The defeat of SPLOST should make obvious a message that needs to be recognized and understood by those who supported it. That is, not to continue to blindly ignore the factors that brought us to the point of having to deal with the school situation as a potential catastrophe. Yes, there are real problems.

We are experiencing the results of several years of a parade of developers who were, and still are, obsessed with bulldoze, build and pave. A stand of trees and other greenspace is just an unproductive obstacle to them. They have made their own reputation!

Until the last election we also had a parade of county commissioners and other officials who couldn't seem to say no. There has been the little-controlled residential construction which brought in a population that was in excess of the capacity to service them (e.g., schools) That was of no concern to developers. It was someone else's problem.

Then there was the push to create a myriad of large shopping centers for the convenience of this growing population and to attract more people into the county so more housing would be required. Of course this thrilled Realtors who quickly became their allies.

Somebody didn't learn any lessons from the overbuilding and horror stories that were much publicized about Cobb and Gwinnett counties long before Fayette county was steered down the same road. If we don't start to seriously exercise some vision and at some sane point in time say, enough, the county will be saturated beyond the environment most of us live here for. Voters who defeated SPLOST must share that feeling.

For those who are “shocked” at the results of the vote, I am reminded of a lady I know who adamantly refuses to listen to any description of how that nice steak wrapped in plastic at the grocers got from the pasture to the meat counter. “What I see is all I want to know”.

Charles Washington
Peachtree City

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