This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, March 13, 2018

What are they thinking?

The latest edition of the Macon-Bibb Commission never ceases to amaze me. I’m sure some have logical thinking ability, some don’t. Just received my garbage bill. A thought, why not go after the ones who were not paying their bills instead of sticking everyone with a huge $300 annual fee, Many of us who are on fixed incomes will find it difficult to pay. I would like to know how this going to change the collection rate. I’m sure many more will jump at the chance to pay a $300 fee as opposed to $60 every three months. Amazing thought process, commission. We keep electing the same people with hopes of a different result, You know what that makes us. Shame on us.

Be careful with tariffs

President Trump is slowly realizing that a trade war is not good. It can not be won quickly or easily. There are dire consequences. The EU has identified a list of U. S. goods and agriculture on which they can impose tariffs. These countries export about $2.5 billion in steel. But they import about $200 million in goods. Their tariffs will drive up the costs of imported goods. The tariffs will make the costs of their locally manufactured goods cheaper. If the U.S. exports less, there will be a loss of jobs.

Tariffs will not create more jobs. They will raise the cost of manufactured goods using steel. They will add 2 to 3 cents to the cost of a can of soup, and add hundreds to the cost of a car. This will affect jobs. An increase in the costs of goods will off set the benefits of the tax cuts. If our allies can not sell their products, they will be reluctant to impose sanctions on rouge nations.

President Trump is not now applying tariffs on all nations. I hope he is right. A better approach would be to impose tariffs on selected countries. Provide subsidies to companies to sell products below the costs of a countries’ locally manufactured items, or flood a country with cheaply made goods. Enable companies to sell software products that can only be maintained by our technicians.

Should it be legal?

An open letter to Stacey Abrams:

Hello, my name is Joshua, and I am a Georgia voter who is concerned about economic mobility, or rather the lack there of, within our state. I’m also concerned about the absurdity of our current drug legislation.

I feel that there is a cross-sectionality here that people are not addressing. That is to say, there is a massive growing industry that is not being recognized that can be used to help the people and the state to incur more wealth in a morally beneficial way. And that is the legalization of cannabis in our state.

I suppose I want to know if you would consider a referendum to the voters of Georgia to consider such actions in order to further the growth of the Georgian economy, and to alleviate our over-burdened incarceration system that has immorally allocated that burden to private prisons rather than act in a substantial and moral way against the commodification of criminality?

Thank you in advance,

Accident has caused changes

In the wake of that little girl’s death from being tossed and crushed by an overturned school bus, I’ve noticed that the Houston County bus drivers are driving more carefully. Before the accident they were driving too aggressively. Not obeying posted speed limits, following too closely, and not allowing children to sit down before moving. It was an accident waiting to happen.

Praise for deputy

I would like to publicly praise Bibb County Sheriff David Davis, for hiring a Mr. Holmes, badge No. 2075, who came to my rescue when I was rear-ended on my way to join my daughter and her husband for her birthday dinner. The driver left before the deputy arrived. Mr. Holmes was indeed one of the nicest, well-mannered, helpful, yet professional law officer anyone could ever need in assistance. Thank you Mr. Holmes. I know you make your department proud for the professionalism you exhibited in the performance of your duty.

Looking at Easter a different way

Here’s a novel way to view the Easter season. Visualize the anointed Lucifer as a sort of vice-god put in charge of the angels and other heavenly stuff. The angels are loyal and obey Lucifer without question. Lucifer’s coup attempt got him and legions of angels imprisoned. Like any addict denied accessed to their drug, these angels were in agony away from God — they were in hell. Many angels, realizing too late they were used by Lucifer, revolted. God separated the warring angels with a giant crevice. The revolting angels began to feverishly pray for forgiveness.

God struck a deal with Satan to bail out the repenting angels and to test the loyalty of souls needed to replace the legions lost to Lucifer. After creating the testing grounds and some minor tweaking, rules were established and Satan and his cronies were thrown down to Earth to begin the process.

Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). After being weaken by 40 days and nights of fasting Jesus was rigorously tested. And after being humiliated, tormented, scorned and crucified by Satan and his cronies— the ransom was paid. Jesus abandoned his body on the cross; descended into the side of hell holding the repenting angels and spent three days sorting them out. After turning the unworthy over to Satan, Jesus ascended into heaven with the forgiven, picking his body up on the way.

Finally, visualize the Holy Trinity as Heaven’s recruiters and Satan and his cronies as Hell’s. Our decisions will determine whether we go straight to Hell, purgatory (the purification side of Hell) or straight into Heaven.

This story was originally published March 13, 2018 at 9:00 AM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, March 13, 2018."