Editorial Roundup: Georgia

Brunswick News. April 9, 2022.

Editorial: Legislatures fails to act on one of the truly important issues

State House and Senate legislators returning from Atlanta are apt to claim that they took care of business during the 2022 40-day lawmaking session. Anyone who does will be stretching the truth.

They failed to pass the necessary legislation to restart the state’s stalled medical cannabis program. Consequently, thousands of children and adults will continue to suffer as a result of their negligence.

Passage of the work completed by understanding legislators fell by the wayside in the Senate. Members of the upper chamber closed their session without approving a compromise hammered out during the final hours of the legislature by a House-Senate committee.

Even House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, was surprised that the Senate adjourned before taking up the compromise. “I’m at a loss on that,” Ralston said. “How long are these people going to have to wait?”

The answer, of course, to how long ailing Georgians will have to wait is nine months or more. Legislators are not scheduled to return to Atlanta for the next session of the General Assembly until January 2023.

Because of the Senate’s failure, another year will pass before Georgians who endure sudden seizures and other serious medical conditions are no longer faced with the choice of going outside the state to find relief or suffering or gambling with their lives or the lives of loved ones while waiting for politicians to act on their behalf.

It could be that members of the state Senate lack real sympathy for the issue because no one in their families or circle of friends would benefit from medical cannabis. It is easy to be dispassionate about an issue that is a problem only to others. Or so it would seem given the failure of the Senate to do its part in reigniting movement on a medical relief program initially adopted seven years ago.

Contrary to what some might think, the 2015 law does not make it legal to smoke marijuana or to ingest it in other ways. It simply allows a form of low-THC oil to be used to help those with seizure disorders and to alleviate the symptoms of those with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer, among others.

Heaven help them because the Senate hasn’t.

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Valdosta Daily Times. April 12, 2022.

Editorial: Georgia prisons must come clean

The U.S. Department of Justice is facing the same frustration the people of Georgia and the media have faced for years, a state prison system veiled in secrecy.

The state Department of Corrections must come clean, be fully transparent and then be held accountable.

If the prison system will not comply with records requests, then the courts, the General Assembly and Gov. Brian Kemp must compel full compliance.

According to reporting by Georgia Public Broadcasting, published in this edition of The Valdosta Daily Times, the DOJ has been unable to get documents as part of its investigation into the troubled Georgia prison system. The justice department has requested documents related to prison policies, training materials, staffing and personnel discipline, documents relating to certain prisoners, incident reports and internal investigations materials.

The DOJ is saying the corrections system has only handed over a small fraction of what has been requested and that includes information investigators are seeking related to in-custody homicides.

If the DOJ cannot get the state’s prison system to cough up records, imagine how hard it is for the people of Georgia to find out what is going on behind bars.

A prison sentence in Georgia should not be a death sentence.

Homicides, suicides and other suspicious unattended deaths have been cause for great concern for quite some time.

The DOJ investigation is focused on, among other things, violence among inmates and subsequent lack of inmate protection. Much of the prison violence has been linked to gang activity.

There are 45,551 inmates in Georgia — 73% of them for violent crimes. The DOC says 21% of the prison’s population have a mental health diagnosis. These are very real and very dangerous dynamics that must be addressed.

Death and injury, along with complaints about frightening and unsanitary conditions are far more serious than just prisoners complaining. The DOJ is taking it all seriously and so should state leaders. The Georgia General Assembly and the governor must be more willing to hold the corrections system accountable.

State leaders should send a strong message that reducing inmate deaths, acts of violence, addressing mental health needs and improving transparency are absolute musts for the embattled corrections system.

Respective prison administrations and the corrections system statewide are far less than forthcoming, stonewalling requests for information from the press and the general public, especially when inmates die behind bars.

The lack of transparency points to the egregious conditions and the credibility of complaints.

As we have said many times, people with nothing, or in this case prison systems with nothing to hide, just don’t hide.

It is time for Georgia prisons to come clean.

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Dalton Daily Citizen. April 12, 2022.

Editorial: While in work zones, slow down and pay attention

While driving the roads and highways of Georgia, you’re bound to come across a work zone as crews pave roads, repair bridges or inspect overpasses. You’ll see plenty of bright orange signs warning you of the work zone ahead and other signs instructing you on the reduced speed limit or other important information.

The word “work” is paramount to remember, as there are people working there to provide the safest, smoothest ride for you.

April 11-15 is National Work Zone Awareness Week with the theme of “Work Zones are a Sign to Slow Down.” The Georgia DOT manages the tenth largest transportation network in the U.S. with the safety and mobility of its citizens as top priorities.

“An unfortunate consequence of this civic responsibility is that the construction and maintenance workers charged with maintaining Georgia’s state and federal highways are often confronted with life-threatening dangers and frightening near-misses at work zones,” according to the state DOT.

“There were 63 fatalities in Georgia’s work zones in 2021, a continued upward trend compared to the 51 deaths in 2020 and the 37 deaths in 2019,” said Russell R. McMurry, Georgia DOT commissioner. “This rise in fatalities is unacceptable and must be reversed. We must do more to eliminate work zone fatalities and it starts with educating everyone about the dangers that exist at work zones.”

Since 1973, when record-keeping began, more than 60 Georgia DOT employees and contractors have died in work-zone related incidents.

In 2021, there were:

• 12,300 work-zone related crashes in Georgia resulting in 4,027 injuries, and 63 fatalities.

• 54% of those work zone crashes were roadway departure and rear-end crashes.

• 17 fatalities involved commercial motor vehicles.

• Seven were pedestrian fatalities.

Georgia DOT offered these tips for work zones:

• Obey the rules of work zones: 1. Pay attention. 2. Slow down (even in lighter than normal traffic). 3. Watch for workers.

• Expect the unexpected. Things may change quickly. Normal speed limits may be reduced, traffic lanes may be closed, narrowed or shifted, and people may work on or near the road.

• Slow down. Don’t tailgate. Speed is a factor in many crashes. Keep a safe distance between you and the car ahead of you and move over a lane to provide additional space for the construction workers and their equipment.

• Obey road crew flaggers and pay attention to signs. Failure to obey speed limit signs or a flagger’s traffic control directions can result in hefty fines and/or imprisonment imposed by law enforcement.

• Stay alert and minimize distractions. Pay full attention to the roadway and avoid changing radio stations or using cellphones and other electronic devices while driving. Remember, Georgia is a hands-free state for mobile devices while driving.

• Keep up with traffic flow. Do not slow down to gawk at road work.

• Know before you go. Expect delays, leave early and schedule enough time to drive safely. For 24/7 real-time traffic information, call 511 or visit www.511ga.org before you get into the car. Follow Georgia DOT on Twitter for additional updates.

• Be patient, stay calm. Crews are working to improve the road and to make your future drive better.

• Wear your seatbelt. It is your best defense in a crash. And make sure your passengers are buckled up, even in the back seat of the vehicle.

END