Georgia editorial roundup

Recent editorials from Georgia newspapers:

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Nov. 20

Lagrange Daily News on Thanksgiving:

Everyone is so busy in 2018. In today’s world, where smart phones connect everyone at breakneck pace, it’s difficult to truly get away. There’s always more work to do, always a new social media post to see or an event to attend.

And if you aren’t working, you know someone else is, trying to get a leg up.

Rarely, if ever, is there a chance to truly slow down, take a deep breath and relax. Vacations are great, but they aren’t quite the same as sitting around the table with family - moments that seem to happen less and less in the hustle and bustle of today’s world.

This week, at least on Thanksgiving, is a chance to do just that.

It’s a chance to put the phones down, eat some turkey and have a big meal with friends and family. Even for those anxious to get ahead and to work hard, we hope that work can wait one extra day.

Nothing is more valuable than time, and on Thursday we hope all of our readers will take a few hours to be thankful for family.

It’s important to keep in mind that there are plenty of people in the world that won’t be able to spend time with family this year, such as the men and women in our military. Many law enforcement officers will also work the holiday, patrolling our streets and keeping us safe while we stay inside and eat turkey.

And on this day of giving thanks, it’s important to remember that others might have a more difficult time than us this holiday season. Many area churches and groups have worked together to provide free meals on a holiday where nobody should go hungry.

And some will spend a portion of their Thanksgiving cooking meals for the less fortunate of our community.

Thanksgiving will be here before we know it, and it won’t be long before we’re all researching creative ways to spruce up leftover turkey, so enjoy it while it’s here.

We encourage readers to get their fill of family, and to soak up the memories.

Online: http://www.lagrangenews.com/

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Nov. 19

The Savannah Morning News on the runoff for secretary of state:

Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams won’t face a runoff election to decide Georgia’s next governor.

Make no mistake, though, voters will get a say in the post-election standoff between the two candidates over the state’s election system.

The names on the ballot and the elected office will just be different.

Abrams’ decision to forego a lawsuit challenging the validity of Kemp’s win in the gubernatorial race is tied to the Dec. 4 runoff for secretary of state.

We can even presume that had Republican Brad Raffensperger received another 35,210 votes to reach the majority threshold - 50 percent plus one - and defeated Democrat John Barrow for the office tasked with managing the state’s elections, Abrams would be pursuing legal options.

Kemp would still officially be the governor-elect, but Abrams’ acknowledgement that her opponent is “certified as the victor” would not have come. Instead of a lawsuit seeking to improve the state’s elections system by exposing flaws that came to light during this most recent cycle, which is currently in the works, she would have asked the judicial system to conduct an election do-over.

And she would have failed.

An unintended consequence would have been her sabotage of Barrow’s chances in the runoff. Turnout is typically abysmal for these election sequels, and as we saw during the midterms, nothing motivates the Republican base to go to the polls quite like flimsy allegations against one of their candidates.

Rhetoric such as saying Kemp, the secretary of state prior to election day, was engaged in voter suppression.

Considering Barrow would, if elected, hold the power to correct many of the elections system shortcomings Abrams has targeted - the legitimate ones anyway - Abrams is wise to channel her supporters’ energy into Barrow’s candidacy rather than into a doomed legal battle.

Kemp could counter by campaigning hard for Raffensperger.

The governor-elect’s focus is elsewhere, however, specifically his preparations to take over for Gov. Nathan Deal. Kemp has announced his “Georgians First” transition team and said the group would spend the next two months refining policy initiatives he prioritized during his campaign, developing a budget proposal and identifying candidates to state posts and boards.

The Georgia General Assembly convenes in 55 days for its 2019 session. The legislature meets for just 40 days, and any legislation Kemp wants enacted must clear at least one of assembly’s two chambers by the term’s midpoint.

Kemp will be busy, if not distracted, from the secretary of state’s race. Lip service on par with what Gov. Deal gave Casey Cagle during the primary runoff may be the best Raffensperger can hope for. Cagle, you’ll remember, lost badly

This potentially upends the normal assumptions about runoff elections. Georgia Republicans typically dominate these special votes, as conservatives are more likely to show up in larger numbers for them than Democratic voters.

But if Abrams can keep her voters engaged through her push for elections system improvements without inflaming the passions of the Kemp disciples, Barrow stands to benefit. Barrow earned more votes on Nov. 6 than any Democrat other than Abrams.

Additionally, the Libertarian candidate for secretary of state, Smythe Duval, has endorsed Barrow. While small in numbers, Libertarian voters are a committed bunch prone to turn out on election day.

The glow cast by the gubernatorial contenders could be the deciding factor in who becomes the next secretary of state.

Raffensperger and Barrow are two standout candidates in their own right, however.

Raffensperger is an engineer by trade and a small business owner by profession who came to politics almost by accident just a few years ago. Barrow, meanwhile, has a background in academia and is a veteran politician who served in the U.S. Congress for a decade.

Both acknowledge the many faults in Georgia’s elections system and vow to make improvements a top priority. And neither is particularly partisan, with Barrow recently telling voters, “Yeah, I’m a Democrat, but I won’t bite ya.”

The secretary of state’s duties are largely apolitical. He or she runs the elections system, registers corporations, oversees professional licensures and regulates the state’s securities market.

Voters should keep that in mind in the weeks to come. This runoff is not Kemp-Abrams II.

Online: https://www.savannahnow.com/

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Nov. 21

Valdosta Daily Times on store layaway:

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We encourage our readers to shop smart. Large amounts of debt created during the holiday shopping season often puts families in a bind and the interest on credit cards can add exponentially to the cost of holiday gifts. Consumer advocates have said store layaway can be a better option than credit in many cases.

Store layaway plans allow consumers to purchase gifts without having to pay the full amount at the time of purchase and without having to run up large amounts of credit card debt.

With most plans being offered now, buyers must typically make a down payment of 10 to 20 percent and pay any service or plan fees for the store to hold the item for them, according to the Better Business Bureau. The customer then has typically 30 to 90 days to make periodic payments to pay off the balance. Some online retailers offer layaway options as well with various terms, some of which include the use of debit cards over a specified period before products are shipped.

While the BBB has said layaway services can be a great alternative to using credit cards, the bureau also cautions consumers to read the fine print and make sure what the layaway terms are. The BBB has offered these words of caution:

- Read the fine print. Ask the company for a written contract for the layaway and read it carefully. Keep in mind that layaway policies may differ from one company to another.

- Layaway period. Ask how long the item can be on layaway. The length of time that items can be placed on hold varies from store to store.

- Merchandise holds. Find out if the item being placed on layaway is put on hold immediately or when it is paid for. Some consumers were informed that the product they were paying on had been sold to another consumer.

- Payment dates. Make sure you know the specific date when each payment must be made. If a payment is not made by that date, the layaway item can be sold to another consumer or returned to stock, and you may lose the money you have paid down on it.

- Refund policy. Read the company’s refund policy carefully. Retailers’ policies may differ: some give all the money back; others may charge a non-refundable service or restocking fee; still others may offer a merchant credit for the amount you paid.

- Order date. If the product is not in stock, be sure to find out when it will be ordered. Will it be ordered when the layaway is opened or when the last payment is made? Consumers report that some items are not ordered until after the last payment is made and then the product is not available

- Delivery dates. If the product you have on layaway has to be delivered to you, make sure the delivery date is listed in the contract. Consumers report delivery delays due to the product not being available or other consumers having their delivery dates scheduled before layaway customers.

- Layaway fees. Make sure you find out if there are any additional fees to layaway merchandise. You should also find out if the additional fees will be refunded if you cancel the layaway.

So, whether paying in cash, check, credit or using a layaway plan, we encourage our readers to shop locally whenever possible, supporting businesses in our region and keeping sales tax dollars at home.

Online: https://www.valdostadailytimes.com/