Newspaper Page Text
♦ TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2006
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OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
Editor and Publisher
Rex Gambill
News Editor
New Home For Chamber
The Warner Robins Area Chamber of
Commerce, which has been in need of
much larger quarters for several years,
finally has found a place for a new home.
The Chamber has purchased the old 20th
Century Cafeteria building on Watson
Blvd., keeping this important organiza
tion’s office on the city’s busiest street.
The Chamber has been making plans
for a new office building for several years.
Many locations were discussed and plans
discussed. But nothing seemed to be the
right fit.
The Chamber has been in its present
location approximately 40 years, during
which time the number of members it
serves has multiplied several times.
The new facility will have approximately
twice the space presently available and
should serve the organization well for
decades to come.
We are especially pleased that the
Chamber was able to find a suitable loca
tion where it will receive the greatest
exposure and easy to reach from anywhere
in the area.
A Controversial Decision?
The United States Supreme Court issued
a ruling last week that does not make
sense to us.
It ruled that police can’t search a house
without a warrant if one occupant invites
them in and another objects.
The reasoning is that a person’s home is
his castle.
We agree with that concept. We, too,
believe that a person’s home should be his
castle.
However, consider this possibility:
The owner or person responsible for
a house or apartment does not object
to —may really want —officers to search
the facility while a visitor, even a criminal,
objects. Does it make sense that officers
cannot enter the house?
There was only one dissenting vote on
the ruling.
Chief Justice John Roberts disagreed.
This is a decision that may have unin
tended consequences. It certainly will have
a profound effect on law enforcement offi
cers when they find themselves confronted
by such a situation.
Budget, sexual predators, eminent domain dominate final days of session
The final days of the leg
islative session are upon us,
and it looks like the gavel
will pound for the last time,
signaling the end of the 2006
General Assembly, sometime
this week.
As usual, the last days are
hectic, and this year is no
different. In the past week
we have voted on more than
100 pieces of legislation that
will affect families and busi
nesses across Georgia. Some
passed, while others will
never see the light of day
- until maybe the next legis
lative session.
Last week, the Senate
passed its recommendations
for the 2007 state budget,
which goes into effect in
July. After years of budget
cuts due to a nation-wide
recession, Georgia’s coffers
once again are full as the
economy has bounced back
and people are working and
spending money again. The
state’s $18.6 billion budget
is the largest one ever passed
in Georgia, but I think you
will find that we are spend
ing your money wisely and
judiciously. There is money
in this budget for school
construction, pay raises for
those who protect us and
those who teach our chil
dren, for libraries, and for
the mentally retarded. We
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
i \ v.; Sgk
Ross Tolleson
State Senator
R-Perry
have put money in the 2007
budget for prison expansion,
Georgia’s Pre-K program
and for class size reduction.
There even is money in this
budget to assist school sys
tems with rising fuel costs,
so that we can continue to
transport our children to and
from school. We are adding
positions for those who issue
drivers’ licenses so you don’t
have to stand in line so long
and for grandparents who
are raising and supporting
their grandchildren. Pre
paring the budget is a long
and arduous process, and the
needs are great, but I believe
we have accomplished our
goals to serve all Georgians
as we strive to make this the
best state to live, work and
We need strong leadership willing to face crises
You have to give mem
bers of Congress and the
Administration special credit
for political courage. They
are talking about increasing
mandated mileage on auto
mobiles and trucks.
And they may even pass
a law mandating better gas
mileage.
However, they also are
talking about them going
into effect about 5 years
from now.
By then some members of
Congress will have retired
or been defeated. Those still
around can blame the new
mileage requirements on
someone else. There will be
a new President.
Even the improvement
in mileage being proposed
is absurdly ineffective. The
talk is for a fleet-wide aver
age of 24 miles per gallon by
the year 2011. You have to
assume these new standards
will be phased in.
I wonder if mileage stick
ers on vehicles in 2001 will
be as unrealistic as those we
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Our bizarre criminal justice system
On March 15, 2006, two
high profile murder cases
(one in Georgia; the other
in Florida) were somewhat
settled with announcement
of harsh sentences by the
jury box. The puzzling part
to the average mind had to
do with the vast differences
between the guilty parties,
time frames, motives, and
mitigating circumstances.
James Sullivan, 64-year
old Georgia businessman,
was placed on trial for hir
ing a hit man to kill his
wife in 1987. A fugitive for
many years, he was recently
extradited from Thailand.
Though the death penalty
was an option, he was given
“life” without the possibil
ity of parole. The hit man,
Phillip Harwood, who actu-
raise our families.
In that vein, on Friday
we passed the toughest and
most restrictive sexual pred
ator legislation in the nation.
After the bill moved from
the House to the Senate, we
made changes to the mea
sure as we sought balance
and fairness. Our goal is
to punish those who abuse
our precious children, our
wives, daughters and sisters
and prevent them from ever
harming another human
being.
The bill increases penal
ties for certain sexual crimes
to a minimum of 25 years
imprisonment and in some
cases, a maximum of life in
prison. The bill also cre
ates a new crime of aiding,
abetting or harboring a sex
offender. It also creates a
new sentencing scheme
for other enumerated sex
crimes, as well as eliminat
ing first offender treatment.
Residency, workplace and
loitering restrictions will be
placed on sexual offenders
and a 1,000 foot limit would
apply to child care facilities,
churches, schools, designated
bus stops or any other area
where minors congregate.
The bill also includes several
Romeo and Juliet Clauses,
which will make some crimes
misdemeanor offenses if the
Foy Evans
Columnist
foye vans 19@cox .net
see today.
Everything our politicians
in Washington do or want to
do that might, in any way,
cause public criticism is put
off into the future when
someone else will have to
take the blame.
What we need today is
strong leadership willing to
face the oil crisis and force all
of us to make the sacrifices
needed to deal with it.
* * *
Georgia has a Voter ID law.
Ifni
Daniel Gatlyn
Columnist
ally committed the crime, is
serving twenty years. Joseph
Smith, 39, of Florida, was
sentenced to death for the
hideous crime of molesting
and murdering 11-year-old
Carla Brucia in 2004. Though
victim is between the ages of
13 and 16 and the defendant
is no more than four years
older and under 18 years of
age. This is an attempt to
protect youthful, immature
decision making from being
prosecuted as felony sexual
offenses.
Another issue that arose
last year was when a U.S.
Supreme Court decision in
June (Kelo v. City of New
London, CT) struck hard at
the heart of private prop
erty ownership rights. Our
U.S. Constitution has held
these rights in such high
regard that the sth and 14th
Amendments mention pri
vate property rights in the
same context as life and
liberty. In its opinion, the
Highest Court in the Land
sided with the city govern
ment. In essence, this ruling
handed over broad powers
to local governments, allow
ing the seizure of private
property to create higher
end uses that could result
in higher tax revenues,
additional economic oppor
tunities, or secondary pub
lic use benefits. No longer
is “public use,” as found in
the U.S. Constitution, the
standard for which eminent
domain can be used. The
Court has redefined the
term to be “public purpose.”
It has been assailed as being
racist, among other things.
Now comes former
President Jimmy Carter,
who originally opposed the
law, saying that we Voter ID
cards for national elections.
He’s right, of course, this
time.
President Carter pointed
out in his endorsement of
voter identification that
“Ameicans have to remember
you have o have the equiva
lent to what we’re requiring
to cast a ballot to cash a
check or board a plane.
He suggests Voter ID cars
would help us “catch up with
the rest of the world.”
With Carterton board, per
haps some of the left wing
and minority opponents to
Voter ID cards will temper
their opposition.
* * *
Members of the Georgia
Legislature are learning just
how difficult the problem of
illegal immigrants is.
Trying to adopt legisla
tion that makes sense and is
much more gruesome, his
was not a premeditated
offense (as such) like the
obviously “well thought out”
plan by Mr Sullivan. While
consideration was given to
the issue; there were several
mitigating circumstances in
the Brucia case.
Why all the difference?
Let me be very quick to
relate that had I been on the
jury, both would have (in my
vote) received the maximum
sentence. And the actual “hit
man” would never have got
ten off with twenty years.
Our big question here,
however, is why the juries
(and judges) subscribe to
such a wide spread between
the two? (And to those who
have trouble discerning
between “life and death ’; I
Economic development now
rises to that level, in the
Court’s opinion, leaving it to
the state legislature to pro
tect private property rights
in Georgia.
Friday, the Senate took up
HB 1313, the Landowner’s
Bill of Rights and Property
Protection Act. This bill
provides for a comprehensive
revision of Georgia’s emi
nent domain laws. Under
this measure, only elected
officials will be allowed to
exercise the power of emi
nent domain. This makes
those with this power more
accountable to the pub
lic. Additionally, the law
requires more notice to be
provided to property own
ers before a condemnation
proceeding and public hear
ings must be held before any
taking under the power of
eminent domain.
The definitions of “blight”
and “public use” also have
been strengthened so that
local governments must meet
a higher standard before
taking private property they
consider blighted or for what
is determined to be for pub
lic use. Property owners
will also be able to petition
to reacquire the property if
after five years the prop
erty has not been used for a
stated public use. By a vote
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
enforceable is like stepping
into quicksand.
Nationally, the issue involv
ing more than 12 million ille
gal immigrants is causing
real concern.
It would have been better
if our border had been pro
tected a long time ago and
our immigration laws had
been enforced.
The borders have remained
wide open. Immigration laws
have been enforced sporadi
cally.
Now there are so many
illegal aliens who seem irre
placeable as they provide
most of the labor for the
booming construction indus
try that sending all of them
back to their native countries
could result in a recession in
this country.
Who has the answer?
Better minds than mine
are struggling with it and an
answer seems to be escaping
all of them.
Our country has a problem
that so far is evading a solu
tion.
would suggest that you go
through this scenerio just
once!
The odd truth is that
all elements of America’s
Criminal Justice System are
so “out of balance” that we
witness scenes like this on a
daily basis.
Obviously, much has to
do with the different states,
the clout of attorneys, ages
of both defendents and vic
tums; and “who had wheat
ies for the morning meal”.
It is a twisted form of jus
tice! Since most of those who
go through the process are
guilty (of something), we
worry very little!
But all should know that
“finals are coming for every
one”! And we might not like
the “ultimate say”!
of 53 to 0, the Senate voted
to strengthen Georgia’s emi
nent domain law.
To enact this protection the
people of Georgia will have
to approve a Constitutional
Amendment that will be
on the ballot in November.
Friday, the Senate autho
rized this Amendment by
passing the enabling legis
lation. Later this year you
will be given the opportu
nity to amend the Georgia
Constitution, prohibiting
the abuse of power of emi
nent domain. A “Yes” vote
to this ballot question will
forever protect your private
property rights in Georgia.
We have worked hard over
the past few months to enact
legislation that will benefit
out citizens. We have ques
tioned, studied and deliber
ated. I hope you will find we
have done the job you elected
us to do. Call or come visit
when you need me . . .
Sen. Ross Tolleson is chair
man of the Senate Natural
Resources Committee. He
represents the 20th Senate
District which includes
Bleckley, Dodge, Houston,
Johnson, Laurens, Pulaski,
Telfair and Wilcox coun
ties. Sen. Tolleson may be
reached at 404.656.0081 or
ross. tolleson@senate.ga.gov.