politics Archive

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Republicans Entering A Long Term Intra-Party Battle On Ethics

– May 29, 2012Posted in: Charlie Harper

 

 

Georgia Republicans gathered in Columbus this weekend to pick delegates to the national GOP Convention and select some party leaders.  They also fired the opening salvos in what is likely to be a long battle between elected Republicans and the grassroots of the party of ethical standards, practices, and enforcement of suspected transgressions.  Somewhat surprisingly, one of Georgia’s highest ranking Republicans fired a pre-emptive strike of his own.

House Speaker David Ralston addressed the Convention late Friday afternoon and put his own marker down squarely on the side of the status quo.  Ralston warned those listening that attempts to force higher standards of ethics from Georgia’s recent last place ranking were from “media elites and liberal special interest groups”.

A coalition of Republican leaders fired back Saturday morning with a press release demanding an apology from Ralston, strongly condemning his remarks and noting that the matter of ethics was “not a matter of right versus left” but “a matter of right versus wrong”.  The release bore the signatures of many Republican leaders including TEA Party Patriots leader Julianne Thompson, Kay Godwin and Pat Tippett of Georgia Conservatives in Action, and Dan Becker of Georgia Right To Life.  All of whom presumably were surprised to learn that they were either media elites or leaders of liberal special interest groups.

The Speaker has a strong objection to the gift cap proposed by ethics advocates limiting lobbyist expenditures to $100 per member per “occurrence” – essentially per meal or per trip.  In a discussion after his speech, however, he does appear open to shifting the focus of ethics reform from gift caps to independent oversight and enforcement of ethics rules.  Currently, the legislature is largely responsible for policing its own members, with the budget of the State Ethics Commission also directly controlled by the legislature.  The Speaker indicated he is open to consideration of a structure which would guarantee review by an independent body.

The grassroots of the party appeared unmoved by the Speakers position and passed both a resolution calling for the gift limit as well as placing the matter on the July primary ballot for a non-binding referendum.  Voters who choose a Republican ballot this summer will be able to send a message directly to legislators about their feeling on the subject.  This will be done at the same time voters decide if they will return incumbents to Atlanta or choose new Republican nominees.

Qualifying for the seats begins Wednesday.  By Friday, voters will know how many opportunities they will have to send the message not just through the referendum, but also by voting against incumbents.  Despite some wishful thinking to the contrary, one should not get their hopes up for numerous credible primary challenges.  Most incumbents will likely not be challenged, setting up a much longer battle to restore elected officials’ fear of voters.

The occasion of the convention set up not only the battle for ethics reform during the next session of the Georgia General Assembly, but from the party itself.  One of the bits of news from the weekend is that former Senator Chip Pearson of Dawsonville plans to run for Chairman of the Georgia GOP one year from now when current Chairman Sue Everhart’s term expires.

Pearson formerly chaired the Senate Economic Development Committee.  He also simultaneously joined a consulting company advertising “We’re not lobbyists. But we do know who to call and how to get action from top management at Georgia’s companies (large and small), and influencers who work behind the scenes. We know how government works” while occupying that position.

Grassroots Republicans who just sent a strong message that they want stronger ethics and accountability apart from moneyed influencers have as their first candidate for Chairman a man who openly and brazenly sold his access as Economic Development Chairman.  If they wish to prove they are serious about higher ethical standards, they must select another.

This weekend’s convention marks a new chapter in the dynamics of one-party rule in the state.  Partisans are typically reluctant to criticize their elected officials.  Likewise, those whom are elected under the banner are usually prone to give lip service to the goals of the grass roots even while fully intending to bury legislation contrary to the goals of those serving in power.

With the growing influence of the TEA Party within Republican ranks, criticism – and primary challenges – from within are likely to become common place.  Watching the elected officials balance their allegiances between the grassroots voters and the well connected financial backers will be a spectator sport for some time to come.

 

Charlie Harper is the Atlanta based Editor of PeachPundit.com, a conservative-leaning political website. He is also a columnist for Dublin Georgia based Courier Herald Publishing.

Tags: Charlie Harper, conservatives, delegates, Ethics, Georgia Republicans, GOP Convention, PeachPundit.com, politics
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This PEACH In My TEA Doesn’t Taste Right

– April 16, 2012Posted in: Politics

 

There is something to be said for being a genuine original. Authentic. All natural.

Georgia’s identity as the Peach State underscores the beauty that is a fresh peach.  Picked ripe and in season, there is no better delicacy.  But created in a lab as a synthetic flavor to market an otherwise unrelated product, artificial peach products are a disgusting fraud upon the palate. Think about a peach Jolly Rancher candy if you’re having trouble with this point.

When I was in middle school I spent two weeks in bed with both strep throat and pneumonia.  It was “unpleasant”.  I went a few days without wanting any food (which is how my parents knew I was really sick) until one day I wanted only one thing: Breyers Peach Ice Cream.

I was not quite old enough to be a brand snob (and we were very much a “generic” family), so I was questioned on why I needed Breyers brand peach ice cream.  It was simple. In the days before Haagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers was the “all natural”, premium ice cream.  I did not want the first thing I was able to eat to be some orange-ish dyed fake peach menace.  Breyers would ensure the real thing.

Dad understood his mission and left.  He was gone for a long time.  Too long, actually.  I just  assumed he decided to run other errands, and even when he eventually returned it took forever before my ice cream appeared.  But it was…different, somehow.  I just assumed my taste buds were a bit off, but it was more than that.  Mom told me weeks later what had happened.

Dad went to 5 grocery stores in three separate towns.  He was that kind of guy. None of my ice cream was to be had.  He finally decided he would buy Breyers vanilla, some peaches, and mixed them together upon returning home.  He did his best.  At least there was no orange food coloring involved.

Here in modern day Georgia, we have some coloring over underway in the political landscape.  For decades in the Deep South, social conservatives ran the GOP.  They were unquestioned and held a virtual veto over any major decision – campaign or legislative – that occurred under the Republican brand.

Over time, social conservative leaders couldn’t decide exactly how to stay on the same page.  Too many substituted their own opinions for God’s will, and refused to tolerate dissent in their ranks.  Once mighty organizations balkanized into many factions and splinter groups.  Public scandals of leaders, members and politicians they had proudly pronounced “true Christians” damaged their brands.  Others sold their influence to unsavory gambling and other interests.  Fiscal conservatism was an afterthought, if thought of at all, while social conservatives rose to total power – and then many crashed mightily.

2010 brought the resurrection of the Republican party on the backs of the TEA Party.  Taxed Enough Already, Republicans united around a simple slogan that represented one core value of limited Government.  Some of the original TEA Parties remain true to the winning message.  The Cherokee County TEA Party begins every meeting with a simple reminder: “We are about lower taxes and smaller government.  Anyone else here supporting other issues are welcome, but this is the focus of this group.”

Such has not been the case with other groups who have been less successful attracting people to their cause.  Several have resorted to appropriating the TEA party label for their own uses and agendas.  The State of Georgia TEA Party was among the first to co-opt the name after the heavy lifting and electoral success was completed, and now many of the same folks who have destroyed the once proud brand represented by Georgia Right To Life have decided that they too must be a TEA Party in order to be taken seriously.

These people who are Proselytizing Evangelicals Advocating Conservative Hypocrisy have decided to co-opt the brand of those who are Taxed Enough Already to form the PEACH TEA Party.  Tuesday, they decided to target 16 state Republicans as RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) and one independent for defeat as well. The litmus test to determine opposition, however, seems to have nothing to do with taxes and everything to do with opposition to Doug McKillip’s fetal pain abortion restriction bill.

This is the same Doug McKillip, this TEA Party group’s new best friend, who during his 2010 election advocated for raising $1.5 Billion in new tax revenue by increasing income taxes on those making over $400,000 per year, adding the sales tax back to groceries, raising cigarette taxes $1 per pack, and closing all tax loopholes.  Of course, that was when he was a Democrat.  Not just in name, but in stated tax policy.

Today, those who stand with Doug “we can’t cut anymore, we must generate revenue” McKillip because of his bill restricting abortions are daring to call others RINOs because they disagree with them on social issues.  Yet when they tried this under their old names against Representative Sharon Cooper of Cobb County during the last election, she won with 62% of the vote.  Cooper actually “wrote the book” about TEA Party involvement titled Taxpayer’s Tea Party: How to Become Politically Active – And Why with a foreword written by fellow RINOs Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh. Her longtime opponents will now attempt to don the mantle of the TEA Party and try again against this pro-life candidate that they refer to as a “pro-abort” on their website.

They are advocating keeping a “Republican” who during the 2010 TEA Party election advocated for raising taxes on Georgians by $1.5 Billion, but against longtime fiscal conservatives that have publicly stood up to the bullying by these modern day Pharisees.

There is a funny taste left in the mouth after reviewing the tactics of this “TEA” Party In Name Only.  It’s much worse than any Peach Jolly Rancher I’ve ever eaten.  And there’s nothing authentic, natural, or genuine about it.  It’s fake to its core.

 

Tags: Georgia Politics, Harper, PEACH TEA Party, politics, tea party
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Combating Postal Service Closings: The Wrong Battle

– February 23, 2012Posted in: Headlines, Outlook

 

If you don’t subscribe to your elected official’s newsletters, you should. It’s very educational. In Congressman Bishop’s most recent email, there was an article titled, “Combating Postal Service Closings and Service Reductions”. Here it is in its entirety;

“Over the last several months, our congressional office has been aggressively fighting proposals from the United States Postal Service (USPS) to close approximately 3,700 postal facilities nationwide. Such a widespread closure of postal facilities could disproportionately harm Georgia’s rural communities, small businesses, seniors, and others, who rely heavily on the Postal Service to receive their mail, pay their bills, send correspondence, and obtain their prescription drug medications.

Late last year, our office joined other congressional offices in sending a letter to Postal Regulatory Chairwoman Ruth Goldway, expressing our concerns that closing thousands of postal facilities nationwide would adversely impact millions of Americans.

In a further effort to try to protect our nation’s post offices, I also co-sponsored H.R. 1351, the USPS Pension Obligation Recalculation and Restoration Act of 2011. The goal of the legislation is to help put the Postal Service back on track to fiscal solvency so that it does not have to close post offices in order to cut its budget costs.”

The very first sentence tells you all you need to know about the dysfunctional mess we call Washington DC. The Congressman’s staff feels it is important for you to know that they are “aggressively fighting proposals” from USPS. All the postal service is trying to do is be more efficient in their mail delivery service, and stay in budget. But they are taking on USPS in this fight because as it states, the constituents “rely heavily on the Postal Service to receive their mail, pay their bills, send correspondence, and obtain their prescription drug medications”. Forget the fact that USPS cannot continue to provide those services unchanged, without going further into debt. Forget the fact that there are several private postal companies out there offering most of the same services, or that much of what use to transpire through the mail is now done online. Forget all that. The people have come to “rely” on this service, and budgets be dammed, we are going to make sure they keep relying on it because elected officials rely on those votes. We know this dance.

Here’s a thought; instead of “aggressively fighting” USPS for trying to work within their budget, why not spend the same time, energy, and resources fighting to get Congress to do the same? Maybe that’s too close to home for most elected officials, or maybe that seems like spitting in the ocean, and it’s easier to target something specific like mail service to look frugal with the people’s money. Back in the 90s I was making more than I am today. I went out to eat more, took vacations more often, and splurged on my kids more. Today, with the budget tightened a bit, those habits have been unlearned. It’s call living within your means. If our elected officials want to slay the real dragon in the cave, stop preaching to others about cost savings, and boasting to the voters that you are going to save their Saturday mail delivery, until you’ve managed to come up with a practical budget for the government to operate on. It’s hard to take someone serious on money and budget matters when they seem unable to deal with their own.

But what is the government’s answer to the postal service problem? Why more government, of course. To quote Gomer Pyle; “Surprise, surprise, surprise!” They’ve offered up H.R. 1351, the USPS Pension Obligation Recalculation and Restoration Act of 2011. They can couch it all sorts of verbiage, but there is only one way to maintain the current level of services now offered by USPS; you have to pay for it. And by “you” I mean anyone paying taxes. So subscribe to your representative’s newsletter and stay in the loop as best as you can. When you get your first email from them, you can reply and use it as exhibit one in the debate over why the postal service has to change with the times.

 
Lon McNeil is an independent marketing consultant in Albany and can be reached at lonmcneil@gmail.com.

 

Tags: H.R. 1351, Lon McNeil, Outlook, politics, Postal Service Closings, USPS, USPS Pension Obligation Recalculation and Restoration Act of 2011
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Endorsement for the GOP Primary

– February 21, 2012Posted in: Headlines, Outlook

 

 

As we get closer to time for the Georgia GOP Primary, I’ve decided to issue a formal endorsement.  It might not mean a whole lot to some folks, and I have little doubt many of you will disagree, but I’m throwing my support, and my vote, behind Ron Paul.

Ron Paul is kind of a unique candidate.  Most folks I talk to agree with him on at least 85 percent of his platform.  However, the other 15 percent apparently is so horrible in some minds that he simply can’t be allowed to be president.  I’d like to address some of the comments I’ve heard about Dr. Paul.

If he’s elected, the United States will be destroyed…literally.  Really?  Now, I accept that a lot of folks don’t agree with Ron Paul’s non-interventionist stances, but to say the nation will be destroyed? This is usually in response to Paul’s stance regarding leaving Iran alone and the thought seems to go that if we leave Iran alone, they’re still going to hate us and will eventually nuke us.

Well, I’m not in complete agreement with Paul that if we leave Iran alone, they’ll suddenly like us. I just don’t see that happening.  However, I also don’t think they’ll suddenly nuke us when they have no cause to do so.  Not only that, but does anyone seriously think that Iran would have the means to destroy the entire nation?  No.  Not only that, but an attack on the U.S. also calls for an immediate response…and that isn’t intervention.  I have little doubt that Paul would order a response should that happen.

He’s a hypocrite because he puts earmarks into the budget and then votes against it so he can say he doesn’t approve of them.  Now, earmarks are an issue and I can understand a voter not liking earmarks.  And yes, Ron Paul has put his fair share of earmarks in the budget…but so has every other GOP candidate.  However, Paul is also the only one who actually votes against those earmarks.  The people of his district expect some of their tax dollars to come back to them after all, but he’s also never hidden what he does from a living soul.

Like many other voters, I’d love to see earmarks as a quaint remnant from the past, chatted about over drinks after dinner while pondering way-back-when.  I don’t see that happening in the near future regardless of who gets elected.  I’m not thrilled about his playing the game, but I find it far more tolerable than how his opponents have done it.

Going to the gold standard is crazy talk!  I’ve heard this one more than once, and I’m not sure I understand where the vehemence comes from.  Right now, the only thing backing our money is faith; faith that the United States government will do what’s right.  Unfortunately, for many of us, we’re not exactly filled with faith in our government.

However, the gold standard is an objective standard that would mean faith in the government wouldn’t matter nearly as much as faith in gold.  There are more and more people who believe that our money should be backed by some form of commodity rather than simply faith, and with good reason.

Ron Paul isn’t a perfect candidate for me.  I disagree with him on several things.  My ideal candidate was former Governor Gary Johnson of New Mexico, a two-term government with real small government credentials as a background as a successful businessman.  However, Johnson was excluded from most polls, which kept him from being included in most debates, so he dropped out of the GOP primary and is now seeking the Libertarian Party nomination.

Ron Paul, however, is the only candidate I can bring myself to vote for come November.  I’m tired of picking fights all over the world, watching the White House tout “spending cuts” which are really just cuts in projected increases over the next few years, and generally getting in people’s way. While many people voting in this year’s primary claim they value liberty, they seem to be siding with candidates who have a track record of restricting that very liberty.

Maybe it’s me, but I’d rather have a guy who’s voting record is consistently pro-liberty rather than just count on election year rhetoric.

Tags: Endorsement, Georgia GOP Primary, GOP, Outlook, politics, Ron Paul, Tom Knighton
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40 Days at the Capitol- Installment 1

– January 19, 2012Posted in: Politics

 

Day 1 (Monday, January 9, 2012): As the second year of our two year term begins, we welcome two new Senators to the Senate.  Senator Mike Crane from Newnan and Senator John Wilkinson from Toccoa have recently been elected in special elections and join us today for their first session.

After our regular caucus meeting earlier this morning, we get right to work as we take up two bills left over from last session.  Both of these bills were passed out of the Senate last year and, although they passed the House last year, had changes made to them while in the House that we must either agree or disagree with. The first agree/disagree is SB 38 which puts the State School Superintendent in line with other department heads with regards to staff control by giving him the ability to enter into contracts up to $250,000 without the state board of education’s approval.  It also clarifies that the Superintendent has the sole authority over all employees in the department of education meaning that he has the ability to hire and fire employees.  We vote to agree with the changes made by the House last year and the bill now goes to the Governor for his consideration.

We take up another agree/disagree in SB 184, the first in, last out bill that generates much controversy, albeit along party lines.  This bill amends the current law that a school board primarily considers a teacher’s effectiveness in advancing student achievements when considering whom to lay off in a reduction of force implementation. The bill says that the amount of time a teacher has been employed cannot be the primary or determining factor in this decision.  In my eight years in the legislature this bill generates the most intense debate of any bill considered on the first day before finally passing.

            Day 2 (Tuesday, January 10, 2012): After attending the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting last night at the World Congress Center, we are back again this morning at 7AM for the Chamber’s annual state Eggs & Issues breakfast.  We hear from Governor Nathan Deal, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and Speaker David Ralston on what they expect to see in this year’s session. Although no bills are debated today in session, we do hear from U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, who updates us on goings on in Washington, D.C.

As the new chairman of Higher Education in the Senate, I have the honor today of addressing the state Board of Regents at their monthly meeting.  Later in the afternoon, I chair my first meeting of the Higher Education committee as we introduce new staff members and review bills left over from last year.

Finally, we finish the day by joining the House at 7PM in a joint session to hear the Governor’s State of the State address.  The Governor does an outstanding job of presenting his message and briefly outlining his budget priorities for the upcoming budget, which includes money for higher education in our state as well as bond money for the deepening of the Savannah Harbor.

Day 3 (Wednesday, January 11, 2012):  After a full day yesterday, today is much more manageable as the only bill on the calendar, HB 110, a bill dealing with foreclosure registries, is sent back to committee by unanimous consent for more work.  Most of my afternoon is spent meeting with Higher Education staff from the Senate research, budget and press offices to discuss plans for the remainder of the session, although I am able to work in a meeting with parents of home school students to discuss their concerns with the HOPE scholarship.

Day 4 (Thursday, January 12, 2012): Chairman Ron Stephens, Dean of the Chatham County delegation, presides over our first meeting this morning as we hear from the state Planning Director, Todd Long, who updates us on the upcoming TSPLOST and the specific projects that have been selected in our region.  We also discuss proposed school board and county commission maps as well as other business affecting Chatham County.

After a very short session, I spend most of my afternoon working in my office and preparing for my first live interview on the Georgia Public Broadcasting show Lawmakers.  Later that night I appear with my counterpart in the House, Chairman Carl Rogers as we discuss Higher Education issues including college consolidation and the HOPE scholarship.

Day 5 (Friday, January 13, 2012):  The newly formed Coastal delegation, consisting of House and Senate members who reside in the 1st Congressional District, meets this morning to discuss issues affecting the Coastal region of our state.  The session starts early this morning and after a very short session where only points of personal privilege are heard, we are adjourned until Monday, January 23rd, as we are out next week for budget hearings.                   

 

 

State Senator Buddy Carter (R- Pooler) will be reporting each week during the Legislative Session.  The session began January 9, 2012 and is expected to last until the latter days of March. . Senator Carter can be reached at Coverdell Legislative Office Building (C.L.O.B.) Room 301-A, Atlanta, GA, 30334.  His Capitol office number is 404-656-5109.

 

 

Tags: Buddy Carter, Government, Legislature, politics
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“Same Old Story, Same Old Game”

– January 9, 2012Posted in: Politics

 

 

By: Ekwueme Obi-Jones

 

As I sit here this morning drinking my coffee and reading the “Journal” to start my day it amazes me how the Radical Left, the Historic Left, the Typical Left, spins the social issues of the day.

While reading the article written by Leon Modeste (December 19, 2011- Columns), GOP wants to “Block the Vote”, I realize how ignorant and politically driven with misinformation the “Left” truly is. Is this to say the “Right” isn’t as driven? No. They have their radicals too. But the intentional slant to deceive from the left is so rampant that it makes you wonder how “Low” the “Left” will stoop to get their anti-American, anti-Patriot message out to the left wing, biased, kool-aid drinking junkies.

I don’t belong to a particular party, but I would say that I am a “Realist” who leans towards Fiscal Responsibility, a Constitutionalist who believes that judges shouldn’t dictate legislation from the bench, such as the radical Ninth Circuit Court does, but rather rule by the guidelines our constitution has established. I also believe that our border should be protected and anyone that has entered this country “Illegally” is a criminal who has broken the law. Health Care, Education and Social Sustenance should be afforded to law abiding citizens who actually “ARE” American Citizens!” If I broke the law I would be arrested!

The Left wing Democratic Politician sees potential in allowing law breaking illegals the opportunity to vote. Why? Because they vote Democratic! This goes to the heart of “Voter Fraud.” Whether Mr. Modeste wants to admit it or not, and I personally believe he knows this to be true but he “can’t” admit it. Statistically this is fact. Facts are something the left has a hard time dealing with because it exposes their inability to produce a legitimate argument for most things dealing with reality, hence, why I’m a realist.

What is overwhelmingly obvious is the “Let’s Play the Race Card” slant to Mr. Modeste’s column. It is no secret that when the chips are down and liberals are behind in the polls or public opinion, or at a loss for a legitimate argument, liberals and minorities break out the race card. The “Woe is me, just trying to keep me down argument.” Give me a break.

What is the Big Lie? There is no Big Lie. Accusing the Republicans of closing the polls on Sundays to prevent black church goers from voting is nothing more than inciting hatred and ill will. If “Souls to the Polls” were as hell bent on voting as Mr. Modeste says they are, I don’t think the day of the week would be a factor in their effort to actually go to the polls. I applaud their motivation to participate in the process. I wish all Americans were as motivated. But don’t use it as an example to play the race card.

Mr. Modeste states the GOP is trying to “Mandate” every voter have a government issued ID. I say, “…and what’s wrong with this?”  This will ensure that the very voter fraud that Mr. Modeste speaks of does not happen.   Obtaining a government issued ID is not an inconvenience. It is your CIVIC DUTY!

Democrat or Republican, Independent or Libertarian, you should ensure that those who legally have a right to vote be able to vote, and those who don’t do not.  14 states, along with 34 others that Mr. Modeste speaks of, are enacting new voter laws because of voter fraud.  I think that Mr. Modeste, and people like him are simply upset that thousands of illegal votes won’t be cast in favor of candidates who promote a radical left wing progressive agenda.

Counting Jelly Beans, Paying a Poll Tax and Jim Crow Laws is an example how far the left will distort the already distorted. Then, to insinuate that voters will be “Lynched” for voting goes beyond the reasonable. Was Mr. Modeste standing up for the voters who were intimidated by Black Panther extremists who were physically threatening voters who showed up to vote in the last presidential election? He was nowhere to be found, probably toasting the efforts of the intimidators. Were these voters disenfranchised? Yes they were, but it didn’t suit his purpose to defend them.

Mr. Modeste quotes information from the Brennan Center for Justice, a left wing think tank organization.  Five million disenfranchised voters?  How many of this number belongs in the category of, “Recently Arrived Undocumented Aliens?” As far as those who can’t afford a proper ID who actually are American citizens, if you are an American citizen you don’t have to pay to receive a valid ID in any state, and by the way, a college ID does not prove you’re an American citizen, it shows you attend a school or college. Thousands of non-Americans attend our colleges and universities.

Then Mr. Modeste states that the unwillingness of the right to work with Mr. Obama is criminal in nature. Really? As criminal as running our national debt up so high that my great-great grandchildren will still be paying for it and they’re not alive yet.  Will he call for the president’s arrest? I doubt it!

But it is Mr. Modeste’s final statement that actually makes the most sense. “…The strength of a democracy is depending upon the full participation of its citizenry in the electoral process…” I could not agree more. The key to this statement is “…The citizenry…” Mr. Modeste, that means those who actually have a right to vote!

 

Ekwueme Obi-Jones is a husband, father, volunteer, and Second Amendment advocate who’s career is in criminal justice.

Tags: Ekwueme Obi-Jones, Leon Modeste, politics
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Allen to challenge Bishop

– December 12, 2011Posted in: Government, Headlines

Rick Allen explains his reasons in an exclusive announcement interview with The Albany Journal

 

Written by Tom Knighton

 

Rick Allen came late to the party.  That was the essential verdict of everyone who looked at the Georgia Second’s Republican primary.  Allen entered the race late and never could catch up with eventual winner Mike Keown, who went on to lose to Representative Sanford Bishop. However, Allen did earn a great deal of respect from area Republicans.

That respect turned to enthusiasm as Allen announced to supporters via email that he was going to run again.

Social media sites had numerous people expressing their pleasure that the business owner from Columbus was coming back into the political arena.  Allen himself feels that he could have had a better showing last time around had he entered the race sooner. “I got into the race very late last time, in mid March I believe. Mike Keown was running a strong race with a lot of support and funding already in place. Mike had already been campaigning seven months when I came into the race. As a political novice I had a lot of ground to make up in a short time,” Allen said.

So why run this time? One local report describes Allen’s defeat in the primary as him being “crushed”, so why run again?

“More than anything I believe our Country is heading into national decline at an alarming rate, and I am very passionate about standing with other patriots to stop this decline. I’m also running because Georgia District Two needs a strong conservative voice in Washington,” Allen said.

Allen has already come out swinging against Bishop, who is currently seeking his 11th term in the House of Representatives. “We are currently represented by a pawn of the Obama Administration, which has shown itself to be the most radical, leftist and ineffective Presidency in US history. Sanford Bishop’s tenure in the Second District has sewn a path of corruption and his actions and voting record endorse a Democrat Party agenda which is leading us headlong into big government European style socialism and class warfare, which voters of the Georgia Second do not want, and will hasten our downfall as a nation,” said Allen.

Allen says his platform will include specific positions on overturning President Obama’s healthcare reform law, cutting spending, cutting the national debt, and a push for a balanced budget amendment. In addition, Allen says he will also campaign on the idea of American Exceptionalism.

“My campaign platform will center on the idea of American exceptionalism. That is that we are the exception to the history and condition of man, in that we are the first serious country to prove that man can govern himself, without a powerful governmental authority, dictating and controlling every facet of human activity. Along with our Founding Fathers, I believe we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, and that it is the responsibility of the Government to protect these rights, and our liberty is best served when government is limited. I will also stress the ideals of self reliance, individual liberty, fiscal responsibility, the restoration of traditional American values, and a strong national defense,” Allen said in an email to The Albany Journal.

Allen’s fight is bound to be uphill.  Redistricting efforts to protect Congressman Austin Scott has created a strong Democrat leaning district in the Second District, with now parts of Macon as part of the district.  However, it was thought that Bishop was fairly safe at this point in the last election, only to have a strong challenge from Keown that nearly toppled the long time Congressman.

 

Sources also indicate that Lee Ferrell, who finished third in the last election behind Keown and Allen, is planning on running as well.
Tags: featured, House of Representatives, politics, Rick Allen, sanford bishop
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The Spice Delima

– November 16, 2011Posted in: Politics

 

 

 

In September a sheriff’s deputy in Statesboro responded to a call of a young man who had nearly beaten his girlfriend to death with a beer mug after both had ingested the drug spice.

While the girlfriend ended up in intensive care with a shattered cheek and eye socket, a plate in her jaw and a bruised brain, the boyfriend was charged with aggravated assault with the intent to murder, changing both of their lives forever.

Also in September, a Richmond Hill man was arrested at a gas station in Rincon after allegedly soliciting women outside the business for sex then getting in a car with a woman and her 11 year old daughter with his pants unzipped and soliciting them for sex.  The man claims he was high on the drug spice.

These are just a few of the recent incidents involving what has become a major problem in our state and our nation- the illegal use of the drug spice.

Spice, slang for synthetic cannabis or marijuana, is a mixture of medicinal herbs and spices that are sprayed with synthetic cannabinoids on them.  It is typically sold in small, silvery plastic bags of dried leaves and marketed as incense that can be smoked.  It is said to resemble potpourri.

There are more than 200 different chemicals which are considered synthetic cannabinoids.

One of these synthetic cannabinoids, JWH-018, was first made in 1995 for experimental purposes in the lab of Clemson University researcher John W. Huffman, PhD. Spice became popular because JWH-018 can be made easily by combining a few commercial products.

These synthetic cannabinoids have an effect similar to THC, the active compound in marijuana.  They cause psychoactive behavior including euphoria, decrease overall activity, produce analgesia, decrease body temperature and produce catalepsy, a trancelike state marked by loss of voluntary motion.

While the long term adverse effects of the drugs use is unknown at this time, it is known to stay in the body for a long period of time and JWH-018 and its many cousins have a chemical structure shared with known cancer-causing agents.

Dr. Huffman, the inventor of JWH-018, is quoted as saying “It’s like Russian roulette to use these drugs.  We don’t know a damn thing about them for real.”

Known by names such as Algerian Blend, Genie, k2, Smoke, Chill X, Sense, Yuatan Fire, Spice Diamond, Spice Silver and Spice Gold, the drugs can be purchased from gas stations, convenience stores, tobacco shops and head shops.  The availability of these drugs has become such a problem near some military bases that military personnel have been prohibited from shopping at stores that carry these products.

Another problem in trying to contain these drugs is there availability from the online industry.

Nevertheless, attempts to ban the sales of these drugs are being made on the state and federal levels.

This past legislative session, as part of the yearly update to the Georgia Dangerous Drug Act, I sponsored legislation that made certain compounds that are classified as spice Schedule 1 drugs, meaning that they have no known medicinal use and are for experimental use only, making them controlled substances and rendering them illegal in Georgia.

In September, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) used its emergency authority to ban certain chemicals used in these products, calling them an “imminent hazard” to the public. Now these chemicals are illegal in all states, not just the ones that have classified them as such in their state statutes.

However, enforcement remains a problem for a number of reasons.  Lack of law enforcement manpower, internet availability, and having to analyze the contents of each package in order to determine the contents remain a challenge, but the biggest problem is that clandestine labs that produce these drugs simply change over to another compound that has not been scheduled- which makes it legal to sell.

While we will continue to seek legislative remedies to this problem, only through education of the hazards of this drug’s use will we be able to contain the issue.

 

Senator Buddy Carter can represents the 1st district in the Georgia State Senate.  When the General Assembly is in session, he routinely shares his experiences with Journal readers.

Tags: Buddy Carter, DEA, politics, spice
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Mayoral candidates state positions

– November 2, 2011Posted in: Walter L. Johnson II

 

Written by Walter L. Johnson II

 

On Tuesday, registered voters will choose between three people to become the next mayor of Albany: restaurant owner B.J. Fletcher, former Ward II city commissioner Dorothy Hubbard, and former state representative John White.

While all three candidates recognize the challenges that Albany currently faces, whether it be crime, economic development, education, joblessness, or poverty, the way they plan to address such issues are different.

Hubbard sees education—combined with job skills training—as being among the city’s biggest issues. She wants to involve all three of Albany’s colleges, as well as the public schools in bridging that gap.

“What we need to do is to give our children the job skills and the job sets,” Hubbard said, “a set of job skills that are needed, higher education and technical education will also play a part in that.”

As the owner of multiple eateries throughout Albany, including the popular Café 230 downtown, Fletcher has seen a troubling downward spiral for her hometown in several areas.

“Over the years, I have a witnessed a decline in our tourism, in our industry, in our population, in our attitude,” said Fletcher. “I want to be a part of moving Albany forward.”

Like Fletcher, White has also seen Albany’s decline first hand.

“Albany has been stagnant for several years,” said White. “Not moving very forward, not bringing in any new things to Albany.

“New activities, new businesses, have come very spottily in the area,” White added. “But we have all of the skills in Albany that we need.”

White, who served 11 terms as a state representative on the Georgia General Assembly from 1975-1997, wants to increase educational, as well as recreational opportunities for local youth.

Among the things he hopes to bring to Albany if elected mayor, is a boxing gymnasium, with the help of a former champion to serve as an alternative to in-school suspension.

“I’ve talked with the relatives of (former heavyweight champion) Evander Holyfield,” White explained. “I want to tie that to the schools.

When asked why he proposed a boxing gym as an alternative to in-school suspension in middle and high schools, White added: “We have to take some of that energy away from children, the ones who will disrupt normal classes.

“That’s generally why they go (into in-school suspension),” he continued, “either they’re fighting, or they’re disruptive in other ways.

“So with a boxing gym, you would send the students to (the) gym rather than to in-school suspension, for those kind of activities that they would create in a normal school.”

            Although the AOL-based website—dailyfinance.com—recently named Albany as the No. 4 poorest city in the U.S., miscalculated numbers very could have put the city at No. 1, Fletcher said.

“They quoted our population at 162,000 people,” said Fletcher. “That was the entire (five) county (metropolitan statistical area) that they were counting on.

“If they had just pulled the city numbers, of approximately 76,000 (residents),” Fletcher added, “that we were probably ranked No. 1.”

Supporting the Strive 2 Thrive initiative sponsored by the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce will be a key to reducing, if not completely eliminating poverty, Hubbard said.

“I think the (Strive 2 Thrive) initiative that’s being done by the Chamber is a good start for working on poverty,” said Hubbard. “I think that we’re going to have to embrace that, and help more people support it, in order for us to really make a dent in poverty.”

A jobless rate that’s well above the national average is also a major contributor to the poverty rate in Albany, Fletcher explained.

“We are at a little less than 15 percent unemployment, which means that is approximately 12,000 people without work.

“We are facing 39 percent poverty here locally. When we can get industry to come look at our area, we don’t have incentives set in place to make these people want to call Albany their home.”

            Hubbard believes Albany can turn around if citizens can come together, and deal with the various issues affecting the city as a whole.

“I think it’s going to take us working together to turn our city around,” said Hubbard. “I think it’s going to take changing our mindset, believing we are the greatest city, and that our city is great because we have chosen to live here.

“I think that we have to stop other people from talking negatively about our city, because there are people who come back here to live, and they think that we have a great city.

“But I guess because we’re here and here all the time, and we see everything, and see how things are going, and then we take it for granted. So, what I hope to do is to be able to turn that around, and share with people some of the wonderful things that this city has to offer.”

On The Web: B.J. Fletcher—http://www.bj4mayor.com

Dorothy Hubbard—http://www.hubbardformayor.com

John White—http://www.johnwhitemayor.com

 

Tags: Albany Mayoral race, B.J. Fletcher, dorothy hubbard, John White, politics, Walter L.Johnson
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BIG MISTAKE: CANDIDATE TO BE DQ’D

– October 25, 2011Posted in: Government, Politics

Cheryl Calhoun tried to run against Jon Howard,

but was mistakenly put in the race for Ward 2

 

By Kevin Hogencamp

THE ALBANY JOURNAL

 

Cheryl Calhoun and her husband, Randal, say they tried to set Dougherty County election officials straight: She went to Albany city hall to run against Ward 1 City Commissioner Jon Howard in August, but was told that she lived in Ward 2.

The election officials discovered Tuesday that they were wrong.

Calhoun will be disqualified from the Ward 2 race in the Nov. 8 election – a quandary resulting from Calhoun and her neighbors on the 1500 and 1600 block of Georgia Avenue in east Albany being mistakenly listed in voter records as living in Ward 2, Elections Supervisor Ginger Nickerson said Tuesday.

Nickerson agreed that Calhoun is not to blame for the dilemma and said that it is unknown whether the Ward 1 and Ward 2 elections, which are under way through early and absentee voting, will be impacted by elections office’s mistake. A potential scenario is that the Ward 1 and Ward 2 election that are under way will be canceled and rescheduled.

Nickerson said that her office’s records show that exactly 100 voters are affected by the registration error. It is unknown how long those voters and others have been voting in the wrong ward, she said.

City planning staffers began making changes to city records Tuesday afternoon to accurately reflect the residences of Calhoun and her neighbors – all of whom live east of the Ward 1-Ward 2 Maple Road dividing line, Nickerson said.

A special, emergency Board of Elections meeting will be held to review the matter at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. The Albany Journal brought the issue of Calhoun not living in the ward she sought to represent to Nickerson’s attention on Tuesday morning. Nickerson immediately contacted the Georgia Secretary of State’s office and City Attorney Nathan Davis, and the elections board meeting was called.

The Albany Journal broke the news to Calhoun about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“This is surprising, but I’m not upset all,” she said. “All that matters is to make things right now that it has happened.”

Calhoun said her husband, Randal, pleaded with election officials to get their information correct when she attempted to run against Howard, to no avail.

“He (Randal Calhoun) was sure they were wrong and tried to show them on the map,” Cheryl Calhoun said. “I even called Jon to let him know I was running against him, and after I got put in the other race, he has been a mentor to me.”

Calhoun has been a registered voter at her 1525 Georgia Avenue address since 2006, but she has not voted in a City Commission race since she has lived at that address, records show.

Howard is unopposed; the Ward 2 candidates are Melissa Strother and Ivey Hines.

Also up for grabs on Nov. 8 are the mayor’s seat and the Ward 4 and Ward 6 City Commission seats.

The elections board meeting will held in room 120 of the Government Center, 222 Pine Ave.

 

Tags: city hall, elections, featured, politics
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