This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Neglect means fewer opportunities

Prosperity, investments, proper education and higher standards of living are all characteristics that are applicable to only a portion of Macon. Unfortunately, much of Macon is neglected and abandoned. This action in choosing to ignore underdeveloped areas does not lead to a solution; it is the source of the problem. The number of societal issues as a result are too numerous to fully explain within this letter; the issue that I would like to focus on is how the youth in these places of poverty and negligence are deprived of many life and career inspiring opportunities.

I grew up in Bloomfield. It’s considered in the “hood,” but I never felt like I was any lesser or was deprived of certain comforts that my classmates may have had. Under Mayor Jack Ellis, life was comfortable. However, after the legislation changed, there was a clear disparity in representation. Security, recreational events and businesses began to dwindle away. Eventually, the atmosphere began to produce more crime in the area, civil unrest between neighbors, abandoned streets and liquor stores. My family decided to move; however, many other families are not given the choice to leave. After leaving, I was placed in better situations which provided advanced learning and provided my parents with more employment opportunities; the true tragedy is that I had to leave the place of my upbringing to attain better. Every Macon citizen is capable of great things; all that is needed is opportunities and people who care.

Cummings will be missed

I will miss Bill Cummings’ insightful articles. I know that there are those who do not feel the same. Bill never tried to convert. He presented his view and let the reader decide. He contended one could believe in the teachings of Jesus without belonging to an established denomination. He realized there were those who believed their denomination’s dogma was the only way to salvation. He maintained that non-Christians of faith had a right to their beliefs. He honestly documented the broad spectrum of beliefs within Christianity. He wanted people to think.

No one can claim that he was not well read. He expressed himself clearly and concisely. He was an advocate of acceptance and inclusion.

Dr. C showed the way

The recent death of columnist Bill Cummings is a great loss to the Opinion page of The Telegraph and many of it’s readers. Cummings was a gifted writer and to those that read his magic words, a learned teacher. He was able to sort the wheat from the chaff in the Bible and cleared up several problematic passages for me. John 14:16 has always been a personal thorn because any way I read it all believers except Christians are excluded from God. I opine that followers of other religions will meet the creator of the universe, too, and Cumming supported my view. We agreed that God does not exclude good people from his presence. Dr. C will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family.

City gets help, but county? Not so much

As much as we hate to admit it, it appears the critics of consolidation were correct. The sole purpose was to grab county tax revenues for use in the inner city. Projects involving the inner city seem to have no problem being funded, such as the minority museums, the Second Street project, College Hill, ball fields and gymnasiums for inner city kids, and, of course Mercer. What has been done for the county? OK, we did get a recreational center, built solely to house tennis tournaments that will benefit the city. Even that has fallen to the wayside because the city will not staff it.

Our neighborhood in south Bibb County was built in the mid-89s. The county dug "drainage ditches" during the construction era. These ditches are 6 feet deep and equally wide. The water does not drain, but rather sits stagnant. The ditches are clogged with fallen limbs, trees, debris, etc The mosquitoes are so bad we residents cannot enjoy our back yards, barbecue grills, etc. Constant complaints and pleas for help over the years have produced no relief.

Mr. Mayor, please do not have the audacity to ever ask us to vote for another SPLOST program, additional sales tax, or any other revenue program to benefit the city. As the saying goes: "It ain't gonna happen." We will devote all our energies and resources to fight any such measure.

No parking progress at Robins

I wrote a comment about parking at Robins in October, which is a joke. And now we are in April and nothing had changed. You have personnel parking where they want because they know nothing is going to happen to them. You have people parking in no parking, sometimes making hard to get through the lot. You have people parking in spaces for handicapped people. Why did they designated them for handicapped if nothing is going to be done?

The other day I watched someone who was not handicapped cut in front of someone who was handicapped to get the spot. The poor lady had to walk further with a cane, because of an inconsiderate person, who does not care. Is anything ever going to be done for the disabled or you more concern about getting aircraft out? Robins is most undisciplined and inconsiderate base in over 30 years I have ever serve on. Does base leadership even care or they going to something about it. I have that image of that poor lady with the cane having to walk further because someone park where they should not have. Just a fat, lazy person I hope one day need a handicapped park spot and there is not one and they have to walk further like that poor lady. I hope this time something will done, but I doubt it. Nothing is ever done.

This story was originally published April 17, 2018 at 9:00 AM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, April 17, 2018."