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Mansion Pams Journal
Daniel F. Evans
Editor and Publisher
Nicole Curtis
Assistant To The Publisher
Emily Johnstone
News Editor
Charlotte Perkins
Staff Writer
Lanorris Fleming
Staff Writer
Joan Dorsett
Lifestyle Writer
Phil Clark
Sports Writer
Alline Kent
Sports Writer
Julie B. Evans
Advertising Director
Trisha Davis
Display Advertising Representative
Betty Goodroe
Classified Advertising Manager
Kris Baxter
Production Manager
Andy Stuckey
Ad Design / Page Layout
Audrey Evans
Ad Design-Summer Intern
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
The Houston Home Journal
P.O. D rawer M
Perry , G a. 31069
The Houston Home Journal, a Periodical, mailed (USPS 000471) at Perry,
Ga. is published Weekly for $20.00 per year by Evans Newspapers,
Lnc.* 1210 Washington St.* Perry, Ga. 31069
912-987-1823 Fax 912-988-1181
E-MAiL-hhj@hom.net Web Site: www.perrytowncrier.com
School Board Setting Goals
The Houston County Board of Education should be com
mended for making literacy one of its primary focuses this school
year. Illiteracy is a dead end and placing an emphasis on mak
ing every student excel in this area of their education deserves
primary attention.
As they looked ahead members of the school board set several
priorities for the new school year, including literacy, staff devel
opment, human resources and public relations, the foremost of
which has to be an emphasis on literacy.
Thirty to 40 percent of a school day must be spent on literacy.
Seventy-five minutes of math instruction in grades kindergar
ten through the third grade is being required each day.
The basics always have been reading, writing and arithmetic.
We are pleased that our county school board members are re
quiring special emphasis on these subjects. Hooray for them.
To some people emphasis on public relations may seem out of
place. But we do not believe so. School officials seem to be an
endangered species when it comes to lack of understanding what
they are trying to do and how they are going about doing these
things.
A good public relations program is something every school
board we can remember has needed.
We do not mean an attempt to mislead or “snow” the public.
We mean a public relations program that gives the public as
open as possible look at what they are doing and removes any
possibility
that there can be accusations of trying to hide something.
School boards perform an essential function and have an awe
some responsibility providing educational facilities and instruc
tion for students. They receive the brunt of much antagonism
from some parents and voters and seem never to be able to sat
isfy many people.
Yet we believe that if the public is kept informed they will
respond with enthusiastic support of school officials. After all,
board members, the school superintendent and others in the
educational system are interested solely in educating the chil
dren of the people who so often view them with suspicion.
Better communications has to be healthy.
Ideas About Home Town Sought
On the subject of openness and community involvement, we
like what the City of Perry is going to do along this line.
The evening of Aug. 29 citizens will be given an opportunity
to tell city officials what they like and dislike about Perry and
give the officials suggestions that might make this a better place
to live.
People like to believe and know they have a voice in their
local governments. Given an opportunity to identify and ad
dress areas of concern citizens will respond.
This, in our opinion, is a fine idea and we hope there will be a
big turnout.
Med Sanders Is Oft To Good Start
County commission chairman Ned Sanders hit the ground
running when he took office and is making a good impression
wherever he shows up. <■
It is apparent that Sanders realizes no matter how good a job
you do it is the public’s perception that determines how suc
cessful you are in public life.
With an impressive background in engineering and manage
ment, Sanders demonstrated a take- charge persona as soon as
he was sworn into office. Since then he has dealt with the many
facets of his job as chairman and at the same time has made
some important rounds to let people know what he envisions
for Houston County in the months and years ahead.
We like what we see.
Corrected DFE
tElje pUnsstot Mornr Journal
Opinions
tUlje JCuaston plome
Why the surprise about Carnivore?
Recently, many people
have expressed concern and
surprise at the FBI program
Carnivore. Apparently, Car
nivore allows the feds to read
your e-mail if they so desire.
Really, I would be surprised
and concerned if the feds did
not have a system to do this
and actively use it. I mean
think about it, you the tax
payer, pay them to be nosy
about others’ affairs, even
yours, right?
We all learned a long time
ago, you can forget tele
phones as a sure-fire private
way of communication.
Meanwhile, my suggestion
is, if you want a modicum of
assurance of privacy with
your correspondence, pick up
a pencil (remember that
tool?) and use the good old
United States Postal Service.
Other than a nosy relative (a
Twice a day school sessions a possibility
A NEW ELEMENT was in
jected into the consideration
of a $l6O million bond issue
for expansion and improve
ment of school facilities in
Houston County when super
intendent of schools Dr.
Charles Holloway suggested
that there is more than a
slight possibility that it will
be necessary to go to twice a
day sessions if the bond issue
is not approved.
One way or another the
school board will have to pro
vide classes for the rapidly
growing number of students
in the system.
Already more than 200
temporary buildings are in
use throughout the county as
temporary classrooms.
Nobody possibly could like
the idea of using some schools
in the mornings for one
group of students and the af
ternoons for another. It
might be an efficient use of
present facilities, but it would
not go over well with stu
dents, parents or teachers.
As a matter of fact, such an
arrangement would be cha
otic for families where both
parents hold jobs.
I’m sure Dr. Holloway does
not want this to happen. He
merely mentioned it one day
to let us know what could
happen if voters were not
willing to provide the money
to build some new schools,
expand and renovate others.
* * *
THERE’S NO doubt that
student enrollment has not
peaked. Actually, it seems to
me that we can expect an
unusually large number of
new students to enter the
school system in the next few
Letter To Editor
Campaign Finance Reform Begins at Home
The idea that rising local
campaign costs “can’t be
helped,” as suggested in a
recent Houston Home Jour
nal editorial, is one that ev
ery citizen of Houston
County who values democ
racy should resist as a mat
ter of priority. Money is and
always has been a corrupt
ing force in politics. Its in
creasing power should not
be taken for granted.
Cities across the nation
are beginning to take posi
tive action to reign in exces
sive campaign costs that of
ten prevent the best-quali
fied candidates from run
ning for public office. In
California, Anaheim re
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Emily Johnstone
News Editor
eemily@hom.net
possible recruit for the
FBI?), your main worry with
that mode of message trans
portation is when it may ar
rive.
Or, how about the ruse
used in many spy movies of
meeting by a fountain?
I’ll know you’re taking my
suggestions seriously if I be
gin noticing folks loitering
years.
First, of course, is the fact
that Robins AFB will close
down its elementary school,
which presently is located on
government property but
soon will be on private prop
erty when privatization of
housing takes place. Next
year the Houston County
school system will have to
absorb something like 350
students who now attend the
base operated school.
Overlooked in any discus
sion I have heard of future
student increases has been
the effect of opening of the
chicken processing plant at
Kathleen later this year will
have.
It is quite unlikely that all
the employees at this plant
will already live in Houston
County.
Realistically we can expect
a large percentage of the
people who will work at this
plant to be newcomers to
Houston County, which
means they will bring with
them hundreds of children
who must be absorbed by our
public school system.
* * *
THERE ARE many people
in our county who do not hold
the school board or superin
tendent in high regard for
reasons of their own.
I am not one of those who
believe they have wilfully be
trayed their trust and mis
spent money made available
to them in the past.
I always have leaned to
ward giving most elected of
ficials, especially school board
members, the benefit of the
doubt. I just have trouble be
lieving they are either irre
cently passed reforms that
limit individual contributions
to SIOOO and subject to all
fund raising to disclosure. In
Oakland, a candidate in a
contested local election who
raises 5 percent of the expen
diture ceiling without going
over can receive up to 15 per
cent public financing. The
New York City Campaign Fi
nance Board provides match
ing to local candidates who
voluntarily limit both the size
of the contributions and their
overall amount of spending.
Most local reform proposals
now under consideration re
quire candidates to raise a
significant number of small
contributions (as low as $5 or
around the one in downtown
Perry!
What I’m saying is that, as
you learn early in the career
of journalism, there is al
ways a back door some
where.
Meanwhile, the subject of
privacy and technology and
how to retain the former
while moving forward with
the latter is and will con
tinue to be an important is
sue in the future.
• • •
Now, I cannot remember
which night it was last week,
but I recall one as being the
hottest and most humid I
have ever experienced.
And, wasn’t the storm that
blew through Thursday af
ternoon something?
Lanorris and I rode
through one stretch of hail
along U.S. 41, then stood at
sponsible or deliberately care
less with money to which they
have been entrusted.
Maybe they have not done
things exactly as I would have
done, or as others might have
done. But
I do believe they have done
what they believe is right and
their failures have been mini
mal in the context of the re
sponsibilities they have.
* * *
ANYWAY, it all will be on
the table next month. Voters
can say yes or no to the re
quest for additional money for
the school system.
If the answer is yes the pro
gram proposed by the super
intendent and school board
can go forward.
If the answer is no there will
be some treacherous bridges
to cross as hundreds of new
students line up all over the
county for the educations
they and their parents have a
right to expect.
* * *
JUST NOT RIGHT: Con
ventions of the two major po
litical parties have been in the
news recently and it has been
brought to our attention how
much money is being raised
and will be spent on the cam
paigns this fall. The sum is
staggering. And it isn’t
right. Outcome of elections
should not depend on how
much money candidates
spend. As onerous as it may
sound, I firmly believe the
only answer to what is turn
ing into a national scandal
is funding of presidential
elections completely with
government money. Each
candidate would be given
the same amount to spend
$lO in some measures) to
qualify for public funds. This
restriction screens out candi
dates who cannot demon
strate a base level of support.
Another innovative reform
proposal requires publicly
funded candidates to partici
pate in a number of public fo
rums organized by indepen
dent voters’ groups. This re
quirement aims to inject a
healthy dose of substantive
debate into the carnival-like
atmosphere of jingles, sound
bytes, catch phrases, empty
slogans and mudslinging that
surrounds modern elections.
We are only at the beginning
of what may become known as
the era of campaign finance
AUGUST 17, 2000
the back door of our office
and watched as ice balls of
over one inch in diameter fell
from the sky.
• • •
.’j
I heard that the severe
weather caused some prob
lems with reception of local,
radio transmissions from the
911 Center. From what I un
derstand, our local people
took up the slack, dispatch
ing people for their own :
agency, and did a great job
for several days.
• • •
Quote of the Week: “I was
told a long time ago that a
fish always thinks at the
head and not the rear.”
James Sutherland, Chairman
of the Georgia Agricultural
and Exposition Authority
during conversation of how
to best handle a project that
has hit some snags.
Wj&. # || j
i Sh -
Foy Evans
Columnist
foyevans@bellsouth.net
and could not accept cam
paign contributions from
any other source. They
could not spend any more >
than the amount provided
by the government. This
would put them on equal
footing financially and, with
limited resources, would
have to spend money wisely
getting their messages out. \
* * *
ONE MORE THING: *
String up to the highest tree
those obnoxious commenta- j
tors on television who do j
their best to twist the facts 1
and steer us in the direction
of their favorite candidates.
* * *
JUST AN IDEA: Some- j
thing I would like to see is
the return of old fashioned j
spelling bees in our
schools. Pitting students j
from comparable classes j
in different schools |
against each other might ;
not be as exciting as a foot- |
ball game but it would !
be much more produc- j
tive. Such competition ’
might inspire students to
become more proficient in
this essential communica
tions skill.
reform in American politics,
many creative proposals de
serve our active consider
ation, but complacency on
this issue must first be put
aside. Middle Georgians have
been lucky in that so many
competent and honorable
public servants have felt it
their duty to endure an often
degrading and insipid politi
cal process. We should not
wait until our luck runs out
to address this issue.
Scott Daniel
Bonaire, GA