Opinions & Ideas
PAGE 4 - HOGANSVILLE HOME NEWS - APRIL 10, 2003
THE HOGANSVILLE HOME NEWS
USPS 620-040
. (6fintc ublkatiau
Millard B• Grimes, President
MIKE HALE
PUBLIStIER]ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
JOHN KUYKENDALL
ASSOCIATE PUBIJSHERDITOR
ROB PaCHARDSON
ASSISTANT EDITOR
JAYNE GOLITON
BUSI MANAGER
Phone (706) 846-3188. Fax (706) 846-2206
P. O. Box 426
Hogansville, Georgia 3023{)
It's Time to Settle
Up With Uncle Sam
For some people tax sea-
son is a glorious time. One
when you can purchase that
car, DVD player, a new com-
puter or maybe even a week-
end getaway with that refund
check. For others it's a time
when panic and desperation
take hold as a huge tax bill
stares them in the face. I have
to admit that I'm in the latter
part of the American public.
I'm safe with the state of
Georgia, but I owe Uncle Sam
on my federal return. Each
and every year everyone says
they are going to plan for this'
time of year and be sure to
have enough money tucked
away to take care of the tax
burden. To sum it up, taxes
are a financial demon that
lurks in the back of people's
minds, but when April 15th
arrives many people end up
stuck without a penny or a
plan to pay them.
The Internal Revenue
Service is not an organization
with which you want to be in
trouble with. Unlike credit
card companies and collec-
tion agencies, the IRS he a
considerable amount of
power when it comes to col:
leering taxdd6:hetRS :
garnish your wagesandseize
your property without hav-
ing to take you to court.
I'VE ONLY BEEN audit-
ed once by the IRS, and luck-
ily they owed me money.
However, I must say that an
audit is not much fun and it's
time consuming. So, be sure
you have all the paperwork
in hand to support any deduc-
tions you claim.
The audit experience is
one I'll never forget. My wife
and I had to visit the IRS
office in Columbus. We took
along all of our tax docu-
ments, receipts, etc. Both of
us were nervous and worried
to death. We just couldn't
imagine what mistake we
made.
The man that handled our
audit was nice enough, but
there was something about
him that made a person fed
a little uneasy.
He looked through our
receipts and tax records and
all that ever came out of his
mouth was an occasional..•
"ammmm."
About the time I was real-
ly worried to death, he looked
across the desk and said, "It
seems everything is in order.
As a matter of fact, we prob-
ably owe you a little money.
Sorry, for the inconven-
ience."
That was probably among
the greatest words I'd ever
heard. I thanked him and left
feeling as if the weight of the
world was off my shoulders.
Let that be a lesson to you
as well, be sure you have
taken all the deductions you
can take and that you have
the proper paperwork and
documentation to support the
deduction.
IF YOU THINK you are
going to have trouble paying
your tax bill, you need to
explore all of your payment
options right away.
If you can't afford to pay
the total tax bill all at once,
one option is to set up a pay-
ment plan through the IRS.
A payment plan is a good idea
if you know you are going to
have a steady income until
the debt can be paid off.
There are fees involved
with setting up a payment
plan and you will have to pay
interest, but it is much bet:
ter than having the IRS to
take collection actions
against you.
If there is reasonable
doubt that you owe the tax, if
you can prove that the IRS
will not be able to collect the
tax because of your financial
situation, an offer in compro-
mise is an option.
An offer in compromise
can lower your tax bill by half
or more, yet still has to rea-
sonably reflect your ability
to pay back the debt.
Remember that if your
offer is accepted you must
meet all of your tax require-
ments for the next five years
and if you don't comply with
the terms of your offer the
IRS may reinstate the entire
tax liability•
MORE OPTIONS for
paying a tax bill are outlined
in a Myvesta publication enti-
tled "How to Deal with the
IRS if You Can't Pay Your
Taxes." Myvesta is a non-
profit consumer education
organization. You may down-
load this information free
online from Myvesta.org, or
you can order a printed copy
by sending $5 payable to
Myvesta, to IRS Publication,
Myvesta, P.O. Box 8587,
Gaitherburg, MD., 20890-
8587.
Good luck on April 15th!
I know I'm going to wait until
the last minute to make the
mad dash to the post office.
THE HOt;ANSVlLIE HOME NEWS is published weekly by the Star-Mercury
Publishing Company, a division of Grimes Publications, at 3051 Rooseveh Highway,
Mancheslcr, Georgia 31816. USPS 620-040. Subscription rates by mail: $18 in
Troup. Harris or Meriwether Counties; $26 a year elsewhere. Prices include all
sales taxes. Peritxticai postage paid at Hogansville, Georgia 30230.
FOR st BSCRtgrloNS call (706) 846-3188 or write to Circulation Manager, Star
Mercur3j' Publications, E O. Box 426, Manchester. Georgia 31816.
PeX','TM',STI.:R: Send address changes to P. O. Box 426. Hogansville, GA 30230.
STAFf
Publisher and Advcnismo Director. .............................................................. Mike Hale
Asso:iate Publisher and FAiler ............................................................ John Kuykendall
Business Manager ................................................................................. Jayne Goldston
Assb;tant Editor ...................................................................................... Rob Richardson
StaffWi'iters .......................................................................... Bryan Geter, Billy Bryant
Assistant Ad,erlising Manager. ................................................................. Laurie Lewis
Corot's)sing .................................................................. Valinda lvery, Dewayne FIo ers
Legal,, ...................................................................................................... Jayne Goldston
Circulation Manager. .................................................................................... Jud 3, Crews
Pr(v3uction Manager ............................................................................ Bobby Brazil Jr.
Assistant Manager. .......................................................................... Wayne Gn)chowski
Pressroom ........................................... Damell McCauley, Joey Knight. Lanw Colleges
CORPORATE OVnCEIS
President ..................... .'. ...................................................................... Millard B. Grimes
Vice President ........... : ...................................................................... Charlotte S. Grimes
Executive Vice President and Secretar ........................................ Laura Grimes Cofer
Treasurer. ............................................... ...................................... Kathy Grimes Garrctt
Legal Counsel and Assistant Secretary .............................................. .Jmnes S. Grimes
The True Death of an Old
Written in 1978
Barney Wisdom is dead.
It happened Monday.
Everybody has a right to an
obituary, I was thinking. Even
old winos. This is Barney's.
It's the least I can do.
It won't be that complete,
however, because nobody
knew much about Barney -
and he could barely talk-
except he was a pitiful sight
hobbling around the Howell
Mill-Collier Road area in
Northwest Atlanta looking
for his next drink
"I'm not that sad Barney
died," a lady from the neigh-
borhood told me. "It's proba-
bly a blessing. It just breaks
my heart he had to live the
way he did."
Barney was 69. A police-
man found that out.
Somebody said he was a
native of Alabama and used
to work in a sawmill.
Somebody else said he had a
son in Florence. There was
talk he might have a sister in
Sumerville in north Georgia,
and I even heard once he had
a brother over in
LawrenceviUe.
A MAN at the coroner's
office told me Wednesday
that he had tried to contact a
relative to claim Barney's
body from the Grady morgue.
"So far," he said, "nothing."
Barney was the quintes-
sential wino. He worked at it
all his waking hours. His
favorite drinking perch was
atop a bench on the side of
Springlake Pharmacy at the
corner of Howell Mill and
Collier.
Barney never bothered
anybody that I knew of. Give
him a buck and he would
return a toothless smile that
certainly was not without
charm "
Barney slept in the woods
off Howell Mill. Or in the
basement of a neighborhood
Laundromat. Or, when the
weather became unbearable,
down at Atlanta's Union
Mission, thanks to rides by
caring Atlanta policemen.
THAT'S WHERE he died.
A passing motorist found him
nearly comatose on the side-
"Give him a buck
and he would return
a toothless smile
that certainly was
not without
charnL "
fell over dead."
I LIVED in
Collier area, and
marveled at the
surprising -
neighborhood
I hope
relatives, if
read this, and I
sure one
ing by when
cover his last
blood kin at his
thinking.
Even old
BY SPECIAL
walk Monday afternoon.
Barney had been fading fast NEWS IS
lately. COLUMNS BY THE
The motorist took him to 6mZZARD,
the Union Mission. One of the BY MOmLAND
spokesmen there told me MOST WIDELY
what happened. WRITER OF HIS
"Barney was in bad
shape," he said "The first thing
we do is give them a shower PRODUCTIONS P.O.
and then find the.some ATLANTA, GA
clean clothes. We gave him BOOK ANDMUSK
the shower, and then he just WIDE.
Asking Aldrich to Resign: Bad
During Monday night's
council meeting, Councilman
Jimmy Jackson said during
the council's comments that
he thought Hogansville need-
ed new leadership and then
asked City Manager David
Aldrich to resign.
Councilman Charlie
Frank Martin second the
motion, but Mayor Wilson St.
Clair rejected both motions
saying this matter needs to
be discussed in executive ses-
sion.
Jackson cited wasteful
spending as one of the rea-
sons the city needed new lead-
ership.
ON JUNE 22, 1998, the
City of Hogansville hired
Aldrich to run the city that
was weighed down in debt to
say the least.
A city that was $8 million
in debt, partly due to poor
leadership from the pass
administrations.
The city was in the "red"
so deeply that for two years,
the Hogansaville had to bor-
row $200,000 annually just to
get by.
Last January, Aldrich
assured the citizens of
Hogansville along with the
mayor and council that the
city is in the "black" for the
first time in many years.
What was Aldrich's
reward for providing good
leadership? I think you need
to ,resign, SaFs One c.unc-
man with others who agreed.
MY QUESTION is a sim-
ple one word question, Why?
I've heard it is because of
his big salary. The previous
mayor and council voted on
that issue five years ago.
Is it jealously due to a out-
sider coming to Hogansville
and doing a good job?
Really, Aldrich is no out-
beginning, I
print the truth Die
........... :::i of the issue and I
sides.
I
builders do not
manager because
the city codes
has told me on
sions that h
whatever it
the books.
"What ....... was
Aldl00h'00,: i;00ard for ....
providing good
leadership?"
sider due to the fact that he
is a resident and purchased
a home here and is raising his
family here.
From my standpoint,
David has always been fair
with me. He realized at the
AFTER the
Ho
improved it
have to borrow
Mayor
said in Aldrich's
we be
fourth year we
our knees.
The last two
mayor said,
but we are not
but we are getting
50
In the
• Hogansville
• 'MEANEST MAN:"
nomination for the
the year. And we don't
here in Georgia.
States. He's the man that
the City-County Hospital
has been the home of
Russell for 27
ings and gifts from
while Russell lay on the
ging him not to do it.
has been in the hospital in
since November of 1
backed into an open
clothes burst into flames..
• WARNING: "Dr. E.H.
Troup County
Health, cites the danger of J
automobile battery
by telling of the poisoning
dren here recently..."
• "WANT AD WORTH
FRONT PAGE: "Wanted -
ring lost at the Star Hie
nasium following
during season of 1933.
Hogansville class of 1933,
tials that looked like
• SHAPING UP:
program sponsored by the
Legion of Hogansville is
nicely, according to legion
.RANDOM
NVomen naturally like to!
and men provide the
