EDITORIAL: The political culture is the real problem

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EDITORIAL: The political culture is the real problem

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Staff Writer

in Editorial Archives

Friday, March 26. 2010

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The Barrow County Board of Commissioners has again censured chairman Danny Yearwood. This time, it was because the chairman has refused to attend an anger management class as directed by the board following the Archer report.

But does anyone really believe attending a class would make a difference?

While Yearwood has been the focus of much controversy over the last year, he isn’t the biggest problem. The larger issue in Barrow County is the growth of a dysfunctional political culture at multiple levels. Petty personality clashes, family feuds and institutional jealousies are all far more destructive to the county than any one individual.

Because of the ugly political tone those things have created, people who are truly qualified to hold public office don’t dare step forward. Who can blame them?

But until more qualified people offer themselves for public office and change the county’s political tone, these problems will persist.

The controversy surrounding Mr. Yearwood is just a symptom of a much bigger issue, one that won’t be fixed until good people step forward to make a difference.

The rise of American Socalism

We have figured out who the winners are in the ObamaCare fiasco — not patients, not doctors, not insurance firms.

It’s accountants and lawyers, an army of which will be necessary to figure out the extreme complexity ObamaCare has created.

It’s government bureaucracy at its worst. Small businesses will have to spend thousands of dollars to pay accountants and lawyers to interpret the new rules. That will be on top of additional fees and taxes and mandates the plan itself will create.

The result will be an unintended consequence of ObamaCare: Businesses will enact layoffs to trim their costs, further eroding the job market.

ObamaCare is less about health care than it is about using big government to redistribute income and wealth in the nation. That will, over time, depress the American economy, curtail entrepreneurship and take away incentives for efficiency.

Welcome to the beginning of American Socialism.

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#1 Me nombre es anónimo on 03/26/10 at 08:14 AM [Reply]

I'm not sure why you had to take a stab at "The rise of American Socalism" in an editorial unrelated to national politics, but here goes.
----------------------------------

Beginning? We've had elements of socialism for a long time.

Socialism and capitalism have to balance each other no matter which is dominant, or either would run out of control and destroy the nation built on it.

"Obamacare" is the best balance we're going to get until corporate interests loosen their grip on this subject. That only happens when the bill of the moment becomes law and is seen to help people, and is later strengthened.

That's how it has happened with other policies against which the same claims of "socialist takeover" were made (civil rights, medicare, and pretty much any legislation that gives some group a chance to thrive).

#1.1 Nicole on 03/26/10 at 02:48 PM [Reply]

Thank you!

#2 Joe Christmas on 03/26/10 at 04:36 PM [Reply]

Matthew 25 verse 45. It's a good thing Jesus didn't come in this day or time I guess Kristi and her right wing group would label him a socialist.

#2.1 Me nombre es anónimo on 03/26/10 at 05:45 PM [Reply]

Right wingers seem to worship Reagan more than Jesus nowadays.

#3 Truth Seeker on 03/26/10 at 07:20 PM [Reply]

I must say I am disappointed in Chris Bridges for this editorial. He claims not to be a right winger but then you see something like this. I want local editorials in my hometown paper, not something that was repeated off Fox News, which Bridges claims to say is not a fair source of information. What gives here?

#4 anonymous on 03/27/10 at 12:45 AM [Reply]

Just give me back the days of winners and losers. Many of us made our life choices on the winner or loser strategy. Soon all the losers will be taken care of by the government while the winners pay more taxes.... that is redistribution of wealth ---some would call it Socialism while others call it Marxism.

#4.1 Me nombre es anónimo on 03/27/10 at 08:21 AM [Reply]

And others would call it a capitalistic society that wisely deals with the negative externalities of capitalism.

#5 The sad part is .... on 03/27/10 at 08:39 AM [Reply]

NAFTA was the start of socialist.

When we allowed manufacturing to be exported to other countries, we fast became a nation with a dwindling power base.

Socialist is just the next step in the economic food chain.

Is capitalism becoming socialism or
Is socialize becoming capitalism?

For example: The CEO of Mattel ran over to China to apologize for Americans complaining about China's lead tainted toys.

The goal of the corporate world is to minimize the individual;

The goal of socialize is to minimize the individual.

Both look at the individual as a resource that can be switch without regard to their innovation, perseverance, or ability to adapt to unforeseen situations; After all there are 100,000 more at the gate to pull from. Why do they need to value anyone - not in the ruling class.

#5.1 Me nombre es anónimo on 03/27/10 at 09:09 AM [Reply]

An ideal economic situation is one where every individual has the same chance to be the person who owns the crank that turns the cogs.

#5.1.1 Wheels on 03/28/10 at 04:37 PM [Reply]

Everone comes to this life with the same as anyone else, it is what a person does with their life, that will tell if they ever get to turn the crank.

You could grab up all the monies in the world and divide it out equal, and within 5 to 10 years, with a few exception, the ones who had the monies before the grabup would have it back again. People are just different, in how they do things.

#5.1.1.1 Me nombre es anónimo on 03/28/10 at 10:07 PM [Reply]

"Everone comes to this life with the same as anyone else,"

I think you took the wrong wormhole. You describe a different world from the one you presently inhabit.

#5.1.1.1.1 Wheels on 03/31/10 at 04:22 PM [Reply]

Not a chance, in my world the sky is blue, not like the gray colored sky you seam to always be living under.

#5.1.1.1.1.1 Me nombre es anónimo on 03/31/10 at 05:40 PM [Reply]

That doesn't even make sense.

#5.1.1.1.1.1.1 Wheels on 04/01/10 at 04:26 PM [Reply]

About as much sense as taking the wrong wormhole.

Everything you ever write is negative, it must be tuff looking thru gray colored glasses all the time.

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