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Amendments on the Georgia Ballot

Amendments on the Georgia Ballot

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In Georgia, it is always an especially wise thing to do to pay close attention to the other items on the ballot. Don’t ever be fooled by the wording, but dig into what it really means. If you know anything about state and local government here, you know enough to err on the side of caution. Here are my thoughts on the proposed amendments for this go-round.

Amendment 1 To Encourage The Preservation Of Georgia’s Forests Through A Conservation Use Property Tax Reduction Program.
Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the General Assembly by general law shall encourage the preservation, conservation, and protection of the state’s forests through the special assessment and taxation of certain forest lands and assistance grants to local government?

This is about whether Georgia can give tax breaks to those who own 200+ acres of undeveloped land. To grab the tax benefit, they have to keep the land undeveloped for 15 years. The state agrees to reimburse local governments for any lost tax revenue. My thoughts on this are mixed. I can see problems and advantages.

I’m worried that it’s really specific to the big landowners like Georgia Pacific, who would hold the forest lands in 15-year rotation, take the benefit, then clear the forest anyway. This would pay for them to do it. Note: “Ensures availability of timber to continue to fuel Georgia’s traditional forest industry as well as emerging markets such as bioenergy.”

The Georgia School Boards Association opposes it because they are worried that the Legislature will back off its commitment to help when the state budget is tight.

If it’s a matter of trust, I’d have to vote no. Things are pretty corrupt. But it’s possible that it could protect some land for at least a little while longer. If I had any real feeling that it would be closely monitored, I’d give it a cautious yes.

I’m undecided.

Amendment 2 To Authorize Local School Districts To Use Tax Funds For Community Redevelopment Purposes.
Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize community redevelopment and authorize counties, municipalities, and local boards of education to use tax funds for redevelopment purposes and programs?

This is about TADs (or tax allocation districts), which would freeze the amount of property tax revenues collected, and direct revenues generated by rising property values into a fund used to pay for redevelopment projects. First of all, take a look around. This is moot. There is no fund from rising property values.

More importantly, this would permit special property taxes, including school taxes, to fund redevelopment. Translation: Use education money to benefit developers.

The Georgia Supreme Court ruled that Tax Allocation Districts were unconstitutional because they used educational funds for purposes other than education. Exactly right. This amendment would negate that. Boooo!

If developers cannot get market financing, and local governments refuse to issue general revenue bonds, then why should educational monies be used? Beyond all the obvious arguments, it seems to be that an inability to get funding for profit-development probably signals a problem with the project.

This is a no-brainer for me. No thank you. The PTA provides a big chunk of support for the school my son attends, and developers are already in a very privileged position in Georgia. I also don’t like the idea – in times like these – of government borrowings that depend on future property tax growth from an area under any kind of risky redevelopment.

Some have said that it’s the only way to get funding for things like the Atlanta Beltline project and some kind of reasonable public transit system. Bah! As far as I can tell, they just stole the I-400 toll money to build Atlantic Station, and the Olympics gave us numerous examples of where this kind of thing can go. Living here has made me very suspicious of developers. Now they want to involve school districts?

I vote no. No. NO.

Amendment 3 To Authorize The Creation Of Special Infrastructure Development Districts Providing Infrastructure To Underserved Areas.
Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize the General Assembly to provide by general law for the creation and comprehensive regulation of infrastructure development districts for the provision of infrastructure as authorized by local governments?

“Infrastructure Development Districts” – IDDs are described as a “new economic tool,” and it sounds like it comes from the same people who dreamed up “tax allocation districts.” This alone is enough to make one pause. What you can’t tell from this wording is that what it’s all about is allowing local governments to to use bonds and private companies to pay for the construction and maintenance of new roads, sewers, schools or other infrastructure through bonds and private companies.

This would also allow developers to charge residents a fee/tax to pay for their infrastructure costs (sewers, bridges, water lines, roads). There is no real government oversight provision here, although there is a residential tax. My own feeling is that developers should pay for those things themselves if they don’t qualify for county/city/federal funding. They already charge residents enough, and I don’t like the idea of private taxation on top of all the other fees and expenses involved. This ends up being a form of double taxation, and there isn’t really anyone from the private side who can be held accountable to voters.

Although this is touted as a way to get funding for areas of Georgia that find funding challenging, I’ve been watching the development of neighborhoods that become little cities of their own and it hasn’t been a very good trend in terms of their tendency to privatize gain and socialize risk. There is little to no oversight, and I’ve seen some glaring conflict of interest problems. It also encourages what is already a serious problem with sprawl, and grants governmental powers to private entities.

I vote no.

Oh, and if somehow the Sunday alcohol sale issue gets to the ballot, I will vote to allow liquor sales on Sunday. Georgia is one of only three holdout states on this issue.

If you have counter-arguments, let’s hear them before Election Day.

A Poem in Memory of Bob Detweiler

A Poem in Memory of Bob Detweiler

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The ILA (Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts at Emory University) has offered to honor Bob Detweiler by permanently naming one of their seminar rooms after him. Donations may be sent to:

Emory University
In memory of Dr. Robert Detweiler
Attn:
Jeffrey Prince
Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations for Emory College
Arts & Sciences Development
825 Houston Mill Road, Ste. 102
jprince @ emory.edu
404-727-4494 (Office)
404-217-2778 (Cell)
404-727-1805 (Fax)

The Emory Report will also have an article on Bob in the coming week’s issue.

I’ll be delivering the poem below at the memorial service in the morning. When I’ve had more time to process all of this a little more I hope to write another, but I hope that this will serve the purposes of the occasion.

Nexus

In Memory of Bob Detweiler

We gathered here today as one
Make an unlikely flock,
So here is just a simple rhyme
To honor our good doc.

A teacher he, who greeted us,
And beckoned from the door,
And for each question that was asked
Presented us four more.

Some Jupiter in him – and Pan –
A touch of Socrates,
St. Nikolas for splintered ones
To put each mind at ease.

Grandfather to my Adelheid,
The alpine horn he blew.
(He had some running joke – I think –
With every friend he knew).

Imagination disciplined
Is what he taught us best –
To wrestle with the text unique
To BE THERE was the rest –

And maybe most in stories full
Of shaming, war and pain,
The book shows more than it can know –
Complexity constrained.

To find – in flesh becoming word –
A testimony true,
Behind the fiction, structures live
Transforming me and you.

When each of us recalls that sense
At other vineyards found,
We fire – like the synapse jumps –
New paths and meanings ground.

Extraordinary gift it is
When such a man as this
Combines the voices that he knows
As nexus of the mix.

For bare survival’s not enough
There should be celebration,
And dignity – respect and grace –
An artful life – affection.

Good company he was to us
To read – religiously,
Where it was safe to share our souls –
Write better ways to be.

No heart have I for coiled abyss –
No crafted emptiness
Wrapped up in ghostly metaphors
– And echoes of the rest.

If like the birds now – each to each –
We cry so differently,
We still take comfort – back and forth –
through our sweet liturgies.

Your work is done (… say “Hi” to Donne).
I miss your twinkly eye.
I thank you for the chance to talk …
Good-bye – dear friend, good-bye.

Bob Detweiler’s Obituary in the AJC

Bob Detweiler’s Obituary in the AJC

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I got the notice of Bob Detweiler’s obituary just as I finished the first draft of the poem I’m going to read at the memorial service on Saturday morning. Yes, he treated each one of us as a peer, and brought out every speck of brilliance and humor that we had in us. The twinkly eyes seem to have been appreciated by all.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND
Robert Detweiler, 76, treated students as his peers

By KIRSTEN TAGAMI

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friday, September 05, 2008

Dr. Robert Detweiler was a dedicated scholar but he didn’t take himself too seriously. The former Emory University professor often attended his graduate students’ parties, and he loved telling jokes.

“He just had a merry twinkle in his eye. He took life in general with a certain amount of humor and detachment. He had a genuine warmth for other people,” said Dr. Robert Paul of Atlanta, dean of Emory College.

Dr. Robert Detweiler spent six years in postwar Germany helping refugee families.
Dr. Robert Detweiler spent six years in postwar Germany helping refugee families.

“He struck you as a kidder, but he worked very hard. He had a very strong record of academic publications,” said Dr. Paul, who was his colleague in the 1980s.

Dr. Detweiler, who taught comparative literature, served as the director of the Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts at Emory from 1973 to 1982.

He became nationally recognized for his insights in the areas of religion and literature, as well as his work on authors John Updike and Saul Bellow.

His books include, “Breaking the Fall: Religious Readings of Contemporary Fiction” in 1987 and “Uncivil Rites: American Fiction, Religion, and the Public Sphere” in 1996.

Dr. Detweiler became a lifelong mentor to many of his students, guiding them in their search for jobs after graduation, said Harriette Grissom of Asheville, N.C., a former student.

“He wasn’t paternalistic about it. He always treated you as a peer, not a student,” she said.

Dr. Detweiler was born in Souderton, Pa., and was reared as a Mennonite. He earned a divinity degree from Goshen College, and after college traveled to Germany on a church-sponsored relief project to assist in the post-war rebuilding of the country. He stayed six years, helping build homes for refugee families and counseling students who had lost their families.

Former student Gary Tapp said that experience helped shape Dr. Detweiler’s outlook.

“We knew he had been through a lot in Germany. It enabled him to not take the small trials and tribulations of university life too seriously,” said Mr. Tapp, of Atlanta.

Dr. Detweiler met his wife, Gertrude Detweiler, in Germany. Although he left the Mennonite faith as an adult, he remained strongly influenced by his upbringing and enjoyed listening to Mennonite hymns.

His experiences in Germany and in his advanced studies “opened his mind but didn’t stop him from being a deeply theological thinker,” said Dr. Paul. “From his Mennonite background, he retained a communal spirit and the feeling of the sacredness of life.”

Dr. Detweiler, 76, formerly of Atlanta, died Sunday at his St. Simons Island residence after a series of strokes, his wife said.

The body was cremated. Cremation Society of the South is in charge of arrangements.

The memorial service will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at Emory University’s Canon Chapel.

Survivors other than his wife include a daughter, Bettina Detweiler of Atlanta; a son, Dirk Detweiler of Aspen, Colo.; and four grandchildren.

Memorial for Robert Detweiler

Memorial for Robert Detweiler

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There will be a memorial service for Bob Detweiler at the Cannon Chapel (directions) at Emory University in Atlanta, GA on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 10:00 a.m.

Mark Ledbetter will conduct the service.

Friends of Bob Detweiler, please pass it on.

An obituary was submitted to the AJC today with this information.

I didn’t know that his middle name was “Clemmer.”

ROBERT CLEMMER DETWEILER, 76, of St. Simons Island died Sunday. The body will be cremated. Memorial service plans will be announced; Cremation Society of the South, Marietta.

Calm Down: Woodfire Grill

Calm Down: Woodfire Grill

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On Friday night, Ben had a sleepover planned and so we drove him over there and spent a little time with the adults. We’ve all been friends for about seven years now, and it’s always great to see them, but they have moved and it’s kind of a pain to get to their house. To avoid the northeast perimeter during rush hour(s), we take a back way over Windsor Parkway to Roswell Road. It’s not actually a parkway, but rather a small winding road chock-full of mcmansions and real mansions, too. Smack dab in the middle of all this there is a wee church, and the sign caught my eye (as church signs sometimes do). I’m not sure what the internal interpretation of the message might be at the church in question, but it was just the right message for me at the time:


Calm down, I'm already here

So I unclenched my jaw and started to relax.

We went out to dinner at one of our favorite places, Woodfire Grill. We got there early enough to get a table right away.

Our waiter was a new transplant from North Dakota, here in Atlanta because of his beloved girlfriend who came to get an MA in Philosophy from Georgia State. He was absolutely charming, down to the sideburns and the groovy glasses. He answered all of our questions and, after some consultation with the chef, provided more detailed answers on a couple of items such as the origin of the littleneck clams (which sounded like closer cousins to the less edible kinds of quahogs than the soft and succulent steamers of my dreams. Anyway, the littlenecks were from the Carolinas somewhere – not for this New England gal, thank you!).

The bread basket had an assortment of soft fragrant breads, all from loaves baked on the premises. They have the best bread by far in Atlanta, and I have to remember to come back and buy some from the cafe.

Many of the menu items are from local food sources, and more of it is organic than not. It does make a difference.

There was a small taster, and then we ordered a range of “small plates” to share:

  • Marinated red ace beets, sotto cenere cheese, organic truffle oil, micro celery
  • Pan roasted sonoma artisan duck breast, chanterelle mushrooms, delicata squash, crushed pistachio, duck jus
  • Pizzetta: house made fennel sausage, roasted peppers, san marzano tomato, fontina, parmigiano
  • Their menu changes weekly, and the scallops we had are no longer on the menu. There were only a couple of them (read “two”) and I couldn’t tell you what else was on the plate, but it was yummy.

We savored every little bit. I don’t even like beets, but these were fantastic. To me, that’s the ultimate compliment to a chef – that he or she makes such a delectable dish that you enjoy food that you normally avoid.


John at Woodfire Heidi at Woodfire

To accompany the meal, we shared a bottle of Yering Station Pinot Noir, a very pleasant and balanced wine with a hint of cherry. It went perfectly with everything, even the scallops.

When one is fortunate enough to enjoy such a meal, happiness can be the only result (cf. Babette’s Feast). At least, that’s the case for me. Unfortunately, I observed another couple for whom that was clearly not the case. They spoke not one word to one another throughout the whole meal, and they both had that look of frigid annoyance that sends off waves of tension. I finally managed to block them out – by the third bite or so (grin).

By this time, I was in my sensual enjoyment state, which semi-automatically means that I felt a desire to step out for a cigarette. It had been several hours since my last one, and I was starting to feel the effects. I’m cutting down, but I’m not yet done with it. I asked the valet where smoking was still permitted, and he pointed me to a nearby bench. We conversed for a few minutes, and I guess I’m now to report back in one month on my progress on quitting.

Eventually, the new owner came over to the table to speak with us. We raved in praise of the food and the ambiance and the service. We weren’t kidding, either. The meal was divine in every respect. He must have enjoyed our descriptive prose, because he comp’ted us the dessert, a very small piece of dense chocolate cake, served with a bit of ice cream (We substituted vanilla for the caramel alternative). Mmm… a perfect ending.

Blog Quizzes

Blog Quizzes

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It’s been a while since I did some of these. Just as fun – and a bit inaccurate – as always.


You See the World Through Blue Colored Glasses


You live your life with tranquility. You have faith that things will work themselves out with time.
You judge all your interactions through the lens of hope. You try to get all the facts before forming your opinion.

You face challenges with wisdom. You know that all bad things pass, and you have the confidence to see problems through.
You see love as the utmost expression of trust. Your relationships tend to be peaceful and stable.

At your worst, you can be cool, melancholy, and detached. You sometimes have to step back from emotionally charged situations.
You are at your happiest when you are able to reflect and relax.

If you really want a treat, get yourself some rose-colored glasses. The world really does look better. My current sunglasses are amber. My old rose mirrorshades are too scratched up to wear anymore, and I haven’t found a new pair that was the right color and the right price…


You Are 40% Extrovert, 60% Introvert


You’re a bit outgoing, a bit reserved
Like most people, you enjoy being social
But you also value the time you have alone
You have struck a good balance!

Hmmm… that actually seems about right. I’m not sure that it’s so much a balance as a situational flexibility. The extroverted side feels a bit less natural to me – a little over-energetic – and I can’t sustain it over long periods of time. I sink into a very comfortable groove when I’m alone – daydreaming, reading, listening to music, writing, observing, thinking, questioning… That’s my center.


Never Date a Virgo


Demanding, picky, and a total perfectionist – there’s no way you want to live up to Virgo’s standards.
It’s not that you couldn’t please a Virgo… you would just hate yourself for doing it.

Instead try dating: Libra, Leo, Aquarius, or Aries

So noted (My husband is a Libra).

Where's your dream home?
Mountains

You might like to live in the mountains! With the cooler temperatures, and nature all around you.

Absolutely! But as long as we’re fantasizing about that, I’d also want some sort of personal flyer or hovercraft. Driving on mountain roads can get to be a bit tedious after a while.


You Are Not Destined to Rule the World


You are destined for something else…
Like inventing a new type of cupcake.
You just don’t have the stomach for brutality.
But watch out – because many people do!

Not destined to rule the world? Darn. Because I’m not brutal enough? And here I was thinking that it was the lack of meekness thing.


You Are A Lily


You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist.
People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you.
You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words.
Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.

Nurturer? I’m not liking the way this is going. First cupcake inventress, now this. It’s true that I’m very good to have around in a crisis, but I don’t really think that “soothing” is the first adjective that would come to mind…

So here are some about how the various places I’ve lived might continue to have an influence – or not:


You Are 52% Massachusetts


You’re likely a Massachusetts transplant. Big rotaries still scare you, and you probably live outside of 495.

Yes. Big rotaries scare me, but being born in Massachusetts and living there for more than 20 years didn’t change that. And yes, I think every place I ever lived was outside 495.

You have 43% Iowa in you!

 

Hey, not bad. You enjoy a little bit of the rural life. Next time you’re in the midwest check Iowa out. It’s not so bad.

Do you have Iowa in you?
Take More Quizzes

Iowa City wasn’t really so much about the rural life. The quiz didn’t even ask about the Amana Colonies! The best question was about the festival that is held in Pella; I was really, really tempted to select “Window” festival…

How French are You?

You got 127 points. You’ve finally lived long enough in France for other people to notice your existence!

Sure, NOW! Actually, I would move to Paris in a heartbeat if I could make a living there. I miss it.


You Are 32% California


You’re not from California – don’t try to game this quiz!

Ok, I’m not really sure that a summer near UCLA really counts… but it was fun.

HOW GEORGIA ARE YOU?

Your Result: IMMIGRATE
 

YOU MOVED TO GEORGIA FROM SOME OTHER PLACE. YOU SEEM TO HAVE SOME INTERSEST IN THE STATE AND HAVE TRIED TO UNDERSTAND OUR HERITAGE AND HISTORY. ALTHOUGH YOUR NOT BORN AND BRED, U HAVE SOME PRIDE.
BORN AND BRED
 
DAMN YANKEE!
 
HOW GEORGIA ARE YOU?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I’ve been here in Georgia since 1992. Most Georgians still place me in the “damn Yankee” category, but Atlanta is a little bit different. There are people from all over the world living in Atlanta. I’ve tried to understand the heritage and history, but I would have to say “not really” on the pride. The weather is great, and I’ve met some wonderful people here, but it’s a tough place for me to live in many ways.


You Are Pinot Noir


Sophisticated and worldly, you probably know more about wine than most drinkers.
You have great taste, and you approach all aspects of life with a gourmet attitude.
You believe that the little things in life should be cherished and enjoyed… and of the best quality possible.
And while you may take more time to eat a meal or tour a city, it’s always time well spent.

Deep down you are: A seductive charmer

Your partying style: Refined. And you would never call it “partying”

Your company is enjoyed best with: Stinky expensive cheese

Stinky expensive cheese? Gah!


Your Famous Last Words Will Be:


“What we know is not much. What we don’t know is enormous.”