In response to Name Withheld and Mr. Joseph Jarrell regarding, “Why not cut these school budget items?”

A message to all Fayette County teachers: Suck it up, hunker down, batten down the hatches, and prepare for hard times, but stop complaining.

Several years ago, I had reason to fly to Miami on business. Upon arrival, I noticed that the overhead directional signs in the terminal were in Spanish first, then English underneath. Ever since then, I have elected to fly into Fort Lauderdale and drive to Miami.

Given the general trend in this country toward socialism for the last 75 years, and the rapid slide of our culture, freedom, and economy in the last decade, how should a liberty-seeking, self-sufficient American react?

I have been a resident of PTC for eight years. Initially I elected to use Waste Management Services for my trash pick-up, paying additional for them to pick up my recyclables.

I am not in the habit of sending anonymous letters, but I must this time, because what I have to say could cost me my job.

I was thrilled to see the story about Joe’s Lockheed 12A in The Citizen, and even more thrilled to see it come up on the Yahoo local news page. Unfortunately, much of the excitement was lost as I read through the article. The most troubling error in the piece was the following quote: “Once in Canada, they added the lightning bolt striping on the fuselage that Amelia had on her plane.”

The BBC reported (10/12/09) that the year with the highest global temperatures is, of course, 2008 ... No? 2007? Nope. 2006? Try again. Actually, 1998 was the warmest year on record. Hmmm, how about that; wasn’t Miami supposed to be underwater by now?

Have you been experiencing extreme traffic delays and congestion on your weekly/monthly trips to the county land fill/transfer station? Well, good news for you: If the SPLOST passes, the county is going to take $2 million of our tax money and build a new access road to the site.

Fayette County has said goodbye to a dear lady, but for me, I said goodbye to a hero.

Mrs. Maggie Banks helped me to be the woman that I am today. As a student at Fayette County High School, my friends and I chose Mrs. Banks’ classes as soon as we were eligible. Little did I know back in 1981 that these classes would have such an impact on my life.

In August of 2008 at a town hall meeting in Chester, Va., presidential candidate Barack Obama said the following on healthcare reform: “I’m going to have all the negotiations around a big table. We’ll have doctors and nurses and hospital administrators. Insurance companies, drug companies — they’ll get a seat at the table ... We’ll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies.”

Dr. Potts in his letter (The Citizen, Oct. 21, 2009) narrowly focused on two aspects of the healthcare problem: The need for prospective patients to save more money to pay their healthcare bills, and tort reform to bring down the cost to physicians.

In response to Mr. Bryan’s letter, “An apology ...,” that ran on Oct. 14, 2009, I must respectfully, but vehemently, disagree. I don’t believe the facts support the claims made.

“Do not go gently into the dark night.” That was the advice of Dylan Thomas in his poem, but that is exactly what America is doing today.

I attended the Candidate’s Forum at the Gathering Place on Oct. 18. It was the last time to see all the candidates before voting next week.

One of the foremost reasons I am compelled to run for reelection to Peachtree City Council Post 3 is to bring about a greater sense of stability, harmony, and council cooperation among the City Council and our constituents who we represent as officials of Peachtree City.

Ten years ago, my husband and I moved our family to Peachtree City, but not because of a job change. We moved here because we wanted to be a part of the Peachtree City quality of life. The recreation, great schools, and small town charm were everything that we had dreamed of, in a place to call “home.”

The election is upon us and I ask for your vote for mayor of Peachtree City. It is possible that many of you have already voted. I hope a majority of you have voted for me, but regardless for whom you voted, thank you for doing your civic duty. Too many men and women have fought and died to give us this right. Please honor them with a few minutes of your time to do your patriotic duty.

I would like to recognize a special person and a great friend, Rhonda Emaus of Senoia, Ga.

Last year Rhonda decided to raise over $5,000 and walk in the Susan G. Komen three-day walk. She was not sponsored by any corporations. She raised this money through the donations from friends and family.

Every single one of us living here wants the best for Peachtree City. We want it to stay beautiful, unique, and vital. There is no exception among us running for office Nov. 3. We all want many of the same things. So now that all of the forums are over, it is decision time. How do you choose your candidate if you are on the fence?

Your time is very important to you, and to me as well. Equally important to you and to me is your vote for the city of Fayetteville Council Post 5 on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Many years ago, there was a game show on television called Truth or Consequences. To the best of my recollection, the contestants had to truthfully answer prickly questions or suffer some sort of embarrassment, like a pie in the face. Today, I believe the current Fayetteville City election is much the same, i.e., we need the truth or we will suffer the consequences.

I would like to express serious concerns about the upcoming Fayetteville election. I am disappointed that our local newspapers have made little to no mention of the fact that two of the candidates are related.

We have a large field of candidates for City Council in the upcoming election. For those who might not otherwise be familiar, Kim Learnard and Les Dyer are two candidates whose character and integrity are beyond reproach.

Approximately 1 of 300 citizens have attended the mayoral candidate forums. Attendance and information gathered from two forums clarified our knowledge on the issues we face. The candidates’ responses, concerns, platforms and backgrounds have helped firm up our voting decisions. It is obvious what some of our editors think ... how about you?

I am glad to see all the candidates at the forums and in the newspapers. It is the responsibility of every citizen to get informed on the candidates, and make an informed choice on the SPLOST. But what doesn’t always come out in the newspapers is a person’s character.

My name is Shelby Barker. I am running for Peachtree City Council Post 1. Over the past several months I have had the opportunity to meet hundreds of neighbors from all around the community. During our conversations I am often asked what party I am affiliated with. Since I cannot properly address every issue facing our community, I feel that this inquiry is more than reasonable.

As we approach the City Council elections, I pledge my support for Vanessa Fleisch, Post 4.

I’ve known Vanessa for 10 years and have the utmost confidence in her ability to serve our community.

Your vote in the Nov. 3 election for mayor and three council positions will determine the future direction of Peachtree City.

If two objects the size of basketballs are dropped from a hight of 5,000 feet, which object will hit the ground first? Or, will they hit at the same time? The first object weighs one ton and the second weighs half that much.

A church located on Ga. Highway 54 between Peachtree City and Fayetteville periodically displays a banner which reads, “Voted Friendliest Church in Fayette County.”