LETTERS

A first in Georgia politics

To the Editor:

The non-partisan special election to pick a successor to recently deceased Charlie Norwood, US Representative for Georgia's 10thDistrict, is scheduled for June 19th. Since it is a special non-partisan election, Democrats and Republicans will not hold primary elections to determine which single Republican and which single Democrat will appear on the ballot; instead, there are likely to be several Republicans and several Democrats on the ballot. It's to early to tell who all will be on the ballot, but the choices will probably include several Republicans (possibly including Jim Whitehead, Ralph T. Hudgens, Paul Broun, Bob Young, and Willie Green); several Democrats ( possibly including Terry Holley, Tom Chasteen , Alan Powell, and David Bell); and at least one Libertarian: James "Jim" Sendelbach. Yes, you read that right, for the first time in history there will probably be a Libertarian candidate for US Representative on a Georgia ballot! And if you're wondering why there has never been a Libertarian candidate for US Representative on a GA ballot before, it is because Georgia's elected Republicans and Democrats have imposed a virtually impossible requirement on Libertarians(and other interested parties) to secure, roughly, 30 THOUSAND certified signatures of registered voters just to get on the ballot!

In the coming weeks you will probably hear a lot about the Republican and Democrat candidates, and not much about the Libertarian candidate, so allow me to introduce him. Dr. Jim Sendelbach holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy, a master's degree in theology, a doctorate degree in counseling psychology, and is a licensed professional counselor and certified forensic addictions examiner. He is presently co-owner & principal therapist at Anchor Point Neurofeedback and Counseling Center in Conyers. He is a VietNam era veteran (US Army), and has been married for 23 years to Susan Sendelbach who was born in Americus, GA, and earned her Doctor of Ministry degree from Emory University. He is a member of the International Society for Neurotherapy and Research, a member of St. Pius Church, a former member of Christ Our Hope Church in Lithonia, a member of the Pilot Club of Conyers, and the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce, and he also serves as a mentor in the Rockdale County Juvenile Court Mentoring program.The behemoth, insatiable, intrusive, out of control federal government we are living with today was created by Republicans, Democrats, and Independents; but the Libertarians are running against the tide because they stand for less government growth, less spending, less taxes, less regulation, and more individual liberty. For this, I respectfully request that 10th district residents seriously consider voting for Jim Sendelbach on June 19.

Cordially,

Chuck Esposito

Suches, Ga.

To the Editor:

Global warming is one of the most important challenges facing us today. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released an extensive review of the existing climate science. This report states that human production of heattrapping emissions is the primary cause and that continued warming will result in more violent storms, rising sea levels and greater precipitation. Congress is finally beginning to address the issue but we as individuals don't need to wait for mandates. We can all begin to reduce our personal impact on the environment by doing some of the following: turning off the tap while brushing teeth, taking showers rather than baths, using warm or cold water in the washing machine, cleaning the lint filter in the dryer each time it is used, running the dishwasher and washing machine with full loads, using the microwave to heat small portions, and of course recycling as much as possible. This is just a start, but we can all help make a difference.

Michelle Maloney

Blairsville, Ga.

To the Editor:

In the March 7 publication of the North Georgia News by the county Commissioner (in his weekly article), the commissioner stated that the county tax increase was less than 5 percent and the school tax was 30 percent.

Fact 1: As one who went to both meetings and saw the budget, the school budget increase was 52 percent and the county portion was a little less than 20 percent. One has to wonder why elected officials continue to insist upon using the lower figures, unless it is to fool the public.

Fact 2: Elected officials keep mentioning the fact the State keeps cutting school funds received from the state. The School Board included in its budget over $300,000 from both school years 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 that was cut from the State funding. In other words the Local school system not only got back the State cuts from the local tax increase but also got nearly 4 million extra in the increase. If elected officials keep insisting that the tax increase was not too much or that the increase is only keeping up with progress, let them publish the 2005 and 2006 tax digest and the budgets and let voters see for themselves how their money is being spent and used.

Mike Sims