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PTC’s debt repayment shows city’s integrityTue, 12/12/2006 - 5:26pm
By: Letters to the ...
We had gone through years of hardships. The period leading up to the Revolutionary War had taken its toll. This was followed by the terrible years of war in which constant struggle and hardship had been the rule rather than the exception. Many of the brave men who signed the Declaration of Independence had lost everything including their very lives. These years had left a young nation and its people scarred and worn. This was followed by years of a failed government under the Articles of Confederation. Undaunted in their belief that liberty as afforded by a democratic government was the hope for the grand experiment known as the United States these early leaders pressed forward with a new outline: The Constitution of the United States. This first Constitutional government had many issues to reconcile. The status of the Army and Navy, the establishment of “Cabinet positions,” and the role of the government in commerce were some of the crucial early issues. One of George Washington’s former military attachés, Alexander Hamilton, was again called upon to serve his young country. An early issue facing Hamilton was a huge debt. The Continental Congress had run up a debt of almost $75 million during the war years. Most of it was paid for with Continental script. Troops had been paid with, supplies bought with, debts serviced with and services rendered with Continental script. Hamilton felt this debt should be paid in full. Many argued that this was debt not owed by the “new” constitutional government. At least two governments, the Continental Congress and the government under the Articles of Confederation, had come and gone. The Continental Congress had incurred this debt they lamented. Others argued that speculators and other unscrupulous people would prosper. Still others argued that much of the money had been spent without a judicious accounting. Hamilton with Washington’s strong approval argued quite eloquently the if the United States was to be “City on a Hill” for the rest of the world to see then we must honor our debts. No matter how they were incurred, they were incurred during our struggle for independence. People had rendered services and incurred hardships and now those debts must be honored. This government no matter what name it has gone under is a government of the people and must pay its debts. The debts were paid. How does this relate to us? Peachtree City just worked out a deal to repay a debt incurred by the Development Authority of Peachtree City, a debt that had been incurred while building the tennis center and improvements of the Frederick Brown Amphitheater. Some argued that it not the city’s debt. It was the development authority’s debt. Some argued that those too close had prospered and that underhandedness had been prevalent. Others argued that money had not been judiciously spent. I am proud to say that the officials of Peachtree City settled the dispute and have honored the debt. I am proud to say that my city is still the “City on a Hill” whose light shines with beams of responsibility, integrity and honor. If we had not managed our affairs locally with principles in which we believe, how can we hold our leaders in Atlanta and Washington responsible for their actions? Just as George Washington and Alexander Hamilton understood the importance of governmental integrity, so too have our local leaders. I want to say a personal thank you. Phil Boswell Boswell was a candidate for mayor of Peachtree City in 2005. login to post comments
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