Georgia editorial roundup
By The Associated Press
Recent editorials from Georgia newspapers:
Aug 17
Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald on state school funding:
For the short term, there is some good to be seen in the fact that a combination of retirements and resignations, and an infusion of taxpayer dollars funneled through the federal government, have saved a significant number of public-school jobs for the current fiscal year. …
There also is some bad news here, though, in terms of the question of what happens after this year. It’s a question that was put into stark relief by a spokesman for Gov. Sonny Perdue, who is quoted in an Aug. 16 Banner-Herald story as saying, “The challenges for the 2012 budget are very real, and they are significant. I think people need to remember — specifically with … our schools — they need to understand we have propped up our budget with the use of those federal stimulus dollars.”
As our story noted, the billions of taxpayer dollars that have funded federal stimulus programs — including an upcoming infusion of $26 billion, of which the state of Georgia is hoping to receive more than $300 million — will be gone next year.
Thus, barring an energetic — and fast — economic recovery, local school systems in Georgia and the rest of the nation will be in the position of having to cut the jobs to which they now are barely hanging on.
Given that scenario, it’s worth wondering — practically speaking, that is, which means ignoring the individual and familial consequences of job loss — whether it might have been better for school systems to have forfeited those jobs this year.
The positions saved almost certainly will be gone next year, anyway. Having them off the books this year would have allowed school district officials to work through one or more contingency plans to determine how best to utilize the trimmed-down staffing that is likely to be the reality next year and, until the economy is fully recovered, possibly for a couple of additional years. …
In any case, what the public schools and state officials are doing in limping along another year on the federal government’s largesse with taxpayer dollars simply is postponing an inevitable loss of jobs. Less apparently, but no less importantly, they also are postponing an honest — and very much needed — look at the degree to which taxpayer dollars do, or should, dictate how well students perform in the classroom.
Online:
http://www.onlineathens.com
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Aug. 14
Savannah (Ga.) Morning News on proposed juvenile justice legislation:
Georgia’s juvenile law code should be overhauled to give state judges more options that get at the heart of bad behavior.
Child advocates in Georgia are asking a valid question: Would an “unruly child” — found to have skipped school or imbibed alcohol or run away from home — be better helped by jail time or by services? Right now, judges don’t have much leeway to choose. They should.
Sharon Hill, executive director of Georgie Appleseed, a nonprofit public interest law center, argued in testimony recently before the state Senate Judiciary Committee in favor of reintroducing Senate Bill 292 when the General Assembly reconvenes in January.
SB 292, offered in 2009 by Sen. Bill Hamrick, R-Carrollton, has several aims. According to a description at justGeorgia.org, they include helping abused and neglected children make the transition from foster care to successful adulthood.
Services typically end for these children when they turn 18 — a point before they’ve attended college or become prepared to enter the work world.
Also, the legislation would prohibit the use of juvenile jails for children who have not committed a crime. This practice of locking up troubled kids with those who are violent and prone to crime is almost a form of child abuse itself. It fails to provide the physical and mental security the children need to heal from sometimes traumatic home lives.
Supporters say the bill will also safeguard Georgia’s eligibility for millions in federal dollars by ensuring the state adheres to federal guidelines related to the care of abused, neglected and other at-risk children.
SB 292 strives to keep youths who have not committed a violent crime out of a jail or detention center. …
Hamrickchairman of the Judiciary Committee, initially offered the bill late in the 2009 session. And while it had five hearings in that year’s General Assembly, the state’s massive budget woes squeezed out consideration of the bill both that year and in 2010.
The measure, however, deserves passage. We join with the Georgia Appleseed Center and the JUSTGeorgia Project in calling for its reintroduction in the next legislative session.
Online:
http://savannahnow.com
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Aug. 12
The (Macon) Telegraph on state voter participation:
Every time we hear the phrase, “We need to take our country back,” we should cringe, and not for the reasons you might think. It’s not that our country has been taken by some alien force or foreign government or other type of interloper. No, Americans are giving the country away. Yes, giving it away. Our republic can’t work without its citizens. “We the people” are the most vital participants in our form of government. And “We the people” have not been doing a very good job of upholding our civic responsibilities.
We can rant and rail at Congress or the president all we want. We can raise Cain with our state and local lawmakers, but it’s our own fault. The July 20 Primary Election drew a whopping 22 percent of the electorate. In Bibb County, more than 60,000 registered voters didn’t bother to vote. Who knows how many people eligible to vote are unregistered? While Bibb County is the example we’ve used, statewide turnout was no better, and the runoff was far worse.
In Echols County, with a population of more than 4,000, only 72 people voted. Believe it or not, Echols was not the worst. Clay County, in the southwest part of the state, with a population of 3,207, only had 46 people vote. There’s more. Stewart County, a place that has lost 586 residents in the last 10 years still boasts a population of 4,666, but only 31 people voted. That’s sad, but by no means the worst.
The most mispronounced county in the state, Taliaferro, (pronounced Tolliver) gets the dubious honor of having the worst turnout in the state. Only 10 of its 1,884 residents cast a ballot in the Aug. 10 runoff for governor. Some blame has to be laid at the candidates’ feet. Their focus was on the urban areas of the state while ignoring the more rural. That strategy cost an election.
Are we so disenchanted with the people we chose for our leaders that we’ve given up? When most residents eligible to vote check out, are they really saying, “None of the above?” It does not seem to be a charisma thing. …
The issues we have with America can be cured by Americans, but as long as we give our civic responsibilities away, politicians and those who pull their strings, will continue to use low turnout statistics to their advantage.
Online:
http://www.macon.com
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