Exporting jobs

I want to bring to light the TPP (TransPacific Partnership), a job give-away bill that has still managed to stay alive. It wants to open access to our American court system to foreign companies or countries who basically want to garner a better deal at the expense of the average citizen, consumer and taxpayer.

NAFTA and the WTO have already caused the loss of millions of American jobs either directly or indirectly by making it easier for companies to take their manufacturing to Mexico for cheaper labor. It has succeeded in taking good textile and auto manufacturing jobs across our border to enrich wealthy companies but not the average American worker.

This TPP agreement will only widen the gap that NAFTA and WTO have left over the years. I wish I could say that it has died but it remains alive. President Obama wants to ramrod it through to give himself and foreign companies access to our courts in a very secretive manner without due process.

I urge everybody to contact their congressman as well as people in the press to make their concerns known.

Better way

I truly hope the people of Muscogee County will vote Yes to Thaw the Freeze. I feel so strongly about this that, for the first time ever, I’m submitting a Letter to the Editor. Some people think this “thaw” will hurt individuals and help corporations. Actually, it will be most beneficial for individuals.

What do we, as individuals, want in our towns? Jobs, a nice house or apartment, good schools, and convenient transportation.

Jobs: Right now, some businesses are going to other counties because Muscogee’s property taxes are so high.

Housing: You might think this has nothing to do with you if you rent, but that’s not true. If the property owner is paying higher-than-reasonable property taxes (which they probably are), you’re paying for it in your rent. If you want to buy a house, you will be paying very high property taxes because you’re making up for the people who have frozen taxes that are much lower.

Schools & transportation: The county needs a certain amount of money to provide these things well. Everyone not covered by the freeze is paying disproportionately more for city services.

Under the current Freeze system, 5,153 homeowners pay $0 in property taxes, regardless of their age or income. Another 3,961 pay between $.01 – $100. In all, 61% of property owners (21,306 owners) pay less than $500 a year.

All of these people will get to keep their property taxes at these super-low rates. What changes is that everyone will get a more efficient tax system for a better community — if you vote Yes. That will help individuals in Muscogee County now and for decades to come.

Financial protection

Here we are at it again. The property tax freeze is a wonderful law that was given to the citizens of Columbus about 35 years ago.

I bought my little house 16 years ago and the property tax freeze played a major role in my decision to purchase my home.

If you purchase a home and you plan to stay in that home, you will start seeing the benefits of the property tax freeze in about 10 years, and definitely in about 30 years. Especially if you are a young married couple and both of you are working, the property tax freeze could be your second biggest retirement plan; the first, of course, would be your savings.

If you are 25 years old and you are looking for a home you are probably planning to have the house paid off in 30 years. The other good news is, under the property tax freeze your taxes will be the same as when you were 25 years old. Even if you have $10 million, why would anyone want to pay more taxes?

When you die and someone else becomes the new owners of your home, then they go under the tax freeze and began the journey to lower property taxes.

I will vote no to the trick question, and I hope everyone votes no. If you purchase your home next door to someone who has lived in their home for 30 years, then your next-door neighbor will have a lower tax bill, but in 30 years you will have the lower tax bill. And all of this couldn’t happen at a better time … retirement time.

Inspiring event

I attended a concert at the RiverCenter by "The President's Own" United States Marine Band. As a former member of that band from 1968 to 1972 I was filled with pride. The concert was spectacular. There is no better concert band than this anywhere in the world, with its traditions tracing back to an act of Congress in 1798 when the band was established.

From my vantage point I couldn't see to the top balcony, but the place seemed to be packed. It's just a shame that seating was limited by the capacity of the Bill Heard Theater because I'm sure many more people would have enjoyed the performance. There were some notables there, including the commanding officer of Marine Barracks in Washington D.C., the oldest post in the Corps, and the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, who both flew in just for this performance.

Columbus should be proud that the RiverCenter sponsored this concert. For me the highlight was the last piece played, a salute to the armed forces which featured all the songs of the branches of our armed forces — Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Marines. It was almost overwhelming seeing all the veterans standing when their song was played, and I stood proudly when the Marines' Hymn was played. Thanks to all of you for your service!

Great support

Thank you, Chattahoochee Valley, for your participation in the Annual Sickle Cell Walk/Parade and for your support throughout our Fall Campaign season! We had more than 500 walkers and volunteers this year and participants in the “Adopt a Blood Donor Center” blood drive at the American Red Cross Donor Center. We raised over $8,000.00 for sickle cell clients in this area.

We really appreciate and thank Fourth Street Baptist Church and Reverend J.H. Flakes, III, Fourth Street Baptist Church Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, School Board member Pat Hugley Green, Congressman Sanford Bishop’s field representative Elaine Gillispie, Sheriff John Darr and officers of the department, NAACP national board member Edward DuBose, Columbus Police Department, Kendrick High School cheerleaders, students and Principal Dr. Alonzo James , G.W. Carver High School students, the Masons and Eastern Star organizations and all volunteers who made this event possible.

We extend an exceptional thank you to our corporate sponsors, whose assistance was invaluable: Aflac, The Coca-Cola Company, The Courier Eco Latino Newspaper, American Red Cross, Columbus Times Newspaper and Greater Columbus Business and Professional Women’s Club.

Many thanks to our vendors: Lab Corp Unit for providing sickle cell testing, WellCare, Right from the Start Medicaid (RSM) Outreach and other vendors who provided food and refreshment.

Thank you, Mayor Teresa Tomlinson and the City Council for proclaiming September as Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month in our city and to all local media outlets for excellent coverage of the Walk/Parade event.

The Association of Sickle Cell, LCR provides assistance in education, physical, emotional and financial health for sickle cell families. For more information, call (706) 566-6329.

You have a choice

As an attorney in Muscogee County, I'm very concerned about the race for Clerk of Superior Court.

Ann Hardman was asked by local Democrats to run against Linda Pierce in the Democratic primary, no doubt in retribution for the lawsuit Pierce filed against the city. Hardman, the only candidate on the ballot, has no legal education or experience that would enable her to do the job. She is a minister with large churches in Columbus and Asheville. Local members make up a principal part of her constituency.

The Clerk of Superior Court is a highly paid position with a current salary of about $133,000. By her own admission, Ann Hardman intends to do this as a side job with primary focus on her ministry. Such an intention on the part of a potential Clerk of Court can have only one consequence: To degrade the efficiency of the system, processes, record keeping, and procedures. This result could cost the taxpayers millions.

Mike Garner, a well-known local attorney, is running as a write-in candidate. As a long-standing practicing attorney in the local Superior Court, Mike Garner is eminently qualified to run the court system in this county. But you must write Mike Garner in. It’s easy to do on the ballot.

I have not seen much in the paper about this race. For the sake of everyone connected with the court system, local attorneys who practice in the local Superior Court, and all who depend on the integrity of the Superior Court record system, write in Mike Garner for Superior Court Clerk.

No letters relating to the Nov. 8 election will be published after Friday, Nov. 4. Depending on volume, it is possible we might not be able to publish some letters received earlier. We will make every effort to publish letters received in time for the Friday deadline.

This story was originally published October 27, 2016 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Exporting jobs."