TODAY'S ISSUE
Driving trip out West finds surprising sights, great vistas
By Steve Rausch
Special to GwinnettForum.com

(Editor's note: School is back in, summer is about over, and vacations are being remembered. Christy and Steve Rausch of Peachtree Corners have recently returned from a 10-day, 3,500 mile trip out west. Check out their observations.-eeb)

AUG. 31, 2004 -- My wife and I decided to take a driving trip out west this year as our vacation. We knew we wanted to head west - hopefully ending up in New Mexico but we also wanted to stop in Dallas to see my wife's sister. That is where we started, by sailing for a day on Lake Ray Hubbard, just east of Dallas, on a 32 foot sailboat.

We left Dallas and drove up thru Amarillo on the old two lane road. It's great sightseeing country, seeing not horses, but CAMELS. Apparently someone discovered that camels live much like goats, eating anything and everything, but can endure the hot Texas heat better. We passed areas where the trees were eaten up to the top of a camel's head height. It was strange, and it was fascinating to watch.

From Amarillo we headed west on I-40 to Albuquerque, N.M. The main highlight in Albuquerque for us was spending a day in Old Town, with lunch at the Owl Café, a restaurant built in the shape of an Owl's head with a towering Owl on top (Think western style "Big Chicken").

Then it was on to Santa Fe, via the old road, Highway 14, the "Turquoise Trail," an old ghost town road. The first surprise was the road was full of real estate signs, selling 10 acres for prices starting at $250,000 for only the lot. Madrid was once a small town of hippies, selling crafts; Now the hippies are gone and "yuppies" are in their place. The entire town (reminds me of a dump) is now painted and has little strings of lights on each house on Main Street. The shops are still there, but now filled with high priced art and pottery.. Today a house on Main Street is selling for in excess of $300,000 - that is - if you can find one for sale.

On up to Santa Fe we went, staying downtown near the square (they call it a Plaza). We spent several wonderful days walking and seeing the old churches, like Loretta Chapel, with a wooded spiral staircase that has no fasteners holding it together. Taos the next day reminded me of Santa Fe, only on a much smaller scale and with major snow ski resorts surrounding the town.

We drove over the mountains to Cimarron, where Philmont Scout Ranch is located. While we were there Scouts in the headquarters, with excited faces, were getting ready to move out and backpack for 10 days. I know from first hand experience that they will lose that smile in about two miles up the mountain and they will not have a smiling face until they see the base camp again in 10 days. It will be an experience of a lifetime for most of those young men.

We drove back across northeastern New Mexico again on a two lane road to Amarillo, still looking for those missing hippies. Then there were the long drives across Oklahoma and Arkansas, down thru Memphis to Birmingham via the old U.S. Highway 78 and back into Atlanta on I-20. Our welcome back into Atlanta was a 30 minute traffic jam on I-285 at 7 p.m. Friday evening. This was a long drive in a short period of time, but I highly recommend making this trip if you want to glimpse how the old west really used to be.

Our highlight was watching a live cowboy riding his horse in his chaps with his cowboy hat and dog, herding his cows back down a field.

ELLIOTT BRACK
Action by regents for college moves Gwinnett forward more
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

AUG. 31, 2004 -- Imagine my surprise last Friday when in Omaha, Neb. in my hotel room reading in USA Today that the Georgia Board of Regents had on Wednesday approved the concept of Gwinnett State College within not more than five years.

You see, having to write the Friday column before I left, I had a little egg on my face, in that the Regents had already done what I was suggesting. Perhaps this new development will speed the move for another suggestion: to initiate a search for a president of what will eventually be a four-year institution within Gwinnett County.

We had some indication last week that the Regents were moving toward a four year college. One Gwinnett leader assured me that work was progressing smoothly toward getting the four year college. However, the move last week by the Regents may have been even a little faster than even this in-the-know guy realized.

The Regent's action is the culmination of years of hard work by a large group of people in Gwinnett united in seeking the upgraded status of Gwinnett University Center. The action was a joint effort of the Gwinnett County Commission, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, and a wide array of other Gwinnett legislators and leaders. It was the outgrowth of a Gwinnett effort to establish a state-supported junior college way back in 1972!

However, back then the Regents were rightly concerned about a growing trend of every community in Georgia wanting its own college campus. So, once the state reached the level of 33 college campuses, in 1976, the Regents said: "Whoa! No more!" (Well, one more, in that the former DeKalb College became Georgia Perimeter College in 1986, the 34th campus. But the last "new" college campus was Waycross, which came on board in 1976.)

That meant that the Gwinnett move to get its own junior college in 1972 was halted
….until the 2004 announcement! Whew! Thirty two years of waiting.

(As an aside, I was part of a delegation from where I lived at the time, in Wayne County, to present a request for their own Junior College to the Regents in 1972, the same day Gwinnett sought the campus. Neither Wayne nor Gwinnett succeeded, nor has any other community since then.)

Last week's announcement of creation within five years of Gwinnett State College will mean Gwinnett adds another dimension to its quality of life. It's good news, and signals even greater significance for tomorrow.

* * * * *

Key player in the effort to raise the level of the University System of Georgia in Gwinnett has been Glenn White, the banker who has been on the State Board of Regents since 1997. Prior to his selection for the Board, he was chairman of the Chamber's Education Committee, working then behind the scenes to secure a four year college for Gwinnett. Mr. White is chief executive officer of the First Bank of the South, headquartered in Lawrenceville.

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FEEDBACK
8/31: Commends City of Duluth concern recent park concert

Editor, the Forum:

I would like to convey my appreciation and admiration to the City of Duluth. I attended last week's free concert in the park featuring Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits. The show was fantastic and everything from parking to seating was efficiently handled. You would think the show was effortless, but we all know much planning must have taken place. Bravo! Thanks so much!

-- Joan Hicks, Loganville

8/31: Upset over Vietnam veterans being attacked

Editor, the Forum:

I have real problems with the Republican attack on John Kerry's service record. I am really quite fed up with Republicans attacking servicemen who have done their duty and put their life on the line for their country and then had some lowlife who has never put anything on the line attack them for profit or political gain.

What they did to Senator Cleland was disgraceful and so were the attacks on their fellow Republican John McCain. All of our servicemen who do their jobs and follow the orders they are given deserve our respect and gratitude. John Kerry, like all of our servicemen, in Vietnam made many sacrifices during those years and no one has the right to belittle or degrade their service to our country.

-- Barry Boone, Carrollton

8/31: Worries that intent of lottery laws being circumvented

Editor, the Forum:

When the Georgia Lottery was conceived, specific laws were established preventing the Georgia Legislature from paying general obligations of the state with lottery proceeds. The lottery was approved by voters to fund a pre-kindergarten program and the HOPE Scholarship for college tuition.

It would appear that the Georgia Legislature, in collaboration with the Board of Regents, has found a way to circumvent the law. Pending budget cuts from Governor Perdue to state universities have been answered by the Board of Regents with unprecedented mid-year tuition increases. Keeping in mind that HOPE pays all tuition costs of eligible students, the Georgia Lottery via HOPE picks up those budget cuts through tuition increases thereby allowing the state to spend those dollars ($68 million) elsewhere. Parents of HOPEless students should be very concerned.

-- Brian Luders, Duluth

Dear Brian: In other states, you continually see the Legislature fiddling with lottery laws to try to get more money into their pork projects. Georgians should howl and scream to their legislators to leave the lottery alone, and let it fund what it was originally intended to fund. You are right, indeed!.-eeb

NEWS
Wine South 2004 set for Gwinnett Center Sept. 18-19

Wine South 2004, Atlanta's annual festival of food, wine, art and music, is celebrating its fifth anniversary Saturday and Sunday, September 18 & 19, at the Gwinnett Civic Center. About 5,000 food and wine enthusiasts are expected to attend this year's event.

The festival will feature more than 500 different wines and food from dozens of top Atlanta area restaurants along with celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, educational wine seminars, wine-related artwork, and continuous live musical entertainment. Food and wine tastings will be arranged in international pavilions.

Wine educator Kevin Zraly will return for the second year as celebrity guest and present his informative seminars at the festival. Thomas Arvid, renowned for his realistic paintings of wine bottles, glasses and related objects, will serve as special guest artist for the fifth year.

Making his first appearance at Wine South 2004 will be Rick Browne, creator, host and executive producer of public television's "Barbecue America" (www.barbecueamerica.com), currently in its second season airing on nearly 200 stations across the country. A renowned barbecue and grilling expert, he is also the author of several cookbooks. Browne's appearance is being sponsored by Barbeques Galore. Another new attraction will be the "Fish Witches," three female commercial fishermen demonstrating recipes using Alaskan seafood.

Also, for the first time the Atlanta International Wine Summit, one of the country's largest wine competitions, will recognize and display medal-winning wines during the festival. Winners will be announced in the September/October issue of The Wine Report.

A bi-monthly wine magazine distributed in Atlanta, Birmingham and Charlotte, The Wine Report hosts the popular festival. Proceeds from Wine South 2004 will benefit TEAM Georgia, a safe and sober driving coalition; the Children's Arts Museum at the Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center for the Arts, Angel Flight and the Atlanta Chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF), which will raise money for its "Days of Taste" nutrition education program for schoolchildren.

Festival hours are 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. both days. Wine South 2004 tickets are $50 a day or $95 for a weekend pass in advance or $60 and $110 at the door. Discounted tickets at $35 a day are available for designated drivers. Tickets may be purchased securely on line at www.winesouth.com or charged by phone at 678-985-9494. Attendees must be 21 or older.

The Gwinnett Center is located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, off I-85 northeast of Atlanta. Complimentary self-parking is provided. For directions, call 770-813-7500, toll free 1-800-224-6422 or access www.gwinnettcenter.com.

BOOK RECOMMENDATION
From Deb Roberts
United Way, Duluth

"I just finished reading The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd...and loved it. It's very much a story about a young girl who is looking for a mother and who finds it in a place she never expects. It has wonderful characters and is a tremendous story about the warmth, love and strength of some remarkable women.

"I just started Mitch Albom's book, The Five People You Meet In Heaven. I've heard wonderful things about it and I'm truly looking forward to reading it."

• An invitation: What books have you enjoyed? Send us your best recent book along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus what you plan to read next. --eeb

ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBIT
8/31: Public authorities created to help fund major projects

A public authority or public corporation is a quasi-governmental agency created by the legislature and given corporate status to achieve a special purpose (such as building toll roads or operating a local hospital) with powers and exemptions not enjoyed by regular government agencies. Generally, the two terms are synonymous, except that there are some public corporations (for example, the Georgia Lottery Corporation) that are not classified as authorities. Legally, however, they are considered instruments of government-but not official agencies.

Public authorities and corporations became popular during the depression, when, most notably, the Tennessee Valley Authority, was established. Authorities came into use in Georgia as a means of circumventing a constitutional provision in effect from 1877 to 1972 that essentially prohibited the state government from borrowing money. Because of this ban and a constitutional prohibition of multiyear contracts to finance projects, it was difficult, if not impossible, in Georgia to fund major capital improvements in a single fiscal year.

In 1972 the Georgia Constitution was amended to allow the issuance of state debt through the new Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission. Because some existing authority debt is still unpaid, most state authorities have continued in existence-and indeed several new ones (such as the Georgia Technology Authority) with operating responsibilities have been created.

• To access the Georgia Encyclopedia, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
  

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
What a dog can teach a young boy

"A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down."

-- Humorist Robert Benchley (1889-1945).

• Another invitation: What's your favorite saying? Share with others through GwinnettForum. Send to elliott@gwinnettforum.com.
  

MORE: Contact Gwinnett Forum at: elliott@gwinnettforum.com

© 2004, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA.

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GwinnettForum.com
Number 4.43, Aug. 31, 2004

TODAY'S ISSUE: Report on Driving Trip West All the Way to New Mexico
ELLIOTT BRACK: Regents' Announcement Culminates Years of Work
FEEDBACK: More on Duluth Show, Vietnam Veterans and Lottery Funding
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: From Deb Roberts of Duluth
NEWS: Wine South Returns To Gwinnett Civic Center in September
GEORGIA TIDBIT: About Georgia Public Corporations and Authorities
TODAY'S QUOTE: Some of the Things a Dog Can Teach a Young Boy

GREAT VIEW. It's a beautiful view of the moon and a rainbow in Sante Fe, N.M., taken by Steve Rausch of Norcross. For more on his trip out west, see Today's Issue.

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