This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015
Horseshoe toss
The proposed rezoning of several pieces of land on Zebulon Road in north Macon-Bibb for residential and commercial use that will allow a four-story building for loft apartments and out-parcels for commercial use makes about as much sense as starting passenger train service to Atlanta or a baseball park on the Ocmulgee River. All three ideas are within a horseshoe toss of total insanity.
— John G. Kelley Jr.
Macon
Too much traffic
Earl Barrs, owner of the 24-acre old cotton mill property, said he remains open to a baseball stadium being built at the location. He’s just trying to get rid of his property, but at whose expense and safety? Mayor Reichert already wants to move the entrance of Indian Mounds to that street even though it is already busy with traffic from a hospital, the Centreplex, a hotel, fire station, doctors offices, and an exit ramp from Interstate 16. People already put their lives at risk trying to exit west from the interstate onto Coliseum Drive.
I would suggest that if a ballpark is to be built that the mayor would consider the property off Interstate 475 that was being considered for the Ag Center that ended in Perry. This would give more visibility to the county than to people traveling on I-16.
Can you imagine the traffic nightmare if a ballpark were to be built on the old mill property and people were trying to leave the ballpark and the Centreplex at the same time? My husband and I took some of our grandchildren to a few of the ball games at Central City Park. There was always a problem with not enough parking spots. A ballpark needs lots of room for parking. Twenty-four acres is not as much room as some may think. I would not go to a ballpark if it was built at I-16 and Coliseum Drive because it would be too dangerous.
— Ruby Jacobs
Dry Branch
One down, one to go
On Sept. 25 John Boehner, speaker of the House, announced his resignation as speaker and retirement from Congress effective the end of October. My liberal friends are happy with his decision but could not understand why a conservative such as me was happy as well. For those confused liberals, let me explain.
Republicans won a huge mid-term victory in 2014 with a clear message to Congress: Stop President Obama’s failed policies. Conservatives disagree with just about everything Democrats such as Obama, Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, Nancy Pelosi, etc. want to do to this country. Thinking Americans know that the liberal agenda is extremely harmful. This liberal agenda includes violating the Constitution with impunity, spending the country into bankruptcy, severely weakening the national defense, a disastrous and floundering foreign policy, immigration without limits, making everything a racial issue as evidenced by the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, and median household income that has decreased 7 percent over the past seven years due to Obama’s horrible economic policies.
Conservatives have long considered Boehner and his Senate counterpart, Sen. Mitch McConnell, a rubber stamp to further President Obama’s extreme leftist views. In fact Boehner has been more pro-Obama than he has been pro-Republican and has done virtually nothing to prevent President Obama from ruling like a king.
The final straw was something as simple as defunding the abortion part of Planned Parenthood. Among other things, Planned Parenthood kills babies and sells baby body parts and conservatives do not want any tax dollars to pay for doing so. Despite claiming to be a pro-life Catholic, Speaker Boehner has allowed this outrageous government support of killing babies to continue. As Congress goes forward, conservatives demand a speaker who will actually listen to those who put him/her into office. And if things don’t change, Sen. McConnell is next.
— Sloan Oliver
Juliette
The federal funds allocated to Planned Parenthood cannot be used to fund abortions.
— Editors
What if?
If today’s TV news was taken back to 1940 and reported the news until the end of World War II, what would they have reported. Sounds like a silly idea but the more you think about it the more you realize how strange WWII would look as reported by today’s newscasters and the strange things they think is national news. Thank heavens we have newspapers like The Telegraph.
— Gary D. Gordon
Warner Robins
Bring it down
There is something that really bugs me. Headed east on Mercer University Boulevard just past the Macon Mall is a billboard featuring Boosie Bad Azz. It was put there to advertise the July 3 concert that never happened and instead led to a minor riot.
Now we can’t much blame Boosie for a riot when he wasn’t even there, even if rioting is a response by many black groups protesting something that happened far away (witness Ferguson, Watts, Atlanta, etc.). We can however surmise the riot would not have happened if Boosie, or the venue, hadn’t been letting people buy tickets to a concert he couldn’t legally work at because of a prior drug conviction.
Boosie is obviously a hero to many young blacks, the same group responsible for most if not all of Macon murders this year. His music is obscene, utilizing the F word, the N word, the S word, the C word, and even his name is a corruption of the A word. He is a thug who spent five years in prison on a drug charge and was also indicted in a murder.
I challenge the billboard company to remove this offensive billboard, either leave it blank or keep it black by honoring truly great Americans such as MLK, George Washington Carver, Colin Powell, Oprah Winfrey, Sojurner Truth, Ben Carson, Madame C.J. Walker or Condoleeza Rice.
— Joe Gunner
Warner Robins
Christian targets
Sadly, the Christian community in this country has become the target of yet another rampage shooting in another “soft target” (gun free) zone.
The president didn’t waste a minute to politicize this. He decided to forego comments about the six U.S. servicemen who were killed overseas to spout yet another diatribe about needing more gun control laws. Once again, the gun didn’t do the killing, but a Christian-hater did. Why didn’t he propose a law against those who hate Christians?
— Dan Topolewski
Kathleen
This story was originally published October 5, 2015 at 7:10 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015 ."