This is Viewpoints for Monday, June 12, 2017

Are you laughing?

Maybe you thought it was cool when the Confederate flag was hauled down in South Carolina? Perhaps you muttered under your breath – or even shouted loudly – when Gen. Robert E. Lee’s statue was removed in New Orleans? How did you feel when just before this Memorial Day weekend, “11Alive News shared an email that said residents (Village of Towne Lakes in Woodstock) can only fly American flags on 23 holidays, and only from dawn until dusk … that if they keep the flags up beyond that, they’ll be fined. That is directed at those who have flag poles attached to the front of their homes. The Homeowners Association raised the stakes by adding all Optimist Club (American flags) in folks’ front yards.”

A heritage purge has begun and no one and nothing is safe. A whole new slate of Americans is on the hit list – not just those who fly Confederate flags. You can be sure that at some point everyone, including you are next.

Still think it is funny that they shut down Nash Farm Battlefield? Don’t those of you who are so bent on denying Southerners their rightful heritage still have a chuckle left.

Long way to go

Thank you Telegraph for your article June 3 titled “Former Penn State officials get jail terms.” Sadly, national television news did not cover this important story that all people in charge of young people should read. What I found strange was the judge did not criticize their actions of not reporting a friend’s actions because they felt it was more important to protect Penn State’s name than stopping child molestation. The judge turned around and joined the good old boys with lots of money and education and just slapped them on the wrist. What if one of the boys had been the judge’s son, or better yet, what if the three defendants were a shoe salesman, auto mechanic and a tree trimmer, all of whom could not afford expensive lawyers. I believe we still have a long way to go before justice for all comes to America.

Military’s need to retool

John Haugabrook’s letter published in the Sunday, June 4, Telegraph, suggested drawing funds from our military budget to use for programs that he failed to adequately identify. Apparently Haugabrook imagined that someone had a “nefarious intent to literally decimate the poor and low-wage earners.”

I can’t discern vague flights of fancy, but I would hope Haugabrook would join me in the belief that our military budget needs to be spent more wisely. Our Marine aircrews need spare parts for their aircraft in order to maintain aircrew proficiency. We need to procure those spare parts, as well as updated weapons systems not just for Marines, but also every service under revised acquisition rules. Remember our technological edge is critical. We also need new rules that allow for faster acquisition turn around times, with much less waste. That change may require congressional action. We need to increase training with our allies, as well as increase inter-service cooperation. There are many peacetime exercises that can hone our shared abilities to work together with potential allies.

We need to reshape the current military force to meet the threats of the new millennium. Reshaping the force means some missions may grow and expand, while others are reduced or eliminated. By the way, reshaping may also involve an examination of base structure, which may mean closing some military bases, wherever those bases may be.

The threats that we faced eight years ago have been allowed to metastasize through neglect of our military capability and need for training and materiel. You want to see dire straits, continue the neglect of the military that secures our shores, and you may get your wish. No one writing letters to The Telegraph knows the scale of the next war, and that includes me. Our adversaries decide that threat, and it is up to us to prepare to repel it.

The suggestion that we may need to reallocate military spending for some unidentified programs because Haugabrook thinks its unfair is naive. His suggestion that the current course of spending is unsustainable, is prescient. We need to spend our military budgets recognizing the paucity of funds is surpassed by the ever-growing requirement of those same funds.

Put the phone down

Warmer weather, vacations, graduations and other celebrations bring more drivers — and the potential for more auto accidents — during the summer months. Auto accidents have increased 14 percent over the past two years — the biggest increase in more than 50 years. Last year, 4.6 million people were significantly injured on the roads, a 31 percent increase over the last seven years and a 12 percent increase since 2014.

Distracted driving is thought to be one of the leading causes for the increase in auto accidents nationwide, and summertime activities could bring even more distracted drivers to the roads. Drivers aren’t just talking and texting, either. Increasingly, drivers are surfing the web, engaging on social media and using apps.

More pedestrians and bicyclists also are on the roads in the summer, and they too are increasingly distracted by smartphones, putting everyone on the road in greater danger.

While safety is always the first concern, auto accident trends also could be hitting consumers’ pocketbooks by putting upward pressure on insurance costs. Raising awareness about the continued threat of distracted driving can help make our roads safer and keep costs down for consumers. Let’s all remember to put our phones down and make an extra effort to drive responsibly this summer.

Are we getting our 3 mills worth?

Our taxes are going up 3 mills (what an attraction to move to Bibb County) and I see Wimbish Road got repaved this month and it really looks good except the water leak at Blanton and Wimbish that’s been there for years. I guess it could be a natural spring like the one the Water Authority told me we had on Winchester Circle until they came out and fixed it? My front yard is still washing away with the bad drainage from the city drain. Maybe we will get our road repaved? “Macon the tax happy city?”

This story was originally published June 11, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Monday, June 12, 2017."