Hull considers ways to spend SPLOST funds

I hear your frustration! Everyone has a different idea of what want is and what need is. That's why government is needed, to assess the majority and act accordingly. When a private business is used for government services there is the built-in middleman cost, so if government does it right, that cost can be saved if government simply, for example, buys a mower and pays someone to mow every day or parttime whatever needs mowing (roadsides, public lawns, whatever).

I came from Sandy Springs in Atlanta. They became a city some years ago and brilliantly kept city government as small as possible; they have a lot of very sophisticated residents who have contributed their know-how. The representatives make policy (ordinances, etc.) and large decisions only. They hire a city management company to do the rest. If they are not happy with them, they hire another such company; there are a number of these companies now. It has worked very well. however, this only works in a large, densely populated area but reflects Mr. Birch's thoughts. Government ain't easy.

Quite right. Paving or construction is another story. But a mower and a guy to run it is pretty simple; no need for a middleman or involved infrastructure. These are the types of decisions government can and must make to serve the people.

The majority comes from the taxpayers. If the taxpayers are not capable of critical thinking and good judgement in what information sources they depend on to support candidates for representation, then they will be easily fooled by our very sophisticated political parties. So many people just don't want to think or don't want to make the effort to know what's going on so they go vote and only look for an "R" or a "D" and vote accordingly. It's not easy and it's time-consuming to keep informed but the first place to start is to find the most reliable and unbiased sources of information. These days there are very few, but NPR's "All Things Considered" is good and Public Broadcasting's "The McLehrer Report" is, too. There are several fact-checkers on the internet that are all pretty good. Anything on television other than Public Broadcasting is no place to go, ever.

I would hope that those who aren't well-informed would please not vote until they are. Those that do vote, please know what is going on and don't let those politicians fool you, lead you along like stupid sheep or fall for a nice smile or handsome face. Know the politicians and know the issues!

Who owns the street where the culvert is broken? Many subdivisions own the streets within it; therefore, the residents must maintain the streets. Get the county to accept ownership of the streets and they will maintain them. I don't think our leaders are very anxious to take on ownership of any more roads, though. If the residents of Hidden Falls feel that they pay too much property tax, then each household may request, with supporting reasoning and evidence, an adjustment in the valuation from the county. They may not get it, in which case the county feels that taxation is neither too high nor too low.