Enforce dog barking laws
We are writing this letter because ourselves and members of our community have concerns about the apparent lack of enforcement of county ordinances. Specifically, Section 2, Part D, of the Cherokee County ordinances about noise caused by barking dogs.
Our community has had an issue with this for several years. The noise comes from outside of our community close to us. It has had an extremely disruptive affect on our members quality of life. Loss of sleep at night causes distress and during the day our quiet mountain life is no longer here.
Many members have called upon the offenders to take
care of the problem, which has had little affect. We have then taken the steps to address the problem by contacting local law enforcement, but this has resulted in little or no action being taken.
Understandably, county law enforcement deals with many other issues. However, the ordinance on the books, including threat of fines and or jail time, has never been enforced as far as we know. If enforcement is so difficult the ordinances should be amended or rescinded as soon as possible.
Our personal feelings with these issues are that, because they are not being dealt with, people will take these matters into their own hands. We are living in tense times in the world today, and people sometimes let a situation get out of control. More effort is needed by all of us to meet our communities needs.
The county commissioners and law enforcement need to get to the bottom of this problem of why these ordinances are not being enforced. We encourage any resident of Cherokee County with similar concerns to contact the proper authorities.
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Zernicke, Murphy
Aggravation at air show
I went to the air show on Sept. 24. The show was very good, and the way everything was set up seemed like it would have been fun, interesting and informative. There seemed to be lots of vendors along with food trucks, which I wish I could have enjoyed.
I had planned to be at the airport around 11 a.m. but was turned away by police on one end of the street leading to the airport and the fire department at the other end. I was instructed to go to the Kobe Express parking lot in Andrews and wait for a shuttle bus to take us to the airport.
We and hundreds of others waited 1½ hours for this bus that holds 9-12 people. Remember, there were hundreds of people in this parking lot. I finally got to the airport about 1:15 p.m.
When I got on the bus, there were still at least 100-plus people in Kobe’s parking lot waiting in line for the bus. When we arrived at the airport via the transport shuttle, there was plenty of room for more cars.
I understand that the Kobe parking lot was intended for overflow parking, but this
was not the case. I never saw
the parking lot at the airport full.
This was lately one of the best events in this area, but instead of being enjoyable, it was a major aggravation. This truly saddens me, as an event that should have been pleasurable for many turned out to be very frustrating, with many folks stating that they will not return next year.
Let’s hope the organizers learn from these mistakes.
Marcia Smith, Murphy
Bill betrays U.S. workers
The August bill, dubbed the “Inflation Reduction Act,” passed by Democrats in Congress is a travesty because the bill betrays promises to support everyday hardworking Americans. The name is a contradiction.
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi celebrated the Act at the same time the market was crashing. Contrary to Democrat Party claims by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) that this bill will:
- “Reduce inflation,” there is no credible evidence it would do so.
- “Displace dirtier products,” it subsidizes electric vehicles, which emit more pollution over their lifespans than normal cars.
- Will bring “good-paying energy and manufacturing jobs back to America,” it enriches green energy investors while neglecting workers and harming the manufacturing sector.
- “Lower energy costs,” it enacts a form of stealth spending to subsidize green products that are more costly than other options.
- Not raise taxes on “families and small businesses making less than $400,000 a year,” it enacts hidden taxes that fall on Americans of all income groups.
- “Lower the cost of health insurance,” it makes taxpayers pick up the tab by forcing them to pay Obamacare subsidies for people with incomes above 400 percent of the poverty line.
- “Lower the cost” of prescription drugs, it simply shifts more of those costs onto working Americans.
- Ensure people “making less than $400,000 and small businesses will not be targeted” by the Internal Revenue Service “because they are already paying their taxes,” the bill allows the bulk of tax dodgers to continue cheating honest taxpayers.
Manchin’s release decries “the severe threat of inflation and the consequences of unprecedented domestic spending,” but this bill increases spending on a host of categories detailed above. Far from a course change, Democrats are voting for “taxing and spending” instead of mere “spending.”
Terry Payne, Marble
Ready to vote for Democrats
I am so ready to vote. I am being a selfish voter. I will vote for those who:
- will honor the constitution and abide by its laws.
- will accept the outcome of our elections without violence.
- will protect my Social Security.
- will protect my Medicare.
- will raise taxes on the super rich instead of me.
- will protect my water.
- will help to make my air cleaner.
- will work on climate change.
- will continue to decrease unemployment.
- will continue to fix, maintain and further improve our infrastructure, such as highways and dams.
- will continue to work to get drug costs reasonable for all.
- will fight for women’s whole health care.
- will continue to pursue health care for all.
- will continue to help students pursue further education through college or trade schools without incurring lifelong debt.
Primarily, I hope that other voters consider the GOP’s plan of getting rid of our Social Security and Medicare when they vote.
If the GOP takes control of the Senate or House majority, we will be scrambling to find the means to take care of ourselves in our “golden” years. I know my children cannot afford to take care of me and my medical bills. Can yours?
There are lots of reasons to vote. Primarily, I am voting to save my Social Security and Medicare. I will vote Democrat down the ballot.
Diane Snyder, Murphy
Distorting democracy
I read the advertisement that purports to be the words of the speech given by President Joe Biden in Philadelphia. I looked up and listened to every word of the speech. There is absolutely no statement that refers to “if anyone raises his hand to strike the state, then certain death is his lot.”
Advertiser Richard Cassady subtitles the speech as “Adolf Hitler justifying the ‘Night of Long Knives.’ ” This typifies the lengths to which those who oppose Biden and our democracy will go to distort the truth and encourage hate and division in our beloved America.
Priscilla Ridgell, Murphy
Anger or rejoicing?
The Inflation Reduction Act’s New Energy Policies – can they benefit me?
The newly passed Inflation Reduction Act has proven very controversial. It has caused anger in some and rejoicing in others.
However, I think it behooves us all to take a closer look at its’ energy policies and see if it can help the average Georgian save money.
This bill will give tax incentives to develop clean energy, which will lower the average utility bill by about $15/month by the year 2032. We will definitely have cleaner air, which will make us healthier and prevent thousands of premature deaths in Georgia alone.
There are incentives for weatherizing our houses and buying energy-efficient appliances and HVAC systems which will save even more money. Beginning next year, American made EVs with American batteries will be eligible for $7,500 rebates for 10 years-saving a ton of gas money.
Adding everything together, the best estimates are that it will save the average American about $1,200/year in total energy savings by 2032. Certainly people can question that figure, but it is in the right ball park.
The bill will incentivize
American manufacturing, especially for EV and battery production and solar manufacturing and installation. Georgia is in a prime position to gain thousands of good paying jobs from EV and battery plants locating here and from the production of and installation of solar. It is estimated there will be a net increase of about 1.5 million new jobs in the U.S. as a result of the bill, with Georgia being among the states that will benefit the most.
Despite many problems, I think we can find many benefits for most of us in this bill. You can go to this website to find out which benefits you qualify for and how much you can save: https://www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator.
Vernon Dixon, Hiawassee, Ga.