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Wednesday, Jun. 17, 2009

SPEAK OUT

Making things difficult

Will someone please explain why our local governments are continuing to screw up Carl Vinson Parkway on both sides of Watson Boulevard? I had to drive through the area a half dozen times last week, and every time I made the trip there were workers and their vehicles in the way.

I’m driving east on Watson Boulevard, right? When I turn right onto Carl Vinson Parkway, I have to squeeze into one lane and then inch my way along as I try to drive south.

It’s just insane what’s going on there, and I would really love to know what’s going on.

(Cranshaw’s comments: If you give them an minute, they’re finishing a short stretch that will complete another full north-to-south traffic lane on Vinson. Hold your horses a little longer.)

Tax-raisers in jeopardy

I keep hearing that our county commissioners are going to be telling us sometime this summer that they’re hitting us with a nice, fat millage rate increase.

Let them do it. It’s the best way I know to recruit somebody who will run against every single one of them who votes for me to pay more than I already have to.

Consider alternatives

I can’t figure out why the county won’t look at things like employee furloughs instead of higher property taxes to fight its budget deficit. Other counties and cities are going the furlough route and I don’t understand why we think we’re so much better than they are.

Share the tax burden

I nearly fell out the other day when I read that one reason the county might do a millage rate increase was so the taxpayers could pay for health insurance for county workers. Well, the people who run this county had better think again and realize that county employees aren’t one bit better than the rest of us.

I don’t know hardly anybody who hasn’t had to start taking up more of the slack on their health insurance premiums. I’m talking about mostly private sector workers but the commissioners need to spend some time thinking outside the box and realize that their precious little county employees need to make sacrifices like the rest of us.

Wasting money

I am not shortsighted and am not against sidewalks (where they are needed.) I am a realist.

The county has put up many sidewalks in areas where it is a huge waste of our tax money. I do agree that they are useful in some areas, but not where there are no homes within more than 20 feet or so. And where there is growth in Houston County, then build them, but not on speculation of possible growth. And do we want Houston County and Perry and Kathleen to keep growing? It is a fact that the police and sheriff’s departments cannot handle the problems and crimes we already have here. If there is growth, it won’t happen enough in our time to warrant the waste of money.

Shortsighted pennypinchers

I just do not understand these people who want us to go back to the dark ages when Warner Robins and Houston County did hardly any planning and let things grow pretty much as they pleased.

I’m talking in particular about those who think it is ridiculous to build sidewalks out where people with any sense know the future growth is going to take place.

All I can say is that it’s a good thing these people don’t have any more say than they do in the affairs of our county.

Frugal planning

What’s with all the bellyaching about sidewalks? These unhappy people seem to be trying to take away many of the quality-of-life things that bring real value to a community, and I simply cannot explain where they are coming from.

One SpeakOut caller last week or the week before said we shouldn’t build sidewalks until people are already living in an area.

I guess he/she doesn’t get it — doesn’t understand how much more expensive it would be to wait until an area develops before going back and putting sidewalks in place.

I say that if the county knows where there will be growth, the necessary sidewalks and other infrastructure should be built when it would be less expensive to do it.

Larry Walker is best of Perry

I agree with what you wrote in The Telegraph about how Walker is a true gentleman and has been a wonderful example of who the people of Perry are.

But he has been much more than that. As he reflects the best of Perry, Larry has also been a great ambassador for all of Houston County and the state of Georgia.

And here’s something else: You couldn’t begin to write about all the things besides the fairgrounds and the museum that Larry Walker has helped with. He has done just so much for all of us.

Another era

Larry Walker is a good man, but his time has passed. He has served us well for many years, but the time has come for new blood.

We need new ideas and a new energy, and I think it is coming and coming soon.