Charles Shiflett Column May 15, 2005

I Feel Like Venting Today

• The City of Augusta last week unveiled a life-size statue of James Brown, with the mayor of Augusta
stating that Brown was the most famous person to ever come out of Augusta. Famous yes… but
deserving of a statue? No. Brown's personal life has been an embarrassing trail of drug problems,
spousal abuse charges, and other sundry run-ins with law enforcement. If this trend of honoring
morally bankrupt celebrities continues, we can look forward to driving on Paris Hilton Parkway in the
near future.

• If the Bartow County or Cartersville City Boards of Education have an opening for a high school
teacher, I have the man for the job… Larry "Doc" Neace. From everything I've read, Neace was an
excellent educator who refused to bow to the cult of the athlete. An upset football player's dad pulled
his weight and now Neace is looking for a job. Gwinnett County's loss could be our gain. So are we
serious about education or are we paying taxes just to baby sit and coddle athletes?

• I come not to praise utility poles, but to bury them! I think most would agree that utility polls are ugly
and an ever-growing bumper crop of them is ruining Bartow County's landscape. In addition to
preserving our area's beauty, underground cables would also less susceptible to severe weather.
Here's the question we have to answer though: Would you be willing to pay an extra ten percent or
more on your phone, power, and cable bills if all new or replacement lines were required to be buried?

• Uncle Sam just announced that the Federal Treasury had taken in more tax revenues this year than
projected and is running a surplus instead of a deficit for this time period. Conservatives have always
believed, as President Reagan proved, that tax cuts stimulate the economy and increase government
coffers. Aren't you glad John Kerry is just another also ran?

• With all the pressing issues facing our nation, I'm sure we can all sleep better knowing that ABC
exposed Paula Abdul as having allegedly had a little extra-curricular activity with an American Idol
contestant. ABC can do what it wants, but wasting an hour of prime time television to turn a two-
minute story into a full-length feature presentation makes me question their motives. By the way,
American Idol is on the rival Fox television network

• Before pulling a stupid stunt like fleeing town days before her wedding, Jennifer Wilbanks should
have examined the possible consequences. Otherwise, we never would have known about all her
multiple shoplifting arrests. The media thought they had another Lacey Peterson case, which it wasn't.
Desperate to justify all the national attention, reporters are digging. Something tells me this story isn't
finished yet, though it should be. The wheels on the bus go round and round…

• By most accounts the filibuster first appeared in the U.S. Senate during 1840's, several decades
after the writing of our Constitution. Democrats have really tried to stretch the truth on this… but
refusing to allow the filibuster to be used against judicial nominees is not a Constitutional issue. It
instead involves the rules of the senate, which can be changed or amended at any time by a majority
vote of the senators.

• Whoops! On his radio talk show on NewsTalk 1270 last Sunday evening, former Congressman Bob
Barr got really carried away about it being Mothers Day. He then encouraged his guest, a state
senator from California, to wish his own mother a happy Mothers Day. The state senator replied that
his mother was deceased… then total silence. I doubt Bob will do that on live radio again.

• From 2003 to 2004, Bartow County's population increased by 1,906 persons according to the U.S.
Census Bureau. Here's where those folks came from… Increase from births: 758. Increase from
international migration: 132. Increase from domestic migration: 1,016. Of course these figures don't
reflect all the illegal immigrants pouring in here.

• A properly designed and maintained home septic system should last 20 to 30 years. My septic
system is 18 years old, has never been pumped, and continues to operate flawlessly. Georgia's 159
counties and their leaders are under increasing pressure from the state and from environmental groups
to begin requiring homeowners to have their systems inspected every five years. Of course
homeowners would have to foot the bill… So government agencies need to come up with another
solution. The answer is simple; if your drains won't flow or your yard smells like sewerage, then call a
septic tank company to repair it. If someone files a complaint about your system, let the county give
you 30 days to correct the problem or you would face big fines.

• Finally, if you're a trend watcher, look for a resurgence of roller skating. It's going to be cool again! I
don't think you want to see old disco Chuck do a split on skates though.