Newspaper Page Text
► THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2003
4A
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OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
President,
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans Rex Gambill
Vice President Managing Editor
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
Space could be put to good use
It is unfortunate that the Perry Hospital
obstetrics ward is going to be closed.
We can understand why the Hospital
Authority of Houston County made the
decision.
Births at the Perry Hospital have
declined precipitously in recent years,
despite the fact that there was a major
renovation and expansion in 1996. Perry
mothers-to-be have been going to Warner
Robins’ larger and more spacious facility
with the result that it no longer is finan
cially feasible to keep the obstetrics ward
in Perry open.
There have been approximately half as
many births in Perry Hospital this year as
last.
The Hospital Authority cannot be fault
ed for its action. Money has been spent
attempting to increase the number of
births in Perry but the number of births
has declined for the past three years.
We regret that this facility no longer is
available in Perry. For mothers who have
used it the obstetrics ward has been con
venient and first class.
Births at the Women’s Center at
Houston Medical Center have been
increasing steadily through the years. So
far there have been 48 more births at the
hospital in Warner Robins than the com
parable period last year.
Hospitals provide wonderful and essen
tial services. But there comes a time when
something must be done when a service
that is offered is not used enough to war
rant keeping it.
The number of patients using Perry
Hospital continues to increase. The hospi
tal is making a profit. Eliminating the
obstetrics ward will not - and should not -
be taken as an indication that the Hospital
Authority is any less dedicated to serving
the people of the Perry area.
Several options are being considered to
use the space now used by the obstetrics
ward. We understand that the local
Hospice has asked for the use of some
space in the hospital. It would be nice if
this could come about. We understand that
the Hospital Authority has several options
and we are confident the space will be
used to enhance other services at the
Perry Hospital.
Education is the great equalizer
Editor:
In reference to Ms. Mac Diarmid’s letter, the
thing I said that was most important in its sig
nificance to the thesis of my letter was that
education is the great equalizer. Education in
our public or private schools makes it possible
for people to rise in the business world, to have
a more meaningful life, to be more capable of
helping others and, if one wants to think of
increasing our people’s training and skills in
legitimate financial terms, the money that he
or she can bring home in his/her check will not
only increases their buying power but also
their ability to pay more taxes. That argument
has been proven in that the cost of the educa
tion under the GI bill was repaid twice over
because of the increased wealth of the partici
pants.
Education in this country as compared to
the other nations of the technically advanced
countries of the world differs in various ways.
One of which is the number of students who
are given the opportunity for advancement.
Students in the European countries are tested
at the end of approximately eight years of
school and if their scores do not reach a cer
tain level, they are made/allowed to drop out of
school, go into an apprentice program, or a
technical school. When you compare our grad
uates to those in Europe, you are comparing
apples and oranges. In a country whose
Declaration of Independence supports equali-
Who knows what it's really like in Iraq?
WHAT IN the world is
going on in Iraq?
I wish I knew.
Last Sunday I heard three
retired generals who had
just returned from Iraq give
their observations. They
spoke glowingly of the suc
cesses we are enjoying in
Iraq. They said they saw
signs of a return to normal
cy in many places. They said
the Iraqi people were happy
that the Americans were
there.
An article written by a
British journalist who has
lived in Iraq for many years
appeared in The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution the
same day. He said that Iraqi
civilians were being killed
by the thousands by other
Iraqis. The picture he paint
ed was one of chaos. He said
the Iraqis want the
Americans to leave.
Television shows pictures
of attacks on Americans and
gives the impression things
are not going too well.
Congressman Jim Marshall
of Macon came back recent
ly from a trip to Iraq and he
was optimistic. He has writ-
The new, Internet-savvy Dating Game
Ever see the romance
advertisements lonely souls
put in the paper? “Single
male. Loves the outdoors,
walks on the beach and curl
ing up next to a late night
fire.” You could easily read
this particular ad and ask,
“Is this a person or a Cocker
Spaniel?”
Single Americans from
coast to coast are finding it
more' and more difficult to
meet potential mates.
Experts give a multitude of
reasons for this, but I
believe that many of us are
simply working so hard and
so long that we simply don’t
have the time or energy to
go the traditional dating
route.
Remember the dreaded
blind date? A friend says
they have a friend that may
be a great match for you.
You finally cave in and
spend an entire Saturday
night making polite conver
sation and listening to your
“date” talk about what a
total creep her last
boyfriend was and how hard
it is to get a babysitter for
seven children.
Seven children? I wonder
why my “friend” failed to
mention this lady had more
children living under one
roof than “The Waltons.”
Good night, John Boy.
Many single Americans
have lost all patience with
the traditional methods of
meeting potential spouses.
Welcome to online dating
services compliments of the
Internet. It is revolutioniz
ing the way single people
meet.
Get this statistic - 40 per
cent of Americans are single
now and half of them, over
40 million, have visited an
online dating service. How
amazing is that?
Isn’t it strange - you can
be surfing the Internet, bid
ty for all, the European curriculum does not
seem quite fair. Moreover, the financing of
public schools is uneven and erratic. This is
another reason for the inadequate education
in many ghettos and poor rural areas.
I would like to add a personal note here. I
am presently homeschooling two students and
have worked in a homeschooling workshop for
the last two years and am presently doing so.
I don’t know why Ms. Mac Diarmid thought
that I did not agree with homeschooling.
The gist of Mary’s letter seems to be in the
paragraph citing “it’s about common sense,
responsibility for ourselves and taking care of
our own.” Common sense, I suppose, means
living your life away from others who are hav
ing problems like injury, death, abuse (if they
are not your “own”), those who can’t work,
who are widowed because their husbands
were killed in battle and as she says, “etc.” If
people cannot work for any of the reasons
given above, it will hurt you and you and you.
One of the most important results of unem
ployment is an increase in crime. If you cannot
feed your family you may steal, you are more
likely to keep children out of school, move
around the country in pursuit of employment,
therefore, delaying children’s training and
perpetuating the unemployment into the next
generation with the result, more likely, of
more criminal acts, more physical and verbal
abuse of children, a rise in mental illness and
an increasing number of capital crimes abet
ted by poverty, malnourishment and igno-
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
WwKk
Foy Evans
Columnist
foye vans 19@cox.net
ten newspaper articles and
has been on several national
television shows expressing
his opinion that the media is
not telling the true story of
the situation in Iraq.
Obviously, members of the
media have their agendas.
I just wish I knew how it
really is in Iraq.
• • •
YOU CAN get into a con
versation here at home with
most people and they will
tell you how it is over there.
They really do not know.
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Steve Tesseniar
Columnist
writeronstorm@aol.com
ding on eßay, searching the
days headlines, and then
suddenly realize, “Hey, I’m
lonely. I think I will search
for my true love at desper
ate.com.”
I actually have a couple of
friends who are using the
online dating services and
they are having a great time.
“Excuse me... Could I borrow a smidgen of electricity?"
ranee.
Common sense should tell us that the near
er our country comes to full employment the
better will be our economy.
Common sense also suggests fairness. Is it
fair to ask a woman to stay in an abused rela
tionship? A recent immigrant to have no
schooling for his children and no health insur
ance?. Or a woman whose soldier husband has
been killed in Iraq to go to work to support her
children? Or a man who’s lost his job because
his company moved to China? Or perhaps we
should do away with the veteran’s programs
or the retirement income for our armed forces
and even our elderly? There’s also the govern
ment subsidy of the orphanages and the
Salvation Army and so on and on.
What exactly is one’s own? In today’s world,
it seems to mean all the people of the world.
Isn’t that why we are in Iraq? in Poland? in
Liberia? Isn’t that why we have soldiers in
South Korea? Isn’t that the same reasoning
President Bush has given us about the war
and having the armed forces in Iraq - that it is
better to attack the problem of poverty, tor
ture and unemployment at its source rather
than after it causes terrorism or crime.
It seemed rather ironic that Ms.MacDiarmid
quoted former president Jack Kennedy. He
was the greatest advocate of government
activism and the architect of the War on
Poverty. His statement did resonate in the
minds of our populace in 1960 and inspire
them to solve the problems of poverty, racial
Their opinions are creations
of what they have read or
seen or heard. It is interest
ing how opinionated we can
become on subjects we real
ly know nothing about first
hand.
It may be years before we
know the real story. We may
never know.
Only by going to Iraq and
seeing what is going on first
hand can any of us really
know. And I am satisfied to
remain here in the good old
U.S.A.
One thing seems clear. It
will grind on over there.
Sooner or later there will
be some kind of resolution.
In the meantime, we have
elected a President to lead
us and our country and we
must have faith and hope
that he can steer a course
that will accomplish goals
that are in the best interest
of our country.
• • •
THE TIME is not far off
when a decision must be
made whether Houston
County will have another
high school or the present
high schools will be turned
They are both women and
they’re going to dinner with
a host of men vying for their
attention.
One of them recently told
me, “Hey, even if the guy
turns out to be a dud, at
least I get a free dinner out
of it.” This remark further
confirmed that spending my
Saturday nights at the local
bookstore is the right thing
to do.
It’s so weird to me that
people are shopping for
spouses like they shop for
Christmas presents. “Yes, I
would like to order one hus
band, and could I please
have him gift-wrapped?”
One lady bragged about
her experience with online
dating in a recent article in
U.S. News and World
Report, “I paid SIOO and got
a husband. Can’t beat that!”
Well, what can you say?
“Congratulations for com
intolerance and the unequal treatment of
women. I quote from Ms. Mac Diarmid -
“Sadly we have strayed from that sort of
thinking and look where it has gotten us.”
It is the government’s responsibility to pro
vide services of support (via tax dollars) to the
poor and unfortunate, to the retired and dis
abled, and to the wealthy companies because it
benefits all of us. It provides for a stable econ
omy by increasing consumer money, the
opportunities for skilled jobs, money for other
services through increased taxes to the federal
government, more contentment and commit
ment to organizations of charity and family. It
also decreases crime and hatred, abuse and
divorce.
The amount of money sent to Poland to
assure that they would join the coalition was
the same amount as the money spent on the
Pell Grant last year.
This argument is about Republicans and
Democrats; it is also about poverty and
wealth, racial intolerance and discrimination,
the immigration problem, the free trade policy
which has taken manufacturing jobs overseas,
pre-emptive strike or defensive stance, aggres
sion or deterrence, diplomacy or force. And it
is extremely, extremely important. The elec
tion this year will decide the ideology to be fol
lowed in the next decade. It will affect the core
of our existence - and that of our children and
grandchildren.
Billie Hooker
Warner Robins
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
into mega schools.
It is a matter of record
that schools with smaller
enrollments have far fewer
problems with students
than those with extra large
enrollments. Suburban
Atlanta has several high
schools with huge enroll
ments and the problems
they have, including disci
pline, are out of proportion
to the increase in enroll
ment.
Making the present high
schools larger would be less
expensive than building and
opening another one. The
question that must be faced
is whether we want to
accept the trade off that
mega schools could create.
The need for a new high
school still is over the hori
zon in Houston County. But
it is something to think
about. The largest high
schools in the state are in
the top classification for ath
letics and, obviously, have
the best teams. But this
should not be a considera
tion when making the
important decision.
ing in under budget in the
new husband category?”
By the way, if you are con
sidering a career change and
you know your way around
the computer, consider
starting your very own
online dating service. Lonely
singles spent a whopping
$302 million dollars last
year on Web sites searching
for that special someone.
So forget about that sad
country and western tune,
“Looking for love in all the
wrong places.” Fire up your
computer in the comfort of
your own home, kick off
your shoes, grab your
favorite beverage, and start
surfing for your soul mate,
or at the very least, a date
for next Saturday night.
Times, they are a-changing.
Steve Tesseniqr is princi
pal of Russell Elementary
School. His column appears
every Thursday.