This is Viewpoints for Sunday, April 29, 2018

Recycling cuts an awful idea

One of the first things I did when I moved to Macon was find out where I could recycle, since my apartment complex does not participate in a recycling program. At that time in 2015, Macon had a fire station recycling program, where recycling bins were available to the public at each fire station. The past several weeks, those bins have been gone, and my recyclable waste is starting to fill my apartment because I have no place to put it. I finally called Macon-Bibb County Solid Waste Department, and I was told the fire station recycling program was cut due to budget cuts.

I wondered why I was just hearing about it. I wondered why nobody has seemed to notice. There is no information regarding this change on the Macon-Bibb County Solid Waste Department website. I was told the commissioner and the director might have more information as to how the decision to cut the recycling program was made. I was given the phone number of each of them. I called each, but neither answered. I left two voicemails.

This is an important issue, and it doesn't make sense to scale back progress. Those recycling bins were often full when I dropped my recycling off. In a time where Macon is growing and improving, we need more recycling, not less. Nobody wants to contribute to the growing ecological problem that is the Macon-Bibb landfill.

Just how stupid is the U.N.?

In the dystopian world of the United Nations, Syria will now chair the U.N. conference on global chemical and nuclear disarmament.

Syria has used chemical weapons on its own people in the past. Possibly including the latest instance earlier on April 718. About 42 people including many children were killed in this gas attack. The U.S. retaliated for this attack in a missile strike a week later. The civilized world can no longer allow gas attacks on defenseless people.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of U.N. Watch, updated the old “saying” about the fox and the hen house. He said, "Having the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad preside over global chemical and nuclear weapons disarmament will be like putting a serial rapist in charge of a women's shelter."

The charade will last for a month beginning May 28 in Geneva.

Hot about coolers

Over the last few days, we saw remarkable exercises of second amendment rights by members of the NRA. Reacting to erroneous reports that the makers of YETI brand products was boycotting the NRA by supposedly removing discounts for their members, the faithful took to social media, wrote letters and set up sidewalk picket lines to protest the unfair treatment. Just kidding!

What some of these, reportedly adult, dear defenders of the “Faith” did was grab their AR-15s, 308s, some Tannerite and ammonium nitrate and blow a poor unsuspecting cooler to bits. Oh, did I forget to mention that part of the stunt prep was a video camera to record the events and commentary like, “This Yeti ain’t ready” in the aftermath. Yuk, yuk yuk!

Thank goodness there are videos. Such stupidity would labeled “fake news” without them. I am sincerely happy that some burger chain never offered and then discontinued an “NRA Bangin’ Wuppum Burger.. There would be Angus beef and ketchup scattered all over creation.

Witch hunt?

During the last three months President Trump and his advisers has used the words "witch hunt" over 50 times. Is this America of 2018 or Salem, Massachusetts, of 1692?

Bad news from EPA

Wednesday's Telegraph reported on new standards for science by use of the EPA. Really, the new standards would just constitute more pseudo-science. A guarantee of anonymity is standard operating procedure for scientific studies to ensure impartiality by the researchers. In sensitive studies, if participants were forced to declare their participation publicly, who knows how the results would be skewed? We need to be informed consumers of scientific information, not scared off by politicians with potential economic gain in research results. In addition, independently funded research has become more common as the federal government has decreased funding opportunities for "pure science."

Biometric GED?

Considering the increasing number of teacher walkouts protesting pay issues, aging school infrastructure and renovation costs, the danger for some students to even safely walk to a school in their own neighborhood, the outrageous numbers of school buses on the road, the fact that students can stage a walkout at any given time for something as important as gun protests, but as innocuous as wanting the dress code changed so they can go braless and wear shorter shorts, and let's not forget the continually disappointing standard test scores nationwide, why then don't we just give every rising high school freshman or junior the option of receiving a tablet with a biometric reader so they can get their GED at home?

By that age their socialization skills have already been honed to hold a smart phone in one hand to manage their multiple social media accounts; and if the college and professional sports teams really want a feeder system for their teams, let them pay for the $10 million dollar stadiums and gymnasiums while the property owning taxpayers who have been footing the bill for substandard results can pay to get the grade school children out of the temporary buildings they’re sitting in.

This story was originally published April 29, 2018 at 9:00 AM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Sunday, April 29, 2018."