SWGA Politics

Proms and Lesbians In the Bible Belt[ March 12, 2010 – 1:14 pm]by Jeff Posted in » General

I don’t know if y’all have seen this one, but over the past couple of days a story has come out about a certain high school senior in Mississippi. Seems this student likes to date girls and wants to wear a tux to prom.

The problem? The student’s name is Constance rather than Conrad.

Yes, Constance is a lesbian, and rather than just showing up at her prom wearing a tux with her girlfriend on her arm, she checked with the school to make sure she would be allowed to attend when she did. (There is a bit of debate over what she should have done here, and I’ve heard from both sides. Personally, I think she probably did the smart thing at this point in the story.)

The school refused, and when she threatened a lawsuit, the school cancelled prom altogether.
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There’s no hope for Georgia it seems[ March 12, 2010 – 8:00 am]by Tom Posted in » 2010 Campaigns, Albany Dougherty County

Yesterday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decided that Ken Hodges had immunity from the legal ramifications of his actions in regards to the now infamous “Phoebe Factoids”.  No crimes were committed, and no crimes regarding thesending of the Factoids was ever alleged by any so-called victims, and yet Ken Hodges used his power to find out who was bloodying Phoebe’s nose in a public relations blitz.  And yet, according the the Appeals Court, Hodges was just “doing his job” as he keeps claiming.

So I guess we’re all screwed now. Read More …

Just under 14 days[ March 12, 2010 – 5:42 am]by Tom Posted in » Albany Dougherty County

State Senator Freddie Powell Sims has a lot on her plate.  I understand that life under the Gold Dome can be hectic, but time is running short.  Sims has just under 14 working days to let Consolidation go through, and less than 6 if she decides she doesn’t like State Rep Ed Rynder’s version and introduces her own.  I’d like to remind Senator Sims that she is on the record saying she believes that the people of Albany and Dougherty County have the right to decide on Consolidation. Read More …

Change HOPE to Need Based?[ March 12, 2010 – 5:34 am]by Jeff Posted in » Legislation

Senator Jack Hill, the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has introduced a bill to allow HOPE scholarships based on need, with the explicit intent that these scholarships “be targeted at the neediest students”.

Now, before going too far into this post, I should note that this is in ADDITION to current HOPE scholarships, it is NOT replacing them.

With that said, HOPE is one of those entitlement programs that is costing the State quite a bit of money – money that, as I’ve been discussing for the past week on this site, the State really doesn’t have right now. The problem for legislators is that, like Social Security at the National level, HOPE really has become the third rail of Georgia politics.
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Zombie Bill![ March 11, 2010 – 8:38 pm]by Jeff Posted in » Legislation

This one just won’t die!

Last year, one of the first bills I took on head on here on this site was HB 614, the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. I teamed up with Jason and others across the State – including Neal Boortz at one point! – to get this bill killed once it was brought to our attention, and it died in the Senate only to have a resuscitation attempt made in the House in the form of an amendment to another bill.

Now, it has been re-introduced in a new bill, SB 418, minus the “Prescription Drug Monitoring Program” title. 418 is largely the exact same thing as 614. Clearly, there are elements within the General Assembly that desperately want this measure to pass.
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Democrats Trying To Scare Teachers[ March 11, 2010 – 12:27 pm]by Jeff Posted in » Editorial

A few minutes ago, Jim Galloway reported on some numbers that sound scary. Someone sent out a memo today (I’ll get to who in a moment) that said that given the current budget crisis, either 14,000 teachers across the State would have to be fired or every single teacher in the State would have to take a 15% decrease in pay.

Fortunately, as he typically does when he can, Mr. Galloway also linked to the full memo so we could all read the entire thing.

After making such dire predictions, what does the author of the memo suggest the General Assembly do instead?
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[UPDATED] Hypothetical State Budget – Or Is It?[ March 11, 2010 – 8:14 am]by Jeff Posted in » State

I’ve been talking to several State lawmakers over the last few days trying to get a handle on the State budget – THE single issue that has come to dominate the 2010 Session.

Through these discussions, some hypothetical numbers have been thrown out there, and I think they merit a discussion here.

Let’s take the target as $1 Billion. This is the number everyone was working off of last week, and most still are.

Most special interest tax breaks expire after some number of years and have to be renewed to continue. It is thought that we can save $100 million in non-renewal of certain special interest tax breaks this year.

We could then try to convince people near retirement age to take an early retirement, and save another $100 million. ($200 million so far, $800 million to go)
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Press Release: Radio Talk Show Host Jeff Scott Returning to Radio[ March 11, 2010 – 7:12 am]by Jeff Posted in » press release

Launches Internet Radio Monday, March 15

Radio talk show host Jeff Scott will be returning to radio via the Internet starting on Monday, March 15, using YouTube and BlogTalkRadio to continue to reach the people of Middle Georgia and the world.

“Even though I believe the Internet will never fully replace terrestrial radio, it is still a budding market for radio and a wonderful way to reach listeners” said Scott, who plans to post a video to YouTube every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to go with a one-hour live radio show every Tuesday and Thursday evening beginning at 7:00 PM. “I am excited about getting back on the air to speak with the people of Middle Georgia.”
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Press Release: Eric Johnson Announces Plans to Reform Budget Process[ March 11, 2010 – 1:31 am]by Jeff Posted in » press release

Will Instruct Agencies to Implement Zero Based Budgeting and Focus on Basic Government Services if Elected

Wednesday, March 10, 2010
For Immediate Release

Macon, GA—Former Senator Eric Johnson, Republican candidate for Governor, today announced his plans to reform the state budget process. As Governor, Johnson will instruct agency heads to implement zero based budgeting and partner with the private sector to ensure that state government focuses on the most essential core functions.

“As Governor, I will direct all state agency heads to implement zero based budgeting so that I, the legislature, and Georgia taxpayers will know exactly what services government is providing and what it costs to provide these services,” said Johnson. “Like the private sector, government should be in a position to make informed decisions based on the total actual costs of different programs, not just changes in expenditures.”
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