On Money

So I've been asking myself, what is so interesting about Oconee County? It is an extremely affluent county, and most of the conflicts in the county stem from land use and development issues that are often stereotyped as the "boring plight of the bourgeoisie."

So I may have just let my hand show. I often find myself more attracted to how the marginalized and ignored communities operate and function, and the trials they face in meeting common, daily needs. But often, the dirt we dig is not always filled with the gold we want.

With that being said, how about some government facts. I've been on a bit of a statistics binge lately, and came across the Georgia Health Disparities report, produced by the Georgia Health Equity Initiative. I recommend you read it. It can be found here: http://dch.georgia.gov/00/channel_title/0,2094,31446711_40829902,00.html

One of the more interesting statistics calculated for each county is the "Years Per Life Lost" statistic, which tells how many gross years of life are lost by people who die before they hit the average life expectancy. If Average Life expectancy is 72, and someone dies at 62, then that is measured as 10 years of life lost for that individual.

The report goes into this a little bit, but when people die early, that has an affect on the rest of the community. Their wisdom, the years of grandparenting, and their place within the social fabric of a community disappears. When an entire community or ethnic group within a community has a very high YPLL, we can think of that as a huge loss of collective wisdom and guidance within that group, as well as a marker for widespread risks to that localized group.
Oconee County has 5 years of life lost, compared to the many thousands of YPLL for other counties, showing that people in Oconee County tend to live a pretty long time.

Below is Oconee County's report card from the Georgia Health Disparities report. In my opinion, it reinforces that Oconee county is a very affluent area, with a large white population. Racial disparity among Georgia's health services seems to be an almost foregone conclusion, but it is really about money. In the report card, you see several D's and an F in access to mental health services. The report shows disparities in care, and these low grades reflect the fact that Oconee County offers very few "safety net" services for poorer individuals.

Evan Mills, of the Clark County Government Homelessness Task Force, said that many people living in poverty in Oconee County come to Clark County to get services, but in his estimation, that it is a very small population doing so. As in all things, money equals access, and if you live in Oconee County, on the whole you probably can afford access to better care. Which doesn't mean that your health care doesn't come with its own set of issues, but affording care is the first river to cross when looking for good care.

Oconee County Overview and Activism

To know Oconee County, one must first understand the level of civic engagement happening in the community. Celesta Sharpe made a documentary entitled "Carving Up Oconee." The film is about the rigorous debate between those who want to bring developers into Oconee County and those who want to keep it rural and protect farmland. It portrays Oconee citizens as exceptionally literate and informed about modern land-use issues and grassroots organizing.

You can see the trailer here: http://carvingupoconee.com/

The land use debate seems to be the overarching narrative for Oconee County, and as this blog develops, I am sure that land-use issues will color the coverage and provide a background for most stories. It is a rural county that wants to stay rural, but also has the highest per capita income in Georgia. A higher per capita income often reflects a more educated and engaged community, and at the outset, it seems that the citizens of Oconee have a stronger sense of self-determinism and clarity about how they want their community to develop.

Celestae's film portrays these informed and engaged citizens in opposition to the deep pockets and political interests of wealthy developers who see Oconee's farms as fields filled with a different kind of green. From a health perspective, development begets all types of water and land use issues, which in turn affect the environment. Nothing can be more controversial than poorly controlled construction run off. During a time when Northeast Georgia is experiencing one of its worst droughts, it is also important to keep an eye on how new development will affect existing water resources.

For a current and in depth analysis of development issues within Oconee, you can follow Lee Becker's blog: http://www.oconeecountyobservations.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer: He's taught me in class, but this link should not be seen as a direct endorsement. If you are interested in the ins and outs of Oconee Coutny public policy, there are few people who follow it with the same rigor.

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So then, where does that leave this blog? What space does it occupy? Well, we'll see. This should be an adventure, especially as we begin to discover what it is like to live in Oconee County and breath the air, walk the streets, meet the neighbors, and catch the germs. Expect more facts and demographics to come soon.

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