This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Modern three wise men

There is an old Chinese proverb that says it all.

The greatest conqueror is he who overcomes the enemy without a blow.

There were three men in my lifetime that conquered a nation without firing a shot. Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Although I did not appreciate it at the time, I have learned those three were some of the greatest men of my time. They changed the world for the better and never said a word that would start a war. Not one ever fired a gun or hurt another human. Yet we live by their standards. MLK said it best: You judge a man by his actions not by the color of his skin.

Walking a thin line

Here is an overview list of bad Democrats and bad Republicans:

Dems: Pro-funding killing babies

Repubs: Pro-funding killing babies

Dems: Anti-border wall security

Repubs: Anti-border wall security

Dems: Hate Trump

Repubs: Hate Trump

Dems: Chaotic spending

Repubs: Chaotic spending

Dems: NO religious freedom

Repubs: NO religious freedom

Dems: Won’t prosecute criminal Democrats

Repubs: Won’t prosecute criminal Democrats

Dems: Make campaign promises, then renege

Repubs: Make campaign promises, then renege

Dems: NO tax cuts

*Repubs: Moderate tax cuts

Dems: Appoint anti-Constitutional judges

*Repubs: Appoint (slowly) constitutional judges (Thank you, President Trump)

Dems: Hate Israel; love terrorists

*Repubs: Like Israel; like terrorists (too many are for open borders and the Iran scam deal)

conclusion: The Republicans are walking a thin line. If the congressional elections were held today, they would likely lose the Senate or the House or both.

Will the Republicans realize they are losing our support?

Cuts are answer

Apparently the taxpayers in Joe Allen’s district that elected you are very happy paying more taxes and are willing to sit idly by while responsible commissioners use common sense and great business logic to not allow for an election in May, which was to cost us $20,000. Most of us know full well that our mayor is at best a lousy leader. He being a country clubber must have thought all taxpayer had rich families to match his. That is far from being correct. People 65 and older are struggling to survive under the current tax structure. He and Allen are in lock step to bury Macon-Bibb in debt!

By any financial analysis this county is in a dire financial position. Adding a higher sales tax will put a nail in the coffin for most businesses. Folks can go to neighboring counties to shop. Raising property taxes is also counter productive. We need to cut staff 25 percent. Force retirements to lighten high paid staff. Take all vehicles and sell them. Close down unneeded properties by uniting divisions under one roof. There is to be no overtime. Raise the thermostat in summer and lower it in winter. Farm out any and all work to private companies. Start with garbage! Cut the bus system staff by 30 percent. And only then can we survive the nightmarish debacle the mayor and commissioners have wrought upon us.

Taxpayers please remember to vote out those that need be. Also, remember all of you must vote to end taxation without representation!

A what if?

There is a small but growing segment of the voting populace in California that wants the state to secede from the Union. It may be, as yet, a remote possibility, but it does raise the question, “What should the President do, if anything, if California does vote to secede?” Should he declare war on the rebels, as Lincoln did, in order to preserve the Union? Should he just let it happen and in so doing encourage other malcontent states to follow suit? Is there another option?

A thank you to the elections board

As a north Bibb resident I would like to thank our Board of Elections for rejecting the Bibb Board of Commissioner’s request for a special election to fill a vacated seat eight months early. That $20,000 tax expenditure would’ve benefited north Bibb County about as much as a pair of lineman climbing boots would help a squirrel.

I took a neighborhood survey about the delay in representation on the Bibb Board of Commissions and most were unaware of the vacancy. Great job BOE, it’s good to know we have some county officials guarding the taxpayer’s purse strings.

Get everyone of the same page

Recently, at a social gathering public, education came up. I said teachers should be paid more and someone (I’ll refer to this person as Gucci Shoes) said, “They make plenty, after all they have the summers off.” After reading the piece by Kyle Wingfield I just have to get this off my mind. Gucci Shoes sent his kids to Darlington Academy, an exclusive boarding school in northern Georgia. How can you make someone like that care what happens to our public schools?

My mother believed as I do that our tender years are the perfect time to learn how to meet diverse people, a time to discover that we are all different but the same. From Clisby on Vineville to Central to Mercer University, the things I learned from all three were invaluable. Mr. Wingfield says, “Charter Schools are intended in part to be experiments on many levels.” Really? Experiments with children? Back to Gucci Shoes: If I had my way there would be no private schools, no charter schools, no home schooling and no religious schools. All students would wear uniforms supplied by the state — no exceptions — and they would be plain and washable. There, I’ve made almost everyone angry but I feel better by saying it. If everyone’s dog was in the same game I guarantee you the elitists would care and the game would change for the better. What we need is more understanding not more separation.

This story was originally published April 11, 2018 at 9:00 AM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, April 11, 2018."