Save Fayette; make government open

Tue, 09/02/2008 - 3:28pm
By: Letters to the ...

I read with interest the letter from T. Morris of Peachtree City concerning the use of fees to block access to county public records.

Is this an example of our elected representatives’ concern for open government?

While I can understand that the county must recover reasonable costs associated with such requests, what constitutes reasonable is open to question.

Besides, why is it that an attorney is giving a cost estimate that Ms. Berry-Dreisbach should have simply given to citizen Morris?

Using excessive fees to block access to public records is certainly a violation of our right to know and understand public policy.

I would assume that if a group of citizens wanted to go over to the Fayette County School System and look through the public records, it would certainly be within their rights to do so.

Or can [school board attorney] Hartley think of a legal reason to stop them? If so, do you really think it would be constitutional?

Doesn’t the government work for us?

What would you do if you found out that a new road was being built right behind your home? Or that someone down the road had rented part of their land to set up a number of new billboards? Or that someone unexpectedly sent you a bill that you had no idea that you even owed? Now what if there was nothing you could do about it because these decisions had already been made without your knowledge or input?

The elected representatives of your county make these quality of life decisions everyday. The government makes decisions that not only hit your pocketbook in these tough times, but they impact your quality of life in other ways.

By promoting and supporting unbridled development, they can impact the value of your home and property. Empty storefronts, billboards, increased crime, for-sale signs, and rental property are all symptoms of a county going in the wrong direction.

I have recently joined with a number of other citizens in promoting a more open government within Fayette County. We believe that our citizens are not well informed about what is going on in our county government.

Wouldn’t you like to be informed about the kind of decisions outlined in this letter? Our aim is to work together to improve county government communication with its citizens.

I would like to know if you too would like to support our efforts? If so, please let me know by return email to the address below. The first step in the process of developing open government will be to get you to send out a copy of this letter to five, 10, or 20 people that you know that may have an interest in this cause. You can use this letter as a method of communicating to your friends; just copy and paste it into your contact list.

Have them contact savefayette@gmail.com directly, and you will be put on an email listing that will update everyone on what you can do to promote open government in Fayette County.

It’s your community; please do your family and community a favor. Join our group to promote and encourage our government to be more open with its citizens.

Thank you in advance for getting involved in our wonderful community.

James Wingo

Peachtree City, Ga.

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NUK_1's picture
Submitted by NUK_1 on Sun, 09/07/2008 - 1:48pm.

You've got mail Smiling


Submitted by TyroneConfidential on Sun, 09/07/2008 - 1:33pm.

Thank you James Wingo for taking a leadership role in trying to organize citizens for open, responsive government. I encourage all concerned Fayette citizens to email you at savefayette@gmail.com to learn more about your groups’ plans. Citizens must band together to protect their rights. The original idea of our forefathers to elect representatives has proven to be a failure and that idea is dead. Our representatives are no more than government employees who use a government lawyer to twist legal opinions under the guise of following the law. Ask any government lawyer who they represent. The answer will be the government, not the citizens. The citizens need their tax money to pay for a citizens lawyer to review the government lawyers’ legal opinions to stop all this hiding behind a lawyer by our officials. All legal opinions of the law are either wrong, dependent on the true facts or subject to conditions and many exceptions.

I’m not a lawyer, but I have a law degree, just to protect my rights, and I know what I’m talking about. When my daughter was entering law school 4 years ago, she and I made a tour of the school shortly after final exams. Written on the blackboard was these words: “We’ve got our degrees, now go for the money”. Lawyers protect the people who hire and pay them. Taxpayers are the real clients and you have a right to view every single lawyer invoice. BOE lawyer Hartley, twisted his opinion of the attorney-client privilege to favor secret government. FIRE HIM!

Submitted by manofwar on Sun, 09/07/2008 - 9:31am.

Is it dying off?

Any white that has worked his/her way up through the ranks having little more than a High School diploma has become known as the white “Blue Collar Worker”. When a realization of knowing less, while minutely understanding words being stated by a person of color is threatening, it also makes one feel unstable and causes panic. Especially, when the words are of eloquence and enunciated correctly.

Relying on personal hubris and what you have been taught, many swear by and stick with the rankers their parents drilled into them (Blacks Hispanics and People of color are inferior). The given has always been that these people are animal like and there is NO possible way they will ever be of vital importance or have any substance! When this has been a staple in your life you become dismayed when you find out this is not true.

Convenient crutches have become the norm; Stereotypes & Hyperbole are the conversation and text of this group. You cannot have a conversation based on issues and substantive facts because the whole group in any circle will result to a mantra of stereotypical chants interruption and hyperbole!

Actual Issue # 1 people are losing their homes, jobs, war.
Bias change the issue into they do not work they are lazy, on welfare. Send criminals to war.

Their vocabulary consists of ‘grouping’ words used to demean thugs, hip hop, 9th ward, illegitimate, out of wedlock, welfare, food stamps, Katrina, baby mama, etc.

While younger educated people are less likely to hold these biases older educated folks also do not rely on such inadequate information. Knowledge the voice of reason is creeping in the fewer illiterate people in positions of power makes it less likely hyperbole & stereotypical bias can prevail much longer. Most are educated enough and tired of the ignorant rants. It seems to be dying!

NUK_1's picture
Submitted by NUK_1 on Sun, 09/07/2008 - 10:42am.

We got the point the first time with your cut-and-paste bit and don't need it in every discussion.


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