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Norcross architect tells why he likes proposal for "fair tax"
By Bob Foreman
Special to GwinnettForum.com

OCT. 20, 2006 -- The income tax system effectively controls many aspects of our personal lives and our businesses in this country. Real estate transactions, business decisions, purchases of property, buildings, equipment and furniture all hinge on the dictates of the income tax system. An enormous amount of money is spent every year on accountants, lawyers and financial advisors to prepare tax returns and tell us how to arrange our finances so as to avoid paying too much income tax. Our government uses the tax system to control our actions and as a way for politicians to maintain their power.

I believe we will all be better off if the current income tax system is replaced with the Fair Tax ---- a type of national sales tax. Instead of having to pay advisors to help us understand the tax consequences of every business decision, we could simply decide based on actual business need. Individuals could make economic decisions based on what is best for them and not on the tax implications.

Without an income tax, our nation will become more competitive internationally. Our overseas business will increase because our products and services will no longer have the built-in tax costs. Our country will have an automatic economic advantage. The Fair Tax will give people an incentive to save their money because taxes will only be paid on spending, not on savings. Income from savings and investments will not be taxed, unless it is spent.

There is currently a huge underground cash economy in this country, much of which escapes taxation. It is not just low wage labor. The Fair Tax will collect tax from everyone, poor or rich. Everyone will receive a monthly rebate to cover the cost of the tax on the basic necessities. There will be no more cheating on income tax by anyone.

The Fair Tax should replace all income tax and payroll tax. In spite of what most people think, businesses and corporations do not pay taxes. Individuals pay all the taxes because businesses pass their taxes on to their customers, employees and owners. Taxes on businesses have been a way that the true cost of taxes has been hidden from the American people. Most people have no clue about how much of the price of goods and services is built in tax. The Fair Tax will not hide the truth. Best of all the Fair Tax will be voluntary in that each person will decide for themselves how much to spend (and pay tax on) and how much to save (and not pay tax on).

The Fair Tax will transform our economy for the better as well as rescue the Social Security and Medicare systems. It will encourage people to save for retirement, for education and other purposes. Therefore, it will stimulate new investments which will in turn stimulate the economy. It will return political power back to the people. The Fair Tax will be good for individuals, good for business, good for the economy, good for international trade and be fair to all. The only people who will not like it are accountants, tax lawyers and politicians. For more information go to www.fairtax.org.

Volunteer hours abound in helping provide many local facilities
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

OCT. 20, 2006 -- So many in Gwinnett County think many of what we now look upon as institutions have been there forever. They never consider the thinking, the sweat, the hard work and the foresight that brought these facilities to bear.

It's real property that I'm thinking today, the nuts-and-bolts and lumber-and-sheet rock and steel and concrete in buildings around the county.

No, not those of government. Those permanent facilities put up by the hard work of civic clubs and other associations, many of them non-profit.

Just recently, another of our stellar institutions completed its major fund raiser for the year: the 54th Gwinnett Fair. From its first fair in modern times back in the early 1950s with a few thousand in attendance, to today's modern fair in great facilities with more than 202,000 in attendance, the fair has constantly grown.

The success of the fair can be seen in its sprawling 82 acre Fairgrounds and permanent structures and other improvements all around it. Each year the Fair take its proceeds, and invests into improvements.

For this year, President and CEO J.W. Benefield says that the Fair cleared over $300,000, a financial record, and will use the funds for several major improvements. "We could spend that in two big jobs we need to do," Benefield says.

Benefield cited the family-orientation of the Fair. "We have people of all sort, white, black, Hispanic, attending, and it's a family affair. The kids love it, and urge their parents to bring them back each year, we are pleased to say."

Fair Manager Dale Thurman says among the needs that the Fair Board is prioritizing:

Some people think of the Fair as merely a fall event. But the Gwinnett Fairgrounds were used more than 200 event days last year, from children's clothing sales, to an Indian festival, gun shows, ham radio events, corporate events and annually, the Relay for Life.

Yet the biggest fundraiser is the annual Fair, thought to be the second largest in Georgia after the Georgia State Fair in Perry. People pouring through the gates help fund more improvements each year.

Another example of a community event funding infrastructure can be seen in the results of the Duluth Fall Festival. More than $100,000 from this year's Festival will help pay down the Fall Festival's part of the Festival Center building. Kathryn Willis, one of the key figures behind the festival, says that the original Fall Festival $1 million part of the building debt will be down to $250,000 after this year's portion is applied. Look for Fall Festivals to have the building which they help erect free and clear soon!

Next time you go by, for example, the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, or the Festival Center in Duluth, and similar community-funded structures in Gwinnett, realize the tremendous time and effort of volunteers and civic activists that went into helping pay for these facilities…..for all of us in Gwinnett.

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is Norcross Station, located on Peachtree Street in downtown Norcross. Come enjoy meals cooked as you remember them from your mother's table, tasty items, with generous portions. There's a family atmosphere, with a railroad motif in this converted former rail station. We're in the middle of Norcross, easy to get to, and open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner. No reservations required. Check out our web site at www.NorcrossStation.com.

Editor, the Forum:

Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett, Inc. continues to show compassion for Gwinnett County's uninsured families by providing quality medical care to those who need it most. Through our medical, dental and optometry services, we have seen many lives changed for the better.

Today, you can make an immediate difference in the life of a neighbor, family member, friend, co-worker, or employee. We invite you to support the 2006 Beacon of Light Fundraising Banquet and Silent Auction by purchasing tickets to this event. It brings together business and community leaders to build a better Gwinnett County. Expected to attend are individuals representing Gwinnett's diverse medical, academic, religious, corporate and nonprofit communities.

Glenn P. Stephens will succeed Michael Williams as the new director of Planning and Development. Stephens' effective date will be November 1. Williams, who is retiring in January, will continue to tie up several projects that are already underway, such as the plan review and permitting efficiency study, says County Administrator Jock Connell.

The appointment is a promotion for Stephens, who is a Senior Assistant Attorney for Gwinnett County specializing in land use and zoning law and litigation. His 19 years of experience includes some private practice, but the vast majority of his expertise comes from representing the DeKalb and Gwinnett County governments and several area municipalities.

Stephens steps in while the department is in the midst of a major update of the Comprehensive Plan, a document that will plot a path for the county's growth over the next 20-plus years.

Stephens is a graduate of Mercer University with a degree in political science and holds a J.D. from the Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University in 1987. Stephens and his wife Carole have lived in Snellville since 1991. They have two sons.

Snellville to get new stand-alone tag office soon

There is a new Snellville Tag Office to open at 2845 Lenora Church Road. The new facility replaces the former Tag Office location on Oak Road, says Tax Commissioner Katherine Sherrington. The opening ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 21.

The new Snellville facility is Gwinnett County's first stand-alone Tag Office. The new location has additional customer parking and offers drive-through services for tag renewals.

The Tax Commissioner opened the original Snellville Tag Office location in January 1988. Since that time, vehicle tag and title sales have risen each year at the Snellville location from just 48,000 in 1988 to over 162,000 in 2005. Along with using multiple tag office locations throughout the county, customers can renew their tags over the Internet at www.Gwinnett-Tag.com or over the telephone at (770) 822-8818.

The J.M. Tull-Gwinnett Family YMCA recently marked 20 years of operation. It was October 16th, 1986 that the doors to Gwinnett's first YMCA facility.

YMCA programs came to Gwinnett County in 1977, but there was no facility. The YMCA brought soccer to the county and provided summer day camp programs for many years prior to building the facility on Sugarloaf Parkway.

From 22 acres of land donation by Robert Fowler and donations from the community, the doors to the new YMCA began in 1986. A major gift of $500,000 was contributed by the Tull Foundation, and local leaders were committed to the recreational, family activities for local residents. In 20 years, the YMCA expanded nine times to reach the 60,000-square-foot facility that it is today.

The YMCA is open to and serves all. Financial assistance is available, based on need. The Partner With Youth annual campaign raises money in the community for residents experiencing job loss, long-term illness or death or other financial hardship.

In the last five years, the J.M. Tull-Gwinnett Family YMCA has provided more than $500,000 in financial assistance for Y programs and services. If you know someone who may benefit from Y programs or membership, contact the YMCA at 770-963-1313 or tgy@ymcaatlanta.org.

Suwanee wins several state and national awards

The City of Suwanee picked up multiple national and state awards last week. This small city of 14,500 was recognized for outstanding fund-raising events, creative promotional items, and its community newsletter.

At the City-County Communications and Marketing Association's (3CMA) annual conference in Dallas last week, Suwanee was deemed tops in the nation (among local government agencies with populations up to 106,000). It also won a Savvy Award for its "Art on a Limb" program in the Most Creative Activity With Least Dollars Spent category.

Art on a Limb is a month-long initiative that celebrates and brings attention to the arts as well as the four-mile Suwanee Creek Greenway. 3CMA also presented the City of Suwanee with a Silver Circle Award (second place) for Best Use of a Promotional Item, also for Art on a Limb. Suwanee's newsletter, CrossRoads, was recognized with an Award of Excellence (third place) among local governments with populations up to 46,000.

At the annual Georgia Downtown Conference in Valdosta last week, two of Suwanee's fund-raising efforts were recognized for outstanding achievement by the Georgia Downtown Association and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs/Office of Downtown Development.

The Better Parks Campaign, which featured a "fun-raising" auction event, the Suwanee Soiree, as well as sponsorship of Town Center Park fixtures including benches and lamp posts, won for Most Creative Fundraising. The Better Parks Campaign raised more than $150,000 for Suwanee's interactive water fountain.

Suwanee's Big Splash, the grand opening of the interactive fountain at Town Center Park this summer, which also doubled as a fund-raiser for Long Beach, Miss. won for Best Downtown Special Event. The June 17 event brought in more than $25,000 to help Long Beach recover from Hurricane Katrina.

The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners and the City of Duluth have signed an agreement for the county to provide irrigation water for the city's 45-acre Bunten Road Park on the northeast side of Duluth. The county will provide highly treated, non-potable reuse water from the state-of-the-art F. Wayne Hill Water Reclamation Plant. It will be used to water landscaped areas and athletic fields at the popular park.

Reuse water has been used for similar purposes at the county's Pinckneyville Park since 2004 and at two golf courses in Suwanee. Such uses are strongly recommended in the 50-Year Master Plan for Gwinnett's water supply. "This helps reduce the demand for fully-treated drinking water," according to Frank Stephens, Gwinnett's Water Resources Director. He explained that "Impurities, harmful organisms and bacteria have been removed at the treatment plant." Georgia's statewide water plan emphasizes conservation and reuse. In 2006, Gwinnett County has already reduced its demand on Lake Lanier supplies by 135 million gallons through its reuse program.

An existing eight-inch iron pipeline along Old Peachtree Road and Bunten Road will deliver the reuse water to the park. For the first five years, the city will pay 75 cents per thousand gallons used. During the second five years, the charge will adjust annually under terms of the contract. After 10 years, the city will pay the standard, non-potable reuse water rate in effect at that time.
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The Georgia Museum of Art, on the campus of the University of Georgia, in Athens is both an academic museum and the official art museum of the state of Georgia. The permanent collection consists of American paintings, primarily 19th and 20th century; American, European, and Asian works on paper; the Samuel H. Kress Study Collection of Italian Renaissance paintings; and growing collections of southern decorative arts and Asian art.

From the time it was opened to the public in 1948 in the basement of an old library on the university's historic north campus, the museum has grown consistently both in the size of its collection and in the size of its facilities. Today the museum occupies a contemporary building in the Performing and Visual Arts Complex on the university's burgeoning east campus. There, 52,000 square feet house more than 8,000 objects in the museum's permanent collection-a dramatic leap from the core of 100 paintings donated by the museum's founder, Alfred Heber Holbrook.

Much of the museum's collection of American paintings was donated by Holbrook, in memory of his first wife, Eva Underhill Holbrook. Included in this collection are works by such luminaries as Frank Weston Benson, William Merritt Chase, Stuart Davis, Arthur Dove, Georgia O'Keeffe, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, Jacob Lawrence, and Theodore Robinson. Over the years it has been impossible to separate the history of the museum from the story of Holbrook's generosity.

Holbrook retired from an active New York law practice at the age of 70. He began a personal quest to learn about the world of art, an interest piqued by his passion for visiting museums. In his retirement he was determined to study art in a gentle southern climate. A trip to Athens in the mid-1940s led to his introduction to Lamar Dodd, head of the university's art department. Instantly, the two began a friendship, sharing a joint vision of enriching the visual arts environment in Georgia. The Georgia Museum of Art was founded in 1945, and Holbrook became its first director and one of the university's and the state's most beloved citizens. Holbrook continued to serve as the museum's director past his 90th birthday.

"Posterity -- you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it."

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