Opinions

Access to medical marijuana may get a push this legislative session if state leaders approve a move to call for a state constitutional amendment on the issue. In effect, voters would get to decide if the state should allow in-state production of CBD oil, one of the key components used in treating a variety of medical conditions. Twenty-nine other states do allow cultivation for medical use.
Over the last three years, state lawmakers have approved the personal use of cannabis CBD oil by those who suffer from around a dozen different conditions. But the state does not allow the production of that oil, meaning that it has to be acquired from out-of-state sources. But bringing cannabis oil across state lines is a problem since it violates federal law. [Full Story »] 

A couple of weeks ago, a small group of citizens appeared before the Jefferson Board of Education saying that the system should more than double its tuition rate for out-of-district kids, from $900 to $2,000.
Their argument revolved around the thought that the city system would take in more money and that it would make moving into the city more attractive. They said the “market rate” for tuition is $2,000.
But the argument is misguided. Doubling tuition for out-of-district students would probably cut the number in half or more, costing the system a massive amount of state funding and a net loss of income.
It looks like what this group really wants is for the city system to slam the door on out-of-district students. That may happen someday as the city grows, but for now having out-of-district students is a plus for the school system both financially and educationally. [Full Story »] 

There are a lot of things that local leaders could tackle in the upcoming year. Every community has its needs: In Commerce, a plan for the old Boys & Girls Club facility is needed; in Jefferson, a plan for future growth along I-85 needs to be updated; in Braselton, community leaders need to find a way to better knit a sense of community in a town that covers four counties and two very different demographic interests.
But the one issue that is common to all local communities is the need for more — and better — local mental health and family social services. [Full Story »] 

I’ve sat through a lot of local government meetings over the last 40 years. During that time, hundreds of citizens have vociferated against city councils and county commissions. A large percentage of those were people protesting about a rezoning of one kind or another. (People complain at school board meetings, too, but mostly about athletics and coaches, or the relocation of schools.)
To this editor’s ear, 99 percent of the rezoning complaints sound alike. I could take a protesting citizen’s quote from 1988 and it would be the same as what we heard over and over in 2017. Same song, just a different singer.
The coming year of 2018 also promises to have quite a few meetings where citizens protest. The boom in distribution centers along the I-85 corridor has stirred a backlash. It’s become fashionable to oppose these large warehouses, especially among those who live near where they are proposed.
But often the opponents’ — better known as NIMBYs — arguments ring hollow. Emotion overcomes logic and reason. The result makes for a colorful outburst, but does little to advance their cause.
With that in mind, here’s some proposed New Year’s resolutions for NIMBYs in 2018: [Full Story »] 

Goodbye, 2017, and good riddance.
We thought 2016 was a bad year with all the national political wrangling during the presidential election, but 2017 was in many ways even worse. The political polarization from 2016 only got deeper in 2017 and the constant stream of Tweets and jaw-dropping comments from politicians ripped at the fabric of American society.
We might have worried about a nuclear North Korea, but the bigger danger seemed to exist within our own political landscape where facts no longer matter, only political allegiance.
For a moment, though, let’s forget all of that and focus closer to home. What was the meaning of 2017 in Jackson County?
There were, I think, four major threads that ran through 2017 locally. [Full Story »] 

There are dozens of smiling faces in the community this week, faces which mute the cynics and renew the faithless.
Each Christmas, children take on a special glow, a sense of wild-eyed wonder and anticipation. It is a time they will long remember, a touchstone for the rest of their lives.
And for the adults, it’s more than just the rush and madness; it’s also a time of wonder, a time we will also recall in the future. [Full Story »] 

I was in a Subway restaurant recently ordering my customary lunch with extra Chipotle sauce when two gay men came in to grab a couple of sandwiches. But the guy in the clear plastic gloves behind the counter refused to serve them.
“I’m a Sandwich Artist,” he said, “and I object to gay relationships because of my religious beliefs. Therefore, I can’t in good conscience use my sandwich artistic skills to make your sandwiches because that would be denying me the right of freedom of speech by forcing me to participate in speech that I disagree with.”
(“Sandwich Artist” is a registered trademark of Subway and is the official title of the position as outlined in Subway’s job applications.)

***
No, that incident really didn’t happen, but it’s perhaps illustrative of the issues that surround the controversial “gay wedding cake” lawsuit which was recently heard before the U.S. Supreme Court. [Full Story »] 

Get ready for the annual December controversy. In the coming two weeks, we will be bombarded with specious allegations that some anonymous “they” have declared a “war on Christmas.”
Much of this comes from extreme social media memes where danger is always lurking. Former Fox commentator Bill O’Reilly made the alleged “war on Christmas” the centerpiece of his annual December tirades for over 15 years (until it was discovered that he was kissing too many maidens under the mistletoe and he was fired).
President Donald Trump amplified that conspiracy view recently when he declared that he would end the “war on Christmas.”
I hate to disappoint those who have donned ubiquitous Christmas sweaters and braced themselves to do battle in this annual Christmas conflict, but there isn’t any “war on Christmas.” [Full Story »] 

According to Jackson County School System leaders, this year’s bus transportation has been a mess. Every day, parents have to check online postings to see what bus their child will be riding on, or why their child’s bus may be running late.
There’s a lot of reasons for that problem: The system saw a huge jump in riders after it split the bus routes to keep elementary students off buses with older students; the system has an aging fleet of older buses that break down more frequently than newer vehicles; and because the local economy is booming and has low unemployment, the system has had trouble attracting part-time bus drivers who can easily find full-time employment elsewhere. [Full Story »]