This is Viewpoints for Thursday, July 30, 2015
A letter written by Ricky Camp in Tuesday’s paper said former Mayor C. Jack Ellis had married a white woman and divorced her. Both allegations are incorrect.
The best
My name if Fred Foster, GMMI USN RET. If the Telegraph can spare a little space, I would like to publicly recognize the 78th MDG Pharmacy, Robins AFB, for a job well done. Active duty military and civilians work together professionally providing prescription filled medicine to active duty personnel, retirees and dependents. They are always busy and polite to every patient, plus they thank everyone for their service to our great country. I am always proud to say that I had the honor and privilege of serving eight years of my 21 under the best president this country has ever had, Ronald Reagan. Thank you 78th MDG Pharmacy, Robins AFB. Ya’ll are the best. Keep on keepin’ on.
-- Fred Foster
Kathleen
Early Plan B?
Yes, it’s that time of year, as reported by The Telegraph, when school officials acknowledge that construction projects previously scheduled/announced/promised will not be completed for the August start of school or otherwise. Regardless of the reasons/excuses for why the schedule cannot be met, which is quite common, having been observed by me during six decades of a consulting engineering career. A scheduled occupancy for the start of August, any year, will usually be a good candidate for failure because that date is usually the planning date where “working backwards to other significant decision and milestone dates that must be met, without slippage complications which invariably occur, all impacting the end date.
The project must be completed, inspected, etc., with a Certificate of Occupancy before legal occupancy by the teachers/students to carry out her mission. Effective contingency planning must be part of early scheduling. (An example of this is frank consideration of a first occupancy in August being realistic and fair to the teachers and students having effective utilization of the space August to January. In other words should January have been the original planned occupancy date.)
Do not blame the contractor or subs, or the building designers because they were usually unwilling (unable) to say no to the owner’s needs/demands (he’ll go to someone else’s promise). I have found that the owner can be the culprit that creates conditions detrimental to a schedule due to their inability to make timely decisions whether reasonable or not. They steer the boat, but trying to make-up lost time during construction is another fairy tale with potential adverse consequences.
Lack of timely decision making plagues all in life, usually more obvious in government when there is an atmosphere of “I say it shall be done and it shall occur” by elected leaders. School schedules are not the only examples of this that we in Bibb County have observed. One only has to go back several years and the Board of Assessors attempt at property revaluation to remember the less than exemplary results due to assessors poor planning/scheduling that impacted everyone county wide especially regarding the flawed land valuations resulting from having to sub-contract this work outside the department.
I vividly do to the tune of thousands of dollars and Superior Court only to see the BOA later revise same to my contention.
-- Arthur D. Brook.
Macon
Making Marshall look good
We knew Jim Marshall was nothing more than a dependable vote for the Democratic Party line. He was more interested in pleasing his party leaders than improving the lives of his constituents. That’s why we got rid of him and put Austin Scott in his seat. Too bad Austin Scott has turned out worse.
Scott was going to defy President Obama and Nancy Pelosi. He promised to stay focused on our massive debt, wasteful spending and high Georgia unemployment. How’s that working out for you, folks?
And let’s not forget getting rid of Obamacare, curbing illegals sneaking across the border, investigating the Benghazi murders and dealing firmly with terrorism.
Is that the light of success at the end of those tunnels or the oncoming train? Fact is, Scott hardly campaigned last election cycle because he had no victories to present the Eighth District. He’s very lucky he didn’t have an opponent. When it comes to visiting Garden Clubs and Farm Bureau execs he’s great. But on the bigger issues he’s a complete failure. Seriously, can anybody name one important campaign promise that’s been fulfilled? I can’t and neither can he.
Jim Marshall, Austin Scott. We can pick ‘em, can’t we?
-- Bob Norcott
Byron
Money maker
We should have known the NAACP and others including our own C. Jack Ellis, would start with their Confederate demands. Like Mount Rushmore, Stone Mountain is the largest, highest relief sculpture in the world and is listed No. 7 on the ultimate 10 man-made wonders of the world.
Further, tourists from all over visit the famous site bringing in tons of revenue helping to support DeKalb County’s black population of 54.8 percent in 2014 and its school system that is the third-largest school district in Georgia with 54.6 percent of black students as listed in 2012. I am sure parents belonging to the Atlanta NAACP appreciate revenue the Confederate monument provides toward the support and education of their children. I would like to think Dr. R. Stephen Green appreciates any and all revenues.
Beside, this mountain of granite, regardless of the historical figures it holds, cannot harm or kill anyone, yet its beauty produces many visitors to Georgia to view part of American History.
-- Faye W. Tanner
Macon
‘Child poverty target’
Georgia’s persistently high child poverty rate is alarming (“Bibb County ranks near bottom of state for children living in poverty,” July 21), and the local rate of nearly 45 percent even more so. But what’s appalling is that political gridlock obstructs action to reduce devastating child poverty levels.
Today, Democrats and Republicans offer solutions that are non-starters for the other party. With no incentive to compromise, nothing gets done. The United Kingdom faced the same logjam, and broke it. The UK’s “Child Poverty Target” committed the national government to ending child poverty by a date certain, making all political parties accountable. Accountability bred compromise and compromise bred progress. During the effort’s first decade, the UK cut child poverty in half.
Legislation establishing a child poverty reduction target in this country is pending in Congress (House Resolution 2408), sponsored by lawmakers from other high-poverty communities like Baltimore and Oakland. Urge your congressional representatives to join them.
Let’s not lose another generation of Georgia children to poverty.
-- Bruce Lesley, President
First Focus Campaign for Children
Washington, D.C.
No Judge Judy
I strongly disagree with David Mann’s letter of July 21 on the Viewpoints page. He writes about the vandalism which occurred at the Zebulon Wal-Mart a few weeks ago. I saw the video of a large group of young teenagers running wildly through the store and wantonly destroying Wal-Mart’s merchandise on the shelves. This rampage has been called various names by those who wish to diminish this blatant criminal activity. Words like teenage mischief, rowdiness, boredom, teenage hormones and so on. According to these people, these were absolutely wonderful kids who meant no harm to anyone. Would these people, including Mann, feel the same way if these teenagers had gone on to their property and run amuck, destroying everything in sight?
I have a different view. These young people were running wild and out of control and they destroyed Wal-Mart property. They could have caused injury to a customer and they caused a disturbance. Mann injects the issue of race in his letter. Here we go again. I do have one question. Why were these teenagers out at 2 a.m?
Where were their parents? These young people were lucky that they did not appear before Judge Judy or they would have done some juvenile detention time, and they surely would have received a good and well-deserved tongue lashing from the no-nonsense judge.
-- Aaron McIntosh
Warner Robins
Still looking
I read with great enjoyment Dick Yarbrough’s article on Tuesday’s opinion page concerning our need for a peacemaker. It saddened me to read in the next letter on David Mann’s thoughts on what would the punishment be for white children had they been the ones accused of vandalizing Wal-Mart instead of black children.
It seems that an awful lot has been written concerning the removal of the Confederate flag and one Georgia representative wants to remove the statue of Alexander Stephens from representing the state of Georgia as part of its history. Why must we continue to go on and on, all these years with the same old rhetoric as our fathers? I am a Vietnam veteran and had been around the world before leaving the U.S. Navy.
I have witnessed firsthand how other people in other countries have to live and work to get by and provide for their families. In my opinion, we live in the greatest country on the planet. People here in the U.S. are the same in that each household tries to get by as best we can. Why can’t we just learn to love each other as Jesus told us to do in 1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God: and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” Maybe Dick can get back to playing his flugelhorn.
-- Lee Stephenson
Roberta
Squirrel of an idea
I think at times our Macon-Bibb County commissioners even amaze themselves. The idea to spend 5.7 million taxpayer dollars on drones is one for the ages. The technology is fairly new and changes daily, as do FAA regulations concerning them. There have been several news accounts of near misses with both private and large passenger aircraft. The viability and liability issues alone could very well be deal breakers in the near future.
The first question our commission should address is how far $5.7 million would go in serving and protecting their constituents. The time-saving factor touted in favor of these unmanned aircraft could be largely negated by the addition of law enforcement precincts, fire stations and ambulance sub-stations.
For that kind of money every squirrel in the Bibb County could be equipped with a Dick Tracy wrist watch. Then, time would tell.
-- Tommy Parker
Macon
What really counts
The proposed use of drones in Bibb County is, according to the mayor, “forward-looking.” There are still many unspoken questions. The $5.7 million contract over five years, based on U.S. Census numbers, that we have 56,585 households in Bibb, comes to spending over $100 per household.
Wow, we must indeed be rich. The word is that Bibb County will save $8 for every $1 spent on drones. If this is true, and some of our leaders think that it is, let us trim the $46,080,000 from the county’s budget.
I will bet that the sheriff and the fire chief will tell you what really counts in public safety are deputies and firemen. Drones just make great video. Perhaps it is indeed a fine idea.
No one loves a gadget more than I do, but I would rather see a reduction in property taxes.
-- David Israel
Macon
No excuse
I am writing in response to the race baiting letter by David Mann concerning the consequences being faced by the culprits of the teenage rowdyism at the Zebulon Road Wal-Mart. Mann wonders what we would see as consequences were those teenagers white.
Well, I for one white woman would expect the consequences to be exactly the same. Mann is advocating a slap on the wrist for these young people because he thinks that’s all the punishment white kids would receive. What kind of justice is that? If his scenario were true, it would be injustice. The punishment in this case fits the crime.
These young people, for whatever reason, terrorized the employees and customers of Wal-Mart for an extended period of time. There is no excuse for that kind of behavior and it shouldn’t be tolerated by anyone. Mann further states that “they must be treated exactly as if they were white.” No, Mr. Mann, they should be treated exactly as if they were wrong. Color of skin has nothing to do with it.
-- Alicia Craft
Macon
This story was originally published July 30, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Thursday, July 30, 2015 ."