This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Sign of appreciation

Our appreciation to the Bibb County Board of Education for providing a free class in sign language. Whitney, our teacher, was enthusiastic and professional. Her signing assistants enhanced the class. We came away knowing how to letter and number sign, plus a variety of emergency helpful signs. The class was filled to the brim and all had a great time learning a new language.

As the baby boomers age, 1 in 6 will have hearing loss. Signing establishes a way to communicate with dignity. As the older generation enters into assisted living and nursing homes, signing will become even more important. Here in Bibb County we are lucky the Board of Education sees this as a community outreach.

Our hope is that additional sign classes will be provided for our county.

Repeal is needed

“I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.”

These words are inscribed on the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. I first read this passage when I was 18 and it has stayed me the last 50 years. I am now convinced that this country will never have reasonable gun control without the repeal of the Second Amendment of the Constitution. This amendment has been used to prevent meaningful and reasonable gun control policies and laws. It has allowed an entire country to be held hostage by the gun industry and has given our lawmakers a cowardly excuse not to protect the innocent of this nation and not take constructive action. Like most Americans, I am sickened by repeated tragedies that could have been prevented with more responsible access to guns.

The U.S. Constitution is a living and breathing document that should always respond to the changing needs of our nation. Repealing the Second Amendment is good start to a better and safer country.

History repeating itself

According to various historians and an American grand jury:

Emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burned in A.D. 64.

And candidate Trump twittered a worldwide firestorm of diversions in A.D. 2016 while Russians hacked the U.S. democracy.

Hiding bias?

Notice how anytime an Islamic terrorist shouts “Allahu Akbar” the Associated Press will downplay it by falsely claiming the terrorist shouted, “God is great.” The Associated Press also makes up completely fake terms, for example, calling illegal aliens, “undocumented citizens.” The Macon Telegraph runs articles from AP all the time — I never read them, and I’m glad they always show the byline at the top so I can avoid wasting time reading propaganda. Same for NY Times, Wash Post, LA Times, others. Today’s paper had some articles with the byline at the bottom. I guess I’ll have to start scanning down there as well before I read it. Why waste time reading something that past experience has shown is always biased?

Please, not another tax

Your article “You’d pay more at the register, but less on your property” on the first page of the Monday, Feb. 19, edition of the Telegraph cries out for an alternative to another sales tax. According to the article, our esteemed government has for three years dipped into reserves for county business, and the county now wants to ask voters for another hike in the sales tax. So, the county indirectly sold us a bill of crap about consolidation costs going down. I, for one, will not vote for another sales tax increase that will make the county numero uno in taxes, making people in other counties avoid Macon. Let’s get our education system in order. Let’s get the garbage system self -ufficient where everyone pays. Let’s fix our roads. And then we might talk bout a 1 percent decrease in taxes, yes, you like most people should learn to do more with less. But cut this stuff about voting of a tax increase most people do not want nor the county really needs.

Government addiction

One of the serious problems confronting our nation and most communities is that of addiction.

The multifaceted addicting personalities of addiction within our populace needs to be addressed individually and collectively. These include hard and prescription drugs; alcohol; tobacco products; and social media.

There is another group with seemingly never satisfied addictive impulses, that of public officials with “tax and spend” impulse mentality initiatives that continually leaves our county purse “wanting” under questionable financial management. It appears that some leaders once exposed to the seemingly insatiable funding sources with the citizen’s credit card (taxes and fees) are unable to say “no” to community “do good” projects.

Apparently floundering for help with their addictive caused problem, Macon-Bibb County has requested legislators’ assistance for another type local option sales tax or OLOST, asking for a public vote on financial “restraint.” County government has admitted that their house needs to be “put in order”.

Why should we taxpayers provide more money to the current elected officials, the ones who have led us to this disaster, and “give the addicts a fix” to put our house in order?

We continue to have problems defining or understanding small words.

What is it about the word “no” that is confusing such as in no new taxes or unnecessary expenditures that elected officials do not understand?

This story was originally published February 21, 2018 at 9:00 AM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, February 21, 2018."