Opinion: editorials, letters to the editor
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Your Views: Columnist was off base in his depiction of Democrats There is an old saying: "He knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing." Bill Shipp's column of May 7 indicates that while he knows some numbers about the Democratic Party of Georgia, he does not have his fingers on the pulse. Therefore, he does not know the value. Well, the scoreboard doesn't tell the whole story. I'll speak to North Georgia , with which I have some familiarity. Anyone who has witnessed the surge of energy in these past months by Democrats from Lavonia to Chickamauga would agree that the picture ... |
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Your views: Sheriff Cronic right to enforce immigration laws Corso and Kennedy strike again! It seems that neither of them understand what "illegal" means. A sick bird perhaps? They have both written letters inventing a "right" for people who are residents of other nations to be in America without any documentation whatsoever and have decried our sheriff for enforcing the law. Kennedy stated that the sheriff "is not required to enforce INA 287(g)." Since when is the sheriff’s office allowed to pick and choose which laws to enforce? I am very proud of our sheriff and his fine department and ... |
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Our Views: One vote is enough in most races We wish we could report that the state primary ballot this July will be filled with contested races, a field of diverse and talented candidates and a slew of choices for voters to pick from. We wish we could observe that the excitement about election-year politics at the local level matches what we're seeing in the nation's compelling presidential campaign. We'd like to see a ballot with candidates and races that will spark record turnout at the polls, both on July 15 when the nominees in state and local races are decided, and again ... |
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Your Views: Wiegand has been a role model for young women The recent tribute to Nell Wiegand reminded me of the role model she was for me and other young professional women. She came onto the hospital authority at a time when the hospital was beginning to evolve into a regional medical center. She had a vote that counted on the direction the medical center would take. In the spring of 2006, when I was winding up the "hands on" treatment for my breast cancer, I had an occasion to compliment her and "Trell" (LeTrell Simpson) on the medical care available to me in my own community. ... |
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Community Forum: Tax cuts offer real relief for families I don't know anything about the mythical Alexander Tyler that Michael Parker wrote about in his April 2 letter. I do know, though, that President Bush's tax cuts delivered real benefits to real middle-class families, especially families with children; not $2,000 for a family of four making $40,000, but "only" $1,740. Since Mr. Parker claims these cuts are "a fraud," he might want to consider a big fan of those cuts who is not a Republican, namely, U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. Baucus is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and is trying to preserve the ... |
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Your Views: Gainesville doesn’t need another gas station According to the article in Wednesday's Times, our learned city council has approved the building of a gas station against the wishes of the people. As stated, the city was offered $225,000 for infrastructure. Is this a payoff to the city and the council members who voted for the station? That's how I and I am sure, other people interpret it. If there is such a need for a gas station on this corner, why not use the one that is closed across the street? Could it not be converted to a RaceTrac station ... |
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Your Views: Despite claims, DNR doesn’t discriminate I read with interest and amusement about the Mexican illegal immigrants who were arrested for fishing without a license. I read with disbelief the comments made by the local attorneys about the DNR officers targeting and arresting them for "just a violation of fishing without a license" just because of their race. Apparently, none of these attorneys are sportsmen of any kind. If they were, they would be aware of the DNR policies and the consistent way they check everyone's license at appropriate times. I trout fish in the mountain rivers and creeks frequently ... |
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Your Views: Hall sheriff’s office chose to sign up for immigration effort Sunday, The Times published an editorial grossly mischaracterizing the issues surrounding Immigration and Nationality Act 287(g). The core of the mischaracterization is contained in the following paragraph: "Cronic and his deputies are in a no-win position when it comes to enforcing 287(g). If they ignore it, they aren't complying with federal law. If they only apply it to those whom they feel are serious criminals, they are picking and choosing which laws to enforce, which is not their job. But if they do what the law requires, as in the case of the fishermen, they are ... |
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Your views: Church offers help for drug abusers Thank you for your informative and disturbing articles on drug abuse in teenagers. On April 22, you listed local drug treatment resources currently available. You could not have known of one other very excellent source, which is Reformer’s Unanimous. Our chapter of this organization just opened. We meet at Bible Baptist Church, 145 Clarks Bridge Road in Gainesville. Reformers Unanimous first started in 1996, and it has very high success rate. We meet at 7 p.m. each Friday. All are welcome and encouraged to come to the meetings. If you have ... |
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Our Views: The law is the law Five men fishing. That's the new focal point in our community over the immigration debate that continues to play out in our nation. The Hall County Sheriff's Office has begun enforcing a new initiative known as 287 (g) that requires local law enforcement officials to turn over to federal immigration officials anyone who is arrested and lacks proper documentation. The law was supposed to be enforced some time back but it took awhile for the feds to hook up the database computers deputies use to check the legal status of those arrested. Now that ... |
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Your Views: Nation tolerates crime too easily For the past few months, the rhetoric and political antics of the three surviving presidential hopefuls have entertained us. From all indications, the only thing these three have in common is they each recognize the fact that crime has finally become a major part of the woof and warp of America's economy. Why else have they not mentioned the rampant U.S. crime status as a part of their change-and-reform agendas? Wake up America! Crime is big business! It boggles the mind to think how crime has become an accepted and profitable part of our society. Not ... |
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Our Views: Hail to our hometown winners It's been another big-time April for sporting events and local athletes in Hall County. This past week, the Tour de Georgia made another successful trip through our home streets. After bypassing Gainesville and Hall completely a few years back, the cross-state bicycle race was all over our area this year. Stage Three ended at City Park on Wednesday, followed by a day's worth of time trials at Road Atlanta on Thursday, and the Suwanee-to-Dahlonega leg the next day. In addition to the fun of watching world-class athletes zip past our mailboxes, the event brings ... |
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Our Views: Love and the DOT When it comes to politics, particularly in Georgia, there are few events that can truly catch everyone off guard. But few saw this one coming. Two months ago, Mike Evans was fresh off a victorious fight for his seat on the Department of Transportation Board. With support of several key legislators in the area and state leaders such as Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, he fended off a challenge for his seat led by House Speaker Glenn Richardson. But Thursday, Evans stepped down from the board, citing his desire to pursue a romantic relationship with ... |
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Our views: Bravo, Brenau! One of the goals of the Vision 2030 plan that was adopted by the community two years ago was to support and sustain life-long learning. Long a center of higher education, Gainesville and Hall County has continued to flourish as Gainesville State College continues to expand the number of four-year degrees it offers. Another major component of higher learning is the current quest of Lanier Technical College to seek accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. This is the logical next step in moving Lanier Tech await from the image of a trade school and solidifying its rightful ... |
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Our Views: Welcome to Boomtown If there was any doubt about the growth of Gainesville and Hall County, last week's census figures made it official: We are officially living in a boom town. Population figures released by the U.S. Census bureau show that the Gainesville metro area ranked fourth in the nation in rate of growth, 4.5 percent, from 2006 to 2007. Another 7,784 people called Gainesville-Hall home during that period, raising the local population to 180,175. That number likely is even higher as census figures tend to undercount the Latino population. It's clear that we no longer live ... |
