opinions
Proud of Our Hospital
What Tammy Mims, the Jeff Davis Hospital Authority and the hospital staff have accomplished over the past few years is remarkable. In 2014 the hospital was losing lots of money. Four years later, it is on track to earn a $1.4 million profit this year. The behavioral health center opening will address a growing need…
Read MorePassing The Smell Test – By John Reed
Passing The Smell Test When I was a kid, my friends and I would play a card game called “I doubt it“. When the grownups weren’t around, it went by its more colorful name involving bovine manure. The point of the game was to bluff your opponent into thinking you had certain cards… Or not.…
Read MoreClarification Is In Order
I think some clarification is in order for last Thursday’s called meeting of the Hazlehurst City Council. On two occasions, the Mayor inserted my name into the discussion. I wasn’t present so I didn’t have the opportunity to respond. One reference was to the fact that city engineer Carl Hostadter and I worked hard on…
Read MoreThe Mommy State – By John Reed
The Mommy State As a teacher for many years, I had ample opportunity to witness the parenting instinct up close. Every parent has it but it manifests itself in many different ways. There are the clingy moms who don’t want their child to ever grow up. Those are the ones who walk their child to…
Read MoreThe Rich Get Richer — By Tommy Purser
This week, I read a letter written by William Falk, Editor-in-Chief of “The Week” magazine. Among the things he said were that, after “Congress gave corporations a massive tax cut this year, companies plowed more than $400 billion into stock buybacks that raised stock prices and dividends and made executives and stockholders much richer —…
Read MoreA Second Civil War? – By John Reed
A Second Civil War? There’s enough division in politics and the media these days, some have been saying we’re on the brink of a second civil war. But who is on which side? That depends on who’s doing the telling. Folks who used to be allies aren’t, and strange bedfellows are appearing. Let’s look at…
Read MoreDeja Vu Moments
I went to Tuesday morning’s called city council meeting out of curiosity. I had instant deja vu. The biggest deja vu moments came while accountant Tammy Dyal was giving her report on the dire financial condition of the city. It was the same song, different verse I had heard a year ago as a council…
Read MoreCaveat Lector — By John Reed
Caveat Lector Two Latin quotes in two weeks…bear with me, the reason will become clear. Last week I wrote about how the press is critical to keeping the public informed and the government in check. A lot gets said these days about slanted coverage, and there’s more than a little truth to the accusation. Most…
Read MoreQuis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes? – By John Reed
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who watches the watchers? The Roman poet Juvenal asked that question nearly 20 centuries ago, yet it’s just as relevant today. Even Libertarians will concede one of the absolutes of government is to provide for the common defense of the nation. Most democracies leave the jobs of external defense to the…
Read MoreThe Long History Of Water Woes – By Tommy Purser
“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” That quote from Edmund Burke has been on my mind a lot over the last decade or so. Because, after 45 years of chronicling the happenings in Jeff Davis County, I see the mistakes of history repeated over and over. The latest repeat is the…
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