This is Viewpoints for Sunday, March 25, 2018

Cameras would mean more safety

The main objection seems to be that cameras cause more rear-end crashes, but the argument is moot because there is a universal law against following too closely behind the car in front of you, and if you rear-end someone, you are legally at fault, period. What is most important, cameras eliminate the more dangerous right angle, or”‘t-bone” crashes at intersections. In 2010, when Houston, Texas, removed their red-light cameras due to political pressure, crashes doubled.

Numerous studies have shown that red-light cameras, when managed by competent traffic engineers and law enforcement departments, and without corporate or political influence, do indeed improve safety. If the county is seriously considering installing these cameras, then they should find a way to do it without utilizing a private company, or at the very least, the county’s sheriff’s office should take control over the technology once it’s installed. We already have a million-dollar, state of the art, traffic monitoring facility on Oak Street, paid for with taxpayer money through the Macon-Bibb County Road Improvement Program. Why wouldn’t we install these cameras that pay for themselves with fines on the offenders? It’s even more imperative that we consider this since our Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is 175 law enforcement officers short for a county as large geographically as Bibb! There is just no way they can effectively monitor traffic violations without added help.

I can only wonder what might have happened if there had been no public surveillance cameras at the Boston Marathon bombing.

Parking problems at Robins AFB

With more and more work coming to Robins AFB from other states, and the influx of new employees, the shortage of parking spots that exist here at Robins is going to become even more serious. The base officials write parking tickets now for anyone parked in non-designated parking spots (end of rows, on the grass). In addition, the parking spots in many of the parking lots are too small, allowing cars and trucks to be pressed right up against each other where opening doors can cause damage to your vehicle.

Cars and trucks are very expensive now and to bring a new one to Robins and park in the existing lots is just asking for problems. The base needs to solve this parking issue — there are several areas that are grassy that can be paved and used for parking. This could also allow the existing spots to be widened to eliminate damage to vehicles. A parking garage is another option that could be looked at. Robins leadership please take action and solve the parking issues connected to the largest employer in Middle Georgia.

A better fix to the problem

I've been surprised that most people don't know the real issue with "medical marijuana" — and why it’s even an issue. A mildly psychotropic dried plant, becoming fairly well known back in the Jazz Age, it came to wider notice via a 1957 movie, "Reefer Madness." In this film, it was portrayed as something that instantly transformed a smoker into a savage, uncontrollable, murderously psychotic danger to society.

Largely as a result of this one B-movie, marijuana was federally classified as a "Schedule 1" drug — which means it is extremely dangerous, known to have no medical uses and no medically usable constituent parts, and thus is not available for medical investigation or research. We now know this isn't true, and that there are several non-intoxicating and extremely interesting chemical components which can be derived from it. Chronic pain, seizures, certain anxiety-related psychiatric disorders and even muscular symptoms related to brain injury have shown promising responses to non-intoxicating compounds found in marijuana.

It is really quite silly that we spend so much time and effort on the issue of "medical marijuana," when simply appropriately classifying it by the FDA would both rapidly result in new and very useful drugs, and end the reasons for use of the intoxicating raw form of it for many people. Why we still argue about this strange result of a movie made 60 years ago, is a real mystery, and why we don't do the simple, useful, and profitable fix is even more of one.

Maybe there’s hope

I was delighted to see the article regarding installing traffic light cameras. Running red lights is an epidemic in Macon!

Some truths on OLOST

It comes as a surprise that some members of Macon-Bibb County Commission have pointed fingers at the Republican members of the Georgia General Assembly delegation saying we are not supportive of an OLOST tax.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Rep. Allen Peake introduced legislation which Rep. Bubber Epps and I both signed. Other delegation members continue to not support the OLOST legislation. In fact, when HB 945 came to a vote on the House floor, Rep. Beverly orchestrated and encouraged other Democrat members of the General Assembly to defeat the bill.

State law for all OLOST bills calls for 100 percent roll back on ad valorem taxes. The commissioners still have the responsibility and duty to set millage rate wherever they deem appropriate each and every year. The commissioners could technically get back to the 50-50 rollback if they deemed it necessary to increase the mileage rate by the same percentage.

If the commission wants to do something to straighten out the current financial situation, they should stop pointing fingers and look into the mirror. They have the responsibility and the ability to fix the problem, not the members of the legislature.

Even if the citizens of Macon/Bibb were to have the opportunity to vote to tax themselves an additional penny of sales tax in an OLOST, I have real doubts it would pass. Please stop wasting time and get to work on getting your own house in order!

This story was originally published March 25, 2018 at 9:00 AM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Sunday, March 25, 2018."