I must be a THEY. What the comish said sounds like an excuse to me, I find it hard to believe that it is mostly locals that want Walmart and move ins' who are against, thats just not what I hear around the people I associated with. I think those who want to sell the property and those who like change for changes sake are the most vocal about wanting one here. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer and we middle class support them both. May be we need a vote on this too. The people who have lived here all their lives and made a living where they could and lived on what they could, and made this country what it was (to bad it isn't any more), deserve a little more say-so about this area than someone who moves in and decides they don't like the way things are done here because we don't do things like we did in...where ever.... I don't begrudge anyone the right to live here, after all if it wasn't nice here why would I even want to live here, but please don't come in with the attitude that "I can move there and make it just like the place I left from but with a mountain to look at and a tree to put a posted sign on.

By the way I have many friends that are move ins' and I feel that the problems stem from a vocal minority, just as the problems have been over the years, it's like many other things, one spoils it for the many. Many are involved with the Historical society and the arts or starting a small business or doing something similar, these people are changing things, but they are changing them for the better. Why not bring this area up as the area should be as a nice quite beautiful place to live and raise kids, not bring it down with contionous growth and building and expansion. We have a sewage plant that just barely handles what is generated now, what are we going to do for growth?? How long will our water supply handle growth?? Every added developement and/or shoping area brings on the need for updates in our infrastructure, which in turn costs more money which means we need more growth to bring in more money so we can spend more to bring in more and..........where does it stop??? Guess this covers about the whole world, I stop ranting now and let the computer cool off.

DoC I know where you are comming from having raised two children and paying for a home and transportation. I have bought a lot of things during my lifetime from Walmart but when I came home I knew there wasn't one here and I didn't miss it at all. If you want bargains try the Penny's Outlet at the farmers market, you can buy stuff for half or less of the catalog price. I wear a lot of $9.00 shirts from there, no one sells ones I like around here (not even Walmart), I wear a tall and can't stand a shirt that the tail comes out everytime you move or bend over. I do buy most of my jeans from Walmart as they seem to have ones that fit me better. But I do try to buy locally if possible. I admit that it will be convenient for many to have some place like Walmart close by and I also understand that it's hard for some to travel to Ellijay or Murphy regulary and for them it's great, but for me, it's just one more red light, one more place for some slow poke to pull out in front of me, one less nerve I will have at the end of the day and just one more example of why I don't live in the big city. I brought my kids back here to grow up and go to school because of the way the area was, I don't know if I would do it now or not.

I don't think I answered anyones questions but I may have given reason for a few. Have I got any real answers, if I had I wouldn't have had to write so much, I could have summed it up easyly.

why

Before we develop downtown we need a good by pass to let those who arn't interested in stopping at a coffee shop or antique shop or what have you can get through to go to their jobs.

WRJ,I'm usually as friendly as those who aproach me are, I can be just as nice as I am allowed to be. As one fellow once said, you got a car, I got a car, you got a gang, I got a gang, are we gonna race or are we gonna fight. I like someone to ask, what do you think to this, not tell me that this is the way it has to be done.

This was really was once the "Land of Lakes, Mountains, Scenic Beauty and Friendly People" as the NGN's logo states. Some folks just won't let you be friendly. (No I don't have anything to do with the NGN) We used to be friendly until we were told we didn't have enough sense to understand how to do things and how to handle our daily lives or that dogs weren't susposed to cross property lines or you can't fish in front of my house, I own that part of the lake. What good are mountains if you can't cut down all of the trees and build a hundred houses in site of each other and don't worry about what you are doing to others view as long as I've got mine.

Admin. Feel free to move my rants and raves to another topic if you wish, I know this has gotten way off topic and I'm sorry.

(Personally, I would like a Target located between Young Harris and Blairsville because something is needed.)

"The people who have lived here all their lives and made a living where they could and lived on what they could, and made this country what it was (to bad it isn't any more), deserve a little more say-so about this area than someone who moves in and decides they don't like the way things are done here because we don't do things like we did in...where ever...."

Why, it doesn't work that way anywhere. When I grew up in Miami, we didn't get any more "say" in how things should be than the thousands of Cubans and others who came.

When I worked in a hotel for six years, and a group of people from another hotel came to work there, the entire atmosphere of the office changed. Expectations of "how things should be done" changed. I didn't have more say about it than them.

Majority rules if you're talking about voting.

There is no special recogition for getting here first.

I'm sure the Indians have fond memories of haven their land taken from them by whites who settled here. They weren't even allowed to stay in the area and were rounded up and marched to Oklahoma. And so many of them died.

It wasn't that way then, and it's delusional to think it's that way now. A person who invests everything they have in buying a home here and paying taxes has as much right as anyone else.

It would be a lot better if natives would simply say whether or not they are "For or Against" an issue, without telling newcomers they don't even have a right to an opinion because they haven't been here long enough.

Unless they agree that newcomers should only pay half-taxes to reflect their second-class status.

Wildflower

quote:

---

No, you are not giving me that impression.

It's everyone who ever said . . .

"Why do they move here and then try to change everything? They knew what it was like before they moved in!"

THEY give me that impression.

Wildflower

Sometimes I get the feeling the whole world is against me.
But deep down, I know that's not true.
Some of the smaller countries are neutral.
~Robert Orben

---

I neglected to address another thing (really off topic).

It may surprise you to know that some of your concerns are also my concerns.

I am very sympathetic to the issue of access to rivers and lakes, hunting and fishing. I read an account from way back on Blairsville.com where a native man was complaining that he couldn't even fish in the rivers as easily as before, because people were buying up land on the rivers and it was considered trespassing.

It seems to me that this is a county development issue. I can't believe there isn't a way to address this via laws for development and building. Public access should be built in and it's the county's fault if they don't plan for it.

In no way do I want to see assets like rivers and lakes closed off from the public, and exclusively in the hands of private owners. I say that and I live in a lake community!

I know there is some public access, but I don't think there is enough. With more land being sold, there has to be planning in advance to prevent people from being cut off from pursuits they used to take for granted.

Dogs on leashes - Someone wrote in our newspaper that it was time for leashes for all dogs because it isn't the country anymore. Wow. That is sad.

I was shocked when I first moved here that dogs were allowed to roam so free, but I've gotten used to it. And that's what makes this different from the city!

I do think they should be confined at night though. And owners should be required to prevent their dogs from damaging other people's property. But other than that, let it be.

So, you see, Why? Sometimes I'm on your side.

Wildflower

Sometimes I get the feeling the whole world is against me.
But deep down, I know that's not true.
Some of the smaller countries are neutral.
~Robert Orben

I realize that life changes everywhere, why do we have to rush it though? If I were required to move into an area where their were Walmarts on every corner, would I be correct in asking them to shut them down cause we didn't have them where I came from and they were causing disruption in my normal life? Like I said before, if you can't improve it, leave it alone. I also say, the problem with America today is lack of imigration control by the Native Americans or American Indians, which ever you may call them.

I guess it's just one of these me, me, me, kind of things. Why should I forfeit my convience for someone elses?

There are no perfect angels on either side.

As far as access, we had better work together on that one. You know, in Florida, at least there are some areas designated as "National Seashores" that can't be built on. That is to protect the public so they can have access.

Need to do some of that here, but it will require putting into law.

The dogs - that is a hard one for many people to understand. You know what's interesting? This neighborhood is on the lake and full of newcomers. Some walk their dogs on leashes, but not all do. I thought they would be upset if my business partner's dog wandered around free, but guess what? SHE was more popular than WE were. Everyone loved her and welcomed her visits and gave her biscuits.

It goes to show. You never know. Our neighbors live in expensive houses, but they are the most laid back people I've ever lived around. Maybe it's because almost all of them have dogs and they are dog lovers.

Animals are lucky here, they have a great place to wander without too much through traffic. I love it.

Wildflower

Something to think about (me and everyone else), we each have an opinion, some of us just get more bent out of shape when others disagree. We used to have a saying in HighSchool, "You aint wrong, you may not always be right, but you aint NEVER wrong".

Blairsville, Georgia - home in the North GA Mountains

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