Liberal Unfriendly Place: Cobb County, GA

Need more be said?!

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I live in Cobb, and I must agree with you. I am a liberal high school student and I often feel oppressed by the Gingrich conservatives. I would like to assert, however, that as president of my H.S.'s YD club and an active member of County Young Democrats, There is certainly a strong liberal contingent.

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I have lived in Cobb County since 1975. I never cease to be amazed at the levels of ignorance and intolerance that continue to exist (make that THRIVE) here. People hating Baptist churches on nearly every corner, a county commission that can't take a stand for anything even close to civil or human rights, and Newt Gingrich. (Just his name makes you want to regurgitate, the sound of his human hating voice is even worse.)

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I recently visited a friend who had the misfortune of moving to Newt-land (husband's job). The place made my skin crawl. Lots of $250,000+ cookie-cutter houses, 4-5/acre, all filled with wealthy, white, bigoted Repugnicans. I never saw a black person the whole time I was there, just a token Hispanic family.

I saw all those big, fancy Baptist churches on every corner, as mentioned by a previous commenter. What was it that Jesus said about giving up ones wealth in order to follow Him (Matthew 6:19-21)? (The "Christian Republican" is an oxymoron in my book!)

What a horrible, horrible place.

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We decided to relocate to the Atlanta area and specifically avoided living in Cobb. The comments on this page are only a smidge exaggerated but are true. I am not proud to say I have Newt as my Congressman. I only hope my votes against him will count some day.

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Yesterday's election run-off was good news for those of us who were distressed by Cobb County's anti-gay resolution. The resolution's author, Gordon Wysong, received 37% of the vote in the five man Republican primary race. In yesterday's runoff election, he was only able to increase his share to 41%. Obviously, the majority of the votes were anti-Wysong, and very few who had voted for any of the other four candidates chose to change to Wysong in the runoff.

Bigotry is not dead in Cobb County, but it does not reflect what many of us in Cobb County believe and practice. The anti-gay resolution wasn't the only criticism of Wysong's tenure on the county commission, but it was a significant factor in his defeat.

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I have lived in unincorporated Cobb County for just over fifteen years, and would encourage all thinking caring individuals to move here. We need you!

The home I purchased in 1982 was the first sale in a 400+ home subdivision in the northeast corner of the county. There is racial and ethnic diversity in our subdivision and the residents seem to be comfortable with this.

We drive thirteen miles to a church in Fulton County, where 40% of the membership, and both ministers, live in Cobb County. Our theological and political views seem to fit better there than at the Cobb County church of the same denomination where we were members for ten years.

Our excellent County Manager, David Hankerson, is black and I have never heard a single negative comment based on his race. He is quite competent and receives the respect he is due from what I can see.

A few years ago (since we moved to Georgia) there was a Klan rally on the Marietta Square. It was done legally, and they were allowed to exercise their constitutional rights. At the same time, an alternative rally was held at a church near the square - led by many pastors (conservative, moderate, and liberal). The attendance far exceeded expectations, and was thrilling to those of us who deplore all that the Klan type organizations stand for. Fifty at the Klan rally and two thousand at the anti-Klan rally is how I remember that day.

I have rambled enough, but Cobb County is a good place to live with no more frustrations than I have experienced elsewhere in this great country of ours. Please visit, shop and live in Cobb County. We need various voices here, as we do everywhere. Yes, conservative religious and political thought is alive and well in Cobb County, but so are the thoughts and beliefs of the rest of us.

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I must say that I feel that Cobb County is being judged harshly by many people who don't even live here! I read several comments by people who said they were here visiting relatives or friends, and that they were apalled by the conditions in Cobb County (e.g. $250,000+ homes, 4 or 5 per acre, no Black people, and only a token Hispanic family). That person then quoted the Bible stating that Jesus called for people to give up their riches and follow him. It would seem to me that if you only saw $250,000+ homes, then your relatives certainly have a lot of money - why don't you urge THEM to give up their riches and follow Jesus!

I have lived in Cobb County for MANY years. I recently purchased a house here (I had been renting one in Cobb before that). This county is most certainly NOT 100% White, as my subdivision (approx 250 homes) is made up of equal numbers of Blacks, Whites and Hispanics.

I own a business in Smyrna, GA (just south of Marietta, but still in Cobb County) and most of my customers come from the local area. They are a large mix of people including Whites, Blacks, Hispanics - people of all races and religions. It does not make economic sense in this day and age to discriminate against people based on these things - I don't do it, and I don't know of any of my entrepreneurial, Cobb-County-residing friends that do it either.

This county should not be derided for its conservatism, it should be praised. We have THE LOWEST sales tax rate in the Metro Atlanta area, and one of the lowest Property Tax rates. Yet, our public schools are ranked #3 in the state - behind Gwinett County and Forsyth County. How do we do it? Simple - conservatives know how to run an economy without taxing the people to death! That is why I continue to support Cobb County's conservatism, and why most Cobb County residents continue to do so as well.

That's my $0.02