Nowadays everyone is searching for ways to conserve energy, time and gasoline. End result: saving taxpayer dollars. We have an opportunity that has been totally overlooked within the Hall County government to achieve that objective.

The Hall County tax commissioner's office has two satellite offices, one at Oakwood and one at Quillian's Corner. This was a terrific idea on their part to alleviate downtown traffic congestion and assist the public in limiting travel. People wishing to purchase tags or transfer automobile titles aren't required to go all the way downtown.

This could be taken a step or two further to maximize the effect. The registrar's office could either post a deputy registrar at each location, either full time or part time, or deputize the current tax employees to provide this service.

The clerk of courts office could post an employee to accept fines, notary public applications, passport applications, etc. Maybe even the Magistrate Court could participate. There may be even more services that could be located at these sites that I haven't thought of.
These different offices could share the overhead expense.

Taxpayers would benefit greatly. Motorists would benefit in multiple ways. They would save time, gasoline and wear and tear on their vehicles. Traffic congestion in the downtown area would be eased even more.

I imagine these ideas will be met with some resistance, but all I can see is a win-win situation.

Rickey Tumlin
Clermont

Administration keeps feeding oil addiction
President Bush is already famous for saying America is addicted to oil. Only an addict would continue to buy the source of his addiction. The addict's enablers are lined up to help; they are the oil companies and our congressmen who say "drill, drill, drill."

These officials benefit from generous contributions to their campaign funds, plus the threat of withdrawal cold turkey. It takes lots of money to run for office.

Naturally, they don't support wind farms that produce electricity even if the turbines leave no pollution and the fuel is free off-shore, right here in Georgia. Wind farms produce no funds for their campaigns.

Never mind the hurricanes that feed on warm Gulf waters, or the pipelines built on permafrost in Alaska now melting away, or the oil we ship from Alaska to China and Japan, or the oil spills that continue everywhere oil is drilled and shipped.

Think about where all the money comes from to feed the addiction: It's from our pockets when we buy gasoline or plastics made from oil.

I prefer clean electricity made from wind and solar. The oil companies have the power, but we can change the officials that make the decisions. Are you registered to vote?

Adele Kushner
Alto

GOP ticket offers more
Even a pig with lipstick knows McCain and Palin have more morals, values, substance, knowledge and leadership than Obama and Biden.

I am 71 years old and there is no way on this earth I am giving my country away.

Peggy Hoynes
Dahlonega