SWGA Politics

The Oxendine Campaign Contribution Scandal Grows[ May 31, 2009 – 8:48 am]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

A few weeks ago, a scandal broke involving John Oxendine and (potentially) illegal campaign contributions.

This morning, the story got even more interesting.
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Should FDA Regulate Tobacco?[ May 31, 2009 – 8:15 am]by Tom Posted in » Editorial

In Friday’s Albany Herald, there’s a letter to the editor from a cancer survivor calling for the Food and Drug Administration.  Basically, his argument is that tobacco is a dangerous substance with all kinds of dangerous side effects like cancer.  The writer calls out “Big Tobacco”, as most anti-tobacco crusaders do, and ask that Uncle Sam step in and do something.

It’s just a shame that the letter doesn’t lay out all the facts. Read More …

God and Government[ May 31, 2009 – 5:14 am]by Jeff Posted in » Editorial

Fair warning: This post is aimed squarely at judeo-christian theocrats. Those of other faiths, please continue reading as this should be enlightening, this statement is simply fair warning that this post quotes extensively from the Bible, particularly 1 Samuel 8.
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North Korea: A Different Perspective[ May 30, 2009 – 7:15 am]by Tom Posted in » National

Yesterday, Jeff wrote about his thoughts on North Korea.  Unlike most issues, I have to disagree.  You see, while I think a policy like Jeff points out would work out in time, there’s a few obstacles.  The primary one being a policy of intervention that’s been at work through the bulk of the 20th Century. Read More …

North Korea[ May 29, 2009 – 6:03 pm]by Jeff Posted in » Editorial

Obviously, North Korea has been the subject of quite a bit of press and speculation recently. They’ve conducted a test of a bigger nuclear weapon than the one we already knew about, they’re working on enhancing their missiles’ range, they’ve tested some newer short range missiles, etc. They’ve also said that they are no longer bound by the Armistice that ended the Korean War more than 50 years ago.

Cato has a couple of excellent articles about what is going on and what we should do about it – we should be realistic and restrained, but basically ignore them. Personally, I completely concur with these assessments.
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We Must Be Hitting A Nerve[ May 29, 2009 – 3:00 pm]by Tom Posted in » Editorial

The Albany Herald’s Squawkbox is truly one of my favorite places in the whole paper. It is there that you can see what the people of Albany really think when protected by anonymity.  There, they can be rude and viscious, and they can be polite and sensitive.  Without the light of identity, we can see their true natures.

Apparently, we here at SWGA Politics have hit a nerve. Read More …

Another Take On Sotomayor[ May 29, 2009 – 1:15 pm]by Tom Posted in » National

On the day she was named as President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, I took issue with some of Sonia Sotomayor’s statements and decisions. I knew then I wouldn’t be the only one either. However, a great analysis of Sotomayor is presented by Ilya Shapiro, a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute regarding Sotomayor as a nominee to the bench. Read More …

Grants for District Attorney’s Office[ May 29, 2009 – 9:30 am]by Tom Posted in » Albany Dougherty County

Yesterday, the Dougherty County Commission approved of the Dougherty DA’s office applying for federal grants totalling in the neighborhood of $200,000 to fund four staff positions. These positions are apparently required to help deal with domestic violence cases. This is to help offset cuts mandated at the state level, because as District Attorney Greg Edwards said, “In a recession the crime doesn’t stop because we have to cut our budgets,”* which is a sentiment I can agree with. Read More …

Click It or Ticket Commercials (Seat Belt Laws and You)[ May 29, 2009 – 6:15 am]by Tom Posted in » State

If you watch television in the State of Georgia, you’ve seen them. They show people not buckled up being stalked, in one it’s by tickets themselves and in another they make it sound like the drivers are being stalked by UFOs or something. They make it clear that everyone who doesn’t wear a seat belt is going down…to the court house to pay the ticket if nothing else.

And it’s so many levels of wrong that it’s silly. Read More …

Way To Spend Folks![ May 28, 2009 – 3:13 pm]by Tom Posted in » National

Anyone else remember that $787 billion in stimulus money? The money that was supposed to go toward making our nation a better place economically? It was supposed to create jobs and help people keep jobs? An enormous segment of the population was against their adoption, but still the proposals passed both chambers of Congress and it was swiftly signed into law by President Bush.

And now it’s not even being used in the states that need it most! Read More …