Recent editorials from Georgia newspapers:
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Feb. 5
The Brunswick News on the Port of Brunswick:
The Port of Brunswick continues to be one of the biggest economic engines for our area, and business just keeps booming.
On Monday, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia announced its all new, eight passenger SUV - called the Telluride - will be shipped through the Port of Brunswick for global markets next month. The company’s chief administrative officer and vice president of Kia’s Georgia operations, Stuart Countess, was grateful for the support the company has gotten from the Georgia Ports Authority.
“From our global supply chain to supporting our export of finished vehicles to current and future markets, GPA will play an important role,” Countess said.
The announcement will also help the Port of Savannah, where parts to manufacture the Telluride will arrive. Griff Lynch, the executive director of the GPA, said Kia’s decision showcases the strengths of the two ports.
“Their decision to export the Telluride via Brunswick highlights the benefits of having North America’s largest port and largest auto port within 85 miles of each other,” Lynch said. “Georgia provides the total package when it comes to auto manufacturing and global distribution.”
That claim holds up when you look at the numbers. Georgia’s ports and inland barge terminals support more than 439,000 jobs and contribute $25 billion in income, $106 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in state and local taxes.
The future is looking even brighter for the Port of Brunswick.
In October, the authority announced it plans to add 60 more usable acres of dockside space to the Colonel’s Island terminal, with most of it going to roll-on/roll-off space for vehicles. The GPA also has plans to nearly double the capacity at the Brunswick port from 800,000 to 1.5 million by using an additional 400 acres.
The GPA continues to invest in the Brunswick port, and companies are taking notice. It is a simple equation to us - more cars plus more space equals a thriving economic engine for Brunswick.
The fact that the port of Brunswick is so popular should also encourage the federal government to keep providing the needed funds for the proper maintenance that will preserve the shipping lanes that supply so many with opportunity. Without that, the port could lose some of its luster.
Online: http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/
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Feb. 1
The Valdosta Daily Times on Black History Month:
It is February.
That means it is Black History Month.
Black History Month is observed each February across the United States to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of black Americans since the forming of the nation.
Of course, everyone knows of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, - and rightly so - but they are far from being alone when it comes to important and meaningful contributions of black Americans.
While school children all know the names of Paul Revere, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson and the roles they played in American independence, do they know about Crispus Attucks, who gave his life during the Boston Massacre? How many people know the story of this great black American?
When you think of the Revolutionary War, who do you see in your mind’s eye as you look over the battlefields of Lexington and Concord, Fort Henry or Savannah? More than likely you visualize young white men.
Are you aware that thousands of black soldiers fought for the very freedoms they would later be denied?
When you think about the Industrial Revolution, do you see an emerging American economy built on the backs of black men, women and children? When you think of the ingenuity of great American inventors do you only think of men who looked like Thomas Edison? Or do you think of Lewis Latimer, a black man who invented the filament that made Edison’s light possible?
Do you know about Benjamin Banneker, the surveyor who designed Washington, D.C.?
Do you know about Norbet Rilleux who refined sugar?
Do you know about Granville T. Woods, the inventor of the steam boiler?
Do you know about Daniel Hale Williams, the first surgeon to operate on the human heart?
When you think of the great minds and educators in American History do the names Booker T. Washington, Carter G. Wood and W.E.B. Du Bois come to mind?
When you think of great American leaders walking government halls do the names of Robert C. Weaver, Edward W. Brooke, Thurgood Marshall or Patricia Roberts Harris come to mind?
When you think of great military leaders, the names you know include Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower and Harry S. Truman. How about Brig. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Sr.?
Along with Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, all of these men and women were black but not merely great black Americans. There does not need to be any footnote or asterisk by their names. They were simply great Americans who did great things.
And they were black.
King and Parks did not fight the civil rights movement alone. Men, women and children throughout the South and all across the U.S. made great sacrifice. Some gave their lives in the pursuit of equal rights.
When you think about the story of American history that most of us grew up with, it could be argued that every month is white history month, but this month educators will, and should, pay special attention to the contributions of black Americans.
Schools, churches, community groups and local governments will be recognizing Black History Month throughout February.
We encourage our community to embrace celebrations and history programs and to talk to young people - all young people regardless of race - about the contributions these and other notable Americans have made in making our nation great.
Online: http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/
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Feb. 2
The Savannah Morning News on presidential candidates:
Give us your charismatic, your deep-pocketed, your humbled pragmatists yearning to lead.
With all due apologies to 19th-century poet Emma Lazarus, whose “Give me your tired, your poor …” sonnet is written upon a plaque at the Statue of Liberty, 21st-century America needs to make a different sort of appeal.
Not to those beyond our borders, but to those within. Those willing to compete for a position with a lofty job description: Leader of the free world.
A year from today, the first votes of the 2020 presidential race will be cast in Iowa. Hopefuls are already lining up, both to vie for the nominations of our nation’s two major political parties and to seek independent votes.
The Democratic field is deep and ideologically wide ranging. The Republican ballot is dominated by one name, that of first-term President Donald Trump, although his hold on the party appears vulnerable. As for independent and third-party candidates, a handful of centrist billionaires have hinted at their interest.
To all would-be candidates, we say “Welcome.” And keep on coming.
Much has been made in recent weeks about ideologues and spoilers, extremism and populism, electoral maps and delegate vote counts. The conversation ignores one simple truth.
The Democratic and Republican parties no longer reflect the core principles on which they were founded and no longer represent their respective halves - or thereabouts - of the population. The parties remain relevant only because the broader public fears the consequences of not voting for the “favorites” anointed by small, zealous segments of the electorate.
The American political system as we know it is not so much broken as obsolete. We need a free-for-all election, one where party bases can’t force us to pick between the lesser of two evils.
We must liberate the vote.
Billionaire businessman Howard Schultz finally put words to the gut feelings so many Americans hold about our politics in a “60 Minutes” interview.
Excerpts include:
?… both parties are consistently not doing what’s necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics.”
? … we are sitting, today, with approximately $21.5 trillion of debt, which is a reckless example, not only of Republicans, but of Democrats, as well, as a reckless failure of their constitutional responsibility.”
“The country first and foremost is based on humanity, fairness, goodness …”
?… over 40 percent of the electorate is either a registered Independent or currently affiliates themselves as an Independent. Because the American people are exhausted. Their trust has been broken. And they are looking for a better choice.”
Whether Schultz is that better choice is unclear. This editorial column is not an endorsement of him or his views on specific issues. But we do believe voters would be better served to have more Schultz-like candidates - that is to say socially and fiscally responsible pragmatists with the resources to make a legitimate push for the White House - on the ballot.
To that end, we encourage those not beholden to partisan politics to run for the Oval Office, within or without a party. Nikki Haley. Michael Bloomberg. John Kasich. Mark Cuban. Dwayne Johnson. Daymond John. Sheryl Sandberg.
The only way to counter the seismic shift within the parties toward the edges is to drag all of us away from the political cliff.
Americans must also demand a stand-down on the immediate vilification of new candidates.
The highly personal attacks on Democrat Kamala Harris, who officially announced her bid, are abhorrent. The blowback against Schultz is disheartening, the pettiness driven by fear-mongering partisans.
Turn off or tune out agenda-driven TV, radio and websites. Do your own research.
Give no credence to the current teeth-gnashing over candidates stealing votes from others and “handing” the election to Trump or Elizabeth Warren or anyone else. We need discussion at this point, an opportunity to engage and show the disenfranchised among us that they can have a say in American politics.
Do that, and a year from now we could be facing an election to look forward to and a summer of three or four meaningful conventions instead of two tedious coronations.
Do that, and no matter the outcome, America will be better for it.
Online: https://www.savannahnow.com/
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