Opinion

Chairman Jack Smith & mass transit plans

Three members of our Fayette County Board of Commissioners are up for re-election this November: Jack Smith, Eric Maxwell and Lee Hearn.

We all know about their “build the West Fayetteville Bypass at any cost” stance. We know about their intentions to close the interchange at Ga. Highway 74 and I-85 in favor of a new interchange at Ga. Highway 92 and I-85, a way to justify building the sham of a bypass, leaving Tyrone, Peachtree City and Brooks commuters in a lurch. Read More»

GOP just says no to fed's traffic $$$

Whether you suffer through a two-hour commute to work, worry about MARTA’s future, or need a better option than driving to get from one end of the state to the other, we can all agree there is a transportation problem in Georgia.

So, why is our Republican leadership standing idly by as federal aid that could help solve our traffic problem goes to surrounding states?

States in the Southeast recently received nearly $2 billion in federal funds for high-speed rail projects. Florida received over $1 billion, and North Carolina received $545 million. Read More»

Don’t ask, don’t tell: Best to keep it

Congressional hearings on the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) policy will soon be televised and will surely captivate a deeply divided nation. No matter which side of the debate you passionately support, there are subtleties to challenge everyone’s comfort zone.

If you have not served in the military, it might help to consider some of the language from the current law (10 U.S.C. § 654) on the matter:

“... There is no constitutional right to serve in the armed forces ... Read More»

Death in the South

One Sunday morning I came breezing into Sunday School class, after having been out of town for a week. My sister grabbed me and hugged me tightly to welcome me home.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re back!” Louise shrilled happily. She hugged me again. “I missed you.”

I grinned. “Well, you wouldn’t know it. You didn’t call me one time to check on me. When I was in Ireland for a week, you worried incessantly. But when I went to Los Angeles for a week, you didn’t call once.” I laughed. “And everybody knows that L.A. is much more dangerous than Ireland.” Read More»

Ronda Rich's blog
Login or register to post comments

Toyota put profit over principle

When Toyota President Akio Toyoda testified last week before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, an attitude was exposed that Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) correctly characterized as fostering a “cutthroat corporate” environment that placed costs ahead of quality and safety.

Such a priority would have been anathema to Toyoda’s grandfather, Kiichiro Toyoda, who founded the company and turned it into an automotive juggernaut thanks to a business philosophy created by an American named W. Edwards Deming. Read More»

Fayette school chief’s pay 55% more than governor

Last year, I personally called the office of Fayette County School District Superintendent John DeCotis to determine if he would be affected by the 4.5 percent across-the-board pay cut that he imposed on all teachers, secretaries and other school district employees for 2009.

His secretary assured me that he would be equally affected but, as evidenced by his 2009 income, this is clearly not the case. Read More»

3 comments

Search the nation for new Fayette sup’t.

To the Fayette County Board of Education: As a homeowner, business owner and voter in Fayette County, there is a matter that I feel you should know how I feel.

Now that Dr. John DeCotis has resigned his position as superintendent, effective this June, the Fayette County Board of Education has the authority to recruit, interview, and hire our next superintendent.

This gives our school board a golden opportunity to launch a nationwide search for the best, most capable candidate for the job. Read More»

GOP reps: Budget is time for tough choices, not political rhetoric

You don’t have to look far for information regarding our state’s budget crisis.

Over the past two years, the General Assembly has had to reduce our state’s budget by almost 25 percent to keep it in balance as revenues have plummeted.

Throughout that difficult process, there has often been a spirit of bipartisan cooperation and a recognition that we need to tighten our belts and make the tough choices that families and businesses all over this state are making during this difficult economic time. Read More»

MHS & anthem: Critic should apologize

With regard to the ongoing “spirited” discussion centering around the national anthem as performed at the McIntosh/Starr’s Mill basketball game on Feb. 2, 2010, I was intrigued with the recent comments offered by Glen Allen.

It seems Mr. Allen is in a position to recommend the removal of the president of the McIntosh High School Parent/Teacher/Student Organization for offering her opinion on this subject while also bashing the parenting skills of other letter writers (including their parents) who don’t happen to agree with him on this matter. He refers to them as “The Defenders.” Read More»

1 comment

Thanks from Fayette Counseling Center

Thank you for publishing the article, “A few donations needed to complete center” in your Feb. 23, 2010 edition of The Citizen. I would like to commend Square Foot Ministry for taking on this project of building a new facility for the Fayette County Counseling Center.

According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness each year, 1 in 4 individuals experiences a mental health disorder and one in 17 live with a mental disorder. In addition addictive disease affects 1 in 10 individuals and takes a toll on communities, families and our business community. Read More»

Traffic Alerts

Local Conditions