Protesting Is Community
Did you see us? On May 1, over 200 of us lined both sides of Prince Avenue by Piedmont Athens Regional during rush hour, raising our signs, chanting and singing in support of workers everywhere on International Workers Day.
You may have missed us, but many of our fellow Athenians did not. They streamed by for nearly two hours, honking and waving in support. The enthusiasm of the passing drivers was even exceeded by those of us along the street.
What did we accomplish? Certainly we signaled our support for better pay and better working conditions for over 164 million of our fellow Americans. In the richest country in the world, the Republicans refuse to raise the federal minimum wage above the staggeringly low $7.25, also maintained by Georgia—that’s $14,500 a year, 25% below Georgia’s single person poverty line. This is an insult to us all.
Protests and rallies—needed now more than ever to bring serious attention to increasing injustice and deteriorating real-world conditions—need not be deadly serious in their execution. For two hours, we were an enthusiastic, lively crowd. We ranged in age from teenagers to nonagenarians. Together, we demonstrated the power of community.
There will be many more rallies and protests, with more chances for everyone to participate. Protests are serious, but they are an opportunity for us to show we are an engaged citizenry, ready to stake our claim on our future while having fun doing it. Join us, you will find community and fulfillment.
Rick Burt
Co-leader, IndivisibleGA10
Hygienists Should Be Licensed
Do you know the role of your dental hygienist? Dental hygienists are licensed healthcare professionals who not only clean teeth, but prevent one of the most common and dangerous, transmissible diseases in the world, dental caries (tooth decay/cavities). Your mouth is home to over 700 species of bacteria. When left untreated, the bacteria can lead to tooth decay, gingivitis, gum disease and bone loss resulting in permanent tooth loss. Infection may spread and contribute to systemic diseases like heart disease, stroke, erectile dysfunction and diabetes. Properly managing oral hygiene isn’t just for healthy teeth and gums, it’s critical to your entire body’s health.
Yet now, some propose replacing licensed and regulated dental hygienists with unlicensed individuals who lack the education, clinical expertise and legal licensure needed for proper preventive care. This would be a dangerous step backward.
Dental hygienists are college educated, licensed, oral health care professionals who prevent and treat diseases of the mouth. Dental hygienists graduate from an accredited dental hygiene program requiring a minimum of 1,000 hours of classroom instruction and 700 hours of clinical instruction.
Shortcuts in health care cost lives. Allowing unlicensed individuals to perform the duties of licensed dental hygienists without the same level of education and clinical expertise diminishes the quality of preventive services and potentially endangers the wellbeing of the patients. So, the next time you visit your dental office, look for the license.
Amber Doucette
Athens
Electricity Costs Are On the Ballot
While many residents hoped 2025 would provide a breather from elections, there are important elections this year for two seats on the Public Service Commission. As background, the mission of the PSC is to ensure consumers have access to reliable and reasonably priced power, gas and phone service.
Due to litigation, elections have been on hold since 2020, but they are back on track this year and two of the five commission seats will be decided in November. The commission seats are by district (Clarke and Oconee are in District 2), but the elections are statewide, so you can and should vote in both races.
The growing cost of electricity is in the spotlight. Since 2023, the all-Republican commission has approved six rate increases for Georgia Power consumers, highlighted by the enormous construction overruns at Plant Vogtle and subsidizing the infrastructure to support the growing data center industry. Even if you get your power from an electric cooperative, like Walton EMC, you are not totally shielded from rising electricity costs. Walton and other EMCs buy power from a wholesaler, Oglethorpe Power, which owns 30% of Plant Vogtle, so those cost problems ultimately find their way into EMC rates.
The long overdue elections of the Public Service Commission are important to hold them to account for inadequate cost control over the power infrastructure and for not prioritizing renewable energy sources. Nationally, Georgia ranks 35th in affordability and 43rd in rooftop solar.
Power bills are increasing across the state, but this year, you get to vote for change. We need commissioners who value affordability and increasing sources of renewable energy sources over the status quo. There’s a primary election on June 17, with early voting starting May
27. If you want to learn more, go to Georgians for Affordable Energy at georgiansforaffordableenergy.org.
Harold Thompson
Chair, Oconee County Democratic Committee
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