Dockery to seek District 176 seat
To the editor:
There’s a phrase I keep coming back to as I meet folks across Georgia House District 176: “I’m running to serve you.” Not the political insiders. Not the big donors. Not a party machine in Atlanta.
You.
That simple promise is at the heart of why I stepped forward to run for the Georgia House. For too long, many families in South Georgia have felt unheard. We face real challenges every day — whether it’s rising costs, struggling infras tructure, unreliable broadband, limited healthcare access, or the need to support our farmers and small businesses.
Too often, the people making decisions for us never sit at the same kitchen tables where those challenges are felt.
When I say I’m running to serve you, here’s what I mean: I’m running to listen.
Before proposing ideas, I want to understand what matters most to you — your family, your job, your children’s schools, your farm, your neighborhood. Leadership doesn’t start with a microphone. It starts with an ear.
I’m running to fight for our local priorities.
Our needs in South Georgia are not the same as Atlanta’s. We deserve someone who lives here, works here, worships here, and raises a family here — someone who will carry our voice to the Capitol and not forget where he came from.
I’m running to bring common sense back into politics.
People are tired of the shouting and the finger-pointing. They want real solutions. They want someone they can talk to. Someone they can call. Someone who doesn’t dodge tough conversations.
I’m running because serving my community isn’t new to me — it’s who I am.
As a teacher, a coach, a volunteer and a neighbor, I’ve spent my life trying to make our area better in whatever ways I could. This campaign is simply a larger version of that same mission.
At the end of the day, elected officials don’t work for a political party.
They don’t work for lobbyists. They don’t work for themselves. They’re supposed to work for you.
If I have the honor of serving as your next State Representative, I will show up every single day with one question at the front of my mind: “How can I serve the people of District 176 today?”
That’s my promise. That’s my mission.
And that is why I’m running — to serve you.
Michael Dockery Waycross
Protect seniors, vets wound care
To the editor:
Accessible healthcare challenges continue to mount across our country and seniors in Georgia face even greater barriers accessing the highquality healthcare that they need and deserve.
Now, the federal government is proposing changes for the reimbursement of cellular, acellular, and matrix-like products (CAMPs) or skin substitutes, clinically effective products that help manage chronic wounds.
These conditions overwhelmingly impact patient populations such as our seniors and veteran population. The products have been instrumental in improving health outcomes and quality of life for the most vulnerable patients with chronic wounds, and I strongly believe that the proposed policy changes may have a devastating impact on the patients who rely on these products.
I was concerned when learning information regarding the details surrounding proposed policy changes from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid that would limit access to skin substitute treatments In Georgia alone, there are more than 3.3 million seniors, veterans, and diabetics, who at some point may suffer from a chronic wound. And while these patients already face obstacles to accessing care, the proposed policy changes cause even more barriers.
Providers will be hampered in product availability and patients will be forced to rely on less effective treatment options. This would not only compromise patients’ health but also increase the financial burden for patients and their families.
I applaud the efforts of (CMS) under this administration to control waste, fraud, and abuse in the healthcare system, but it can’t come at the expense of patient care. Regulators must protect patient access to these clinically proven wound care products.
This is not just about policy, it’s about quality of life and improved outcomes for the countless seniors and veterans in Georgia who rely on these products.
Norman Graves, CEO Middle Flint Council on Aging
Street dogs need loving homes
To the editor:
Hello, My name is Carson and this topic is about why dogs being left out on the street is dangerous.
According to the website BlueLakevet.com the first danger is unwanted pregnancy and how it can be a lot of work to raise puppies, and not everyone is willing or able to care for them. As a result , they often end up in shelters or on the street.
So to help prevent those surprise or unwanted pregnancies with your dog, having them spayed or neutered will eliminate the risk. This will help decrease the pet overpopulation.
Millions of pets end up in shelters every year and a lot of those animals never find a home.
You can help be part of the solution to the pet overpopulation by having your pet “fixed” and reduce the number of unwanted animals that don’t deserve a life in a shelter, or to be euthanized.
In fact, pets at shelters also will cost money for the shelter to fix, taking away necessary funds that the shelter could give you elsewhere.
We can find a possible solution to making sure no animals get hurt or face the possibility of death as well as facing being without a loving and caring family for the dog.
Sincerely, Carson Bunn Waycross
Don’t abandon dogs in a shelter
To the editor:
My name is Daniel Smith, and today I will be informing you on the negative effects of putting dogs into animal shelters.
There are many reasons on why you shouldn’t put your loving companion in a prisonlike shelter.
Did you know 90 percent of dogs that walk into the shelter door never leave it?
Just imagine that your dog may never have another chance at a loving family, and even if they do, they likely will feel scared being with a whole new family.
Imagine you as a person being abandoned and having to go to a new family without your will? That would be horrible.
The website https://www.aspca.org addresses the economic problem of over-filled animal shelters. Did you know most animal shelters only have enough food for the amount of dogs that are supposed to be there?
That means the more overfilled the shelters get, the less food the dogs will get to intake throughout the day. Some dogs could unfortunately die from hunger just because you gave up your dog for unspeakable reasons.
The website https://wefosterdogs. org speaks on the fact when dogs sit in the animal shelter for too long without getting adopted they can be euthanized. I hope this brings a spark into everyone and makes them understand the reasons to not put your dogs into the animal shelter.
Sincerely Daniel Smith Waycross
The Waycross Journal-Herald welcomes letters on any subject. Letters should be limited to 300 words, contain contact information of the writer and emailed to [email protected].
