Well, the more things change, the more they stay the
same. Dr. G. Gil Watson, aka, the World’s Greatest Preacher, up and retired
after two decades of trying to save my sorry soul. Not only was he my preacher,
he was and is my friend. He did his best to resuscitate me. He just didn’t have
a lot to work with.
Just when I thought I was off the hook and was already looking at which
Commandment to break first — I was leaning toward bearing false witness
to the health benefits of broccoli — in the door walks Dr. Bill Burch. Rats. So
much for a respite. He has picked up right where Dr. Gil left off. I just can’t
get a break. He, too, can preach up a storm in addition to closely tending to
his flock, including this black sheep.
…
When you hear people talk about term limits for politicians, remind them we
already have term limits. They are called elections. As my friend, Kyle
Wingfield — recently of the Atlanta newspapers and now president of the Georgia
Public Policy Foundation — has pointed out, only one in five members of the
state House of Representatives have been there more than 15 years. 16 members
are not seeking re-election. Wingfield noted that in the state Senate, half of
the members have served less than five years. In Congress, the median time of
service is seven years. The politicians are not the problem. It is the
bureaucracy that needs term limits. They are beyond our reach.
...
Speaking of our intrepid public servants, kudos to state Sen. Lindsey Tippins,
R-Cobb, for standing up for principle and stepping down as chairman of the
Senate Education Committee. A former chairman of the Cobb County school board,
he is wise in the ways of the issues facing public education but he couldn’t
and wouldn’t go along with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s state charter school funding
proposal, which Tippins says would leave over a half-million Georgia students
in 46 school districts receiving less funding than the average charter schools
receive, so he resigned his post. Tippins says, “If that bill is reflective of
their vision for education in the state of Georgia, they got the wrong person
being the committee chairman.” No, Senator, it was the state Senate that got it
wrong.
...
My passion for the University of Georgia is no secret. The place has given me
more than I can ever repay. But that doesn’t stop me from trying. I am a proud
part of an effort at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications to
position the school as a leading resource in crisis communications leadership,
through the efforts of Dr. Bryan Reber. More and more, the media are turning to
Dr. Reber for his observations on current high-profile issues. Last week, the
Wall Street Journal asked for his views on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s
testimony before Congress. (Dr. Reber wasn’t blown away, although he said it
better than that.) An aside to the UGA leadership, staff and faculty: When the
next crisis rolls around — as it surely will — don’t forget you have an
excellent resource in the family.
...
Thank you, Gov. Deal. You may not be the flashiest guy around, but you haven’t
embarrassed us like Missouri’s governor, who has admitted to an affair with his
hairdresser and a kinky one at that. Now, he faces impeachment (if he hasn’t
resigned already). Maybe the guy didn’t have enough to do on his day job. Gov.
Deal is a good family man, as have been his predecessors over many years, and
we appreciate it. ...
Speaking of affairs, isn’t it interesting that the Religious Right crowd
remains strongly supportive of Donald Trump, despite his well-publicized
peccadilloes and women’s groups didn’t raise a peep about Bill Clinton’s
womanizing before and during his time in the White House? Shame on them both.
…
Finally, of all the good things our great state has to offer, put Vidalia onions at the top of the list. Those sweet things are here and ready for your eating enjoyment. If you are new to Georgia, please know that Vidalias are grown in a 20-county area of our state and nowhere else. Here we sit with the oldest state-chartered university in the nation, “Georgia on my Mind” as our state song and sweet Vidalia onions. Truly, we are a favored people.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick@dickyarbrough.com; at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dickyarb
