Letters to the Editor

Grateful for rescue by PTC Fire Dept.

Mayor, council and city manager of Peachtree City: We, the Swift family, really wish to take the time to express to you our heartfelt gratitude and admiration for the Peachtree City Fire Department (PCFD).

On the evening of March 13, 2013, Harvey Swift, 28 years old, found himself at home alone in Script Falls when he suffered severe super ventricular tachycardia, during which his heart rate exceeded 270 BPM.

As what he felt was a last resort, he called 911. Read More»

PTC’s ticket cops keep cash rolling in

The Peachtree City Police Department is still at it, writing citations and warnings at an unbelievable rate of over 46 per day.

In calendar year 2012 the PTCPD issued a total of 17,005. That’s almost two citations or warnings every hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week all year long.

Does anyone else think that is overdoing it a bit? Are our driving abilities that bad? Read More»

GOP does poor job of convincing voters

As the newly elected chairman of the Fayette County Republican Party, I have been asked what challenges face the party and what is my vision for overcoming them.

There is no doubt that the conservative values of the Republican Party are under siege, not only on a national level, but also here in Fayette County.

It is easy to blame the liberal media or those Democratic leaders who misstate or misrepresent Republican positions.

And while that might be part of the problem, the lion’s share of the blame rests on those of us under the Republican banner. Read More»

Comparing commissioners’ words and positions then and now

After having recently served on the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, I was frankly astounded by the contents of the various stories and letters involving Commission Chairman Steve Brown that were included in the March 13th edition of The Citizen.

After reading the paper, I was for some reason transported back in time to my high school days when I was required to read George Orwell’s book, “1984.” It seems that I had finally found the whereabouts of the Ministry of Truth after all of these years. Read More»

Comparing commissioners’ words and positions then and now

After having recently served on the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, I was frankly astounded by the contents of the various stories and letters involving Commission Chairman Steve Brown that were included in the March 13th edition of The Citizen.

After reading the paper, I was for some reason transported back in time to my high school days when I was required to read George Orwell’s book, “1984.” It seems that I had finally found the whereabouts of the Ministry of Truth after all of these years. Read More»

Decision on Brooks, Tyrone schools ‘tough’? Mostly, it was ‘stupid’

I once worked under the same roof as Lewis Grizzard, a fellow some of you will remember. I was not a close friend, but I knew him well enough to figure he would have enjoyed doing a column or two about the goofy Fayette County news I saw in The Citizen last week.

First was the lengthy guest editorial by Fayette County Commission Chairman Steve Brown praising the Fayette County Board of Education in making the “tough decisions” to close four schools, including Tyrone where my granddaughter is a student. Read More»

Pain expected as county faces costs

The year of 2013, at the county level of government, should be declared the year of accountability. This calendar year is truly a time of tough decisions, especially if your desire is to have a government that is responsive and functions properly.

The new group of elected officials at the county level is willing to take the challenges head on and make the difficult decisions to rectify the problems which have been kicked down the road year after year. Read More»

Look at ‘discretionary’ funds for culvert fixes

Commissioners: During consideration of how culvert replacement should be (could be) completed, I checked on the recent budget for the Road Department.

It appears that over $4 million is in that yearly budget.

I also looked at the proposed spending that had been listed in the TIA 2010 for Fayette County to get some idea of what other road work was being considered.

Even though the vote on the regional tax was defeated, there was a list of “Discretionary” funding of $45.6 million (10-year list) proposed along with another $39 million for the East Fayetteville Bypass. Read More»

Sequester and Y2K: Looks like the world didn’t end either time

So here we are, two weeks into sequestration, and except for the U.S. stock market reaching record highs, Life As We Know It has not changed.

Has anyone noticed that sequestration, which occurred on March 1, 2013, has had about as much impact as the “Y2K bug” that was supposed to occur on Jan. 1, 2000? Read More»

Obama administration attacks our Constitution

On Wednesday, March 6, 2013, John Kerry, the neonate American Secretary of State, was reported to have said in the context of a discussion of Freedom of Speech that in America people have the right to be stupid — that is, to say stupid things.

Mr. Kerry’s trivialization of Freedom of Speech is not only itself stupid, but also reflects badly on his office, on America, and on the Bill of Rights, in which the First Amendment to the Constitution provides Freedom of Speech. Read More»