Rome, Floyd County need a consolidated career academy
From the Los Angeles Times
Nearly six months after he was appointed special counsel, former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia — as well as other matters that “may arise” — produced criminal charges on Monday. Despite what you may have read on President Donald Trump’s Twitter feed, this is a big deal.
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was indicted on charges of money-laundering and conspiracy in connection with his role in an alleged scheme to use offshore accounts to hide tens of millions of dollars he received for representing a pro-Russia political faction in Ukraine. Richard W. Gates III, Manafort’s deputy campaign chairman and longtime associate, was also named in the indictment.
Like any defendants, the two are presumed innocent until proven guilty. But the charges are serious, carrying years of potential prison time — and they raise questions about Trump’s decision to place these particular men at the helm of his campaign. What’s more, as everyone knows who has watched a complicated criminal investigation like this one unfold, early indictments are often brought against lower-level individuals who are peripheral to the investigation as prosecutors work their way toward the more central figures — a process that is made easier if and when the lower-level people begin to cooperate in order to protect themselves.
A wiser, more experienced and less defensive president would remain silent at this point in the investigation.
Separately, it was announced Monday that George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign, had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with a professor he believed had “substantial connections” to Kremlin officials. The professor told Papadopoulos that the Russians had “dirt” about Hillary Clinton and “thousands” of emails. Papadopoulos was arrested in July and has been cooperating with authorities.
Predictably, Trump and his administration were quick to discount the importance of all these charges. The president tweeted: “Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren’t Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus ????? ”
In a subsequent tweet, he added: “Also, there is NO COLLUSION!” Yet one definition of collusion is soliciting “dirt” about a political opponent from a foreign government that is actively seeking to interfere in U.S. elections, then incorporating it into one’s campaign. Such dirt was what was promised in the now-famous meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016 attended by Manafort, Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer. (The ultimate act of collusion, of course, would be complicity by the Trump campaign in Russia’s hacking of Democratic email accounts and the dissemination of their contents by WikiLeaks. So far there is no proof of that sort of collusion.)
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday tried to minimize Papadopoulos’ role in the Trump campaign, saying he served in an “extremely limited … volunteer position.” Yet, according to court documents, Papadopoulos corresponded with campaign officials about the possibility of a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He even broached the idea at a campaign meeting Trump attended.
Also, Papadopoulos’ guilty plea should be worrisome to Trump and his lieutenants because it stems from his decision to mislead the FBI — and as most Washington-watchers know, it is often the cover-up rather than the underlying crime that leads to trouble for politicians under investigation. Mueller’s inquiry encompasses the question of whether members of the Trump administration, including Trump himself, sought to shut down the investigations — and whether they engaged in obstruction of justice along the way. Just as Mueller is looking into Papadopoulos today, he will undoubtedly be looking at Trump’s decision to fire FBI Director James Comey tomorrow.
Sanders and Trump tried to deflect attention by arguing that the real collusion with Russia was on the part of the Clinton campaign. By paying for a “dossier” about Trump, Sanders suggested, the Clinton campaign conspired with Russian intelligence to smear Trump — a far-fetched idea.
A wiser, more experienced and less defensive president would remain silent at this point in the investigation, or confine himself to expressing confidence that the system of justice would prevail. That’s probably too much to expect from Trump. What matters is that he doesn’t attempt to interfere with or shortcircuit the judicial process or Mueller’s further investigations. Sanders said Monday that the president had no intention of firing Mueller, and she indicated that he would let the “process play through” before considering pardons for Manafort or Gates. Pardons — for anyone — and firing the special counsel must be off the table.
Thanks to Hal Storey for his insightful letter published recently by the RNT. While I appreciate his point, and especially his active community volunteer service, I disagree with his conclusion. It is vital that we vote to pass the upcoming ELOST. Our schools, city and county, have tremendous needs we must address. But in voting to pass the ELOST, we must hold our elected school board members accountable to use these funds in the best interests of our community and our students.
Through the ELOST, we in Rome have the opportunity to create a tremendous catalyst for regional economic development while doing something very good for the young people of our community and unique in the state of Georgia. I’m talking about building a consolidated city-county college and career academy. Georgia Northwestern Technical College, with support from the Commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia, the Lieutenant Governor and even the Governor, has offered to donate 18 acres adjacent to the existing county CCA for this purpose. The concept is to build a new facility on this property that would join with the existing county CCA to become a single consolidated campus with shared classrooms, equipment and instructors. This plan offers efficiencies not possible with physically and operationally separate facilities as currently envisioned by Rome City Schools RCS. It could qualify for a $3.5 million state grant not available to the RCS under their current combined athletic field houseCCA plan. The consolidated facility would demonstrate our ability to work together as a city and county, as collaborative school systems dedicated to providing our youth the best educational opportunities and optimal preparation for college, employment or both. Finally, it would be a catalyst for economic development offering employers an immediately available and continuous pool of trained and ready workers.
I encourage Rome City voters to consider this opportunity as you vote for city school board members, and I will encourage that board to join with their counterparts at the county and with Georgia Northwestern Technical College and Georgia Highlands College, all of whom support a consolidated facility, to make this vision a reality.
John Quinlivan Rome Floyd Chamber chairman
Ilend my voice as one willing to continue support for our kids, grandkids and maybe great-grandkids by voting for the ELOST.
Many of us around the city and county no longer have kids at home and maybe we haven’t had for some time, but this tax has to be personal. Our neighbors and friends have kids. I look out in the cul-de-sac on any given evening and see four, five, six or more of them playing. I’ve got a great-grandkid that spends a day with us every couple of weeks. I’ve got 20 or 30 down front in church singing every month or two. I’ve got some in Chattooga County, in Ohio, in Florida.
These kids are “me” sixty or more years ago. Somebody cared about me, lots of somebodies, and footed the bills. They may be long gone now, and I can’t repay them, but I can pass it on to those kids in the cul-de-sac.
These kids probably don’t even know or care much about the ELOST — they’re busy growing up, just like we were back then. But just as we thank those who cared about us, they will thank us when we’re gone. That’s the way life works.
I know we may think we could do other things with each penny government takes out of each dollar we spend. I know that we don’t always trust those who take the penny to do the right thing with it. But when those things happen, remember the kid out there playing in the cul-de-sac didn’t do it. We can’t “get even” by taking it out on our kids.
You’ve heard all the pro and con arguments. Now listen to the kids. Their voices may be silent, but they’re speaking to us. Mac Eubanks
Rome
Greyson Oswalt-Smith is of the opinion that the $63.8 million SPLOST is a miniscule tax. He states the arguments for “vote no” are illfounded and people should go before a special council.
A committee, handpicked by City and County Commissioners, was created to recommend the current $63.8 million project. This committee has finished meeting and there’s no opportunity to go ask why:
1) There is an $8 million Ag Center with no memorandum of understandings signed by tenants that Carey Harris spoke of in his presentation. Floyd County Manager Jamie McCord stated facilities that he’s visited require a yearly taxpayer subsidy of $450,000. Will all the produce actually be grown in Floyd County and not trucked in from Alabama? The stated purpose of this Ag Center is to help local farmers. The center has no business plan, private financial backing or land secured under option.
2) An $899,000 corporate hangar hasn’t been privately funded. In 2008, a $300,000,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant (your tax dollars) was secured to move utilities for such investments. It was billed as a much-needed project to attract private aviation businesses. In the nine years since, no aviation businesses have moved in.
3) State Mutual Stadium needs $2 million. This 2003 SPLOST project was promoted to be a self-sufficient operation. A stadium maintenance fund was established, to pay for maintenance and capital expenses. Parking and a percentage of ticket sales already go into the stadium maintenance fund for these expenses.
4) Public safety isn’t prioritized and funded through taxes already collected.
The Chair and Vice Chair of the Floyd County Commission attended the SPLOST Committee meetings. Leadership and fiscal responsibility are sorely needed now more than ever. $63.8 million is not minuscule. SPLOST was not intended to replace property taxes and fund everyday government expenses. Vote no. Dale Herndon
Rome
We have been buying the Rome News-Tribune for the last three years. There has been continual left-wing rhetoric on the editorial page.
In the last year there have been many anti-Trump, not humorous and many times crude, cartoons on said page. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but a public outlet such as the Rome News-Tribune should have some balance. President Trump is the President of the United States of America, the greatest nation on this planet, and his position should be given the respect that it rightly deserves.
Many of our friends and acquaintances feel the same and will not continue to subscribe to the Rome News-Tribune unless significant improvements are made.
Concerned Citizens, Herb and Mary Lindsey
Rome