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We keep forgetting: We are a republic,
not a democracy
By
Alvin Leaphart
Special to GwinnettForum.com
(Editor's Note: Mr. Leaphart is an attorney-at-law,
and wrote this for his hometown newspaper, the Press-Sentinel,
recently. We thoughts others would benefit from his thoughts.
-eeb)
JESUP, Ga., March 25, 2008 -- Government forms vary with people.
Every time I watch television or listen to the radio, someone is
going on about promoting our democracy in some foreign country.
We are not a democracy. We are a republic. A democracy is a form
of government where everyone gangs up in one place and votes their
convictions on a subject, and whichever way the majority votes,
that's the way it is---sort of a mob rule.
In a republic, as we are, we elect people to make decisions for
us---city commissioners, county commissioners, at the general assembly,
and right on up to Congress and the presidency.
Once these people are elected to these positions, we have a right
to appear at their meetings to watch and listen. We don't have a
right to participate in the decision-making process nor enter into
the bodies' discussions. Our right to be present is to judge each
one's decision-making process. If we don't like the decisions that
any one or more of the elected officials make, or if we don't like
their positions, we can vote them out at the next election.
Our form of government is not unique. It has been around since
Roman times. Most countries of the world are republics. What is
unique are the American people. We are a multi-racial and multi-ethnic
society. That in itself is not unique. We can look all through the
world and find similar mixes of people.
What is unique is that we are not constantly trying to kill one
another. We have a general respect for order and discipline that
most societies like ours don't have. We have our differences and
prejudices, but we listen to one another and, except on rare occasions,
peacefully settle them.
In my study of history and world events, I have concluded that
countries normally have the government that best suits them. The
more civilized and educated a country is, the less restrictions
are needed on its citizens to maintain peace and order. The less
civilized and educated a country is, the tighter the restrictions
and control must be to maintain peace and order. Our form of government,
in many countries of the world, would only promote chaos.
In the meantime, we need to quit trying to tell the rest of the
world how to act and govern, and concentrate on this country's problems.
We'll take minor league baseball over think-tankers
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
"Gwinnett County taxpayers may need a drink
after subsidizing a new baseball stadium. The Heartland Institute
finds that stadium subsidies are not taxpayer-friendly. Two studies
have come to the same conclusion: The first is "A Decade
of Research on Sports Stadiums," and the second was published
just last month, "Stadium Subsidies Hitting Taxpayers Harder."
Source: Heartland.org."
-- from the Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Friday Facts.
MARCH 25, 2008 -- The conservative Hearthland.org think tank, which
is located in Chicago, thinks Gwinnett County is going the wrong
way as it prepares to finance the construction of a baseball stadium
to bring minor league baseball to Gwinnett.
Brack |
Let them and others with their straight-jacket thinking give us
reason after reason why we should not throw taxpayer guaranteed
bonds at this new stadium !
Let them point out that it may never "return a profit."
Let them continue to provide us with their views for limiting governmental
funding that even such services as fire and police protection might
appear on their list as wasteful spending.
Let them rant and rave about ways to limit what tax dollars should
be used for. They and others who squeeze the governmental budgets
for every drop of juice in it have their self-appointed agendas
ready to pounce on any effort at government helping people in constructive
and innovative ways.
But let them leave Gwinnett alone when its officials decide that
bringing minor league baseball to Gwinnett is a good thing.
What we're talking about is the quality of life issues. It's not
so much a dollars-and-cents issue as it is a way to improve the
image of Gwinnett in a positive way, to put a little more zest in
the lives of Gwinnettians, and to give ordinary folks a chance to
enjoy a nice outing with their children…..at minor league prices.
Landing the Gwinnett Braves will go a long way toward raising the
perception of Gwinnett across the nation. Those who follow minor
league baseball will pick up the newspapers or see on the Internet
a new name among the Class AAA baseball teams of the nation…..Gwinnett.
Newspapers all across the nation will put Gwinnett in a class of
top minor-league cities and communities.
What's that worth in dollars and cents? A lot.
Just consider two local communities and minor league baseball:
Macon and Rome. For years, the Macon Peaches (also known with other
nicknames) were a distinguished minor league baseball club, a stalwart
of the Sally League. Yet Macon failed to cultivate minor league
baseball in the last few years, with their stadium being one of
the oldest in the country. Attendance declined.
Up pops the City of Rome, vowing to build a new stadium to attract
a minor league team. And the Atlanta Braves saw an opportunity,
moving their Class A Macon team to Rome. Today people in the Rome
area flock to their Braves games….enjoying the family fun…while
Macon frets and wonders what happened. (Maybe the new mayor of Macon
can find ways to pull that city out of its morass.)
Come next April, when the Gwinnett Braves start play here, we anticipate
thousands of people from Gwinnett and all over North Georgia will
populate that new stadium, as they have in places like Durham, Chattanooga
and Charleston, S.C.
Stadium subsidies may be a lot more down-to-home, friendly and
beneficial to people in a community than ivory-towered think tankers
realize. We applaud the Gwinnett commissioners in their efforts
toward bringing minor league baseball to this county!
 The
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Another
scam version often focuses on small businesses
Editor, the Forum:
Thanks for the information on fraud and identity theft from former
Governor Roy Barnes. This problem is rampant and I am sure you will
hear more about this from readers. In fact, both my wife and I had
our credit card information stolen in December.
But there is another very frightening version which involves hackers
who are able to obtain credit card information electronically and
create cards which they then use. Even here there is another side,
which is the impact such fraud has on merchants who are vulnerable
and liable as well. A café in Duluth, which my son-in-law
and daughter own, was hit quite hard by this scam, which evidently
involves many merchants, mostly restaurants. They were required
to have a forensic audit at a cost of about $ 10,000 plus they are
liable for fines which have yet to be determined.
And this is a small business which must have credit card processing
to survive. In this case it is a bit involved as it involves the
Visa credit card processor and a company (in Norcross), which is
part of their sale system. Even though a charge is approved, the
processor was likely the culprit in this case. This should be a
warning to any merchants who processes credit cards routinely. Merchants
are liable for untold damages which could put many merchants out
of business. Most people, including me, were totally unaware that
this was possible. It seems that fraud prevention is being pushed
down on them from the top and Visa is totally unapproachable and
passes the bucks to the major processors/banks.
-- Charles Summerour, Duluth
Appreciates governor
giving advice on consumer fraud
Editor, the Forum:
Thank you Governor Barnes and GwinnettForum for sharing with us
all the actions one needs to take in order to stop identity fraud
once it has been found. I have saved the page for future reference
should I myself ever require need of the information. Now, governor,
getting your hands on the perpetrator is probably a crime, despite
the pleasure of such a thought. Stick to consumer law and leave
the apprehension of these thieves to the police!! (I'm laughing
as I type this.) Thanks for the very well thought out information
on how to stop this type of theft again!
-- Roger Hagen, Lilburn
Philharmonic
Plays Pops April 1 featuring Mac Frampton
Experience some of your favorite tunes with the Gwinnett Philharmonic!
Music Director Monte Nichols conducts as the Philharmonic Plays
Pops, Tuesday, April 1 at 8 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center of
the Gwinnett Center.
The orchestra will launch this popular concert with vibrant song
selections from West Side Story. Then pianist Mac Frampton
joins the orchestra for Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."
After intermission, Mr. Frampton will take the audience down memory
lane with a medley of classic television hits followed by great
Broadway moments - including powerful melodies from Phantom
of the Opera and Cats - finally adding an exclamation
point to the evening with a stirring John Williams suite.
The Gwinnett Philharmonic is a professional orchestra comprised
of musicians who also perform with other well-known orchestras,
ensembles and groups in the Atlanta area. The Philharmonic is under
the direction of founding Music Director/Conductor Monte Nichols.
Visit www.gwinnettphilharmonic.org
to learn more about the concert and the Gwinnett Philharmonic. Tickets
are $28 adults, $24 seniors and $12 students, and are available
through any Ticketmaster outlet or in person at the Gwinnett Center
box office, open Monday thru Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Local art students
can take part in watercolor competition
For the first time in its 33-year history, the Georgia Watercolor
Society (GWS) has organized a show and scholarship program devoted
exclusively to high school students. Students from public high schools
in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties may submit watercolor
paintings to this competition. The winning paintings will be featured
in a public exhibit at Sam Flax Art and Design in Atlanta from April
13-27. There will be a reception and awards ceremony on Sunday,
April 27 from 1-3 p.m. that is open to the public. Over $2,000 in
awards will be provided to top students for continued art study.
GWS President, Kathy Rennell Forbes, adds, "We have historically
focused on established adult artists over 18, but believe this new
program is aligned with our mission to educate the public about
the watercolor medium, support the development of artists painting
in watercolor and bring more opportunities to see fine watercolor
painting to the communities we serve."
The show location is 1460 Northside Drive, Atlanta,. Call 404 352-7200
for information on store hours when the exhibit can be viewed. Two
local art retailers, Sam Flax and Binders Art Supplies and Frames,
are supporting this show. For more information visit www.georgiawatercolorsociety.com.
Symposium set April
11 on how to do business with county
Gwinnett County's Purchasing Division will hold its second annual
Supplier Symposium on Friday, April 11 to help acquaint potential
suppliers with the County's procurement procedures. More than 200
potential vendors have already registered for an all-day.
Purchasing Director Scott Callan says: "Gwinnett County is
a $1.5 billion dollar-a-year consumer and the business community
is taking note of the opportunities. We are a stable consumer for
businesses that bid to provide goods or services."
Beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration
Center Auditorium, the morning session will focus on how to do business
with the county. In the afternoon, participants will break into
smaller groups focusing on construction and capital projects, small
business opportunities, and forging public-private partnerships.
Suwanee is seeking
more input to 2030 comprehensive plan
The City of Suwanee is nearing completion of its 2030 Comprehensive
Plan/Community Agenda. First, though, the City is seeking additional
input and feedback from citizens. A draft of the 2030 Comprehensive
Plan, a citizen-driven vision created through a 10 month collaborative
process, is available online for review at www.suwanee.com.
Citizens may share written feedback with City officials through
April 1. Comments should be mailed to City Hall (323 Buford Highway,
30024) or emailed to 2030plan@suwanee.com.
Also, two public meetings are scheduled:
- A Task Force/Work Group meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March
27, at the George Pierce Park Community Center.
- A public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at the Crossroads
Center, 323 Buford Highway.
Building upon the new directions established through the 2020 town
master plan (adopted in 2000), the 2030 Comprehensive Plan creates
a community vision that aims to balance Suwanee's residential, small-town
feel with continued commercial, employment, and economic development
opportunities. The plan will guide how Suwanee develops over the
next 10 years at least.
For the first time in Suwanee's history, according to the plan,
future growth, to a large degree, is likely to be via redevelopment
rather than on previously undeveloped sites. Much of the City's
future growth is envisioned in three distinct areas: Suwanee Gateway,
Town Center, and in nodes along Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.
The plan divides the entire City into 10 distinct character areas
and describes expected, desired growth in each of the areas. Many
of the areas, including most existing neighborhoods, are expected
to experience little, if any, significant changes.
Riddle resigns hospital
post to return to Jesup, hometown
John Riddle, vice president of marketing and development at the
Gwinnett Medical Center, and executive director of GMC Foundation,
has resigned after 11 years. He has accepted a position back in
his hometown as the president and CEO of the Wayne County Chamber
of Commerce and executive director of the Industrial Development
Authority. His resignation will be effective on April 4, and he
will begin work in Jesup on April 15.
Riddle says: "I took great pride in representing GMC and valued
the opportunity to get to know so many wonderful, caring people
who support their hospital." He adds: "My decision is
not about leaving Gwinnett as much as it is going home to finish
raising my three boys in a slower life-style and with the support
of extended family. You can't replace the experience of your children
eating Sunday lunch at grandmother's, fishing in their own pond
and having a real chance of being on the front page of the paper
with a winning touchdown. At this stage of my life, that's more
important to me than advancing my career."
- An invitation: What
Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your
best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have
read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus
what book you plan to read next. --eeb
Georgia
is unique with its regional preservation system
Georgia is unique in the way it provides regional and local preservation
services. The state's Regional
Preservation Services System (RPSS) places a Regional Development
Center in sixteen regions across the state to assist communities
and individuals involved in historic preservation.
North Georgia RDC |
The Georgia RPSS began in 1978, modeled after a similar program
in South Carolina. In its first year, only two regions participated
in the program. By the next year ten more regions had joined the
program. Funding is provided by the Historic Preservation Division
of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and by local matching
funds.
Regional planners operate from Regional Development Centers, which
are planning agencies funded by state and federal grants with dues
paid by member cities and counties. The centers were reconstituted
after the passage of the Georgia Planning Act of 1989 to implement
comprehensive planning on a local and regional level. Serving their
surrounding counties, the centers are located in Americus, Athens,
Atlanta, Augusta, Brunswick, Camilla, Columbus, Dalton, Eastman
(with the planner's office in Baxley), Franklin, Gainesville, Griffin,
Macon, Rome, Valdosta, and Waycross.
In addition to providing local assistance, the RPSS helps achieve
the preservation goals developed by the state office. One of its
most important goals is to protect Georgia's historic places. The
regional preservation planners use the National Register of Historic
Places, state and federal tax-incentives, and Georgia heritage grant
programs to achieve this objective.
Georgia consistently leads other states in many historic-preservation
categories, such as the total number of National Register listings
and the amount of money invested in rehabilitating historic properties.
The Historic Preservation Office also successfully provides historic
preservation services throughout the state's 57,906 square miles.
Directions on how to
improve your debating system
"You raise your voice when you should reinforce your argument."
-- 18th century essayist, lexicographer, poet, editor and
critic Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), via Kelly Haggard Olson,
Suwanee.
Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves
or comments on any issue to Gwinnett
Forum for future publication.
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MORE: Contact Gwinnett Forum at: elliott@gwinnettforum.com
© 2008, 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
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