are two young moms and they had a great sale going on for other young moms. You never saw so many cute clothes for little kids , so many toys or so many kitchen items. See PERKINS, Page 5A Bob Tribble Home Journal President: Golf score is higher than temp My golfing game has really hit rock bottom lately. I don’t know if the problem has been the hot weather, growing older or just plain inability to swing the club properly. What I should do is take 30 days off and then quit. Recently, I had the opportu nity to play on a nice course near Bessemer, Ala. It was a long, 6.300-yard-plus course, so knowing my 150-yard drives wouldn't get it done. I decided to play my partner’s drive, which is usually around 250 yards. That helped some but my final score was still about 102, the same as the temperature was wiien we teed of in the late afternoon. Maybe that is the problem. I have been shooting to beat the temperature rather than playing to beat the course. Speaking of golf, the story is told about this guv who hated to hit over water. As he approached each water hole he would pray asking God to help him get over the water. When he arrived at the next water hole he pulled out an old water ball, teed it up, and said a short prayer. God said, “If you want me to help you get over the water, put a new ball on the tee." which he did. Then God said. "Now, step back and take a practice swing." The guy stepped back, took a practice swing, and God said. "Take that new ball off the tee and put the water ball back down there!" Sounds maybe like my swing. Another story is told of a golfer who w r as playing with a friend one day. As they got to a tee box near the road, they looked up and saw a funeral procession coming. The golfer took off his hat, bowed his head and stood in silence as the procession passed by. After the last car passed by the guys friend said. “You must have known the deceased very well." To which the golfer replied, “yes, 1 lived with her for 40 years.” Then there is the story about the preacher who made a hole in-one on a Sunday and eould- See TRIBBLE, Page 5A "Congress shall make no law respecting an estah lishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom ol speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Your right to read this news paper is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Houston Home Journal (USPS 000471) is published weekly for $21.40 per year (including sales tax) by Houston Publications Inc., 807 Car roll St.. Perry. Ga., 31069. Periodicals Class Postage paid at Perry, Ga. POSTMASTER : Send address changes to the Houston Home Journal. P.O. Drawer M, Perry. Ga. 31069 ISSN; 1075-1874. |k j