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The Lowndes County Trash Permit has only been around for two years, so how is it to blame for all of the illegal dumping that is and has been going on for decades?
People in this community are dirty. So are a great many people in other communities. Snide remarks like “this will give the prisoners something to do” while they toss a bag of trash out of a car window go a long way towards showing the mentality of those who don’t value much of anything.
And it’s not just in the county. City dwellers are just as guilty, particularly when it comes to bulk items such as sofas, refrigerators, washers and dryers. The city imposes an extra fee to come do a special pickup, but how likely are folks to actually pay it when they can just as easily go to a quiet road and push it off the back of the truck and leave. No cost for that at all, unless they get caught, which is apparently extremely rare.
The glitter signs are nice, but until the enforcement is there and unless the city and county can come up with ways to encourage people to dump their trash legally at a low cost, the problem isn’t going away. So what is a community to do? Well, for starters, punish the dumpers, but most of all, we all need an education as to why litter and trash don’t belong on the roadways. Do a once a year amnesty day for those who need to get rid of bulk items but can’t afford, or won’t, pay for it. Maybe the county can sell a permit that will allow a one time dumping for someone who has curbside service but just needs to get rid of bulk items.
It shouldn’t be this difficult to get people to clean up their trash. Maybe if the prisoners stopped picking it up and it was allowed to accumulate, citizens might learn then why it’s such a big deal.
What We Think
Don’t blame the fee
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Leaving NCLB behind
Georgia schools may be sighing in relief today, following the announcement that the U.S. Department of Education granted a waiver to the state, along with nine others, from the rigorous requirements of the No Child Left Behind act.
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Don’t jettison landmark
While we respect the request to relocate the F-86 aircraft from outside Mathis City Auditorium to the new Moody Air Force Base Airpark, we would hope the city and MAFB would reconsider moving it.
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Shame in Berrien County
Unfortunately for Sherrie Williams of the Berrien County school-based health clinic, she talked to The Times and praised the program that she oversees. This pride in her work led to the loss of her job.
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Grading policy: A second chance?
In clarifying the Lowndes County Schools’ controversial grading policy, Superintendent Dr. Steve Smith spoke of second chances.
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Be up to any weather challenge
Georgia’s Severe Weather Awareness Week starts today and runs through Friday. The idea behind the week is to prepare Georgians for weather emergencies and how to keep these situations from becoming tragedies.
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Parents and schools
There is a lot of talk lately about school systems and grading policies, and how all of a child's problems come back to a lack of parenting. But is it really that simple? Can it be a case where the school systems are so focused on the problem few that the majority of students are ignored?
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Thumbs up, thumbs down
THUMBS UP: To Brooks County High School engineering and technology teacher Don Morgan and his students. They recently received national attention for their work with biodiesel fuel. They collect used cooking oil from area fast-food restaurants then process this oil into biodiesel. Morgan hopes to next interest the Brooks County school buses into running on the fuel created in his class. This classroom not only prepares students for the future but may prepare all of us for an alternative energy source.
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Take me out to the ball park
The Valdosta State baseball season begins today. The Blazers host Lindenwood at 2:30 p.m. Nothing beats quality baseball played in warm weather with a great venue like Billy Grant Field.
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What We Think: Signing Day
Wednesday was National Signing Day, the day when high school athletes across the country make official announcements about what school they’ve chosen to sign with.
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School policy fails expectations
Lowndes County Schools recently implemented new grading guidelines for students. These guidelines have left many parents upset ...
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Leaving NCLB behind
