Since the opponents of

SPLOST are generally opposed to big spending and waste,

and since they have nothing to gain in the nature of fat

contracts or commissions from SPLOST's defeat, they are

less likely to organize and spend money. They'll probably

have to rely on the common sense of the people.

If our local newspapers are

to perform their job of informing the public properly,

they should note that the pro-SPLOST committee will be

required to file with the county election superintendent

a report of contributions and expenditures. The first

report is due in on Sept. 6, which is Labor Day, so

chances are it will show up only on Sept. 7.

It will be interesting to

see who is financially backing this SPLOST, though we are

unlikely to find out till the last minute. In Cobb

County, last fall, "contractors and engineers who

stand to pick up much of the business" (to use the

exact words of the Atlanta Constitution dated 10/21/98)

were found to be the main backers of a road construction

SPLOST vote. They lost!

What we already know,

thanks to The Citizen article, is that an employee of the

bond firm A.G. Edwards is "guiding" the SPLOST

effort; and we know that A.G. Edwards was earlier

selected by the school board to issue the bonds that go

with the SPLOST.

That A.G. Edwards was

selected without any apparent competitive bidding is just

another sign the school board lacks common sense. If

SPLOST is approved, A.G. Edwards will get paid a

commission out of public money, a payback, indirect as it

may be, for its or its employee's successful effort. The

deal between the school board and A.G. Edwards represents

another act of stupidity and ethical insensitivity by the

school board. How much commission? It's never been

reported, like it's none of our business.

The idea behind many SPLOST

votes is to defeat the public by stirring up a core

minority group into voting for the extra tax while

keeping the general public away from the polls.

That's why these elections

are like an IQ test for the population. Unless you're

sharp enough, you get stung.

Claude Y. Paquin

Fayette County

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