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‘Drugstores on every corner’ contribute to ‘drug problem’
To the Editor:
I think it’s sad to see another “drugstore” strategically placed in town (Eckerd drugstore on the corner of Main Street and Business 23).
Many people think of it as a great opportunity for jobs, tax revenue, growth and prosperity, but I think it is another opportunity for people to access drugs rather than age-old remedies of relying on God and natural healing.
To me, it’s no wonder there’s a “drug problem” in America, with a drugstore on every street corner.
Ken Lee
Sylva
Jackson officials misrepresented solid waste figures
To the Editor:
I would like to respond to several comments in the Sylva Herald made by Jackson County Manager Ken Westmoreland and County Commissioners’ Chairman Stacy Buchanan regarding the Macon/Jackson Mutual Solid Waste Agreement.
Let me begin my comments by saying that both counties have a large task in front of them in resolving Jackson’s termination of the agreement and in protecting each county’s solid waste programs in the future.
Making misleading and rancorous comments to the press can only serve to undermine this already difficult process that is only just beginning. I do not seek to involve Macon County or myself in this sort of activity, but feel compelled to clarify some statements made by Jackson County. Therefore, in my comments, I am not addressing anything contained in the agreement or in HDR engineering firm’s report.
First, the bale facility in Macon County is still in operation, as are all of our solid waste programs. Unfortunately, due to the termination of the agreement, we may not be able to sustain our current service level indefinitely, but no final decisions on cuts have been made at this time.
Second, Jackson presents the $21.50-per-ton tipping fee in Georgia as directly comparable to the $43 tipping fee in Macon. They seem to be presenting these figures as evidence that Macon has been overcharging Jackson for waste disposal, but in reality these numbers are apples and oranges and bear no correlation. The tipping fee in Macon is higher largely due to debt service and economy of scale, meaning that it is cheaper to operate a large regional landfill that imports large quantities of waste than it is to operate a small landfill with fewer tons per year to lower the per-unit cost.
Further, the numbers are not comparable because the $43 in Macon represents the full cost of disposal to Jackson County. The $21.50-per-ton fee does not include the approximately $15-per-ton transport fee to haul the waste to Georgia, nor does it include the increased costs of expanded operations at the transfer station in Jackson. In fact, the tipping fee at the Jackson transfer station was $45-per-ton this year. Therefore, the net result to citizens and commercial enterprises utilizing the transfer station in Jackson was to pay $2-per-ton more than they would have in Macon.
Finally, HDR, the firm hired to evaluate the termination of the agreement, was selected, agreed upon and commissioned by both counties as a required process of agreement termination. It appears now that Jackson feels that HDR findings are unacceptable and is hiring another consulting firm to evaluate the evaluation. This action can only serve to further delay resolution of the agreement termination and bring more ill feelings to future negotiations.
It is time for both counties to sit down together using the agreement and HDR report as tools for a starting point and try to negotiate an amiable resolution to the termination of the agreement, while leaving consultants, bickering and accusatory comments out of the process. Unwillingness to do so can only have the effect of costing the taxpayers even more in the end.
Chris Stahl
Director of Solid Waste Management
Macon County
Another reader is concerned about junkyards
To the Editor:
I wanted to thank Margaret Ramey for her letter “Concerned about junk yards” in last week’s (June 17) Sylva Herald.
In the May 9, 2002, issue, I voiced the same concerns about my property on Allens Branch in Sylva.
I have not had the pleasure of making the trip since 2002, but I am very saddened to hear the scenery has not changed on our gorgeous mountain.
I am further disappointed by the fact no one seems to care about the small children who live in the area year round.
I am a psychology major and have studied the theory of learned helplessness. This theory, in a nutshell, is that children who grow up in a depressing state learn that whatever they do (to change that) is futile.
The effect of learned helplessness is a lack of self-confidence, poor problem solving, wandering attention and feeling hopeless. This might set children behind in academic subjects and damper social skills.
Another issue is that such children are extrinsically motivated and not so much intrinsically motivated because of their failures. A child suffering from learned helplessness will ultimately give up gaining respect through academic performance and turn to other domains for solace.
They become just as their parents are. In this case, the children who are living in the shameful environment think that is their destiny in life. The children have no control of how the parents conduct themselves.
Unless the citizens of Jackson County stand up at the polls and let the lawmakers know this is not the way they want things done, this cycle will continue for another generation.
I am a native of Sylva, yet I cannot be proud of my heritage. When I try to show off our beautiful mountains to my friends or children, we must first drive by the stereotypical type of “white trash” you see portrayed in movies. These are very healthy adults, perfectly able to work, who are living on our welfare system.
Is this the Jackson County that you want your children to become heir to? Do you want your children to be embarrassed of where they came from?
The only way this is going to change is for more concerned citizens like Ramey to stand up and force the “good ole boy” approach to change. The laws are for everyone, not just the ones who pay their taxes.
Lucinda Babb
Saint Cloud, Fla.
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