Why mess with success? Just because all the others are doing it, doesn't mean we should. There is a reason I've moved from Clayton to Henry to Fayette County. And it's not because of "district" voting. The County just does things right, most of the time. They seem to have the overall good of the County in mind, instead of their little area.

Off my usual level of vitriol tonight, perhaps....

The demographics of Fayette County, as they were in 2000:

Total population - 90,124
Percent of Population classified as "white" - 75.1%
Percent of Population classified as "black" - 12.3%

Predominance of "black" population in Fayette County live in the north parts of the County. Push for district voting comes from Virgil Fludd, Democrat from TYRONE. His State House district covers? Parts of Clayton, Fulton and North Fayette Counties. In fact, look at district 66 here: http://www.georgia2000.org/redistricting/CountiesGaHouseDistricts.pdf
Percent of Fayette County in the district? 14% Just about as much as the black population.

What would district voting do? Allow the areas of the County to be "diverse" in their representation.

The mayor is very much into diversity - he is a great supporter of the Fayette County NAACP. He has attended and assisted in the organization of Martin Luther King Day celebrations in the County. Very admirable work, indeed.

Now, let's look at another example of diversity in the news recently. Taken straight from ajc.com's article regarding renaming Tara Boulevard in honor of Rosa Parks:
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"Since Clayton County is a predominantly diverse community now we thought it would be appropriate," said the group's leader, Bob Hartley.

"Having a Tara Boulevard isn't appropriate for Clayton, a county that has gone from being a mostly-white rural suburb of Atlanta to a predominantly black community," Hartley said.
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There's that word again, diverse. Unhappy as it is to read, Dana Kinser is definitely on to something. There are race issues in this country, and there always will be, as long as one person thinks they are entitled to more than another person. So, let's add diversity to another "hot button" issue that Mayor Brown champions.

Is it worth fighting over? In my opinion, no. The majority rules with consideration for the minority. What are the issues that the Fayette County Commission cannot cover between district voting and at-large voting? I might have missed the coverage of outrage from the north side of the County...so if there aren't problems, why should they be repaired? I mean, Brown believes that there are problems with the "old guard" developers in PTC, which is why he wants to change them. What, then, are the problems that are present in the County at large that need to be changed by this?

Or, perhaps, is this just another wonderful opportunity for our man Steve to get his name in the paper? Hmmmm...

I guess the more important question is - is life supposed to be fair? If that's the case, then why doesn't socialism work in the United States? Quite simply, we don't want things to be fair for everyone, just for us. Both sides do it - and that's what creates controversy. And controversy, for our present mayor, creates ink (press).

Now, to come back to my usual slanted ways...controversy, while wonderful for philosophers and pundits, doesn't help continue gaining revenue and funding infrastructure maintenance and improvements. So, let's focus on the "real" issues, as the mayor would say - get off controversy and get to moving forward. Stop placing blame, start making progress. This is why I support Harold Logsdon. What's past is past, mistakes were made, let's move ahead. There are enough "checks and balances" in the society to keep everyone honest for quite some time. So Steve, thanks for your input, NOW GO AWAY.

Now, as to investq's insistence of Mr. Brown's single-handed impact on public opinion...I am guessing that the television investq watches only has one channel. Not ALL public opinion has been swayed on the Development Authority issue...the use of words like "everyone" and "no one" just attempt to pigeon-hole one philosophy into the discussion. Um....I don't believe that the results of what the Development Authority did were disastrous, at least not until they were taken "off the chart" by our fight-picking mayor. They weren't the things I would do, but businesses borrow funds every day to make ends meet, and sometimes with success. If anything, the disaster is no one cared until someone with a grudge started picking a fight with them.

I was reading about the Fulton County Recreation Authority today (they were the ones who got the Omni and Fulton County Stadium built and brought the Braves and Hawks to town). No one cared about them as long as they were successful. They did so by borrowing money, making commitments for future compensation, etc. Many of the things that other authorities did and do.

Am I right? Probably not, but I don't think my opinion is a solitary one.

The people spoke on Election Day, Steve. They want you gone. Let's grow and move on.

District voting is not the solution to our problems. If the districts were drawn up by an impartial panel where race, religion, sex, and income were not factors, I might, repeat; might be convinced to concede your point.

Fact of the matter is that none of the above is true. In this county the attempt at district voting is purely driven by race.

I grew up in a country where the majority set rules while the minority had rights WITHIN those rules. We have sat back and watched as the minority establish the rules while holding onto those rights as well.

Your reference to bed sheets drives my point home that this is indeed about race. This attempt at district voting isn't about right or wrong, it is simply a race issue.

We all seek the same thing in America, freedom. Taking away my opportunity to vote for ALL candidates nibbles away at my freedom. Instead I am faced with a commission or council that may not represent what I value. If I am afforded the opportunity to vote and my candidates fail, I at least had input. With district voting this doesn't happen. My vote for the entire county is not heard, therefore my freedom is diminished while enhancing someone elses. You simply insure that a select group of people get their way and the majority's view is not considered.

I was not born in the South. I was born in Wisconsin, but raised throughout the US and abroad as my father was serving his 24 years in the Air Force, so my next comment is not driven by so called Southern White Hatred.

Ironically, it is not the Caucasian society that is championing racism today. In my 44 years of life on this earth, I have never seen Miss White America, White Entertainment Television, 100 White Men of Atlanta, and White History Month. The simple fact that the white race has allowed the black race to have these while not doing the same themselves demonstrates that the white race has attempted to move on. However, the black race can't say the same. They MUST have their identity while erasing the southern white identity. As an example just look east to Clayton County. There is a movement underway to change Tara Boulevard (because it references a movie about the Civil War) to something named after Rosa Parks. The NAACP and other minority groups have boycotted states where the Battle Flag of the Confederacy has flown, yet do they fight for Hispanic rights in Texas? The black dominated City Council in Atlanta persisted in renaming Hartsfield Airport to share a name with a former black Mayor of Atlanta thereby reducing the good that Mayor Hartsfield did to Atlanta. Hosea Williams was convicted of DUI numerous times, yet that is overlooked because he was a Civil Rights legend. Jesse Jackson doesn't talk about the future, he simply regurgitates the past. Louis Farrakhan isn't about equality, he promotes hatred and racism.

Now, I am not saying that slavery was right and yes; the black race has suffered in the past, but today, despite veiled attempts to argue differently, they are afforded the same opportunities as any other race in America.

And this is what District Voting is about today in Fayette County. They want, no demand; that they have a voice in Fayette County and the reality is that they do. The exact same voice that I do. One man, one Vote.

So now I will be labeled a racist simply because I speak against a cause championed by several black legislatures. That simply isn't the case. I believe in equality and district voting does not promote that.

Dana Kinser