In 2014, Georgia experienced the snowpocalypse of the century, quickly landing us at the butt of northerners’ jokes. SNL even parodied the shivering south on national TV. What they did not understand was that, in Georgia, snow is just ice in disguise.
Last Thursday, with temperatures in the low-30s — which eventually led to a breezy, cool Friday — Gov. Nathan Deal called for a state of emergency in 21 Georgia counties in fear of a recurrence from 2014.
Of course, perishables at the grocery store started flying off the shelves. Cue chaos at Murder Kroger and grocers nearby.
Schools closed in bulk and the state government shut its doors to worries of a winter onslaught. So, in the heart of the 2016 legislative session, Georgia lawmakers took a snow day. So, with our past experiences in the back of Deal’s mind, was his decision effectively cautious or a little overdramatic?
The good news is the state government was well prepared to sit by the fire all day. The bad news: It did not snow enough to warrant that type of response.
During the state of emergency, many people believed the snow would rise and the ice would stay to haunt our (already) crippled roadways for a while. Don’t get us wrong; we love the fact that the state actually offered a safe response and were prepared for what could have happened. But the point was, nothing happened to Georgia State students since the snow didn’t stick in metro Atlanta. The Atlanta Police Department has yet to report on the number of tongues stuck to telephone poles, but we’re on the case.
Our student body — at least those confused enough to have registered for Friday classes — got to stay home in bed last week. And we should be happy right? Eh, we’re not. Remember two weeks ago when we told you to read up on all these big legislative efforts?
Well, in a time when ever-conservative Georgia is debating an abundance of hot-button issues, we prefer our politicos under the Gold Dome. Unless your powdered wig is frozen solid and you need to sled to work, us journos would like to see you (Deal and chronies), pen in hand, bickering and lobbying over heavy legislation.
Although Gov. Deal probably had good intentions by calling a state of emergency by trying to keep Georgians safe, we don’t think that a government shutdown was the right call. We understand that politicians want a snow day too but the system doesn’t stop because of a little snow that didn’t stick.
State senators and representatives have authored bills this year to expand Georgia’s limited cannabis industry — some even aim for recreational weed. And liberals and conservatives have been battling at the capitol over controversial religious freedoms and which ones might need taking away. The list goes on, but you get it. No recess for the grown-ups.
Away from the fact the students got a day off, do you think the shutdown was necessary or was it the right call? Let us know by emailing us at signaleditor@gmail.com.
