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Youth need to become involved with
voting process
By
Bettina Benoit Durant
Special to GwinnettForum.com
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., April 22, 2008 -- We live in a democracy. That
means that we get a say in who runs our country, and by way of this
privilege, we also get a say about how our country is run. It is
very easy to be blasé about the right to vote and take a
"whatever, who cares" kind of attitude about it. But no
one should brush this great honor off so quickly.
Sure registering can be a bit of a chore. And yes, you have to
head down to a polling station on voting day to register your choice,
which takes some time out of your day and may cost you a few bucks
in gas. Whether you know it or not, these are very small prices
to pay for the right to vote. In some countries, people are literally
dying to be able to cast a ballot to make a difference.
Funny, it has been said that trend analysts, who tell party spindoctors
where to target their advertising dollars and public relations efforts
traditionally tend to over-look the youth market. Why? Because the
sad reality is that election year after election year the percentage
of eligible youth who actually register and vote is small when compared
with other demographics. This doesn't mean the youth market isn't
a force, just that it isn't a main motivator in the drafting of
campaign platforms and pre-election advertising.
That said, the Gwinnett based chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,
Inc., namely Upsilon Alpha Omega Graduate Chapter, is committed
to the principles of voter education and voter registration. In
fact, in 2007 the chapter registered over 150 youth at Collins Hill
and Meadowcreek High Schools. Under the leadership of President
Geri Baldwin Gonzalez and the chapter's Connection Committee (the
chapter's political arm), the sorority strives to engage youth politically.
Why? It is time for any self-respecting rebellious young person
to do the natural thing - go against the grain and do the unexpected.
Vote! With voter registration, Upsilon Alpha Omega Graduate Chapter
strives to keep Gwinnett County youth on their toes and dispel the
theory of spindoctors by getting out the youth vote!
Upsilon Alpha Omega Chapter has answered the call of the Alpha
Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Connection Committee (the Sorority's
national political action arm) to encourage members as well as other
citizens in our community, especially youth, to participate in the
political process.
We are about to elect a president, vice president, members of Congress,
governors, local officials and more. Youth should be a part of this
process. Community organizations must get youth involved through
voter registration and voter education, which will ignite voter
participation and voter mobilization.
Braselton, Grayson neck-and-neck in growth
spurt since 2000
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
APRIL 22, 2008 -- It's a photo finish in the horse race for the
fastest growing city in Gwinnett between 2000 and 2007.
Brack |
Winning by a nose for the title of fastest growing of the 15 cities
in Gwinnett is Braselton, racking up an impressive 190.5 per cent
growth in the seven years since the Census, as compared to the July
1, 2007 Census Bureau estimate.
In second place behind that nose is Grayson, growing at 189.5 per
cent, no small feat . Talk about hanging in there and almost winning!
Those two cities are really neck-and neck in growth!
So Mayors Pat Graham and Jim Hinkle have something really to crow
about. Braselton grew from 1,206 people in 2000 to 3,503 as of July
1 of 2007. That's for the entire City of Braselton, which stretches
over four counties. That figures out at 190.5 percent. And Grayson
went on a growth rampage, too, up from 765 people in 2000 to 2,215
in 2007, for the 189.5 percent growth.
All but three Gwinnett cities were seeing growth. (No growth for
Rest Haven, Berkeley Lake and Lilburn.) After the two top percent
growth cities in the 2000-2007 period, next in line was Loganville,
posting 54.4 percent; Suwanee, 48.2 per cent; Sugar Hill, 35 per
cent; and Snellville, 27.7 percent.
The county seat of Lawrenceville had the most actual growth in
numbers of people, with 4,833 new residents in the period, while
Snellville counted 4,257 and Suwanee 4,211 new citizens. Sugar Hill
had exactly 4,000 new residents,
In Braselton, the numbers showed that 2,297 new people moved in
during this period, while the figure in Grayson was 1,450 newcomers.
Meanwhile, in recent years, Duluth was gaining on Lawrenceville
in population, though never passing the county seat city. Now Lawrenceville
has doubled the pace of growth since 2000 over Duluth, continuing
as Gwinnett's largest city with 27,230 people and a 21.5 percent
growth rate. Duluth measured 24,340 residents, but only a 10 per
cent growth.
For Gwinnett County overall, where approximately 80 percent of
Gwinnettians live, the growth rate for the seven year period was
31.9 percent, or up 187,932 people during the seven years. That's
an average of 26,846 residents coming to Gwinnett each year. Whew!
(In this last year, the growth curve slowed some, with the county
up 19,276 people to 776,380 as of July 1, from what had been 757,104
in 2006.)
Braselton Mayor Pat Graham says: "The current population estimates
would lead you to believe that the pace of growth in Braselton has
slowed this decade when compared to the prior decade. Between 1990
and 2000 the population growth in Braselton was 284 percent. We
think that current population estimates for Braselton are being
reported on the low side. Our local estimates, based on building
permits and utility customers, is that our current population is
just over 5,000 residents.
"Braselton has experienced very balanced growth over the last
5-6 years with a great mix of commercial development, industrial/business
growth, as well as high quality residential neighborhoods. Braselton
is the only city within Gwinnett that does not levy a city property
tax to fund our municipal services."
Mayor Jim Hinkle of Grayson commented: "We're pleased to see
new people enjoying the good life that we have in Grayson. We've
enacted ordinances to control growth, and what we've done benefits
all the citizens by having a live-work-play community. And most
of growth in the last four years, and we have exceptionally good
quality growth.
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Suggests
longer-term mortgages to eliminate crisis
Editor, the Forum:
Your article on downsizing houses on a mass-move day to end the
current crisis was entertaining, and made some very real points
about the causes of the current situation.
Another simple solution that could provide an interim of stability
and divert a larger crisis is for those same lenders, who made bad
loans, to issue lower rate, longer term mortgages (say 40-50 year
notes) to those homeowners in trouble.
The original investors won't get rich quick, but they would get
their money rather than getting stuck with houses that won't sell.
Homeowners would have lower payments they could afford, at higher
rates, without much equity, but at least they wouldn't be out on
the street.
They could ride things out a few years until the housing market
prices stabilized and improved, and then down-size or refinance
to shorter terms as the overall economy recovered. Such an approach
might at least slow or break the foreclosure cycle that is putting
families on the street, adding to the vacant housing inventory and
lowering home values further.
-- Stephen Hatcher, Lawrenceville
Thoughts concerning
transportation and the housing area
Editor, the Forum:
A couple of observations on Friday's (April 11, 2008) GwinnettForum.
1. Every taxpayer living in the area covered by the Transportation
Planning Board's Concept 3 plan should start looking for a second
job to pay the increased taxes required by the plan. Couple that
plan with the weekend media blitz by those who make their living
at the public trough and I think the solution looks worse than
the problem it is attempting to solve. It would appear the TPB
could use a couple of fiscal realists as members.
2. If we are ever going to become a race and color blind society
that we allegedly aspire to, a good starting point might be eliminating
keeping race and ethnic statistics as a matter of public record.
Then the media and others who make their living off of our differences
would have to comment on our similarities.
Just a couple of observations.
* * * * *
(Editor's Note: Mr. Malone contributes a second
thoughtful comment.)
So some people bought big houses that they could not afford. Some
people thought adjustable rate mortgages were just fine. People
make bad decisions every day and they live with the consequences
of those decisions.
I have made a number of bad investments over my lifetime and never
once thought of asking others to bail me out. Some 95+ percent of
homeowners bought appropriate houses and are paying for them with
mortgages they can afford. When did it become the responsibility
of the responsible to pay for the responsibilities of the irresponsible?
Your solution to the housing/mortgage problem was certainly creative
until you involved the government. The next time you feel the urge
to involve the government in a personal financial problem, insert
the names of your grandchildren instead of the word "government."
Let's not further burden our future generations with our mistakes.
Finally, citing Social Security as a creative successful model for
future government programs is questionable at best. Like most government
programs it started with good intentions. Go sit in the SSA office
on Shackelford Road for a couple of hours and then tell me that
is success.
-- Patrick Malone, Snellville
Temporary
road closings in Suwanee for Tour de Georgia
As the Stage 5 start of the Tour de Georgia gets underway in Suwanee
on Friday, April 25, several roads along the City of Suwanee route
will be closed briefly. The 120 professional cyclists participating
in this year's Tour will leave Town Center Park at 10 a.m. sharp,
pedaling their way by Level Creek Elementary, then back by Town
Center Park to McGinnis Ferry Road, across the Chattahoochee and
on their way to Dahlonega. Visit www.suwanee.com
for a complete City of Suwanee route.
Tench Road in front of Level Creek Elementary (from Peachtree Industrial
to Suwanee Dam) will be closed around 9:15 a.m. Other roads will
be closed from approximately 9:55-10:15 a.m. These roads include:
- Buford Highway - between McGinnis Ferry and Suwanee Dam roads.
- Suwanee Dam - from Buford Highway to Tench Road.
- Brogdon Road - from Suwanee Dam to Tench Road.
- Tench Road - from Brogdon Road to Suwanee Dam.
- Peachtree Industrial Boulevard - from McGinnis Ferry to Tench
Road
- McGinnis Ferry Road - from Buford Highway to the Chattahoochee
River
Wishes 4 Me plans
annual Walk for Independence April 26
On Saturday, April 26, , the Wishes 4 Me Foundation will hold its
annual 4K Walk/Roll for Independence at Shorty Howell Park in Duluth.
Registration begins at 10 a.m.
Wishes 4 Me strives to find resources for disabled individuals
to live more independent and less stressful lives. The foundation
owns and maintains two private residence homes in Lawrenceville
for disabled individuals. These homes are specifically designed
for those who might otherwise live in residential care but wish
to live independently, as well as those who risk feeling isolated
if living in standard housing with care and support.
The houses help promote independence and choice while providing
the benefit of caregivers and support to meet complex needs and
the opportunity for mutual support and participation in the life
of the community.
For more information, please visit the website at www.wishes4me.org
or call 770-982-0275. The Wishes 4 Me Foundation is a non-profit
501 (C) 3 organization. All donations are tax deductible.
Rainbow Village plans
fund-raising golf classic on May 5
Rainbow Village will hold its 13th Annual "Swing Fore the
Rainbow" Golf Classic at Windermere Golf Club in Cumming on
May 5. Rainbow Village a 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization with
transitional housing in Norcross and Duluth.
Windermere's golf course features rolling hills, three lakes, and
incredible views with challenges for all skill levels. As in years'
past, Chick-Fil-A is donating lunch and, new this year, Fleming's
Steakhouse in Atlanta is offering a buffet dinner. Both meals are
included in the registration fee. Registration begins at 10 a.m.
with a shotgun start at noon.
Rita Boughrum, past chair of the golf committee and an advisor
to this year's Volunteer Chairperson Dana Mettelman, says: "The
Golf Classic is always a lot of fun. It's a fabulous feeling to
know that you are raising money for a charity as wonderful as Rainbow
Village that has such a positive impact on the lives of the adults
and children it serves. We have a group of golfers that return to
play every year and just wouldn't miss it."
The mission of Rainbow Village is to provide homeless families
in domestic or economic crisis a healing environment to rebuild
their lives through a transitional housing program that promotes
self-sufficiency. Rainbow Village offers case management, life skills
classes that emphasize budgeting, financial management education
to reduce debt, and parenting skills. All school-aged children are
required to attend an enrichment after-school program during the
school year, and depending upon their age, they either attend day
camp during the summer or obtain jobs through government programs
for at-risk youth. All families are expected to save a minimum of
$300 per month while in the Rainbow Village program to be used for
living arrangements upon program completion.
The Golf Classic is one of Rainbow Village's primary fundraising
events. Registration is $175 per golfer. Golfers may register online
at www.rainbowvillage.org,
or by mailing a check to Rainbow Village, Inc., 400 Holcomb Bridge
Road, Norcross, GA 30071.
Aurora to end first
year in new theater with Noises Off
Aurora Theatre celebrates the end of the first full season in the
new facilities in Lawrenceville with one of the funniest farces
ever written. Michael Frayn's Noises Off is a behind-the-scenes
British comedy about an ill-fated theatrical production full of
humorous twists, including the set that revolves to display the
backstage shenanigans. Noises Off will ensure the first anniversary
in new facilities ends on a hilariously high note. By the time the
new Aurora Theatre celebrates its one-year anniversary on May 26,
the theatre will have presented a total of 366 individual events.
Reflects Anthony Rodriguez, Aurora Theatre Producing Artistic Director:
"I often think that this production of Noises Off would never
have been possible without the courage of our Board of Directors.
They realized it was time to for us to grow. It's not just ability
to build a two-story set that we have made possible. The City of
Lawrenceville and this incredible venue have given Aurora the ability
to take the performing arts to new highs for Gwinnett County."
He adds: "We have only scratched the surface of our artistic
potential. The 2008-2009 Season is going to be our strongest ever."
For the Mom who loves to have her funny bone tickled, Aurora Theatre
has a phenomenal Mother's Day Weekend package. Purchase tickets
to Noises Off at Aurora Theatre for any performance Mother's
Day weekend and you will be eligible to purchase a $25 gift certificate
for Brunch at McCray's Tavern for only $20. Mother's Day brunch
will be served both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. As
this is a busy holiday for restaurants, a limited number of packages
are available, so purchase today.
Performances are May 1-June 1. Tickets are $18-25 For more information,
call 678.226.6222 or visit www.auroratheatre.com.
Brian Perdue named
Pinnacle awards winner for 2008
Brian Perdue with Salon 124 of Grayson is the 2008 Overall Gwinnett
Small Business Person of the Year award winner. Recognition came
at the Gwinnett Chamber's Pinnacle Small Business Awards Dinner
on April 17.
Perdue |
Additional Small Business Persons of the Year Awards were presented
to Roger S. Green with Green Financial Resources, LLC for the 1-9
employee category; and Dave McMullen with Redpepper for the 10-99
employee category. Perdue was the winner of the 100+ category.
Formerly known as the Small Business Person of the Year Awards,
the Pinnacle Small Business Awards are among the Chamber's most
prestigious awards. Perdue will represent Gwinnett in state competition.
Perdue's Salon 124 operates on a business model that is unique
to the industry, primarily based on education of stylists and education
of their clients. His firm today is the fastest growing salon organization
in the U.S. The company has grown from six employees to 190 and
reached $7.5 million in revenue in 2007. Brian's entrepreneurial
spirit has taken him a long way, from a trailer in Americus, Ga.
with a dream of being a business owner to one of the nation's most
influential and recognized salon owners.
- 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
State faces
major challenges with health of its people
Perhaps the greatest challenge facing Georgia during the Progressive
era was the health of its people. Some of the most serious problems
were caused by living conditions. Almost all of the state's rural
homes, and many of those in its cities, lacked any means of sanitary
sewage. Impure food, ignorance of the contagious and infectious
nature of illnesses, and inadequate medical assistance added to
public health risks. Pellagra was a particularly devastating disease
caused by poor diet with little protein. Especially common in rural
areas was hookworm, an intestinal disease contracted through bare
feet that left its victims in a state of chronic fatigue and debility.
(One estimate suggests that as many as 53 percent of all rural Georgians
carried the disease in the early 1900s.)
An equally alarming problem, and one common to the state since
its founding, was malaria, a mosquito-born disease that can cause
fever, chills, exhaustion, and sometimes death. In 1900 Georgia
ranked fourth nationally in the number of malaria deaths. Georgians
were also plagued by smallpox, typhoid fever, venereal disease,
and tuberculosis.
Solving these problems in the long term would involve a combination
of education, medical science, government support, and access to
health care. Georgia's first serious step was taken in 1903 when
the General Assembly created a new state Board of Health. (The first
board of health existed from 1875 to 1900.) Located in the basement
of the state capitol building, and with a meager annual budget of
$3,000, of which $2,000 was marked for the secretary's (a qualified
physician) salary, the health board soon began an anti-rabies project
and embarked on a program of publicizing information about infectious
and contagious diseases.
In 1905 it developed a bacteriological lab in the basement of the
capitol, where it manufactured and distributed typhoid vaccines
and diphtheria antitoxins. The health board also joined forces with
other southern states and, later, with the 1909 Rockefeller Commission
for the Eradication of Hookworm Disease in the successful effort
to eradicate hookworm.
At first, many doctors and public officials were suspicious of
the new field of "public health," while the legislature
scrimped in allocating funding. Progress was by steps, however,
and usually on the heels of an epidemic that underlined the importance
of environment and hygiene. In 1908 the General Assembly authorized
$25,000 for the state's most ambitious health project yet, a public
sanitarium for the treatment of tuberculosis in Banks County.
In 1914 the General Assembly provided for a board of health in
every Georgia county. Though at first few counties bothered to participate,
by 1922 most counties had organized into a statewide public health
network. The 1914 law also required the state to maintain vital
records on the incidence of diseases and deaths---a critical step
in identifying public health threats.
As important as these first steps were, the public's needs vastly
overshadowed the state's capacities. Not until the 1930s and after,
when federal programs allocated funds and program expertise to the
state, did Georgia engage, and finally begin to solve, its most
serious health problems.
Puny and fickle Americans
practice unusual form of diseases
"We are a puny and fickle folk. Avarice, hesitation, and following
are our diseases."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), U.S. essayist, poet, philosopher.;
"The Method of Nature," (1849).
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is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible
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