Chuck Shiflett's Backroom Report

Don't Put Us Out Of Business Governor deal 2-14-12

2012-02-14T18:47:00.002-05:00

Dear Governor Deal and members of the Georgia Legislature... please don't force thousands of small Georgia businesses to close their doors this year by rushing to pass a flawed piece of
legislation aimed at collecting sales taxes on purchases made online. There is a better way to reach your desired result without destroying an entire industry.Current federal law, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, says that a business does not have to collect sales taxes on mail order, telephone, or Internet purchases except for sales made to residents of any state where that business has a physical presence... or in legal terminology "a physical nexus". Pressure is building... (click to read column)

ADV: If you suffer from indigestion, heartburn, gas, or any other digestive issue... there is a natural enzyme formula that I swear by... click to learn more.

Time To End Open Primaries In Georgia? 2-9-12

2012-02-08T23:38:00.002-05:00

A few days ago Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp released a list of recommendations from his Elections Advisory Council for possible changes to state election law. Some valid issues were addressed, but there was one potential election change that wasn't mentioned. What I have in mind would be a hot potato and would get a lot of opposition if legislation were considered, but I firmly believe the time has come.

Unlike many states, Georgia is an open primary state... (click to read column)

ADV: Is war near? Get the latest breaking Middle East news the U.S. media ignores... Spotlight On Israel

Is Emory University Involved In A Partisan Witch Hunt? 12-19-11

2011-12-18T23:44:00.003-05:00

Just a few days before Thanksgiving my home office phone rang. Since I didn't recognize the number so I didn't pick up. A couple of minutes later my home phone started ringing... with the call coming from the same unknown area code 404 Atlanta area number, so fearing a family emergency notification of some type I decided to go ahead and answer.

The caller identified himself as David Armstrong, a professor of journalism at Emory University. Maybe my Spidey senses jumped into hyperdrive at this news. However, with most colleges and universities being heavily populated with staff and administrators of the liberal persuasion, it's hard to not be suspicious when someone identifies himself as a college professor and starts asking a lot of personal questions... (click to read column)

ADV: Do you suffer from heartburn, gas, indigestion, or incomplete digestion? I have used AbsorbAid for years to not only get relief but to prevent problems from starting... I encourage you to take a look today: Absorbaid

Why Do They Do It? 10-31-11

2011-10-31T11:23:00.002-05:00

The arrest last week of Taylorsville mayor and Bartow County businessman Cary Rhodes on attempted child molestation and related charges shocked many people and created quite a buzz around town. Rhodes is alleged to have traveled up to Chatsworth for a sexual hookup with an underage child he met online. Of course Rhodes is innocent until proven guilty and my comments below have nothing to do with his specific case.

Unfortunately these types of incidents happen all too often, and many times the man arrested had been considered to be an upstanding member of the community prior to the incident. The question many have in the wake of these types of arrests is why would a well-respected man risk losing his family, friends, and freedom in such a reckless way? A couple of years ago I happened to have a conversation with a law enforcement officer who participated in online child molestation cases. We explored the issue and may have come up with some answers. (click to read column)

ADV: If you're still paying huge bucks for expensive and dangerous statin drugs to treat high cholesterol/triglycerides... tthere is an inexpensive natural alternative.

If Not For Those Darn Grocery Coupons 10-17-11

2011-10-18T11:46:00.003-05:00

There are two checks I absolutely despise writing each year... my annual subscription renewals for the Cartersville Daily Tribune and the AJC. If it weren't for the coupons in the Sunday editions I probably would have already cancelled both. This isn't a rant about paying for content I can find for free online. No, this is about spending good money for publications that are slanted to the left.I've always voted with my wallet and though it's hard, I try not to do business with any firm that promotes a liberal agenda or donates to liberal candidates. As an example, as long as I live I'll never buy another... (click to read column)

ADV: The Bible tells us the world will be focused on Jerusalem in the Last Days... keep up with the latest breaking Middle East news the American media typically ignores, updated daily at: http://www.SpotlightOnIsrael.com

I'm On Strike! 9-27-11

2011-09-27T13:25:00.002-05:00

OK, before my libertarian and conservative friends start bouncing off the wall, I haven't joined a labor union. Frankly, I would panhandle before I would take a job with a unionized company, however I am on strike, and this strike may spread to include other entities. Heck I may just decide to throw in a couple of boycotts (General Motors and Chrysler) while I'm at it.

Since I spend a lot of time working from my home office, I miss out on the daily banter I would normally participate in with coworkers. For me Facebook has filled that void. Over the last couple of years, I have found myself... (click to read column)

If you're taking expensive and dangerous prescription medications for high triglyceride or cholesterol levels... there is a safe natural alternative that will only cost you about $5 a month! Learn more

Has This Ever Happened To You? 9-21-11

2011-09-21T13:34:00.003-05:00

Many of you, at some point in your high school or college days, probably participated in a little classroom exercise where your teacher whispered a statement into the ear of the student in the front desk of the first row. That student then whispered the same statement he just heard into the ear of the student sitting behind him. This continues up and down each row until the final student stands and repeats to the class what the statement was.

At that point there will usually be some head shaking, snickering or even outright laughter as students wonder why the words this student just uttered were so different from what was whispered to them. As the statement whispered by the teacher was relayed from person to person it changed slightly each time. After going through the ears and mouths of 20 to 30 individuals, the final statement became very different from the original statement that started it all.

There are many explanations for this phenomenon, but those folks paid the big bucks to study such things typically theorize... (click to read rest of column)

ADV: Tired of flipping you pillow over and over to find the cool side? You need a Chillow. On sale now plus free shipping! Makes a unique Christmas gift.

Is That Charitable Donation Going Where You Think It Is? 9-13-11

2011-09-13T13:18:00.002-05:00

Americans are generous people, and each year donate billions of dollars to churches and charities. Have you ever thought about where the dollars you give go and what they are spent on? We all know there are a lot of scam charities out there. I'm sure at some point most of you have received a phone call from the scammers trying to squeeze a few bucks that are supposed to help some bogus firefighter or law enforcement organization. Almost all of the money raised goes into the pockets of the scammers and a few pennies might actually be spent on some charitable purpose, just so they can keep their nonprofit status.

However, there are also problems with some of the major charities. Bloated salaries, fancy offices and only a small percentage of funds raised actually being spent to help people or conduct research are some of the charges leveled against some prominent nonprofits. One example is... (click to read column)

ADV: If you work with wood, even if you're just a homeowner tackling projects like putting down new deckboards... you can a ton of time and money with the Bowrench.

The Front Runner Has No Clothes 9-13-11

2011-09-13T00:51:00.002-05:00

Last week I had to unblock MSNBC on my DirecTV receiver... last night I had to unblock CNN and man that was painful, although you have to give CNN props for running a much more fair debate than Brian Williams and the leftists at MSNBC did. Also for CNN to officially align themselves with the Tea Party for the event has to raise the legitimacy of the group in the eyes of some independents and soft Republicans.

If you are a true conservative, this debate has to leave you wondering if Rick Perry is the guy to lead the charge next year. We all knew that Perry was... (click to read column)

ADV: The Middle East is on fire and war looks likely... get breaking news about Israel and her neighbors the mainstream American press usually won't cover at Spotlight On Israel

Did The Pinata Strategy Work?

2011-09-08T00:06:00.002-05:00

We all knew it was coming... when you're the last candidate to join the fray and it's your first debate, you're bound to be the target. Fellow candidates and even the questioners were obvious in their attempts to put a few dents in Rick Perry's armor during the MSNBC/Politico event Wednesday night. Perry had a good line that summed it up when he stated he "feels like the pi�ata at the party." So did the attacks work?

I honestly loved... click to read rest of column)

ADV: Get the latest live Georgia Weather information in one click... extended forecasts, interactive radar, hurricane forecasts, real time earthquake data, and more weather stuff than you'll ever find time to look at, all at Weather Georgia

So What Does It All Really Mean? 9-6-11

2011-09-06T13:39:00.002-05:00

We're all exposed to a myriad of news stories each day from radio, TV, print and online. However, if you take time to digest and really analyze the impact the news has on your life, then you are in the minority. Hey, I know most people are far too busy to spend their free time on this stuff, so Uncle Chucky is here to rescue you and tell you everything you need to know about what you may have missed or ignored, so you can get back to watching football or reruns of The Walton's.

Hat Sales Are Slow: Last week was qualifying time as candidates threw their hats into the ring for numerous city council and mayor positions up for reelection in... (click to read column)

ADV: There's a natural solution for those of you who suffer from heartburn, sour stomach, indigestion, incomplete digestion, or other digestive issues... learn more

2011-08-30T13:14:00.002-05:00

This past week there was a big clash between Georgia's Tea Party-leaning Republicans and the Chamber of Commerce-leaning Republicans. I know we don't all fit into neat little boxes, as I really fall into both groups, but these two sides carry a lot of weight down at the state capitol. In fact, the tug of war between them really has much more impact and affects you more than the battles between Georgia's Democrats and Republicans.

We saw some skirmishes during the regular session of the state legislature at the first of this year, but the battle this past week between the two groups over...(click to read column)

ADV: Only one website has everything you need about Georgia weather... from current conditions, interactive radar, and longrange forecasts, to hurricane data and live earthquake reports... you need Weather Georgia

Bartow's New One-Armed County Commissioner 8-23-11

2011-08-23T13:24:00.002-05:00

Bartow County's next commissioner will have to govern with one arm tied behind his back. How's that for a lead-in to my column? Or perhaps I could use this one? Bartow County's next commissioner will be forced to wear current Commissioner Clarence Brown's shoes for the first two terms. Quite a lot going on locally on the political front in recent days, so stay with me and I'll try to explain this one and some related issues.

While the rumor mill continues to circulate about who is and who isn't running for commissioner next year to replace the retiring Clarence Brown, whoever gets the nod from Bartow voters will be weakened for his or her first four-year term and probably most of the second term if reelected. Think about what the new commissioner will inherit when sworn in at the beginning of 2013...(click to read column)

ADV: Suffer from gas? Heartburn? Indigestion? Sour stomach? Constipation? Food allergies? A simple and inexpensive natural digestive enzyme blend may be the answer to your problems... click to learn more

Weight Gain And Presidential Politics 8-16-11

2011-08-16T13:35:00.002-05:00

Throughout the past couple of years there has been some fascinating research concerning weight gain. It seems if you have numerous friends who are overweight, then you are much more likely to put on unwanted pounds than if your friends are of predominantly normal weight.

Numerous theories have been proposed to explain this phenomena, including the idea that we tend to... (click to read column)

ADV: Tired of flipping your pillow to find the cool side? You need a Chillow! On sale plus free shipping at The Chillow Store

Wow! Now That Was A Debate! 8-12-11

2011-08-12T00:52:00.002-05:00

Wow! Now That Was A Debate! I know you're all dying to know who won the GOP presidential debate in Iowa Thursday night (more on that down the page), and I have to say this was one of the most enjoyable debates I've ever watched... unfortunately only a very small percentage of Americans viewed this performance and an even smaller number watched the entire show. You guys really, really missed something. Most Americans will only see the highlights, which will skew the perceptions. So here in a nutshell is what happened...

Warning - if you already have a favorite candidate, I doubt I will change your mind and will probably just tick you off, but I'm writing this from the perspective of the average Joe out there who is still trying to figure out who to vote for.

Biggest Brain In The Room Award: Many, like me, have already... (click to read rest of column)

ADV: The American media won't publish much of the real news that happens in the Middle East, but you can get it here at Spotlight On Israel.

It's 1979 All Over Again 8-9-11

2011-08-09T14:51:00.002-05:00

It has often been said that history repeats itself. Some of you folks will be too young to remember, but events of the past few months sure make it feel like 1979 all over again to me. Let's take a little trip down memory lane and compare the similarities... (click to read article)

ADV: Are you taking expensive & dangerous prescription medications for high cholesterol/triglycerides? You can safely remove arterial plaque for about $5 per month with a safe natural supplement... read more

Life Shouldn't Be So Complicated 8-2-11

2011-08-02T13:27:00.003-05:00

A few days ago I stumbled across a blog written by a woman who was perplexed at how complicated life had become in this day and age. This lady is an educated, high-level executive who deals with some fairly intricate issues in her job, so if things today are much too complex for her, then it is probably like that for many of us.

She started out by saying she voted in almost every election and had always considered herself to be informed about matters facing our nation. For the past few weeks (click to read column)

ADV: Are you taking expensive and dangerous statin drugs to control cholesterol/triglycerides? There is an inexpensive natural alternative. Click to learn more

How To Jump Start Georgia's Economy 7-26-11

2011-07-26T13:37:00.003-05:00

This past session of the Georgia legislature saw a major push to implement a tax reform package that would lower income tax rates for individuals and businesses, and in return add a large group of currently untaxed services to the list of things subject to the state sales tax. The proposal would be revenue neutral, meaning the government would still take in the same amount of tax dollars as before. The wheels came off the plan as special interest groups objected to various components (click to read column)

ADV: The absolute best website for keeping up with Georgia's weather... see what you're missing (including our daily weather videocast) WeatherGeorgia.com

You Have More Power Than You Think 7-19-11

2011-07-19T13:35:00.002-05:00

If I were to ask you who the most powerful people in the United States are, how would you answer? The president? Congress? The Supreme Court? The real answer is jurors. I am not an attorney and I don't know if I have ever stayed at a Holiday Inn, but there are some things about the American system of justice that many in the legal profession would just prefer you not know... (click to read column)

ADV: If you tired of flipping that hot pillow over to find the cool side, you need a Chillow!

So Many Ideas, So Little Space 7-12-11

2011-07-12T13:24:00.002-05:00

From the Casey Anthony trial to the fight over raising America's debt ceiling, there is no way anyone can say this has been a boring summer when it comes to news. It's time to clear out the backlog of column ideas floating around in my head before my brain explodes, so I'll just dump all this stuff on you... (click to read column)

Read the Middle East news the US media usually won't cover at Spotlight On Israel

The News Behind The News 7-5-11

2011-07-05T11:39:00.003-05:00

Thanks to technology, many people now complain of information overload, and as busy as we all are, there's little time to devour every piece of news that crosses America's radios, televisions, newspapers and websites. That's too bad.

It's understandable some people feel that way, as a lot of what passes for news is fluff and filler. Yet behind the quick sound bites and headlines that dominate modern news consumption, there is so much news that we seldom see or hear. Journalists are pretty good at giving us the bullet points, but few reporters have enough depth of knowledge of the subjects they cover to give us the why or the backstory.

Here's a quick local example. Last week, local media reported that (click to read column)

* Need to replace the flooring boards on your deck? You need the Duckbill Deck Wrecker!

Hey Marcel, Watch This 6-28-11

2011-06-28T13:19:00.002-05:00

Throughout the past couple of weeks I had two older people each ask me if I had seen the "Hey Marcel, Watch This" television commercial. The reason for the question is neither person knew what product was being advertised. If you're... (click to read column)

If you work with wood or build decks, there's an inexpensive tool you'll fall in love with... check out the Bowrench

Downtown Days Of Yore 6-21-11

2011-06-21T13:19:00.002-05:00

My wife and I, along with our two sons, spent Father's Day with my parents over in Cedartown. The old downtown area there is currently going through a makeover as set design crews transform Main Street back to the 1960's for the upcoming filming of a movie titled Jayne Mansfield's Car. This is a major production with stars including Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Patrick, Kevin Bacon, Robert Duvall, John Hurt and other familiar names.

We took dad downtown to check out the changes and walk the sidewalks of my and my dad's youth. For every child who grew up there, Cedartown was (click to read column)

FYI: Everything about Georgia Weather you'll ever want or need... and then some.

Is A Major War Eminent? 6-14-11

2011-06-14T13:19:00.002-05:00

Our mailman jokingly refers to my house as the Israeli embassy. A telephone repairman was at our house last week and assumed I was Jewish, which I'm not. Others who have passed by our humble abode probably think I'm just nuts. So what is causing all of these people to make such assumptions? (click to read column)

Official factory reconditioned power tools at deep discounts plus free shipping! Reconditioned Tools

What T-SPLOST Is and Why You Should Care 6-7-11

2011-06-07T14:24:00.002-05:00

I'm blaming it on the heat. Why else would I sit in front of my computer reading 126 pages of minutes from the first meeting of the Northwest Georgia Regional Transportation Roundtable? Heck, I doubt if the elected officials who actually participated in the meeting read this stuff. I really should have done some of the yard work on my to-do list, but now I know more about T-SPLOST (Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) than I ever thought I needed to know.

This is a very complicated issue to explain, with lots of government speak and legal mumbo jumbo. Nevertheless, in July 2012, you... (click to read column)

Are you taking expensive medications due to high cholesterol? There is a cheaper and safer way... click here

So How Did Your Local Legislators Score? 5-31-11

2011-05-31T13:24:00.003-05:00

It would be hard to find another organization that wields as much influence under the Gold Dome as the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. While legislators don't march in lockstep to do their bidding, when the Chamber makes its position known on a piece of legislation you can be assured your state representative or state senator at least pays attention.

A few days ago the Chamber released its legislative scorecard for the just finished 2011 session of the General Assembly and there were a few local surprises... (click to read column)

Latest local forecast for your county, current conditions, extended forecast discussion, inteactive radar, and our own exclusive daily weather videocast all at Weather Georgia.

Unfortunately, Herman Cain't 5-24-11

2011-05-24T14:14:00.005-05:00

Don't get me wrong, I like Herman Cain and even voted for him in the 2004 Republican Primary when he challenged then congressmen Johnny Isakson and Mac Collins for the GOP nomination for an open U.S. Senate seat. Cain finished an impressive second place and almost forced Isakson into a runoff. However, based upon what I've heard from the Herminator the past few days, I have serious doubts that he has what it takes to survive the media gauntlet standing between him and the GOP presidential nomination... (click to read column)

The Middle East is on fire and the U.S. media is not giving you the whole story... be sure to check out Spotlight On Israel everyday for the latest news and analysis.

You Mean That's Not Covered? 5-17-11

2011-05-17T15:20:00.002-05:00

Insurance is one of those things you pay for with the hope you never have to use it, but in the aftermath of the April 27 tornado outbreak that destroyed or damaged more than 400 homes here in Bartow County, some residents are now discovering that not all of their losses will be covered by their homeowners’ insurance policies... (click to read column)

Get the latest breaking new about Israel & the Middle East that you won't find on traditional U.S. media at Spotlight On Israel

A New Local Highway In Your Future? 5-9-11

2011-05-09T18:52:00.002-05:00

This story has been circulating in the media in neighboring counties for almost a month now, but for some reason our elected officials in Bartow County and the cities of Cartersville and Emerson have been quiet, though it potentially involves... (click to read)

Breaking news from Israel and the Midlle East the American media usually won't print... Spotlight On Israel

Are You Paying Attention? 5-3-11

2011-05-03T19:07:00.002-05:00

Are You Paying Attention? Sometimes when you look beyond the headlines, you find little nuggets of information that help explain a lot of what we read, view, or hear. So what should we have learned from the heavy dose of breaking news the past few days?

• Timing is everything. Very little in politics happens by accident, especially at the presidential level. So why did President Obama decide to release his birth certificate when he did? The first reason is easy to guess... read entire column here.

Do you suffer from gas, indigestion, heartburn, or incomplete digestion? There's a hard to find product that might just be the answer.

Knee Surgery Seems Like a Trivial Thing Now

2011-05-03T12:14:00.002-05:00

The minor knee surgery I underwent last Wednesday may have been routine, but the rest of the day was anything but. I was my surgeon’s last operation that afternoon, and though scheduled for 3 p.m., I wasn’t rolled back to the operating room until about 5:30.

Being a weather junkie, I knew that forecasters were privately very fearful that Wednesday’s predicted tornado outbreak might turn out to be one for the record books and I had posted a warning Tuesday morning on a weather website I own, advising north Georgia residents to make preparations. The dangerous storms ravaging Alabama were expected... (click to read rest of column)

Our environment is filled with toxic substances that we come in contact with every day. You can easily and cheaply remove toxic metals that may have built up in your body with this product.

Your Life Is An Open Book 4-26-11

2011-04-26T17:41:00.001-05:00

The words and their meaning are simple and straightforward, and should be vigorously defended by all Americans. I’m referring to the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

So how do state police... click to read rest of column

Tired of flipping your pillow to get to the cool side? You need a Chillow

Did You Pay Attention? 4-18-11

2011-04-18T11:07:00.003-05:00

Unlike the majority of Georgians who obviously have better things to do, I’ve closely followed for most of my life the shenanigans that take place under the Gold Dome during the annual general assembly of our state legislature. I track all the behind the scenes machinations and inside politics stuff that would bore most folks to tears. However, each year there are usually two or three issues that will stir up significant interest among the population at large and this year was no exception...

Click to read column

Indigestion? Gas? Heartburn? Incomplete digestion? Read about AbsorbAid

When Old Meets New 4-8-11

2011-04-08T15:59:00.003-05:00

Bartow County’s population is almost double what it was when he passed away almost twenty years ago. Though many may recognize his name, which adorns the county administrative and judicial center, most current local residents probably know little of what transpired during Frank Moore’s tenure as Bartow County Commissioner. The 1980s were a tumultuous time in Bartow as county leaders attempted to prepare us for the onslaught of growth they knew was headed our way. Prior to then... (click to read column)

SPONSOR: If you build decks or do remodeling work, you need a Bowrench

Now Is Not The Time 3-29-11

2011-03-29T16:20:00.006-05:00

Your friendly state House and Senate members have been playing tax reform poker down at the Gold Dome, and it looks like everyday Georgians may get royally flushed if what some legislators are proposing gets passed into law... read column

Tired of flipping your pillow over to get the cool side? You need The Chillow!

Where Does It Stop? 3-24-11

2011-03-24T20:03:00.002-05:00

Where Does It Stop? The constant assault of government on free people never ceases to amaze, especially when it comes to interference in private businesses. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is cracking down on radio stations for what it considers a grievous sin. You’ll never ever in a million years guess what FCC bureaucrats have done.

First a little background… radio stations have public broadcast licenses that are issued by the FCC. Every eight years, a station must file to renew its license. It doesn’t matter that the station owner may have invested millions of dollars in equipment, marketing, and the purchase of the license from the previous owner. If someone or some group can convince the FCC that the station is not... click to read column

This weeks Backroom Report brought to you by Georgia's Weather Center

Census Results Equal Change For Bartow County 3-22-11

2011-03-22T13:58:00.002-05:00

The official 2010 Census breakdown for Georgia cities and counties was released last Thursday, and it pretty much verified what many had anticipated. Bartow County grew by 31.8% since 2000 and with a 2010 population of 100,157 we are now larger than Floyd County, which came in with 96,317 residents.

Now before you get your “We’re Number One” giant foam finger out of the attic and start waving it around, there’s a few things about topping the 100,000 number you should be aware of. It seems that once a county’s population passes this magic number... (click to read rest of column)

This week's sponsor: Safely and effectively remove arterial plaque for about $5 a month without dangerous and expensive prescription medications.

Georga Weather Information

2011-03-15T16:57:00.002-05:00

Be sure to check out the WeatherGeorgia.com site for anything and everything you could possibly want to know about weather in Georgia including a daily videocast with detailed info you normally won't get on television.

New Web Site With Middle East News 3-15-11

2011-03-15T16:21:00.002-05:00

For those of you interested in breaking news from Israel and the Middle East, I've launched a new website called Spotlight On Israel that's updated daily with news you normally won't find on American media. Kind of a Drudge Report for Israel...

I Was A Kindergarten Dropout 3-15-11

2011-03-15T14:31:00.000-05:00

It was 1965 and I had been attending kindergarten for about two weeks when it happened. Several of us were playing cowboys and Indians on a steep hillside at the edge of the playground. During our pretend battle I ended up rolling down the hill and somehow my right arm got twisted up under me and I broke both bones in my forearm completely in half.

That got me a couple of days in the hospital and nice big cast that I had to wear for six weeks. Knowing that I was a typical rough and tumble boy, there was no way I could... click to read this column

A New Political Majority In The GOP? 3-8-11

2011-03-07T17:12:00.001-05:00

These are interesting times for the political class, as what had been a gradual shift in political philosophy among a significant segment of the population has begun to pick up steam, and is putting some elected officials in a tough spot as they try to reassess exactly what their constituents want these days.

We began to get a real glimpse into this change over the last two years as... click to read column

Cleaning Out The Refrigerator 3-3-11

2011-03-07T00:19:00.001-05:00

I've been battling a kidney stone and just haven't really felt like writing, but over the last two weeks so much news has been generated in the Georgia Legislature the political section of my brain is about to explode, so I'm dumping it all on you. I'm listening to Techno music as I write this, so I'm not responsible for what I may say. Hang on!

• Is Chip Up To The Task? Senate Majority Chip Rogers hasn't had as smooth of a ride as he had probably hoped for this session of the General Assembly. When he and fellow Senator Tommie Williams... click to read rest of column

What's In A Name? 3-1-11

2011-03-07T00:17:00.000-05:00

A lot of people pass through life without giving much consideration to how the places they live in or pass through got their names. Some are fairly simple, such as Cherokee County being named for the Native American tribe that called northwest Georgia home. Others require a little digging.

Several times over the years during business calls with folks in other parts of the nation, I would be asked the question of whether... click to read rest of column

How Would You Improve Bartow County? 2-22-11

2011-03-07T00:16:00.001-05:00

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve asked several of my Bartow County friends what suggestions they have for improving our fair county. Now in all fairness, almost all of the folks I run with are either conservatives or libertarians, so you won’t see any proposals to raise taxes so the commissioner can build a giant county-owned water slide down Ladd’s Mountain, however... click to read rest of column

Three Legged Elephants Are Dysfunctional 2-17-11

2011-03-07T00:14:00.001-05:00

Three Legged Elephants Are Dysfunctional - I really had not planned nor had wanted to write another column about Sunday sales of alcohol in Georgia, but you boys and girls of the elephant persuasion under the Gold Dome are causing many of us longtime Republicans considerable heartburn. There now appears to be three sides to this issue, and some scared senators looking for a graceful way to kick this can down the road.

On one side is the Senator Chip Rogers contingent that wants to... click to read rest of column

Yes, There Are Still Gravel Roads 2-15-11

2011-03-07T00:12:00.001-05:00

This past Saturday afternoon my wife and I were doing a little genealogy sleuthing between Cedartown and Cave Spring and stopped at Friendship Baptist Church cemetery near the Polk County line. Either by blood or marriage I am related to probably more than half of the folks interred there, but we were focused on the family of my great-grandmother Sarah King Shiflett.

A short distance from the church is... click to read rest of column

A Tale Of Two Counties, Part Three 2-8-11

2011-03-07T00:10:00.000-05:00

In my past two columns, we’ve compared Bartow and Floyd counties from historical population numbers to numerous areas in which Floyd has led the northwest Georgia region such as education, media, medical facilities and retail. Now that Bartow has caught up with Floyd County in population and will likely begin building a measurable lead in coming years, Bartow residents and her leadership will be faced... click to read rest of column

A Tale Of Two Counties, Part Two 2-1-11

2011-03-07T00:07:00.001-05:00

Last week I took a detailed look at the population numbers for Bartow and Floyd counties from 1870 up to the just released 2010 Census data, and explored why Floyd County became the retail, medical, media and education hub of northwest Georgia instead of Bartow. From the late 1800’s to the late 1900’s Floyd County built... click to read column

A Tale Of Two Counties, Part One 1-28-11

2011-03-07T00:06:00.001-05:00

The 2010 Census population numbers are out, and for most folks it makes for a little interesting conversation and that’s about it. However, for Bartow and Floyd counties, the Census figures paint an intriguing tale that leaves open the door to some major changes for area residents as we go forward.

First let’s take a look at some historical data. In 1870... click to read this column

Are Georgia Legislators As Freedom Loving As They Say They Are? 1-22-11

2011-03-07T00:03:00.002-05:00

Are Georgia's Republican Legislators As Freedom Loving As They Say They Are? We Georgian's are, by and large, an independent lot. Perhaps it's that Scotts-Irish blood that flows through the veins of many longtime Georgia families. Regardless of where it came from, we are generally distrustful of government and want to be left alone to pursue happiness as we see fit.
Peach State politicians of the Republican persuasion mirror the electorate for the most part as they denounce federal intrusion into our affairs, and preach the cause of individual liberty... but do they practice what they preach?

While our state legislators are... click to read the rest

A Boring Year In Store For Bartow? 1-20-11

2011-03-06T23:54:00.002-05:00

Is there any possible way that 2011 can top 2010 for political excitement? Nope! From the GOP takeover of the U.S. House and ouster of Nancy Pelosi as speaker to the brutal Georgia Republican primary that gave us Nathan Deal as our new governor, 2010 was a political classic.

However, even though this is an “off cycle” year, it doesn’t mean that nothing will be going on. While Georgia Department of Transportation board elections aren’t sexy and reapportionment can be as boring as reading "Calculus For Dummies," we would all be wise to pay attention...

click to read the rest of the column

Keep Your Hands Off My Sudafed! 12-1-10

2010-12-01T01:15:00.004-05:00

Sometimes Peach State politicians just don’t know where to draw the line between personal liberty and protecting the public interest. Yes, we all know that Georgia (and the nation) has a problem with methamphetamine abuse. It’s also common knowledge that pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, the active ingredient in Sudafed brand nasal decongestant, is one of the key ingredients in the manufacture of meth.

So Georgia’s legislators, in all their wisdom, are contemplating legislation that would even more severely restrict Georgia consumer’s access to Sudafed and any product containing pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. After all, legislation enacted a few years ago making it harder to get Sudafed was so successful in stopping meth production… well it was supposed to have worked. It didn’t.

First a little background… the ephedra plant has been effectively used since antiquity for the treatment of colds, sinus congestion, and hay fever. For many years, ephedra tea was my treatment of first choice. Then the FDA banned it because some diet pill manufacturers were loading up their products with incredibly high doses of ephedrine (the active component in ephedra). At those high levels, ephedrine greatly increases human metabolism and burns off fat. In super high doses it also can cause health complications, especially if the person taking it has an underlying heart condition. It didn’t matter that ephedra worked and was safe when used as intended; the FDA just completely banned it.

Of course many years ago Big Pharma figured out how to make synthetic ephedrine and it was marketed under the brand name Sudafed, before becoming available from numerous companies in its generic form of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. Sudafed and its generic equivalents were cheap and effective. Just a few short years ago, before government overreacted to the meth problem, you could buy a bottle of 300 pseudoephedrine hydrochloride tablets at Costco for around five dollars. That was enough to take care of all the colds, sniffles, allergies, and sinus problems for a family of four for 2 or 3 years. Like I said… cheap and effective!

As methamphetamine abuse began to be a serious problem about 10 years ago, law enforcement personnel and prosecutors pressured state governments to regulate the availability of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. Without this key ingredient, it was anticipated that local meth makers would be put out of business. They weren’t.

For the past five years or so, we honest law abiding Georgian’s who needed a decongestant have been treated as criminals. Sudafed and all products containing even the smallest amount of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride are now kept behind the counter at your local pharmacy and we must show our driver’s license and have our purchase recorded, and purchase quantities are restricted. The prices charged for these products have also now skyrocketed to many times what we paid before the change in the law.

Of course Big Pharma was quick to rebrand an old ineffective decongestant, phenylephrine, as the replacement for pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. Thus you’ll now find Sudafed PE (the PE stands for phenylephrine) and other similar products gracing drugstore shelves. One big problem… almost every medical study to date has found that phenylephrine works no better than a placebo. It’s useless.

Now back to those Georgia meth labs… with pseudoephedrine hydrochloride now much harder to obtain, it was expected that Georgia’s meth labs and dealers would disappear. Instead, massive quantities of illegal pseudoephedrine hydrochloride were smuggled in from Mexico. Realizing the high profit potential of meth, soon the product was being cooked in Mexico and smuggled in as a finished drug. Mexico has also moved to restrict pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, but that hasn’t stopped the flow.

Meth is still everywhere and thousands of Georgians are still having their lives ruined with this addiction. Some Georgia addicts are now cooking small batches of meth for personal use with legally obtained small quantities of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. So once again law enforcement and prosecutors are pressuring our state legislature to make it even harder for Georgians to buy Sudafed and its generic equivalents.

Proposals range from setting up a state monitoring system where all pseudoephedrine hydrochloride purchases are tracked by the state, to making pseudoephedrine hydrochloride a prescription only drug. Of course that would mean what once was a five-dollar purchase would now require an expensive doctor’s visit. If there were effective alternatives to Sudafed I would say fine, but there aren’t.

If our illustrious state legislators decide to make pseudoephedrine hydrochloride almost impossible to buy, then there are some other products they need to add to the bill. Whipped cream in the can (Redi-Whip) is packed with nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. If you press the can nozzle lightly you can get the gas to come out without the whipped cream, making it easy to get a few hits out of a can.

They’ll also need to ban Teflon coated cookware. If you turn your stove on high and set an empty Teflon skillet on it, after a few minutes the Teflon coating will outgas and you can take a few huffs of that and get a buzz. There are numerous plants available at your local garden center that can be dried and smoked, so we’ll need to regulate that too. Some folks have been know to huff automotive Freon, so let’s ban car air conditioners.

Come to think of it your local home improvement store is full of items that can be abused like spray paint, paint strippers, Xylene, PVC solvent, and the list goes on. Heck maybe we need to have law enforcement monitor our gasoline purchases. Wouldn’t want someone sniffing gas fumes.

The bottom line is that government cannot regulate everything into neat little boxes they can control. We saw that with Prohibition and we see it now with marijuana. Why should seventy-seven year old Willie Nelson now face jail time for having a couple of joints on his tour bus? There’s a fine line between protecting personal liberty and oppression, and we keep creeping closer and closer to the latter. Georgia… keep your dang hands off my Sudafed! 12-1-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by WeatherGeorgia.com

Georgia's Unemployment Picture Worse, Not Better 11-24-10

2010-11-24T22:12:00.004-05:00

This morning all across the Peach State, newspapers, websites, radio and television stations trumpeted the fact that Georgia’s unemployment numbers for October 2010 had improved over the October 2009 rates. While that is technically true, there is much more to the actual numbers and it’s not good.

For Georgia’s economy to show any noticeable improvement, retail spending must increase significantly… and for retail spending to go up, the number of Georgians working must also increase so that more disposable income is available. That’s not happening. The employment picture is actually worse now than it was in October 2009.

What? How can that be? The Georgia statewide unemployment rate in October of last year was 10.2 % and for October 2010 it was down to 9.6%. Yes… but. The real number that matters is not the percentage of people who are considered unemployed. The important number is how many Georgians are employed.

In October 2009 the total number of Georgians working was 4,243,325. In October 2010 the number of Georgians working was down to 4,200,799. For the mathematically challenged out there, this means there were 42,526 fewer Georgians working this October than last October.

The decrease in the unemployment percentages occurred because there are 64,130 fewer people in Georgia’s active workforce this October compared to October 2009. The “active” workforce consists of Georgians currently working plus those actively seeking employment. So these stats imply that a large number of unemployed Georgians have given up looking for work, and this makes the unemployment numbers look better than reality. In fact, many economists believe that when folks who have stopped looking are coupled with the self-employed who have closed their businesses, the real unemployment number is about 8 percentage points higher than the official reported numbers.

When you also consider the fact that many employed residents are working fewer hours than before either due to furlough days or because they previously had fulltime positions but now are working only part-time, then today’s news stories touting improved unemployment numbers lose their shine.

One last factor to consider… in a large number of households these days both the husband and wife work, and budgets are based upon having both salaries available. With a “real” state unemployment rate around 17.6% (9.6% plus the 8% undercount), the percentage of actual households where at least one wage earner is either unemployed or underemployed is probably close to 30%.

This means almost one of every three families has seen a significant reduction in available income. It’s no wonder the home foreclosure rate in Georgia is one of the worst in the nation.

Many families that haven’t been impacted by unemployment are paying off debts and also increasing their cash reserves. That’s a significant chunk of disposable income not flowing into store cash registers. With the election out of the way, perhaps some now feel the GOP takeover of the U.S. House will put the brakes on Federal spending, and that might encourage a few to pull out their wallets and catch up on some overdue purchases. Let’s hope so… otherwise 2011 could be a very dreary year. 11-24-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by SpotlightOnIsrael.com

Switch Now And/Or Pay Later? 11-9-10

2010-11-09T23:17:00.002-05:00

While the State Senate was playing around with rules changes to “redistribute” certain powers from Lt. Governor Casey Cagle to the Senate leadership team, the post-election excitement in the Georgia House involved three longtime Democrat State Representatives switching to the Republican Party. While it made perfect sense for one of them, the motivations behind the other two need a little exploring.

As the GOP approached a majority in the House back in 2004, several Democrat State Reps got off their donkeys and hitched a ride on the big elephant. With Georgia electing its first Republican Governor in almost 130 years just two years prior, along with the GOP also grabbing control of the State Senate, some Democrats (especially those in areas trending Republican) saw a party switch as an opportunity to cash in on their seniority.

After all, this new GOP House majority would need some longtime legislators to help navigate the new corridors of power, and the GOP needed to pad its numbers to get an absolute majority… so deals were cut. However, south Georgia was still home of the Blue Dog and many otherwise conservative Democrats were unsure if they could be reelected under a new banner, so they stayed put.

Now anyone who’s worked the halls of the Gold Dome knows it’s hard to get anything done when you’re not a member of the majority party. So for 20-year incumbent Democrat Alan Powell of Hart County, his switch to the GOP Monday was a no-brainer. Powell had been unopposed in the Democrat Primary, and no Republican challenged him in the General Election.

Meanwhile, Nathan Deal and the other statewide Republican candidates mopped the floor with the Democrats November 2nd in Powell’s legislative district, which includes parts of Franklin, Hart, and Madison Counties in NE Georgia. With legislative districts being redrawn in 2011, Powell knew if there were still a “D” after his name, his seat would be carved up to the point he could not win again against a GOP candidate. For Powell this was self-preservation with the added benefit of having a seat at the table after 6 years in the wilderness.

For the two South Georgia Democrats switching parties, 28-year incumbent Gerald Greene and 36-year incumbent Bob Hanner, the change to the GOP this week raised a few eyebrows. After having been key players in Tom Murphy’s reign as House Speaker, I know the last six years on the outside looking in have been tough. From that standpoint, they’ll at least now have a seat at the table.

However from a re-election viewpoint, the joint change in party allegiance doesn’t quite add up. In the general areas represented by these two men (side by side adjoining districts), Roy Barnes and Nathan Deal ran virtually neck and neck. These counties contain significant numbers of black voters loyal to the Democrat Party, and there are still a lot of Blue Dog whites around. Most of the local elected officials there are also Democrats.

With the large population gains made in the northern third of the state over the past decade, reapportionment will mean fewer South Georgia based legislative seats come election time in 2012. The state house districts south of the gnat line will have to expand in territory when redrawn in order to contain the estimated 54,000 people that will be required per district (as opposed to the roughly 45,000 per district required now).

If only one of the two gentlemen had switched to the GOP, it’s possible a Republican leaning district could have been created for him, with the remaining area carved into either a majority black or black influenced safe Democrat seat.

Perhaps we still don’t know the whole story and maybe one of these guys plans to retire if his new district layout is unfavorable. If not, these two longtime neighbors could quickly become enemies as they fight to get favorable district boundaries.

For some of you who read this, there is also the issue of whether or not it’s ethical to even change party allegiance right after an election. The argument can be made that you should stay on the horse you rode in on. If you feel the need to change, then do it in an election year right after the legislative sessions ends and before qualifying starts.

However, with reapportionment happening in 2011… waiting until 2012 to make a change would be too late. Voters are pretty good at smelling a rat. If these three legislators’ constituents feel these guys are still representing the interests of their districts after the party switches, then they’ll be on solid ground. If any of them are seen as opportunists, look for challenges from possibly the left and the right.

There are a handful of other white Democrat state reps, such as Rick Crawford of Polk County and Barbara Reece of Chattooga County, who now find their political futures in jeopardy. The bottom line is the Georgia Democrat Party is on life support... these party jumpers and next year’s redistricting are only going to make it worse. 11-9-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by ChillowStore.com

What Happens Next In Georgia? 11-4-10

2010-11-04T12:08:00.003-05:00

What Happens Next In Georgia? Republicans in Georgia swept all statewide offices, plus picked up a net gain of two more seats in the State House and one more in the State Senate, maintaining significant GOP majorities in both chambers. It would seem on the surface that things wouldn’t change much here in the Peach State… but you would be wrong.

Replacing Democrat Thurbert Baker with Republican Sam Olens in the Attorney General’s office is significant. With state and congressional redistricting taking place next year, Olens will provide legal cover against Obama’s Justice Department as Republicans draw new maps and possibly tweak other election laws. Additionally, unlike Baker, Olens will be willing to champion Republican causes such as the fight to declare parts of ObamaCare unconstitutional and also defend tough new anti-illegal immigration legislation expected to be passed next year by the state legislature.

Georgians probably won’t see much change on the surface with the selection of Republican Gary Black to replace long-long-longtime Democrat Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin. Black, much younger and more pro-active than Irvin, will hopefully move to modernize the agency. Additionally, his election will help to break down some of the final rural Democrat strongholds in South Georgia. Many of the farmers there are Blue Dog Democrats by tradition, but in the current political climate and with Black having such an important role in the potential success of their agricultural businesses, these southern conservatives may move quickly to the GOP, helping change their local county political landscapes. There are quite a few sheriffs, district attorneys, and county commissioners down there who should be Republican instead of Democrat.

I’ll give props here to outgoing Democrat Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, who has done a decent job in very trying economic times. Don’t expect many immediate changes from incoming Republican commish Mark Butler, who will have to learn the ropes and also begin to carefully sift through Labor Department personnel… all of whom have been hired by and supervised by Democrat Labor Commissioners. He’ll be looking over his shoulder for a while.

Outgoing Republican State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine has left some mighty big shoes to fill. Despite The Ox’s gubernatorial failure and his ethics problems, he was a master at walking the tightrope between being pro-insurance company and pro-consumer. Occasionally he would slap the insurance industry on behalf of consumers, generate a few positive headlines, and then lean on that same industry for campaign contributions. Oxendine was also very effective at generating free media, which greatly enhanced his statewide name ID. Incoming Republican Ralph Hudgins should do an adequate job, but I don’t see anything earth shattering here.

It appears with the re-election of Republican Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, that no significant changes are in store among the State Senate leadership team. The same generally holds true for the State House, although a couple of new faces will move up the ranks to fill spots vacated by retirements. Cagle and Republican House Speaker David Ralston seem to have a decent working relationship and I fully expect that to continue. (Note: The GOP senate caucus held 11-5-10 resulted in some of Cagle's powers being reassigned to a committee of senators)

The big change will occur as Republican Nathan Deal replaces Republican Sonny Perdue as governor. Perdue’s nature was to be a manager. He rarely pushed any major legislative agenda of his own, and acted more like a referee between house and senate, or starred in the role of dad who quietly shot down some legislative ideas he deemed too aggressive. Perdue was very hesitant to deal with some issues such as illegal immigration or tax & budget reform. While in Congress, Deal was very conservative on these issues and others that Sonny was lukewarm on including gun rights… and I think Deal may be a little more likely to play ball here.

Deal has a long relationship with both Cagle and Ralston, each of who lived in Deal’s congressional district. These three know the public (especially the Tea Party) is paying close attention right now to the goings on under the Gold Dome. They will need to quickly throw out some conservative manna, while minimizing what will be a very tough budget year. Expect to see a lot of the upcoming legislative agenda agreed to in principal by the three before the session starts in early January.

The real intrigue will be reapportionment. I truly hope that Cagle and Ralston will agree to handle this in a separate legislative session to take place this coming summer or fall if census data is ready. Otherwise the regular legislative agenda will be mired in backroom deals. You support my bill and I’ll help get your district redrawn the way you want.

There are also quite a few senators and representatives who are at least toying with the idea of a run for congress in 2012. Georgia stands to pick up at least one additional seat, plus with a little creativity one and possibly two of the five congressional seats that will be held by Democrats this coming year may be reconfigured to make them possible GOP pickups in 2012. (Sanford Bishop, you are in the middle of the bulls eye)

Additionally, with population gains over the last ten years primarily occurring in the northern half of the state, South Georgia will lose legislatives seats. This means existing districts in the north, especially around the metro Atlanta doughnut, will shrink in territory and new districts moved from points south will be slid into resulting gaps. There is already heavy lobbying going on from people interested in running for these new open seats that will be created.

Finally, the Georgia Democrat Party is on life support. With no statewide office holders remaining, their farm team for higher statewide office has been gutted. Plus of their five remaining congressmen, none appear to have the necessary skills to possibly challenge for a U.S. Senate seat or governorship in the future. Where will future Democrat candidates for statewide office come from?

The Democrats remaining in the state legislature generally fall into one of two groups… liberal urban blacks or liberal to moderate urban whites, with a few moderate rural ones thrown in for good measure. Not good in a conservative majority state. Even some of the moderates, like State Rep. Alan Powell from NE Georgia, have hinted they may switch to the GOP. Redistricting next year has the potential to even further decrease the number of Democrat legislators. The national Democrat Party will pretty much write Georgia off for the foreseeable future.

After all of my observations and predictions above, there is one thing I can guarantee. The legislative sessions for the next two years will be dominated by the state budget. While job losses and business closings may have leveled off, things aren’t improving much economically. Plus, the legislature and governor had a few budgetary tricks to help us through the past two years that won’t be available this time. Buckle up and enjoy the ride! 11-4-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by PinwormAnswers.com

What Happens Next Nationally? 11-3-10

2010-11-03T19:38:00.003-05:00

So all you conservative types flooded the polls Tuesday and elected a GOP majority in the U.S. House, picked up several U.S. Senate seats, a bunch of governorships, and took away Democrat control of quite a few state legislative chambers. Not a bad night, as American voters served President Obama with a political restraining order. Guess you can now you can go back to watching American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, and college football? Wrong!

Hey, we all lead busy lives and have tons of business, personal, and family things to attend to do… plus we’re all sick of politics. Guess what? Politics better become a daily part of your life for the next several years, or all the gains realized Tuesday will fade away and we may never get another chance to correct the fundamental problems facing the good ol’ USA.

First up? All eyes turn to Washington DC quickly, as Democrats will probably call a lame duck session to address the expiring Bush tax cuts. Employers and accountants across the nation are paralyzed… waiting on a resolution to this issue so they can set up their payroll databases for the coming year.

Obama knows he has a serious public relations problem here. The majority of Americans along with quite a few Democrat Senators and House members want to at least extend the Bush cuts and many want to make them permanent. This goes completely against Obama’s class warfare mantra.

If nothing is done before Christmas, then the new GOP House majority will vote to extend of all of the Bush cuts as soon as they are sworn into office, force Democrats in the Senate to tag along, and call Obama’s hand to either sign something he is adamantly opposed to or veto the entire measure and give the GOP another huge boost of support from the folks.

Word is leaking out that Obama will try to convince Pelosi and Reid to push through a lame duck vote this month to either extend the cuts for lower income earners only, or permanently extend the lower income cuts and temporarily extend the rest of the cuts for one or two years. If accomplished, when Republicans take control in January, they would then be faced with either accepting that and moving on, or they would find themselves with extending cuts for just the upper middle class and rich as their only plan of attack. This would leave Obama in a position of strength to push back against the evil rich.

Also the president’s blue ribbon panel that is looking at how to deal with the national debt will report in a few weeks. It is widely expected that various tax increase measures will be suggested. This is where the rubber will hit the road for the new Tea Party backed house and senate members. The president will call for bi-partisanship, but will these newcomers budge? To date, Obama’s definition of bipartisanship has meant he reluctantly talks to the Republicans and tells them what he wants. The real pressure now should be on Obama to do the compromising.

Republicans must rebrand themselves from the “party of no”, to the “party of know”. The GOP "knows" how to cut spending. The GOP "knows" how to modernize the U.S. tax code and reduce the burden on Americans. The GOP "knows" how to create jobs. The GOP "knows" how to fix our healthcare system.

Another sector to watch is the Middle East. Obama has continued to quietly but firmly push Israel toward a peace deal that is extremely favorable to the Palestinians and that would harm Israel’s ability to protect itself. There is some intelligence coming out of the region suggesting the U.S. may be prepared to hit Iran’s nuclear facilities in return for Israel making major concessions on a peace agreement. Of note, the U.S. has dramatically increased its military presence in the Persian Gulf region in the past few weeks, and is forward deploying significant stockpiles of munitions.

A major peace deal or a U.S. strike on Iran shortly after our election would suck the air out of media coverage of the new Republican majority in Congress, and push Obama back into the spotlight in a powerful way. Supposedly a new round of meetings between the Obama administration, Israel, and the Palestinians has been secretly scheduled for January.

It's no secret that Obama would have been better off if the Republicans had also captured a majority in the Senate. Then he could point fingers at the GOP on Capitol Hill for stopping his plans “to help Americans”. Now the Democrat majority senate leadership is stuck in a tough spot… either they back Obama and run the risk of losing even more seats in 2012, or they try to compromise with the GOP House and leave Obama weakened. Senate Democrats will be in a tough place come the 2012 elections. Of the thirty-three senate terms expiring, twenty-one Democrat senators will be up for reelection, along with two Democrat leaning independents, and only ten Republicans. About a dozen of the Democrats are considered at least moderately vulnerable.

The other side of story is how much impact the newly elected Republican House members will have in the early days of 2011. Will they make waves or will they let the current house leadership team run the show? Many of these freshmen were elected because of Tea Party support, and you know the wrath of 1776 will come down on the newbies’ heads if they stray from the “cut spending/lower taxes” script.

Then we have the start this week of the one thing we probably all wish would not rear its head for a while… the 2012 presidential campaign is now underway. The establishment insiders will trot out Mitt Romney, Haley Barbour, Tim Pawlenty and possibly a couple of others, while the Tea Party folks will push several potential candidates, including Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and Bobby Jindal. Other names like Mitch Daniels and Rick Perry are also being floated.

The real danger is that these presidential hopefuls and their proxies will unintentionally cause some serious breaks in the unity of the new Republican house and senate caucuses. If the GOP establishment throws its weight behind another moderate Republican like they have done in the past with John McCain, Bob Dole, or George H. W. Bush… then you can fully expect Tea Party supporters and many conservative Republicans to look for a third party alternative.

Also interesting is that during this Democrat election meltdown, a potential Democrat challenger to Obama, Hillary Clinton, stayed overseas and out of the spotlight. Best to let Obama absorb the blame for the Democrats’ humiliation, while she remains untarnished and above the fray. If Obama’s popularity remains below forty percent for an extended period, look for Hillary to resign her Secretary of State post within a few months and begin laying the groundwork for a primary challenge.

So the question is, was this past Tuesday our modern day 1776… the beginning of the Second American Revolution? Or was it just another election? We won’t the answer to this for several years, but the question can only be answered by you. 11-3-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by EDTADirect.com

Which GA Candidate Was Just Hit With 10 Ethics Fines? 10-28-10

2010-10-28T20:47:00.005-05:00

Regardless of where we fall on the political spectrum, all Georgians should agree that our candidates for public office should be honest and ethical in their dealings. However one candidate apparently feels he is above the law and can do as he pleases without consequences.

Georgia law is clear that any candidate for public office must file various campaign disclosures by specific dates. The public interest is served and protected by knowing who is donating to the candidate’s campaign and what the candidate is doing with the money he raises.

In the heat of a campaign, I can understand an innocent slip up. However, when the candidate has been late filing his disclosures seven times over a three-year period and has failed to file three other disclosures, then it’s more than just being distracted by the election. It’s a reflection on the character of the candidate.

Democrat State Senate candidate Tracy Bennett has challenged Republican State Senator Bill Heath of District 31 three consecutive elections… 2006, 2008, and now 2010. In each of the first two elections, Bennett was humiliated at the polls by Heath’s landslide victories.

Now Bennett is asking for your vote yet again… but he doesn’t deserve it. In a letter to Mr. Bennett dated today (October 28, 2010) from the State Ethics Commission, Bennett is being ordered to immediately pay ten separate fines for his late filings, and to also file the three missing disclosure reports.

After running for office three times, Tracy Bennett knows the law. The question is, why does he keep breaking it? 10-28-10

A copy of the letter from the State Ethics Commission to Mr. Bennett is available at http://www.backroomreport.com/

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by RemoveMetals.com

Whither The Libertarians? 10-25-10

2010-10-25T18:24:00.002-05:00

The United States, since its inception, has been dominated by a two party system. Meanwhile, Americans continually express their desire for more political choices. Yes, there are numerous groups around the fringes of the political landscape, such as the Green Party on the left and the Constitution Party on the right. However, just like The Rent Is Too Damn High Party in New York, these third parties are really just novelties that give the media types something to play around with for fun.

There is one party that occasionally rises from its slumber to say it’s for real… and that is the Libertarians. For over three decades, Americans have been promised that the Libertarians were an up and coming organization that would give the Democrats and Republicans a run for their money, but as far as election victories go, other than a smattering of local wins, it seldom happens. Most Libertarian candidates routinely pull single digits on Election Day.

The gubernatorial election in Georgia this year would seem to be fertile ground for a Libertarian surprise. High numbers of voters are holding their collective nose and choosing between Republican Nathan Deal and Democrat Roy Barnes. Polling data shows the negatives on these two to be extremely high. So why aren’t Georgians flocking to Libertarian John Monds?

For me, Monds has not been impressive on the stump… but more importantly he occasionally throws out sound bites that remind Bible Belt voters of why they choose to not be Libertarians.

The real problem with the Libertarian party is that its platform is theoretical. The Libertarian philosophy of pure and absolute freedom to do as one wants as long as he or she doesn’t infringe on the rights of others to live their lives as they choose would seem on its surface to play right into the mindset of a nation that by and large wants government to get the heck out of the way. However, voters again and again reject the LP’s and stay with the tried and true left/right environment we all despise. So I ask why?

So many variables play into why folks make the election choices they do… religion, race, culture, tradition, income level, and geography are but a few of the reasons. The bottom line is that very few Americans have a consistent, well thought out, philosophy on life… and this reflects itself as we make contradictory choices in our politics.

When it comes to abortion, homosexuality, and other hot moral issues, many Democrats tend to side with the Libertarian mantra of freedom to choose without government interference. While many Republicans believe that any society must have a system of laws that uphold the moral underpinnings of said society… and in the case of the United States that means upholding our Judeo-Christian culture.

On the flip side, many Democrats want the government to heavily regulate private business, while Republicans lean toward the Libertarian belief in letting the free market decide business winners and losers. Democrats want a huge taxpayer funded social welfare safety net, while Republicans agree with Libertarians that it’s wrong for government to take money by force from those who have earned it and then let faceless bureaucrats give that money to others.

The answer to our conundrum is that the Libertarians find themselves in no man’s land. Democrats tend to agree with a decent portion of Libertarian philosophy, but the part they disagree with are deal breakers they cannot accept. Likewise Republicans line up closely with a very sizeable part of the Libertarian platform… even more so than Democrats. However those few issues where Republicans tend to disagree are on hot button topics like abortion, homosexual rights, legalizing marijuana, and illegal immigration.

Over the past 10 to 20 years we have seen more and more Libertarian ideas incorporated into the Republican mindset, and this is verified by the fact that Libertarians tend to take more votes away from Republican candidates than Democrats. So we now have the classic situation whereby more and more people are agreeing with significant portions of Libertarian thought, but instead of becoming Libertarians, they become Republicans and are gradually changing the GOP.

The struggling GOP has been reinvigorated by the Tea Party movement and is poised for significant gains next Tuesday and again in 2012. If rank and file Republicans can once and for all rid their party of the remnants of the old Eastern Establishment moderate GOP faction that has controlled the purse strings and hierarchy forever, then perhaps America may truly have a real choice in future elections instead of having to chose between socialism (Democrats) and socialism lite (Republicans). This would relegate the Libertarians to perennial fringe party status.

However, if the GOP falls back into its version of the big government mindset we saw under George W. Bush and his father, then all bets are off. Either another strong third party will rise up or the Libertarians will compromise just enough to sway over many conservatives.

There are some in the Libertarian Party who realize the party cannot grow unless it opens the door a little in two key areas and that is now being reflected in the party’s official platform. First is abortion… it is possible to be pro-life and be Libertarian. If one believes that life begins at conception, then ending that life through abortion is infringing on the rights of that life by another and the government has a vested interest in protecting that life.

The second is illegal immigration. Libertarians envision a world without nations… a world without borders, where man is free to move freely and live where and how he wants. Again, that sounds great in theory, but is not practical in real life. The fact is we have over 200 nations, and most of the world’s population is not sophisticated enough to live in a truly free world.

To turn the Libertarian mindset back on itself, let me ask this question. If men are free to associate with whom they wish, should they not be free to form associations with others and create nations, states, and cities whereby they can govern themselves as they wish?

The bottom line is that with a just a little compromise on these and a couple of other issues, the Libertarians could be positioned to pick up the pieces if the Republicans blow this chance they are being given. The Libertarian Party is so close to still be so far away. So whither the Libertarians? 10-25-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by BowrenchDirect.com

Time For This Politician To Be Ejected From Game 10-20-10

2010-10-20T22:13:00.004-05:00

It’s the 9th inning of game 7 of the World Series and his team is trailing 5 to 3. As pitcher he has one goal… get three outs and give his team one final at bat to stage a dramatic come from behind win. The odds are long and his arm has grown tired.

He’s been here before… winning the 7th game of the World Series several years ago, then retiring after blowing his World Series start four years later. Now seeking to regain his lost glory, he trots onto the field one last time.

He struggles against the first batter, but escapes on a ground out. Batter number two quickly drops a bloop single and takes first. Number three strokes one and now the pitcher faces runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. He quickly gets behind 3-1 against the next batter and in desperation decides to do something he knows he shouldn’t do… he throws an illegal spitball. Strike two! No one noticed, so he does it again. Strike three!

Inside he knows the only way he can get that final out is to keep throwing spitballs, but he’s afraid the fans and umpire are catching on. On the first pitch, he gets a warning from the ump. His next “clean” pitch goes in the dirt, as does the next one. He knows he can’t win without playing dirty.

The pitcher loads up the next pitch and the ump stops play. He’s busted and his career ends in shame and disgrace. He ducks into the locker room, but as he leaves the stadium a reporter asks him about the spitballs. Without apology for his actions he points his finger at the opposing team and says, “they don’t play fair and they get upset over this?”

This week 11 Alive television reporter Jon Shirek busted Roy Barnes, Democrat candidate for governor, for an ad in which his campaign doctored up film footage with fake voices to make it look like his opponent Nathan Deal was getting screamed at by reporters for ducking their questions.

Shirek was there when Deal was filmed leaving an auditorium after a debate, so when he saw that same footage in Barnes’ television commercial but with "extra audio" added he immediately smelled a rat. In his TV report Shirek played the original film footage and the doctored footage from Barnes. What Barnes did was as clear as glass and shameless.

Though we all say we don’t like it, we’ve come to accept the fact that campaigns will take liberties and twist things a little or leave out important facts in their campaign advertising. However, this action from Roy Barnes has crossed the line. Don’t take my word for it; watch Shirek’s report here:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid34619011001?bctid=642032959001

It’s no secret Nathan Deal is not my ideal pick for governor, and many Georgian’s see this election as choosing between the lesser of two evils. After seeing Jon Shirek’s new report, it’s plain as day that Roy Barnes does not deserve another term in office. He cheated and got caught, and his only defense is to say everybody cheats. (Barnes response in another story here:

http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=159017&catid=40

Barnes’ arrogance was part of his undoing in his election defeat of 2002, and that arrogance has reared its ugly head again. 10-20-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by WeatherGeorgia.com

Erick Erickson = FAIL: Backroom Report 10-15-10

2010-10-15T18:55:00.001-05:00

He’s the guru of PeachPundit.com and RedState.com, but in this instance Erick Erickson is guru of being wrong! Erick and I agree that Casey Cagle has not been a good lieutenant governor for Georgia. We both hoped someone would mount a serious challenge against Cagle in the Republican Primary this past summer, but that never materialized.

So now we have four choices facing us on Election Day: (1) Vote for Cagle, (2) Vote for Democrat Carol Porter, (3) Vote for the Libertarian candidate, or (4) Just skip the Lt. Governor race. As a staunch conservative, you would think Erick would choose either 1,3, or 4. Nope, he has just declared that he is voting for Democrat Carol Porter. How shortsighted, and totally, completely, insanely wrong… wrong… wrong.

The U.S. Constitution is on life support and our republic is hanging by a thread. 2010 is America’s last chance to begin the process of restoring the nation and rescuing it from the clutches of the liberal/progressive/socialists. That means that every single Democrat candidate in the United States from school board, to county commission, to state legislature, to Congress needs to have a giant political target on their back… even the moderate Democrats.

We are engaged in the opening stages of the Second American Revolution and this is war. We must think like military strategists. Every action, regardless of how small, has an impact in the overall scheme of things. We must work to cut off the Democrat’s money sources. We must defeat their rising star candidates before they can become established. We must demoralize their supporters. We must turn the word “Democrat” into such a vile thing that any person with half a brain would think long and hard before running for office under that banner. This is why Carol Porter must be defeated.

Erickson, in defense of his decision to support Porter, cites 2002 when Republicans gained control of the Georgia State Senate for the first time since Reconstruction. Holding a majority, the GOP boys rewrote the Senate rules and stripped Democrat Lt. Governor Mark Taylor of his power. Republican Senate Majority Leader Eric Johnson became the defacto Lt. Governor and did a great job guiding the upper chamber. Once Republican Casey Cagle was elected Lt. Governor in 2006, the senate voted to return those powers that had been stripped away from the office.

Erick, this is not 2002 and Carol Porter is not greasy Mark Taylor. Imagine if Porter wins the election and those “evil” conservative Republican male senators vote to take away all of the power of Georgia’s first elected female Lt. Governor. They will have just alienated the majority of women voters across the state and will have made a political rock star out of Porter. You would soon hear calls for Porter to run for Congress or against Saxby Chambliss for U.S. Senate.

No, we need a clean sweep by the GOP of all of the statewide offices. In doing so we will severely weaken the Democrats bench team, making it tough for them to put forward credible candidates for congress, U.S. Senate, and statewide office. Having no elected officials will also make it tough for the national Democrat Party to use Georgia as a fundraising source or to build support here for their presidential candidates.

In 2012 we accelerate the task of replacing moderate or squishy Republicans with true constitutional conservative Republicans in state primaries nationwide… a job that will continue in 2014 when Cagle comes up for reelection again (if he chooses to do so). However 2010 there is only one goal… defeat every Democrat by the largest margins possible. We must kick the legs out from under Barack Obama and make Nov. 2nd a crushing defeat for liberalism in America.

Erick, a vote for Carol Porter is like having a one-night stand just to get back at your former girlfriend. It may make you feel good for a while until you find out a few days later that you knocked her up. Now you’ve got a problem that’s not going away anytime soon. 10-15-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by SpotlightOnIsrael.com

Divided We Fail! 10-8-10

2010-10-08T22:58:00.004-05:00

Over the last several days I’ve had some political discussions about the Georgia governor’s race with folks who really don’t like Deal or Barnes, and will not vote Libertarian. A couple of them were leaning toward Barnes because they thought having stalemate…a divided state government, would be a good thing. (Republicans in control of the State House and Senate with Democrat Barnes as governor.) I strongly disagree!

They each mentioned 1994 when the GOP took control of Congress and forced Democrat President Bill Clinton to move back toward the center. Other than welfare reform not much got accomplished over the next six years. The theory is if they’re fighting each other and getting nothing done, then they aren’t screwing us over. Folks, divided government at the federal level is an entirely different creature than having it at the state level.

At the federal level divided government is more policy driven. It’s truly conservative versus liberal, at least in the talking points and spin that gets bantered about. All the key hot button issues come up… abortion, gun control, gay marriage, tax cuts, deficit spending, etc. After a while it’s nauseating.

However at the state level, while there would of course be some policy differences, that wouldn’t be where the real action would be. Barnes is slick enough to know that on controversial issues like abortion, gay rights, guns, etc. he can only pander to the left at election time and then not touch these things once elected.

No, the real action in Georgia would be local and it would be ugly. Though out of power since 2004, the old Democrat machine in Georgia still has a substantial network of key players in business, law, politics, civic organizations, education… you name it… leftover from the previous 130 years of Democrat control.

With Roy Barnes in the governor’s mansion, the main focus would be on resurrecting that old network. Barnes would dole out plum political appointments to various state boards and agencies… carefully putting members of the old Democrat network back in play… especially focusing on appointing Democrats from areas represented by Republicans in the State House and Senate. That means fault lines would erupt all over the state, from the local chambers of commerce, to civic and community groups, and even to some larger churches.

Georgia was very fortunate that one party (Republicans) controlled both the executive and legislative branches during this severe recession. Even though Georgia faced some of the worst unemployment and foreclosure numbers in the nation, our state government is in much better shape financially than the majority of other states. We’ve even been able to maintain our AAA bond rating.

Painful choices and cuts had to be made, but with a governor and legislative majority from the same party there was no showboating, no grandstanding, just quiet hard work that paid off handsomely. Unlike the divided government we see in California, where they can’t even adopt a budget and the state has been paying for things with IOU’s.

I could list a hundred reasons why Democrat Roy Barnes should not be elected this year, but I’ll give you two. Deal has a longstanding positive relationship with Lt. Governor Casey Cagle (R) and House Speaker David Ralston (R). With Republican Nathan Deal we’ll have a smooth and efficient state government, and just as importantly we’ll have a “quiet” next four years. 10-8-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by ChillowStore.com

Media Bias Raising Its Head In Georgia? 9-28-10

2010-09-28T19:26:00.003-05:00

Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but media bias can sometimes be not so obvious… and to me this seems like one of those times. Earlier this week the Macon Telegraph conducted an online poll that by its very wording implied that Republican nominee for governor Nathan Deal had done something wrong.

Anyone paying attention knows that Deal invested a large sum of money a few years ago into a new sporting goods business launched by his daughter and her husband. Deal also personally guaranteed their business loan, which was in excess of $2 million.

The business failed and Deal’s daughter and son-in-law filed bankruptcy… leaving Deal holding the bag. Deal could have played games and tried to finagle his way out of the debt, but he manned up and pledged to pay every dollar owed. He even placed his own personal residence on the market to help generate the dollars necessary to retire the debt.

The majority of new businesses fail within the first 5 years, and in this current economic meltdown the odds of failure are even higher. This is what business people do… take chances. And Deal took a chance on his daughter’s business. If she had succeeded, the Democrats and their media allies wouldn’t be praising Nathan Deal for helping his daughter, but now that she has failed they are quick to make it seem Deal did something wrong.

The Macon Telegraph poll was titled, “Who Will Depart First?” and under the heading in smaller print said, “Who is likely to go first?” The three choices were Nathan Deal, UGA head coach Mark Richt, and Bishop Eddie Long.

Of course with UGA’s football record at 1 & 3, and with all 3 losses coming in SEC conference games, Mark Richt is under the gun. Some fans are calling for his head on a platter. Nothing new here… this is how the sports world works. Bashing players and head coaches is part of the game. Depending on how the rest of the season goes, Richt could get a new lease on life or he could be out the door before the end of November. Putting Richt in the Macon Telegraph poll was fair.

Bishop Eddie Long came under fire last week after four young men came forward claiming that Long had abused them sexually and each filed civil suits seeking damages. Now Long is a high profile target with deep pockets, so one has to immediately view these suits with some cynicism. The media is always quick to pounce on Christian ministers, so no surprise the Telegraph would include Long in the poll, though I think that is unfortunate since Long is innocent of the charges unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Now on to Nathan Deal… The very wording of the Telegraph poll implies that Deal has done something wrong and may be forced from the November ballot. First, Deal has done nothing illegal or immoral nor has he been accused of such. The worst thing you could say is that he made a bad business investment, but most business people have done the same… many more than once. You could also say that maybe his business judgment was clouded by the fact that this was his daughter’s business… but again, how many parents have done things to help their kids that in hindsight weren’t such good ideas?

Secondly, under state election law a nominee for office cannot withdraw from a race and be replaced by another pick from the party once there are 60 days or less remaining before the election. Deal is the Republican nominee and nothing other than his death will change that.

In an e-mail exchange with Macon Telegraph editorial page editor Charles E. Richardson, he stated, “We were neither trying to deceive or be dishonest. We know the rules of the election. We did not imply that Nathan Deal could step down. Rather, the poll was simply about three individuals who have been in the news for all the wrong reasons, Deal because of his financial business, Mark Richt for having a losing season so far, and Bishop Eddie Long who is being sued in Atlanta by four men who say he lured them for sex. I think you are reading way too much into this morning's poll.”

So you be the judge. Am I reading too much into the poll or was this irresponsible journalism five weeks before Election Day (with advance voting already taking place)? 9-28-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by PinwormAnswers.com

Who’s Really Afraid Of November? 9-15-10

2010-09-15T11:00:00.003-05:00

Sure the Democrats are shaking in their boots (or on their broomsticks as in the case of Nancy Pelosi), but there’s another group just as scared about the potential outcome on Election Day this November. Washington DC runs on money… truckloads of money, and I’m not talking about the tax dollars confiscated from hardworking Americans. K Street lobbyists pour gazillions of dollars every year into the campaign coffers of congressmen and senators of both parties to influence legislation and keep them in line.

Washington insiders operate under that old rule of “the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t”. When the electorate comes out of its slumber and actually starts to shake things up a little… like happened in Delaware Tuesday where Tea Party favorite Christine O’Donnell beat GOP Congressman Mike Castle for that state’s GOP U.S. Senate nomination, fear grips the DC elites.

Even so called conservative pundit Karl Rove, George W. Bush’s former political strategist, trashed O’Donnell on Sean Hannity’s television show shortly after O’Donnell was declared the victor. Rove proceeded to nitpick O’Donnell apart, basically trying to paint the picture that she’s not as polished as Mike Castle is. Never mind that Congressman Castle voted for TARP, voted for Cap & Trade, is pro-abortion… in other words Castle is a RINO (Republican in name only).

The point is that Rove and the majority of other talking heads still don’t get it. The voters are tired of playing politics between the 40-yard lines. The Democrats move the ball a few yards down the field and then the Republicans take over and move it a few yards back the other way and so it goes. Nothing gets accomplished, and “we the people” are tired of this game and the whole cesspool of lobbyists and entrenched bureaucrats who pull the puppet strings.

No, Christine O’Donnell isn’t as politically correct and polished as Mike Castle. She hasn’t held political office for most of her life like Castle. Yes, there are a few rough spots in her background. So to Mr. Rove and company let me have your attention… Christine O’Donnell is exactly the type of person many Americans want to represent them in the U.S. House and Senate. We want everyday people that are just like us.

The NRSC (National Republican Senatorial Committee) stated Tuesday night that they would not financially support Republican Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell. The backlash was fierce and 14 hours later the NRSC Chairman, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, backtracked and announced the organization would fully fund and support O’Donnell.

The NRSC has been on the wrong side of numerous primary races this year. The people chose Marco Rubio instead of NRSC favorite Charlie Crist. We chose Sharon Angle instead of Sue Lowden. We chose Rand Paul, and Ken Buck, and Pat Toomey, and Mike Lee. It’s time to clean out some staff at NRSC and put some folks in there who truly understand the grassroots revolution that is brewing. It’s time to ride the wave, not fight it.

During the lead up to the American Revolution, King George and the British aristocracy made fun of those colonial bumpkins who would dare stand up to the Crown. Well, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and company got the last laugh and so shall we. 9-15-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by EDTADirect.com

Following Europe To Eventual Destruction? 9-9-10

2010-09-09T00:33:00.005-05:00

When U.S. General David Petraeus implored Florida Pastor Terry Jones to not go through with plans to publicly burn Korans on Sept. 11th, Petraeus only confirmed what many have predicted for a long time… that the United States’ attempts at nation building in Iraq and Afghanistan have not and cannot succeed.

And when Muslims around the world took to the streets in violent protests of Jones’ planned book burning, they only confirmed what Jones and others teach… that Islam is a violent religion not compatible with western civilization.

When I first heard the news blurb a few days ago about the Koran burning plans Jones and his church had made, I didn’t think the story would have legs. Boy was I wrong. As soon as General Petraeus made his statement, the floodgates burst wide open. I’m a radio talk show junkie and virtually every prominent show in the nation this week has spent significant time on the topic.

Even more amazing was that every single show host I listened to (folks, I’m talking top tier shows like Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham, Lars Larson, Phil Valentine, Monica Crowley, Michael Smerconish, and others) not only sided with Petraeus, they also slammed Jones with nice words like nut job, nutcase, kook, idiot, wacko, weirdo, etc. From their comments you would have thought Pastor Jones was planning to behead Muslims. The research I've done shows Jones is certainly "out there" in some of his beliefs and actions, but this issue is bigger than him.

There are two types of book burnings… the first type is where a government or dictator tries to eliminate a particular book by confiscating all of the known copies it can seize and destroys them so as to prevent the populace from being able to read it. We see this type of mentality in some Muslim nations where Bibles are illegal to own, and I dare say that most enlightened individuals see this type of book burning as morally wrong.

In the case of Pastor Jones, his book burning is not to “destroy” the Koran, but to use the burning as a means to draw attention to the problems he sees with Islam, and we all know that Islam has many problems.

It seems ironic that General Petraeus is leading a military coalition charged with bringing freedom to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan (and freedom includes freedom of speech), yet he strongly condemns an American pastor who is exercising his freedom of speech.

Perhaps Petraeus could have used this as a “teachable moment” by showing the Muslim world what the definition of freedom is and why it’s important to allow dissent. Instead, with his words, he has only emboldened our enemies. Muslims view things with a different “non-western” mindset. To them, Petraeus’ words show weakness.

If your 3-year-old wants a cookie and you say no, and then the child pitches a temper tantrum, you have two choices. (1) Hold your ground and use the moment to properly train your child the responsible way to act, or (2) You give in and let the child have the cookie, which then teaches the child that by throwing temper tantrums he can get what he wants. Petraeus just gave Muslims their cookie.

There is however another issue at play here. The Obama administration, U.S. military, and all those talking heads sympathizing with Petraeus’ comments are looking at this issue strictly though secular eyes. There is a spiritual component that must be given consideration.

Pastor Jones sees this as a spiritual issue. While it is politically correct to believe that all religions are valid and equal, a Christian understands this is not true. Though Islam does share Abrahamic roots with Christianity and Judaism, Muslims do not worship Yahweh (Jehovah), they worship a false god… Allah… the Moon God.

Many Christian pastors believe that Islam is actually Satan’s counterfeit religion, and through their use of violence Muslims lend much credence to this argument. Some Christians teach that Bible prophecies even point to Islam as being the religion of the antichrist in the Last Days.

We have seen the problems Great Britain, France and other European nations have brought upon themselves as they have attempted to coddle Islam, even to the point of incorporating elements of repressive Islamic Sharia Law into their nations’ financial and legal systems. Every time they give in just a little, Muslims demand more.

There is no such thing as “peaceful” or “moderate” Islam. By its very nature Islam is a violent manmade religious system using its political element in an attempt at world domination. The way the U.S. government and the entire American media have rolled over on this Koran burning issue, leads me to believe that we are quickly following Europe’s footsteps down a path from which we’ll never return. 9-9-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by RemoveMetals.com

The Great NW GA Newspaper War 8-29-10

2010-08-29T14:19:00.003-05:00

A long, long time ago… back in March 2009, I predicted on my radio Backroom Report that in coming months I expected to see the Rome News Tribune make a move into Bartow County against our hometown Cartersville Daily Tribune. It’s taken a little longer than anticipated, but this week the war started.

In the spring of 2009 the Rome newspaper took over home delivery of the AJC in Bartow County. This meant their drivers would be delivering papers in every nook and cranny of Cartersville and surrounding areas of Bartow. It only made sense that if they were delivering here anyway they might as well deliver their own newspaper at the same time.

The Rome News Tribune already covers some north Bartow County news (Adairsville & Kingston area) and includes Cartersville and Bartow high schools in their sports coverage. So with just a little extra effort they could increase their Bartow news coverage to include the Cartersville area.

This past Friday tucked inside my AJC was the Friday edition of the Rome News Tribune, and sadly I must say the news coverage put the Cartersville paper to shame. One of the biggest local events this past week was the Thursday evening public forum held in Cartersville by the Georgia DOT where they presented the 2011-2014 area transportation plan… which included the controversial 411 Connector. By late Thursday evening Rome already had an in-depth story of the meeting on their website. The Friday morning Rome paper had the article front page. The Cartersville paper? Their coverage consisted of a small picture from the event with no story. Ouch!

Things got worse on Saturday… that is the only day of the week that Cartersville doesn’t go to print. Front page in the Rome paper was a story about an Adairsville woman being charged in a fatal wreck, plus another front pager about Cartersville businessman and former mayoral candidate Greg Cordell being apprehended by federal marshals in relation to a fraud case against him. Inside on 5A was an article about a Bartow County man being deported back to Guatemala. And then in the sports section of the Rome paper were stories about the Cartersville and Adairsville high school football games, along with complete NW GA football coverage.

(This morning in the Sunday edition of the Cartersville paper there was still no story about the Georgia DOT public hearing, nor one of the Adairsville woman charged in the fatal wreck.)

Folks have complained for a long time about the poor quality of the Cartersville Daily Tribune. No investigative reporting, nothing controversial, and no urgency. Other than a little run of the mill news and the local crime blotter, the paper is mainly fluff… notices of church and community events, obituaries, Dear Abby, and pictures of local senior groups eating out. While the Rome paper doesn’t rise to the level of a true investigative journalistic endeavor, they do more local real news stories and the articles are more in-depth. Plus they break local news live on their website almost around the clock including car accidents and house fires.

The 2010 census will show the populations of Bartow and Floyd Counties as being virtually identical, yet Bartow residents are shortchanged when it comes to local media. While the Rome News Tribune is a superior publication to the Cartersville paper, it’s even worse on the radio side.

Floyd County is home to nine radio stations… 5 FM’s = WTSH South 107, WSRM Lite 93.5, WQTU Q102, WGPB 98 FM Georgia Public Broadcasting, WATG 95.7 The Ridge (office in Rome, transmitter in Chattooga County). And 4 AM’s = WROM 710, WGJK 1360, WLAQ 1410, WRGA 1470.

Bartow County is home to just two radio outlets… WCCV 91.7 FM that is a religious non-profit, and WBHF 1450 AM that only remains on the air because it receives funding from its owner, the non-profit Anverse foundation.

So with identical populations, why the disparity? One major contributing factor is that Floyd County businesses are willing to spend the advertising dollars necessary to not only promote their firms, but to also support local media on behalf of their clients and customers. The larger businesses especially see their media expenditures as a quality of life investment for Floyd County residents.

Unless Bartow County’s civic and business leaders make a financial commitment to support local media, we may soon be relegated to getting our print news and radio broadcasts out of Atlanta and Rome… and that means we all lose. Smaller local businesses will have nowhere they can affordably and effectively advertise; local politicians won’t be held accountable; local high schools will get only sporadic coverage of their sporting events; and the list goes on.

One only has to look at all of the accomplishments Floyd County has racked up over the past few years such as the recent upgrading of Barron Stadium and the landing of a national collegiate football championship game, or the building of State Mutual Field and grabbing the Rome Braves franchise. Now Floyd leaders are actively putting together plans for what could be the largest tennis center in the Southeastern United States. These facilities pay off handsomely in increased business for Rome area merchants and increased tax revenues for Floyd County and the City of Rome.

Without the generosity of John Oscher and his charitable organizations in constructing the Booth Western Art Museum and the Tellus Science Museum, Bartow County would be hard pressed to find many recent accomplishments. We have so many natural advantages… I-75, Lake Allatoona, the Etowah River, closer proximity to Atlanta, the Etowah Indian Mounds, numerous historical sites, and gorgeous countryside.

Now we just need some forward-looking leaders who are willing to dream big and rally the community to do more. Otherwise Bartow County will become just a collection of fragmented housing developments whose residents consider themselves part of Atlanta’s suburbs with no unique identity. Many local folks already feel that way. 8-29-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by BoWrenchDirect.com

WSB On The Skids Or End Of AM Radio? 8-16-10

2010-08-16T15:17:00.003-05:00

The answer is both! Having been a small market AM station owner, I’ve seen this coming for several years. Technological advances such as smart phones and satellite radio have only hastened the eventual death of AM radio. The sound quality of AM is inferior… especially for music, and there is so much electrical interference now from cell towers, high voltage power lines, etc. that listening to AM is almost impossible in some areas.

Another downside is AM signals are difficult to pick up inside of office buildings and other commercial structures where many spend a large percentage of their day. Then you have the issue of most AM stations having to drop to low power levels at night… effectively making it impossible to generate any revenues from evening and overnight time slots, especially in this weak economy.

Thirty-five years ago talk radio saved the AM band, but all across the nation news/talk stations are now making the switch to FM. It’s no surprise the good folks at Cox would put Atlanta’s legacy station, WSB AM 750, on it’s underperforming 95.5 FM frequency. However, moving WSB to FM will not magically return the station to its halcyon days atop the Atlanta Arbitron ratings.

I’ve been a fairly regular listener of WSB AM 750 for most of my 50 years on this planet and that highlights the problem. WSB’s listening audience continues to get older… and as the older listeners pass not enough younger listeners are taking their places. It appears WSB management believes the problems with AM as highlighted above are the major factor preventing the younger crowd from joining the AM 750 family. While this is a contributing reason, there’s much more at play here. If WSB wants to regain its lost glory, there are several steps they should consider:

(1) It’s not the 1970’s anymore! WSB takes itself too seriously… the station’s imaging and promos are as dry as shoe leather. Listeners today want humor and creativity regardless of format. The station doesn’t have to go overboard, that would be out of character… but let’s liven it up a little guys.

(2) The DVR has changed everything. We’ve had DVR’s in our home for several years and my wife and I are at the point that we will no longer tolerate commercials. We record everything we watch and zip past all the ads… local and national. Even on live broadcasts like news or college football I’ll start the DVR and read while it’s paused until enough time has elapsed that I’ll be able to avoid all the advertisements.

If I listen to music it’s XM/Sirius. I haven’t listened to commercial music radio (AM or FM) in many years. Talk radio is my primary listening style, but unfortunately the format is very structured time wise. Though many of my favorite talk shows are also on satellite radio, the long breaks are still there and instead of commercials they’re filled with endless promos. So I now find myself increasingly turning off the radio for the length of the commercial break, then tuning back in.

WSB seems to pack more commercials into 60 minutes than any station I know. I understand that Boortz, Clark Howard, and Hannity are syndicated and thus you have mandatory national breaks and local breaks back to back, but the negative impact could be minimized with a little creativity. Instead of playing 4 or 5 minutes of spots without interruption and then plugging in Kirk Mellish’s weather tease at the end, put his weather in the middle of the break… after the end of the national spots and before the local spots.

It would also make sense to shorten these tediously long breaks by reducing the local avails by 60 seconds and plugging in some complimentary short segments like a Wall Street report or sports update.

Finally, station management does have complete control over the top and bottom of the hour newsbreaks. Increase the news by 30 to 60 seconds and reduce the commercial inventory. I’ve listened to some bottom of the hour news segments with 90 seconds of news followed by 4 minutes of commercials and then traffic and weather. Or at least break the commercial set in half by plugging traffic in the middle and keeping weather at the end.

(3) Scale back Belinda. Boortz sidekick Belinda Skelton is a sweetheart and is a great fit for Neal’s show, but she does have one of those voices that can be annoying to listen to. The sales weasels at WSB have oversold Belinda as a voiceover talent and she appears in almost every commercial break voicing spots for a large number of different advertisers. I’ve reached the point that if she voices a commercial I refuse to shop at that company… it’s that irritating.

(4) Scott Slade. You’ll find no better morning news show host than Scott anywhere in the nation, but I personally feel that station management crosses the line by using Scott in commercials. News people should avoid any situation that would cause readers or listeners to sense possible bias in their reporting. Scott’s credibility and that of the station is damaged by the use of him in paid commercials. You don’t see WSB-TV’s John Pruitt or Monica Pearson pushing cars or pest control firms.

Will the move to FM allow WSB AM 750 to survive? Absolutely. The bigger question is that in these days of changing listening tastes and a myriad of ways to entertain ourselves, will WSB management make the fundamental structural changes needed to once again flourish as Atlanta’s legacy station? 8-16-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by SpotlightOnIsrael.com

WSB On The Skids Or End Of AM Radio? 8-16-10

2010-08-16T15:17:00.002-05:00

Don’t Blame Sarah 8-11-10

2010-08-11T22:57:00.003-05:00

The Sarah Palin bashers are writing her political obituary due to Karen Handel’s loss in the Georgia GOP runoff August 10th. They couldn’t be more wrong. Handel was always the weakest of the big four in the GOP Primary. She didn’t inspire confidence that she was ready to lead, and this was reflected in her poor fundraising. Without Palin’s endorsement Handel would have finished 3rd or 4th in the Primary and wouldn’t have even been in the runoff. Handel’s problem? While there are numerous factors that played into her defeat, two are paramount.

(1) Handel’s chief strategist Dan McLagan. His abrasive slash and burn style caused Karen to come across as mean spirited and turned off many potential Handel voters… some of whom stayed home Tuesday as a result. McLagan also made enemies out of most of the state legislature, and the reps and senators responded by a big last minute push to get the vote out for Deal. McLagan is gaining quite the reputation for destroying the careers of his female political clients.

(2) A look at a map of the counties carried by Handel shows she ran strong in and around Georgia’s major cities such as Albany, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Savannah, and of course Atlanta. Rural Georgia along with Nathan Deal’s home territory in the northern section of the state pushed Deal over the top. Some will say that the rural areas just weren’t ready for a woman governor, but I disagree. Sarah Palin is very popular in these areas of the state. No, rural Georgia tends to give more weight to moral issues and the controversy over Handel’s involvement with the gay Log Cabin Republican group along with questions over her abortion stance and funding of Planned Parenthood while she was chair of he Fulton County Commission did her in.

While some will say Handel has a bright political career ahead of her, I’m not so sure. Redistricting or the retirement of a sitting congressman might open the door for a congressional bid if she would even want it, but I just don’t see her making her way back into state government. 8-11-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by ChillowStore.com

Some Guys Named Buddy Are Just Buddy 8-11-10

2010-08-11T14:52:00.002-05:00

It’s amazing what some folks will do at election time. Just before the July 20 Primary, an advertisement ran in the Rome News Tribune in which former Democrat State Representative Buddy Childers stated, “I am encouraging you to go to the polls on July 20th and vote like I do… for Jeff Knight”.

A little background… Childers was defeated by Republican Barry Loudermilk in 2004. Jeff Knight and Loudermilk were both seeking the GOP nomination this year for State Senate district 52 to replace Preston Smith who ran for Attorney General. No surprise that Loudermilk won a resounding victory.

Now back to our Buddy… according to data from the Elections Division of the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, Mr. Childers voted in the Democrat Primary. In order to vote for Jeff Knight, Childers would have had to vote in the Republican Primary. But it gets worse. Childers took advantage of early voting and had already cast his Democrat ballot before the newspaper ad ever ran. Far too many Democrats will do or say almost anything and still feel no guilt or shame. 8-11-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by PinwormAnswers.com

Before You Vote, Read This! 7-14-10

2010-07-15T00:05:00.005-05:00

Things be gettin’ crazy ‘round the ol’ Peach State with days to go until Primary Election Day. I’ve received numerous e-mails and calls this week from folks asking whom I’m voting for next Tuesday on the GOP ticket and why, so I’m happy to oblige.

Attorney General: Preston Smith… Why? Preston has served in the State Senate for 8 years after knocking off longtime incumbent Democrat Richard Marable in 2002. Like the other two candidates Preston is an attorney, but what has impressed me the most is the backbone he displayed when he stood up to his own GOP State Senate leaders when they attempted to strong arm him into voting for a tax increase he and his constituents were opposed to. I fully believe Preston has the courage to fight the federal government on issues like ObamaCare, illegal immigration, and voter identification. Max Wood is also a credible pick, but former Cobb Commissioner Sam Olens is unacceptable. A former Democrat Party officer, Olens campaigned for Bill Clinton. Olens’ debate answers have left me with real concern that he will be a “go along to get along” kind of attorney general who won’t rock the boat. No surprise that he has a lot of Democrat supporters.

Insurance Commissioner: Gerry Purcell… Why? Gerry approaches the job of insurance commissioner from a businessperson’s perspective. He is all about competition and efficiency, and seems to have a very good grasp on the rapidly changing insurance industry. There are other good candidates among the eight GOP contenders such as Maria Sheffield and Seth Harp, but Purcell gets my vote.

State School Superintendent: John Barge… Why? Sonny Perdue’s Democrat roots peek out from under his bald head from time to time, especially with his wholehearted embrace of federal intrusion into our state education system. When incumbent superintendent Kathy Cox decided to resign from office and not seek reelection after qualifying for office, Sonny was in a bind and he was willing to make a deal. Both John Barge and his GOP opponent Richard Woods are opposed to Sonny’s “let the Feds do it” plans, so Perdue appointed state school board member Brad Bryant to finish Cox’s term, and Team Sonny went to work trying to garner enough signatures to get Bryant placed on the ballot as an independent. Thankfully that effort failed. Both Barge and Woods are educators and good men, but Barge has a great conservative ideology and the enthusiasm to get things done. Barge gets the edge.

Secretary Of State: Doug MacGinnitie… Why? When Karen Handel resigned her position as Secretary of State to run for governor, Sonny Perdue could have appointed a caretaker to finish Handel’s term and let the voters pick the successor between announced candidates Brian Kemp and Doug MacGinnitie. Instead, he tried to tilt the playing field in Kemp’s favor by appointing him to replace Handel. Kemp is part of Team Perdue and I’m getting tired of ol’ Sonny boy trying to stack state government with his cronies so he can maintain influence after he’s gone at the end of this year. Kemp has a checkered past as a candidate for other offices and just seems a little unstable and possibly in over his head with this Secretary of State gig. MacGinnitie is not the perfect candidate, but a good one. He has the skill set needed to perform the job admirably.

Commissioner Of Agriculture: Gary Black… Why? Both Black and his opponent Darwin Carter are agriculture guys and have the experience to do the job. This one comes down to age… Black is 51, while Carter is 70. We need someone who can serve in this office for many years and provide continuity for the ag community. No offense to Carter, but you’re just too old dude.

Public Service Commissioner, Post 2: Jeff May… Why? Opponent Joey Brush is a former state legislator who was considered a loose cannon with an oversized ego. Scratch Brush. Opponent Tim Echols was part of gubernatorial candidate John Oxendine’s campaign team before jumping onto this race. Echols has recently engaged is some sleazy politikin’ involving a non-profit youth group that he leases to his own campaign to knock doors for him. No time for all the details, but trust me when I say it is ethically challenged. John Douglas is a state senator some feel is a little too close to the utility companies he would regulate as a PSC member. That leaves Jeff May, who seems willing to stand up for the regular folks.

Labor Commissioner: Tossup… Why? Melvin Everson is a minister and Mark Butler is a state representative and real estate appraiser. Both are good conservative guys. The biggest difference is that Everson is black and Butler is white. We all know the GOP cannot long survive current demographic trends unless some people of other races join in. Some see electing Everson as a step in that direction.

Governor: Eric Johnson… Why? Almost every night another Georgia media outlet unloads a story implicating John Oxendine in yet another ethics scandal. If you’re reading this you keep up with politics enough to weed out the attacks that are serious from the ones that are fluff. However, the average voter is hearing “John Oxendine bad” night after night and his poll numbers are now dropping faster than Lindsey Lohan’s undies in the remake of Deep Throat she is starring in (seriously). Oxendine has managed to lead the pack until now because of his ability to raise money and his high name ID from having served as Insurance Commissioner for almost 16 years. Now that the other candidates are spending money on television, radio, and direct mail… voters are starting to take a second look and they don’t like what they see in The Ox.

If I had to pick only one reason to vote against Karen Handel, it’s because she’s Sonny Perdue’s pick and his brain trust is running her campaign. However there are numerous reasons such as this whole gay Log Cabin Republicans fiasco. The real problem isn’t that she may have paid to join that organization and promised them she would work to add gay domestic partner benefits for Fulton County employees. No the problem is that she lied, and lied, and lied about it all. Every time a new piece of proof was uncovered implicating Handel, she would release yet another version of the truth. Even after a copy of the actual check she reportedly used to pay her $75 Log Cabin Republican dues surfaced (hat tip to Bill Simon at Political Vine), Handel continued to squirm and twist. Handel’s fundraising has been anemic compared to Oxendine, Deal and Johnson, and I have to be concerned that she could win in November against the Democrats.

In all honesty, former congressman Nathan Deal would probably be an effective governor. However, like Oxendine, Deal has some serious ethics baggage clinging to him like a leg iron. Deal would be my second place pick.

I had an opportunity to work closely with Eric Johnson back in 2000 when I served as Communications Director of the state GOP. Johnson was the Republican state senate leader at that time. I can tell you Eric is a true conservative and a sharp guy. He knows state government inside out and I fully believe if elected he will turn Georgia into a lean, efficient machine that will help bring badly needed jobs here. After the GOP gained a majority in the state senate in 2002, former Democrat Lt. Governor Mark Taylor’s powers were stripped away and given to then senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson. Johnson ran a tight ship in the senate, which is no easy task when your team has just gained the majority for the first time since Reconstruction.

Johnson knows business and what it takes to create jobs. He has also been a leader in creating competition in Georgia’s education system, and our children are already benefiting from some of the measures he pushed through. Johnson has generally been the number two fundraiser after Oxendine and is starting to move up in the polls. It’s still open as to whether he can peak in time to make it into the runoff, but the GOP electorate is very fluid right now.

No offense to Jeff “Jekyll Island” Chapman, Ray “She’s Only Sixteen” McBerry, and Otis “Wal-Mart” Putnam, but none of these guys have a chance and I’m out of time.

OK folks, that my picks and my reasoning. I know some of you will disagree and that’s fine. We’re all stronger for having been part of the election process. 7-14-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by EDTADirect.com

Race Or Gender, It's Still Wrong 7-13-10

2010-07-13T17:07:00.003-05:00

The GOP gubernatorial campaign of Karen Handel is on cloud 9 this week with two significant endorsements. Despite anemic fundraising, surely these back-to-back endorsements will propel Handel into position to secure one of the top two slots on Primary Day and get her into the August runoff. Then again… maybe not.

Nathan Deal has been at the forefront fighting illegal immigration for years, yet Arizona Governor Jan Brewer endorsed Karen Handel. Why? Because Karen Handel is a female, like Brewer. While the Tea Party crowd is split between The Ox, Eric Johnson, Deal, and Ray “She's Only 16” McBerry, Tea Party favorite Sarah Palin endorsed Handel. Why? Because she’s female… like Palin.

For eons conservatives have griped and grumbled over how blacks generally vote as a block for black candidates… especially black Democrats, even though many blacks are really conservative in ideology and would be much more at home in the GOP. Racial politics is wrong. If our goal is a colorblind society, then supporting a political candidate primarily on skin color is a step backward toward apartheid.

By that same standard, supporting a candidate based upon gender is just as bad. Gov. Brewer’s claim to fame is her tough stance on illegal immigration, so it would make sense if she had endorsed Nathan Deal or Eric Johnson… but Karen Handel? I just don’t see it.

It’s the same scenario with the endorsement of pro-life, pro-family Sarah Palin. We now know that Karen Handel wrote a $75 check to the gay Log Cabin Republicans of Fulton County to reportedly pay her membership dues when she was a candidate for Fulton County Commission Chair.

Handel also voted for a Fulton County budget that included almost a half-million dollars for pro-abortion Planned Parenthood. Of note, unlike her opponents Handel couldn’t wiggle out an endorsement or even a “hey she’s all right” this year from Georgia Right To Life. There’s also controversy over Handel’s possible support of gay “domestic partner benefits” for Fulton County employees.

If you like Handel and plan to vote for her, that all right by me… just don’t be swayed by the endorsements from Brewer and Palin. Gender politics is wrong… very wrong. 7-13-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by RemoveMetals.com

Damon Evans Must Go 7-1-10

2010-07-01T11:24:00.002-05:00

The head honchos at the University of Georgia who get paid the big bucks to handle such things have no choice… UGA Athletic Director Damon Evans must lose his job over his arrest for DUI if guilty. For several years the university’s athletes have generated a bumper crop of alcohol related problems, and cleaning up this mess has been a primary focus of Bulldog head coach Mark Richt and others.

To allow Evans to stay after cracking down on students will be seen as hypocritical and will undermine the efforts of Richt and company. Evans has been touted as an up and coming star among major universities. Much has also been made of the fact that he is black in a job typically held by whites. Race and success aside, Damon Evans must go. 7-1-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by BoWrenchDirect.com

John Albers - FAIL, 6-30-10

2010-06-30T23:09:00.003-05:00

For State Senate candidate John Albers, this has been a week to forget. A few days ago the AJC skewered Albers in one of its Politifact series of articles (read here) where they compare what candidates say with the facts… and Albers flunked. Seems ol’ John has been padding his work history. Now John has gotten tripped up in his attempt to promote his campaign using social media marketing.

In the early days of the web, online retailers would throw their weight around to try to scrub away any negative comments made against their companies or products in various forums or on feedback pages. However, online marketers have now discovered that Internet users as a whole are pretty savvy and will quickly turn against web sites that refuse to allow the bad to get equal billing with the good.

As an example I recently posted a negative review of a product I purchased at Amazon.com. Within a few hours I received an e-mail from the owner of the company that manufactured the product. Was he upset? Did he threaten me for posting a bad review? Did he try to get Amazon to remove the post? No, no, & no.

Instead he apologized, explained why my product had problems, and thanked me for posting the review. He then offered to make things right. The result? I gained a lot of respect for this man and his company and would not hesitate to buy their products in the future.

This week John Albers, who declares himself a conservative, used Facebook to plug the fact that he had just been endorsed by the Georgia Association of Educators. Within minutes someone posted a reply questioning why a conservative would be proud of being endorsed by a far left organization. As soon as Albers saw this reply he deleted it. However other Facebook friends had already viewed the negative post and thus began to post their own replies on John’s page questioning why he was trying to hide comments he didn’t like.

Alber’s response? He deleted those posts also and then changed the settings on his account so no one can now make comments on his page. Instead of embracing the negative feedback and using it as an opportunity to explain his positions and develop a sincere dialogue with his Facebook friends, he blew it. Albers is now viewed by many as thin skinned, defensive, and unwilling to engage his potential constituents. Candidates you have been warned. 6-30-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by WeatherGeorgia.com

Cagle & Ralston Need To Jump On This 6-9-10

2010-06-09T00:31:00.002-05:00

As evidenced by primary elections nationwide so far this year, voters are peeved at incumbents regardless of party affiliation and are looking to support candidates with a little backbone. The GOP controls both chambers of the Georgia legislature and thus has “incumbent” tattooed on its forehead… not exactly the place to be in a throw the bums out year. Thankfully our illustrious Governor Sonny Perdue may have just handed Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker David Ralston the perfect platform with which to harness that Tea Party fervor and brush back against those voters who feel the legislature hasn’t done a lot lately, and who see Cagle in particular as Casper Milquetoast.

Cagle and Ralston need to call a special session of the General Assembly right now… as soon as legally possible. SB 1 passed both House and Senate without a single “no” vote, but in his best “I used to be a Democrat but am now a Republican” line of reasoning, Perdue vetoed the bill Tuesday even though inundated with calls and e-mails from the public in support of this legislation that would have implemented “Zero Based Budgeting” for all of Georgia’s state government agencies, departments, and programs.

If ever an issue was tailor made to garner support from the Tea Party crowd, rank & file Republicans, and those just generally in favor of clean efficient state government… a special session to overturn Perdue’s veto of SB 1 is it. I know a few GOP incumbents with primary opponents or serious November Democrat challengers who would love to have the chance to beat their chests and say “I stood up to the governor and voted to make Georgia’s state government accountable to the people!”

I bet the guys at Rosetta, Landmark, Stoneridge and the other campaign consulting groups could have a field day cranking out direct mail pieces showing their clients as strong economic warriors protecting Georgia taxpayers from annual budget creep.

Cagle and Ralston should keep it simple and not deal with anything else… just a quick special session for the sole purpose pf overriding SB1. Hey Casey, this might prompt some folks like me to cast a vote your way in November instead of using it a protest vote for the Libertarian. Ask Saxby what he thinks. 6-9-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by Spotlight On Israel

Is This An Archduke Ferdinand Moment? 6-2-10

2010-06-02T23:05:00.003-05:00

After decades of bloodbaths in the Middle East, this current controversy involving Israeli troops seizing so-called relief ships on their way to the Gaza strip probably seems pretty tame. I beg to differ. Numerous political and military maneuverings in the area over the last few months have left the entire region on the edge of something big… and this ship seizure issue may have just been the Middle East’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand moment.

For the history challenged out there, Archduke Ferdinand was the presumptive heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in June 1914 sparked a chain of events that triggered World War I just two months later.

For far too long Israelis have lived under the constant threat of suicide bombings and rocket attacks launched from Palestinian controlled areas of Gaza. In order to keep weapons away from Palestinian terrorist groups such as Hamas and Fattah, Israel and Egypt have blockaded the Gaza coastline for several years. Any humanitarian aide headed for Gaza must come through Israel, where it is inspected. Israel had no choice but to stop these ships.

The ragtag flotilla headed to Gaza last week was sent for one purpose only… to cause a confrontation that could be leveraged to garner worldwide condemnation of Israel. Never mind that there were Hamas agents on those ships. Forget the fact that Israeli troops were only armed with paintball guns. It doesn’t matter that the Israeli soldiers were attacked with chains, iron bars, and handguns. Who cares if there is video backing up Israel’s claims that their personnel were the ones attacked and that the relief ships’ passengers were singing hardline anti-Israel songs just before the boarding took place.

Nope, the truth didn’t matter as the world’s media quickly make it look like Israel had done something evil, and soon governments around the globe joined in with their own condemnations of the Jewish state. And what about our own President Obama and his administration? Nothing but a prolonged tap dance around the issue.

Since his inauguration, President Obama has embarked on what some have called his “worldwide apology tour”, where he blames all of the world’s ills on the USA. These moves, along with his continued outreach to Muslim nations while thumbing his nose at Israel have emboldened Muslim nations to become more aggressive toward Israel.

Here we have Iran ever closer to developing nuclear weapons that it publicly states will be used to wipe Israel off of the map. Iran and North Korea have both increased shipments of long-range rockets and other military technology to Syria. Meanwhile Syria and Iran are working together to move significant quantities of sophisticated weaponry into the hands of Hezbollah militias in Lebanon. It is estimated that Hezbollah now has 40,000 rockets pointed at Israel.

That brings us to Turkey. Though a Muslim nation, Turkey has been a longtime friend of Israel and a stabilizing force in the Middle East. While the Turkish military has been rightly viewed as more secular and stable, the government itself has in recent years come under the control of politicians with a more radical Islamic philosophy. The Turkish relationship with Israel has become increasingly strained over the last few months.

The flotilla at the center of this week’s controversy was organized by a prominent Turkish leader, and some of the ships were sailing under the Turkish flag. There is even talk of more aid ships heading toward Gaza that would be escorted by Turkish warships. My hope is that the cooler heads inside of Turkey’s military command will prevail and this brewing confrontation can be avoided.

The bottom line is there are numerous potential flashpoints in the Middle East and any one could set in motion a chain of events that could change the world as we know it. Whether this ship boarding episode becomes an Archduke Ferdinand moment is yet to be seen, but the potential exists. As the Bible instructs us, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 6-2-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by ChillowStore.com

Are We Killing Georgia’s Golden Goose?

2010-05-02T23:40:00.001-05:00

Maybe we’ve reached that point, or maybe we’re just really close… or perhaps that new blue ribbon commission put together to examine Georgia’s tax code and make recommendations on modernizing it will take care of our little problem.

What problem you ask? Georgia’s goose that lays the golden eggs is on the verge of becoming infertile… or menopausal… or whatever you call it whenever a goose ceases to lay anymore eggs. I’m referring to the overuse of special sales tax increases to take care of all of our problems.

Those special sales tax referendums are a convenient way for the state legislature and governor to raise tax revenue while denying that they raised taxes, because after all it is we… the citizens… who obediently trudge to the polls and vote to increase the taxes ourselves. All the guv and Gold Dome boys and girls do is arrange things so the question can be on the ballot.

Just a few short years ago Georgia’s sales tax stood at 3%. Along the way the legislature allowed Fulton and DeKalb Counties to tack on an additional penny for MARTA. Then counties were given the option of adding another penny that would be used to roll back local property taxes. Then the state raised the base percentage from 3 to 4%.

In the 1990’s county governments were given the SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) whereby individual counties and the municipalities contained therein could, with voter approval, tack on another penny to be used for special capital outlay projects like buildings, jails, road, bridges, water system improvements, etc. And school systems also got in on the action with the ESPLOST (Education SPLOST), yet another penny to be used primarily for building new schools and related capital outlay needs. If you’re keeping score, when all these are added together that puts most counties in Georgia with a sales tax rate of 7% (8% within the City of Atlanta).

Now along comes that brand spanking new transportation plan the legislature graced us with this year, that if approved by the voters could place another penny sales tax on the books. The Gold Dome crowd also came within an eyelash of giving local governments the option of adding a sales tax for the arts. Thankfully that one didn’t pass, but the arts crowd promises to lobby hard and come back next year.

With the penny for transportation added in, most of Georgia could see an 8% sales tax by 2012. Wow! It really makes you wonder, how many more special sales tax ideas will Georgians go for? And what will the state legislature do when that old sales tax goose stops laying these golden eggs? 5-2-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by PinwormAnswers.com

Did GA GOP Just Hand Governorship To Dem's? 4-27-10

2010-04-26T23:46:00.004-05:00

What can seem like such a fantastic idea theoretically, can backfire with great impact in reality. I’m not sure which members of the Georgia Republican Party brain trust thought it would be a brilliant move to keep businessman Ray Boyd from qualifying to run for governor as a Republican, but maybe they didn’t think this one thru.

Boyd unexpectedly popped onto the political scene a couple of weeks ago when he dropped $2 million of his own money on the table, putting him right up there among campaign cash leaders John Oxendine and Eric Johnson on the GOP side. In an already crowded field, anyone with the financial resources of Boyd could have a huge impact.

In their collective wisdom, the Georgia GOP bosses decided to protect their anointed one(s) by refusing Monday morning to let Boyd qualify to be a candidate on the Republican Primary ballot. A few years ago, the GOP adopted a party loyalty oath that Republican candidates would have to sign before they would be accepted as candidates. Let me say that the GOP has every right under state law to do this, and I agree that only those individuals who are truly “Republican” in idealogy should run under the GOP banner… but as we’ve seen during the recent dustup between Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and three State Senate Chairmen, “core Republican values” can mean different things to different people.

Ray Boyd has a problem with a blanket pledge of loyalty to a party he believes has strayed from its core values and instead offered up three different variations of the pledge that he offered to substitute. GOP party bosses said “no” each time.

So now Boyd plans to qualify instead as an Independent, and if he successfully gathers the roughly 50,000 signatures required, the November ballot will be that much more crowded. This year has the strongest anti-incumbent feeling I’ve ever witnessed, and while voters are outraged at the Democrat Party their love for the GOP isn’t that great either. 2010 was tailor made for an Independent candidate.

The problem for whoever becomes the GOP gubernatorial nominee is that an Independent candidate will pull 3 or 4 times as many votes away from the GOP than he pulls from the Democrats in November. Luckily, so far Boyd’s inexperience has been exposed in his public political appearances, and maybe the GOP is banking on Boyd completely melting down before the General Election. However, the man has a billfold full of money he can use to pay for political advertising that could cause great damage to the GOP nominee.

By allowing Boyd to qualify as a Republican with a watered down pledge, many GOP voters would have written him off as a fringe candidate with money. His damage to the GOP would be limited to the next few weeks leading up to the July Primary and then he would be history. Now Ray Boyd has the potential to be a very serious thorn in the elephant’s foot. 4-27-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by EDTADirect.com

Georgia's Media Showing Liberal Bias 4-19-10

2010-04-18T22:12:00.002-05:00

The Georgia Budget And Policy Institute… sounds like an official government agency, but it’s not. Yet over the past few years this group has become the “go-to” source for Georgia media outlets concerning state budget issues. You’ll see them quoted at the AJC, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Georgia Trend, Georgia News Network, and various other newspapers, television stations, and radio outlets… in fact GBPI is probably the most used source for commentary and analysis on state budget matters. However, what one thing is missing from these news stories?

Whenever the media uses a conservative organization like The Heritage Foundation in their reporting, the group is almost always referred to in the news piece as conservative, right wing, pro-business, or some other ideologically descriptive term. Yet when the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute is a source, there is no mention of its political leanings. At most GBPI will be referred to as non-partisan. While they may not be attached to any formal political party, they are far from center of the road. In fact they are a liberal/progressive organization connected to one George Soros… kingpin of numerous socialist far left organizations across the nation.

In doing some quick research on GBPI I discovered they are affiliated with SFAI, the State Fiscal Analysis Initiative. SFAI has a long list of affiliated state budget organizations and groups dedicated to increasing taxes and social welfare funding at the state level. So who else along with George Soros is funding this attempt to persuade the media to cover news from a liberal perspective?

The following statement was taken from the main web SFAI webpage: “Financial support for SFAI organizations comes principally from local and regional foundations, from individual donors, and from several national foundations including the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Institute, the Stoneman Family Foundation, the Public Welfare Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The SFAI network is coordinated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington-based research organization and strategic policy institute that works on a range of federal and state issues.”

There’s not room here for a thorough analysis of the spider web of liberal/progressive groups such as ACORN, which are funded by some of these donors listed above. However there is no denying the fact that the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute and it’s sister organizations under the SFAI umbrella exist solely to pressure state governments to increase taxes and social welfare spending by providing liberal talking points to the media… and the media is all too eager to fulfill their role as promoters of a pro-socialist agenda.

So to Georgia’s news editors and reporters… the jig is up. Georgia is a conservative state and we deserve honest news reporting. It’s time to reduce your dependence on GBPI as a source, and when you do use them please be honest by describing them as liberal, or leftwing, or progressive, or socialist, or some term that adequately portrays their agenda. And if you are a business owner or manager, before you spend one more dime on advertising, you need to contact the manager or editor of the news outlet you use and let them know about GBPI and request they change how they use GBPI in their reporting… or you will change where you spend your ad dollars. 4-19-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by RemoveMetals.com

Casey Cagle At The Bat - Strike Three! 4-12-10

2010-04-12T23:43:00.001-05:00

Most election cycles are driven by issues and personalities, but 2010 promises to be one of those rare years when “process” is just as important. As an example, as ObamaCare worked it’s way thru the U.S. House and Senate, even many who supported the legislation were turned off by the process… the backroom deals… the lies… the double speak… the buyoffs. Americans desperately want to restore simplicity and honor to the political process, and politicians of all persuasions need to be on guard this year. Unfortunately the Georgia State Senate leadership, headed by Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, just struck out!

Inside politics has always and will always be a dirty business… it’s the nature of the beast, and the kind of shortsighted stunt pulled by Cagle, Majority Leader Chip Rogers, and Senate President Pro Tem Tommie Williams is no different than what has transpired under Democrat and Republican majorities at all levels since time began. However Cagle, Rogers, and Williams are conservative Republicans… and the GOP has not been in control of Georgia for very long. We expected a more open, honest method of governance from this new leadership.

It’s no secret Georgia faces an enormous budget crisis and I truly sympathize with our legislators as they struggle with it. A core group of conservatives in Senate and House have pledged to not raise taxes or fees and they have fought the good fight this session. They believe there is still more waste to be cut from state government.

Now I may be wrong, but it appears that Cagle made a promise to Governor Perdue and Speaker Ralston that the Senate would go along with Perdue’s plan to implement HB307, a hospital tax. Even after offering up sweeteners to make the bill more palatable to conservatives, when the measure reached the Senate several conservative Republicans refused to support it. One of those is my State Senator Preston Smith. In retribution, Smith was stripped of his Judiciary Committee Chairmanship by Cagle and company.

There may be much more to the story and we may never know all that transpired behind closed doors. However, if this is Casey Cagle’s vision of how to govern the Georgia State Senate… through intimidation and threats, then the Georgia GOP needs to quickly find us an alternative in the Lt. Governor’s Primary this summer or they’ll find a lot of their people voting Libertarian come November if Cagle is our nominee. Disgruntled conservatives forced U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss into a runoff two years ago and this time may be worse for Cagle.

On Monday, Senator Preston Smith delivered a stinging rebuke of Cagle, Rogers, and Williams from the well of the Senate. I urge you to carefully read his words. Then if you feel as I and many others do, call Cagle, Rogers, and Williams and demand that Smith be reinstated to his chairmanship… and more importantly let them know that we will not blindly support Republicans who play by Cagle’s rules. 3-12-10

This week's Backroom Report brought to you by BoWrench Direct

What Flavor Is Your Tea? 4-8-10

2010-04-08T20:40:00.001-05:00

I’m not a member of any organized Tea Party group and haven’t actively participated in any events, but I guess I can be categorized in that segment of the American populace considered “sympathetic” to the Tea Party, which numbers in the tens of millions.

Tea Partiers come in all shapes and sizes… differences are many, but most coalesce around basic principals of freedom, transparency, and small government. However, when deciding on a candidate to vote for, those differences are going to come into play, possibly diluting Tea Party influence. Plus if you’re a candidate hoping to appeal to Tea Party folks, how do you straddle the line on some of these issues without turning off half of the group?

Some Tea Party people are hardcore economic and social conservatives, while others are conservative economically and are libertarian in their social views. Some want the Flat Tax while others favor the FairTax. Term limits are popular with one segment, while another believes the ballot box already provides term limits. Many want to see a return to strict constitutional government, while others are afraid that doing so would mean the elimination of their favorite federal program.

Some of you have visited the “Contract From America” website and perhaps voted on the top tens things you would like to see in a political contract to be released later this year… similar to the Republican “Contract With America” Newt Gingrich and company used so successfully in 1994. In principal most of the proposed items in this new contract seem logical and easy to support, but the devil is in the details. Just having a candidate agree with the Contract is not enough for me. Let’s look at a few of the proposals and do a quick breakdown.

• EDUCATION - The Contract says: “Improve American education by reforming the broken federal role through eliminating ineffective and wasteful programs, giving parents more choices from pre-school to high school, and improving the affordability of higher education.” Blah, blah, blah… sounds OK, but says nothing.

How about replacing it with this: “Education is a state and local issue, and can best be improved by having fifty individual states innovatingly competing against each other instead of an one-size-fits-all federal approach. Defund and eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, giving all power to the states to determine the best method for educating its citizens.”

• PRIVATE PROPERTY - The Contract says: “Block state and local governments that receive federal grants from exercising eminent domain over private property for the primary purpose of economic development or enhancement of tax revenues.“
That sounds pretty good, except it still allows the federal government to use it’s tax and spend power to force individual states to do what the federal government wants… bypassing constitutional delegation of rights and powers.

• HEALTHCARE – The Contract says: “Defund, repeal, and replace government-run health care. Make health care and insurance more affordable by enabling a competitive, open, and transparent free-market health care and health insurance system that isn't restricted by state boundaries.” They’re actually getting a little better on this one, though once again the even the most basic details of how to accomplish this are lacking.

• GOVERNMENT WASTE – The Contract says: “Create a Blue Ribbon taskforce that engages in a complete audit of federal agencies and programs, assessing their Constitutionality, and identifying duplication, waste, ineffectiveness, and agencies and programs better left for the states.” Oh boy… another blue ribbon task force that puts together a report that potentially ends up gathering dust in some drawer in the federal archives. Hey let’s name names… defund and eliminate the National Endowment For The Arts, National Public Broadcasting, Americorps, etc.

• FREEDOM OF THE PRESS – The Contract says: “Prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from using funds to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine in any form, including requiring “localism” or “diversity” quotas.” OK, if we believe in the free market and almost all Tea Partiers do, this one needs to be changed badly.

Let’s try this: “Whereas broadcasters have invested heavily to equip stations and build audiences for their radio and television operations; and whereas these broadcasters know best how to serve their communities lest they lose their audiences and hurt their investments; and whereas the FCC has burdened broadcasters with onerous rules and regulations; therefore each broadcaster currently holding an FCC license will forever be vested as the owner of said license, and the power and authority of the FCC shall be limited to technical management issues insuring an orderly use of the broadcast spectrum.” Take that FCC!

I could go on and on picking apart the Contract’s proposals, but I guess the most important thing right now is to clean out Congress based upon some simple principals we can rally around. Even if Republicans gain control of House and Senate in 2010, it will be 2013 and the replacement of Obama as president before we can truly hope to implement real change… if we can agree on what that change should be… and so far I’m still not so confident we can do that… just look at 1994. Thursday 4-8-10

Georgia Public Broadcasting Owes An Apology 4-4-10

2010-04-04T14:34:00.001-05:00

The good folks at GPB are now guilty of one of the oldest tricks in the liberal journalist’s handbook. Earlier this week GPB published an article on its website about President Obama’s proposal to open up additional offshore areas to oil exploration, including off the coast of Georgia. If implemented, the plan would allow oil extraction many miles off the coast in deep water… over the horizon and not viewable from any of Georgia’s beaches or barrier islands. (Whether or not Obama is sincere about oil exploration or is using this as a political pawn for something he wants is another story).

Of course the liberals at GPB are opposed to any oil drilling anywhere and the article reflected that perspective. However it gets worse… we all know the value of a picture when trying to make a point, so along with the story GPB posted a photo showing an oilrig within several hundred feet of a beach crowded with vacationers. The impact was huge… who wants a dangerous ugly oilrig staring you in the face when you go to the beach?

In case the author and editors at GPB have trouble with math and/or distance - an oilrig placed 15 to 25 miles off the coast as is being proposed cannot under any circumstances be viewed from land. By placing this picture with the article GPB was intentionally trying to mislead its readers and should be ashamed. 4-4-10

Why Do Blacks Still Want Segregation? 4-3-10

2010-04-03T13:52:00.000-05:00

Almost 50 years after Dr. King’s successful fight for historic civil rights legislation, things really don’t seem much different. Unless I totally misread it, the “plan” was for America to become colorblind… a place where people were regarded as individuals instead of as members of some racial or ethnic group… a place where race was irrelevant at school, church, work, and in the store.

So why do we still have segregated all-black colleges and why is the NAACP fighting to keep them? The Georgia chapter of the NAACP has just filed suit against the state of Georgia claiming that all-black colleges and universities are being under funded compared to their integrated counterparts.

You may recall that last year, legislation was proposed in the Georgia General Assembly that would have merged the small black schools in with nearby larger integrated institutions, but the NAACP fought that move. The merger would have created more efficiency in our state education system and would have given black students at these segregated schools access to additional degree programs and educational opportunities. After all, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

It’s time for the NAACP to either disband or change its mission statement. The realization of Dr. King’s “dream” would be to merge these schools and integrate their students into mainstream society instead of maintaining the last vestiges of segregation. Here’s a new mission statement for you: “The goal of the NAACP is to abolish race as the defining mark of any and all organizations and businesses, etc. We strive to help bring to fruition Dr. King’s dreams of a colorblind society.”

Of course that means no all-black radio stations or television networks like BET… no black beauty pageants… no black newspapers… no black award ceremonies… and no all-black schools. So NAACP, it’s your choice whether to work to further Dr. King’s goals or to stand in the way. Right now you’re flunking out. 4-3-10

Conservatives Cutting Own Throats With Census Protest? 3-19-10

2010-03-29T17:14:00.000-05:00

Like me, a lot of you are so mad at the federal government right now that you’re “getting back” at the feds by not answering all of the questions on the 2010 Census form. Many are only listing how many people live at the residence on question #1. Some are also putting names and ages, but no birthdays, race, telephone numbers, etc. Those actions will lead to no damage to the conservative cause, and if it makes you feel better, then that’s your call.

However an article in the Houston Chronicle this past Saturday caught my attention. Seems a significant number of conservatives aren’t even sending in their forms, and this could cost conservative leaning areas some seats in Congress. In the past, minority and poor areas of the nation had the lowest census form return rates. This year the problem is reversed in some states as upset Republicans, Libertarians, and independents are just saying “no”.

According to the article, a recent Pew Research Center Poll reveals that 76% of Democrats nationally view the census as “very important”, while only 61% of Republicans and independents do. Nationwide roughly 34% of American households have returned their forms so far, but the Chronicle article shows some conservative areas of Texas have current response rates of between 5 and 11%.

Georgia stands to pick up at least one new congressional district and has an outside shot at two. The odds are that after redistricting the new Georgia seat(s) will go to the GOP. However, if conservatives trash their census forms we might not get any new seats here in the Peach State, while Democrat areas of the nation end up keeping seats that should have been taken away. It could also negatively impact the number of conservatives who will be elected to the State Legislature in 2012.

Folks, send in your Census forms! If you want to protest the federal imperial government and only answer the questions you feel are justified, then that’s your call. I had one Conservative friend tell me he was including all of his dogs just to bump up the GOP numbers. I’m not willing to go that far, but I can guarantee your friends on the left are counting illegals, homeless folks, and imaginary friends. 3-29-10

Crossover Madness... Here's What Happened 3-26-10

2010-03-26T23:59:00.001-05:00

Day 30 of the Georgia General Assembly transpired Friday, and the importance of that for those of you who don’t follow this stuff closely is that any bill up for consideration this year must pass either the state senate or state house by adjournment on day 30 or it’s dead for the year… or is it? (The term “Crossover” comes from when one chamber passes a bill it “crosses over” to the other chamber.)

The Internet has been on fire today with updates on which bills managed to survive “Crossover”. While some bills are now dead, as always happens the language from other bills thought dead will soon find new life as amendments to or rewordings of bills that are still alive. Huh? Just because you wanted a particular bill to live or die doesn’t mean the game is over. In fact you must be more vigilant than ever.

So which major bills are still in the running? (1) Both the House and Senate passed different bills allowing purchase of health insurance across state lines. Significant differences between the two will need to be worked out. (2) The House passed HB 938, which would outlaw texting while driving. (3) The jobs bill, HB 1023, was passed after significant changes. The proposed capital gains cuts were watered down enough so that Governor Perdue would probably sign if it passes the Senate.

(4) The House approved legislation that would open the door for Clayton County to join MARTA by passing a one-cent sales tax in a county referendum later this year. (5) Currently a quarter mil of tax is levied on your property by the state and is included in your county property tax bill. The Senate passed SB 517, eliminating that tax.

(6) The House passed legislation allowing local school systems to use ESPLOST money for things other than capital outlay projects (primarily construction) as current law dictates. As a former county board of education member and chairman, I believe voters will be less likely to approve ESPLOST referendums if those dollars can be used for maintenance and operations. This legislation would require approval of a constitutional amendment by voters.

(7) HB 307 passed the house, imposing a “bed tax” on Georgia hospitals. Initially the medical lobby was opposed, but when faced with the alternative by Governor Perdue, they caved and got behind this instead. Lots of legislators who had signed “no tax increase” pledges bit the bullet and voted yes on this. (8) The House OK’d a measure raising roughly $90 million annually from increases in various fees.

(9) Finally, the Senate passed a heavily changed SB 512. Originally, this legislation would help the state improve sales tax collections from businesses that either aren’t collecting the required sales taxes or are collecting but not reporting & sending in the taxes. The bill was changed to add some mechanism for collecting sales taxes on purchases of products over the Internet by Georgia residents. This Internet taxation language may produce some serious unintended consequences that could cause several thousand small Georgia businesses to close, and the state would lose the income taxes these businesses have been producing. I plan a more in depth piece on this latter this weekend.

Remember, this list is just a small snippet of what passed Friday. We still have a long way to go as the House and Senate take up bills passed by the other chamber. Until that final gavels hammers down at the close of day 40, anything and everything can and will change. 3-26-10

Funding Teacher Retirement With Dead Teachers 3-25-10

2010-03-24T23:51:00.002-05:00

Bet that one got your attention, but I’m dead serious… pardon the pun. In a nutshell, House Bill 1380, which is currently under consideration, would modify current state law so as to allow the State of Georgia or any of its counties, cities and school systems to take out life insurance on their current and retired employees with the death benefits to be paid into the retirement plan of the state, county, city, or school system.

As an example, the state could take out life insurance on all active and retired Georgia teachers. Whenever a teacher dies, the state would get the proceeds from the insurance, which would then be placed in the state teacher retirement fund… not to be used for the family of the deceased teacher, but to pad the assets of the retirement system. To make it sound even a bit creepier, this type of insurance is known in the industry as “dead peasant” insurance.

All I can say is follow the money trail. Whoever gets the life insurance contract for the State of Georgia will instantly become a multi-millionaire. Read the bill for yourself here. http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/fulltext/hb1380.htm

How Will This Impact Governor’s Race? 3-24-10

2010-03-24T22:54:00.001-05:00

Here’s the background… Georgia’s Republican Governor Sonny Perdue asks Georgia’s Democrat Attorney Thurbert Baker to join other states in filing a federal lawsuit to block ObamaCare. Perdue rightly states that the healthcare reform plan will devastate Georgia’s budget by requiring a massive increase in state funds to be spent on Medicaid. The state Constitution implies that the Attorney General is to take matters of the state to court at the direction of the Governor.

Now the political ramifications… polling shows Georgians as a whole to be overwhelmingly against ObamaCare, while most black voters are in favor of ObamaCare… and blacks will make up the majority of voters in the Democrat Primary. Thurbert Baker is black and is running for governor as a Democrat. His main opponent, former Democrat Governor Roy Barnes, is playing both sides of the fence… saying he is opposed to parts of ObamaCare and in favor of other sections. Baker tells Perdue Wednesday afternoon that he will not file a state lawsuit against ObamaCare.

Now a resolution is circulating in the Georgia House calling for the impeachment of Baker for failing in his oath of office to uphold the Georgia Constitution because of his refusal to honor the Governor’s directive.

I’m scratching my head, trying to find a downside to this strategy. Even if Barnes pulls out a Primary win over Baker, by trying to straddle the fence on ObamaCare, he may well alienate voters of both parties. On the surface this seems to be good strategy on the part of the GOP as it will galvanize support for Baker among his black constituents and possibly energize them for the Primary. If Baker wins the Democrat nomination, he will then face a Georgia electorate in November that will be unforgiving on the issue of Baker’s refusal to file the “Stop ObamaCare” lawsuit.

I’m betting that Thurbert Baker borrowed a turn of the phrase from Ol’ Joe Biden when he got the directive from Perdue… “This is a big f****n’ deal for my Primary campaign against Barnes and company!” 3-24-10

ObamaCare Passed Because Conservatives Can't Fight 3-21-10

2010-03-21T15:38:00.004-05:00

It's been said that politics is war by other means. While conservatives have been playing tee ball, the LP’s (liberals/progressives) have been playing in the major leagues. The passage of ObamaCare began a long time ago, and like a chess master the LP’s have been slowly building to this point in time, so that when the opportunity finally presented itself… they could secure a victory.

When Scott Brown won Ted Kennedy’s former U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts, taking away the Democrat’s veto proof senate majority, most conservatives assumed ObamaCare was dead and went back to sleep… but Democrats kept working. Many of the conservative and libertarian persuasion have businesses or careers that occupy their time, and will only get motivated to take real action at the last minute. By then it’s too late. Yes we listen to talk radio and watch Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity on Fox. We post comments and links on Facebook, and a handful of you might even write an occasional letter to the editor.

Many of you actually took time to call your congressman this week and that was good. A few brave souls heroically drove to Washington DC at the last minute for a weekend protest… too little too late.

Let me give you an example of how we could have stopped ObamaCare. Democrat Congressman Sanford Bishop refers to himself as one of the Blue Dogs, a necessity for him to maintain office in his conservative leaning southwest Georgia district. Bishop announced Friday that he was voting yes, but he could have easily been persuaded to go the other way.

Though conservative leaning, many local elected officials in southwest Georgia are Democrats by tradition. While direct pressure on Bishop should have been part of the defeat ObamaCare strategy, just as much pressure should have been put on the local Democrat sheriffs, commissioners, and city councilmen. The message would have been simple. “Sheriff Jones this is not personal, but if Congressman Bishop votes for the healthcare bill I will vote against every single Democrat in this county and that includes you.” Imagine if Sheriff Jones received several dozen calls like that from people he knows. He would be on the phone to Bishop in a heartbeat telling him to vote no. Now multiply that by dozens and dozens of elected Democrats all calling Bishop telling him they are being singled out and that his vote could hurt them.

The strategy above is just one small part of the equation. There should have been silent protests in front of Bishop’s personal residence… every local newspaper, television and radio reporter should have been hammered with phone calls against the bill… there should have been so many letters to the editor that they would have had to add a special section just to publish them… employers should have held employee meetings to let them know that if ObamaCare passes that there will layoffs. The tactics that could have been used are endless.

Game changing legislation like ObamaCare requires brutal hand-to-hand political combat and in that regard conservatives and libertarians failed miserably in their strategy. Democrats fight for the long term. They are well aware that many of the Democrat congressmen who vote yes will lose their seats in November, but they also know that once passed it will be almost impossible for Republicans to repeal it… and thus just like other entitlement programs, ObamaCare will be part of our imperial federal government forever.

The other danger is that with this victory and an impending election day defeat in November, Obama and company may go for broke and try to ram through amnesty for illegals, pass cap and trade, and numerous other pieces of dangerous legislation. 2010 may well go down as the year the United States died while your friends watched March Madness and played Farmville. "... and we were singing bye, bye, Miss American Pie…” 3-21-10

Maybe This Is Not Such A Big Shock? 3-18-10

2010-03-18T22:06:00.000-05:00

When 7th District Republican Congressman John Linder of Georgia recently announced that he would not seek reelection this year, the first big gun to announce his candidacy for the race was GOP State Senator Don Balfour. As the powerful chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, Balfour should have had no trouble lining up major endorsements and financial support. However, the candidate making all the noise in the race has been State Representative Clay Cox.

Tonight (Thursday, March 18), Balfour announced that he is dropping out of the race to replace Linder and also will not seek reelection to his own senate seat. In essence, Balfour appears to be permanently departing the political stage. Balfour is an executive with Waffle House, and his boss Joe Rogers has been a major player and donor in Georgia GOP politics for a long time, so this announcement has left many wondering.

Is Balfour’s exit due to the momentum Cox has shown? Has Balfour suddenly decided after 18 years in the state senate that he’s had enough politics? Or is there a scandal of some type on the verge of going public? Thanks to the Internet, it’s a lot harder today to hide indiscretions. If the old media won’t run with the story, the new media will. I personally have been sitting on a potential story concerning Balfour of which I have first hand knowledge dating back to the Georgia Republican State Convention in Savannah in 2000. In light of Balfour’s decision to gracefully bow out, I’ll keep this one filed away… no need to pile on at this point.

So now do either Ralph Reed or State Senator David Shafer reconsider their decision to skip the Linder race? Does Clay Cox consolidate his gains and become untouchable? Or is there another heavyweight ready to quickly jump in? As we’ve all seen, in Gwinnett County anything is possible. 3-18-10

Saying Goodbye To The GOP?

2010-03-17T00:46:00.001-05:00

For most folks this is probably a minor issue, but I’ve decided that if the Georgia legislature passes (as expected) a bill mandating seatbelt use in pickup trucks, then I am officially severing my ties with the Republican Party and will declare myself a conservative/libertarian independent. State Senator Don Thomas of Dalton is a great guy… and a physician. He knows first hand the carnage that can result from traffic accidents, and that is why he has fought to add pickup trucks to the state seatbelt mandate. I respect that… but I also disagree strongly with his legislation.

This one affects me personally. For the last 15 to 20 years I have suffered from a pinched nerve (old football injury) near my right shoulder blade. Ninety-five percent of the time it doesn’t bother me or is only a minor nuisance. However wearing a seatbelt for more than a couple of minutes will cause a flare-up so severe that I become almost incapacitated. I have driven a pickup almost all of my adult life, and thus have not been forced to buckle up. If this seatbelt mandate becomes law, I will either have to walk or break the law. I have no choice.

Maybe seatbelt use does save some lives, but I see this as government intrusion into an area of my life where I have made the conscious decision to trade away some measure of improved safety for freedom from physical pain. For me, this is just another example of a government overreaching. I have no problem with the State of Georgia highly recommending seatbelt use or even spending a few traffic safety dollars encouraging it, but to make me live in fear of being pulled over and fined each time I drive is immoral.

My friend, State Senator Chip Rogers, was quoted in the AJC Tuesday: “If you’re going to have a seatbelt law, it ought to apply to everyone equally.” I agree. Instead of adding the mandate to pickups… repeal it for cars, vans, and SUV’s. Treat us as adults and let us make our own rational decisions. 3-17-10

Before You Pick Your Final Four 3-16-10

2010-03-16T19:52:00.000-05:00

President Obama has been on a losing streak lately as his team lost the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race, and the governorships in Virginia and New Jersey. So before you choose your Final Four picks, you may want to see which teams The Chosen One has selected and then pick some alternatives. Obama’s Final Four: Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, & Villanova. 3-16-10

This McBerry Won't Bare Fruit 3-15-10

2010-03-15T16:30:00.001-05:00

Sorry Georgia Tea Partiers, this McBerry won’t bear fruit. I’ve tried to give Georgia Republican candidate for Governor Ray McBerry some slack. After all he’s up against several powerful political machines, and this is a rough and tumble game. I greatly admire his stand on the importance of the 10th Amendment of The U.S. Constitution and how we should use it to roll back the unconstitutional roughshod encroachment of the federal government in our lives. There are other areas where he is closer to the truth than the other candidates in this crowded field, but that doesn’t matter anymore.

Ray McBerry is not going to win. Ray McBerry is not going to make it to the anticipated runoff. Ray McBerry won’t have any impact at all. This past weekend, McBerry sent out a letter to his supporters in an attempt to pre-empt attacks he fears will soon come from his opponents. In doing so he exposed himself to allegations about his personal life that 99.9% of Georgians had no clue were out there… everything from losing his teaching certification, to explaining he has custody of his son because his ex-wife was a meth addict, to denying he tried to have an affair with his former female campaign manager… and much more.

The letter was poorly constructed and broke almost every rule in the book on preemptive damage control. Maybe McBerry truly thought by airing all of his dirty laundry the public would rally around him as that rarest of birds… an honest politician. However, all it did was cement in the minds of the media and the general public that McBerry is a loose cannon at best.

Finally with the Primary just four months away, McBerry managed to only pull down 1.9% in a Strategic Vision poll conducted March 5 to March 8, 2010. And remember this poll was taken before the aforementioned self-destructive press release was issued. Strategically, it’s not a bad plan to be running a little behind the leader this far out, but barely being a blip on the radar with five other candidates ahead of you? The bigger question in coming days is who will be the second choice of McBerry supporters now that their man is DOA? 3-15-10

Memo To Jim Marshall 3-15-10

2010-03-15T16:27:00.001-05:00

Dear Congressman Marshall (Georgia Democrat 8th District), it is my understanding that you will vote “no” on any and all legislative steps to pass ObamaCare. I’m sure that you’re confident this will give you the electoral headroom you need for a successful reelection this November. Don’t count on it.

The majority of your constituents are furious that the President and your House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, continue in their attempts to cram this bill down our throats despite overwhelming opposition from the public. Mr. Marshall, without you and your fellow self-proclaimed Blue Dog Democrats in the House, Ms. Pelosi would just be another wacko leftist San Francisco nut job instead of being your leader.

The citizens of the 8th District are smart enough to know the only way to stop the leftist assault on our republic is to replace every single Blue Dog this year… denying Nancy Pelosi another term as Speaker… and that means you must go. After all, a Blue Dog is just a Yellow Dog holding its breath. 3-15-10

A Dumb Idea From Kathy Cox 3-12-10

2010-03-12T15:05:00.001-05:00

Unlike gas or groceries, lottery tickets are not a necessity. If food prices increase I still have to eat, but I don’t have to take a chance on Fantasy 5 this week. Georgia’s State School Superintendent, in all her educator wisdom, has put forth a proposal to increase the price of lottery tickets by 50%. Her reasoning is that would create an additional $350 million dollars the state could use to offset proposed cuts to education due to the budget shortfall. Cox has no clue how the real world works.

To generate that extra revenue, lottery players would have to continue purchasing the same number of tickets as before… and we all know when you raise the price 50% on anything demand drops like a rock. People have a limited amount of disposable income to waste on things like the lottery, so they’ll just cut back on the number of tickets they buy.

There’s also a concept in retail marketing called “sweet spot pricing”. You may have noticed at the grocery store, as food prices increased, manufacturers just reduced the amount of product in the package so they could maintain the pricing sweet spot for those items. That’s why most brands of ice cream no longer come in half-gallon sizes… they’re now several ounces less. Looks roughly the same and the price is about where it was before.

The one-dollar price is the sweet spot for lottery tickets. Hey it’s only a buck! Make it $1.50 and now the mind perceives the purchase differently. Cox also ignores the fact that two of the largest lottery games are Mega Millions and Powerball. Both of these are multi-state games, meaning all of the other states would have to also agree to change ticket prices to $1.50. It ain’t happening Kathy! I won’t even get into the impact Cox’s scheme would have on mandated prize payout ratios. Cox wouldn’t understand it anyway.

Bottom line? If this is how Kathy Cox’s mental process works, then she (and we) have a problem in the state school superintendent’s office. Smarter than a fifth grader?

Does Saxby Believe We'll Act Like We Always Have?

2010-03-10T14:44:00.000-05:00

Do They Believe We’ll Act Like We Always Have? If you’ve been a student of politics for as long as I have, you’ve seen the pattern repeat over and over. A segment of the public will unleash its fury on DC about taxes, spending, social issues… you name it. The politicians pay lip service to whatever has the public upset and maybe a few folks lose their seats in Congress in the next election. Then the rage dies down after the election and things pretty much go back to the way they were before and we Americans go back to our sports, movies, music, and the daily grind of life.

The last twelve months have created a perfect storm for angst among the electorate. The arrogance of the Obama administration; a Congress seemingly sold to the highest bidder; and the worst economy in the lifetime of most Americans have combined to bring us closer to a point of radical change than I personally have ever seen. We feel to the depths of our souls that something major is happening. We talk about it at home, at work, at church, at the civic club meeting, and while shopping.

Most politicians, like Georgia’s U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, think this time will turn out just like all the other times. They’ll ride the wave of discontent and score a few brownie points… their side will eventually regain majority status… and then the Beltway Clan can continue on as before. One only has to go beyond the Saxby’s rhetoric to grasp the truth, and his is hanging out there for the entire world to see. More on Saxby in a moment.

Probably the most watched election primary in the nation this year will be that for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in the Sunshine State between Florida Governor Charlie Crist and former Florida Speaker of the House Marco Rubio. Crist was widely expected to run away with this thing and all the DC insiders were signed on. Then the Tea Party crowd embraced Rubio causing his poll numbers to rocket past Crist, with some polls showing him now ahead by 20 to 30 points.

Across the nation, long time GOP conservatives are making it clear that nothing short of a wholesale remake of the party will do and there is no place for moderate/progressive Republicans like Charlie Crist. The problem is, a lot of the big GOP players, including heavy contributors, want to keep the status quo.

In Texas we recently saw former President George H. W. Bush and other GOP heavyweights side with sitting U.S. Senator Kay Baily Hutchinson in the GOP governor’s race over the more conservative Rick Perry. Perry won more than 50% of the vote avoiding a runoff, and even Tea Party candidate Debra Medina (a political unknown) was nipping Hutchinson’s heels.

With the results from Texas and the polls from Florida (and other races), you would think Beltway Boys like Senator Saxby Chambliss would see the writing on the wall and think carefully before endorsing someone from the moderate/progressive side of the GOP. After all Saxby says he is a true conservative. However his actions say otherwise.

On March 15th, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue and U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss will host a fundraiser in Atlanta for moderate/progressive Republican Florida Gov. Charlie Crist in his bid for U.S. Senate. That’s all I and other conservatives need to know. Some will say Sonny and Saxby are only doing this to butter up Crist to hopefully make him more amenable during the tri-state water negotiations. All I can say is that is about like British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of Hitler leading up to World War II.

In 2008 I voted Libertarian for the first time in Georgia’s U.S. Senate general election. I was one of those folks who helped to deny Saxby his 50% majority, forcing him into a runoff. Yes I held my nose and voted for Saxby in the runoff to avoid a liberal Democrat from taking the seat, but my suspicions about Saxby are now confirmed.

Many conservatives are reaching the point of no return. No longer will we vote for the lesser of two evils. If you claim to be conservative then you better be a conservative 365 days a year. If you can’t lead the charge, at least don’t use your time, money, and influence behind the scenes to tamper down our cause. 3-9-10

Karen Handel Overplayed Her Hand

2010-03-10T14:40:00.001-05:00

Karen Handel May Have Just Overplayed Her Hand - First let’s jump in the Wayback Machine and head to 2002 when then gubernatorial candidate Sonny Perdue teamed up with folks in the Gwinnett and Forsyth County areas who were opposed to the then proposed Northern Arc roadway that would link I-75 and I-85. Despite substantial evidence that Georgia travelers would benefit from a northern link between these two Interstate Highways, the NIMBY’s (not in my backyard) were opposed and took a gamble on Perdue being elected, falling in behind him. Sitting Governor Roy Barnes felt the pressure and pulled the project in July 2002. Perdue won and the Northern Arc as proposed died a permanent death.

Now let’s fast forward to the present. Karen Handel is running to replace Perdue, who is term limited from seeking a third term. Many of Perdue’s supporters and handlers are in the Handel camp, including former Perdue spokesman Dan McLagan, who is filling the same role for Handel. It comes as no surprise that Handel, who trails significantly behind John Oxendine in the polls, is desperate to rally some key constituencies to her cause. Forsyth and Gwinnett Counties are fertile GOP territory and will supply a chunk of votes in the upcoming July GOP Primary… especially with a contested congressional race on the ballot to replace the retiring John Linder. Someone, possibly McLagan, convinced Handel it would be a great strategic move to resurrect a dead dog… the Northern Arc, and then rally that same network of people who backed Perdue to get behind her to stop the road again. Newsflash for Ms. Handel… there are no current DOT plans to resurrect the Northern Arc.

However, for roughly 30 years there have been plans to build what is known as the 411 Connector in Bartow County. This roadway would provide a limited access route connecting the existing median-divided U.S. 411 running from Rome to Cartersville to a new extension that would tie into I-75… giving northwest Georgians a way to bypass the traffic clogged dogleg where U.S. 41, U.S. 411, and GA 20 all currently intersect. The Chambers of Commerce in both Floyd and Bartow Counties have been on record in support of this roughly 6-mile roadway extension for many years and the road has the backing of the majority of residents in the area.

On Wednesday, The Northern Arc Task Force took out half-page advertisements in the AJC, and the newspapers in Cartersville and Rome, opposing the currently planned Route D for the 411 Connector, claiming the Georgia Department of Transportation had chosen this route in an attempt to sneak through the Northern Arc in a piecemeal manner. Their belief is that Route D, which would tie into I-75 at the current GA 20 interchange, would be the first leg of the resurrected Northern Arc. Instead they want the DOT to choose proposed Route G, which would tie into I-75 several miles north of the Highway 20 interchange.

Most of the traffic utilizing the 411 Connector would be headed south to and from Cobb County and Metro Atlanta. Those desiring to head north on I-75 would probably take the much shorter routes of GA 140 through Adairsville or GA 53 though Calhoun. This is important. Though Route G is a couple of miles shorter than D and would be cheaper to construct, by building Route G instead of the DOT favored Route D, several miles would be added to the commute of those driving to and from Cobb and beyond. This translates into a significant amount of extra miles, wear & tear on vehicles, extra fuel, and additional time behind the wheel for the thousands of vehicles that would travel this route every day. The DOT's own studies show usage of Route G would be much lower than Route D and would do little to alleviate traffic congestion in Cartersville.

One more thing to ponder… Route D would require the acquisition of some of the land owned by the prominent (and wealthy) Rollins family who has a large farm in the road’s path. The Rollins clan has fought this road tooth and nail from day one and cost taxpayers a fortune in legal fees and additional environmental impact studies. The Rollins were supporters of Perdue. I’d bet a box of doughnuts some of their money has or will find a way into Handel’s campaign coffers as well as that of The Northern Arc Task Force.

For thirty years we residents of northwest Georgia have frustratingly waited for the traffic relief this road will provide. From the beginning the 411 Connector has been a standalone project, and was and still is desperately needed whether or not any type of Northern Arc is ever constructed. A couple of hours after the Northern Arc Task Force ads hit newsstands, Karen Handel issued a press release backing their opposition to Route D. I’m afraid Dan McLagan has lead Handel into something I bet she now wishes she had avoided. I for one can no longer consider Handel as a viable pick for governor, and I bet there are a lot of other area residents who now feel the same way. 3-3-10

Handel’s Hand In The Cookie Jar – (First see column above) A review of Karen Handel’s campaign contribution reports reveal that she accepted over $12,000 from members of the Rollins family. Randall Rollins and Gary Rollins contributed $6,100 each to Ms. Handel for her 2010 Primary. The Rome News Tribune is also reporting that Jeff Anderson, head of the Northern Arc Task Force, made an in-kind contribution of $256.44 for refreshments for a Handel event in November 2009. While Handel’s campaign of course denies charges that her decision to oppose the current route selected for the 411 Connector project was based upon contributions received, this ones smells and I’ve heard from a number of NW Georgians who have dropped Handel from consideration. 3-5-10

Board of Regents Game Of Chicken 3-2-10

2010-03-10T14:23:00.001-05:00

Board Of Regents Playing Game Of Chicken With Legislature: It happens every time, whether at the city, county or state levels. Whenever a government entity is asked to trim its budget, the first thing its leaders do is release a list of proposed cuts to programs or services that large numbers of people will get upset over. It’s by design. Get a bunch of folks upset over the cuts and then make your case for a tax increase. This time it’s the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. The legislature, facing an untenable loss of tax revenue due to the recession, asked the Regents to propose additional cuts statewide totaling nearly $300 million from its upcoming budget.

The Regents released their proposed cuts Monday and boy the list is a doozy! Shut down the 4-H program; close half of the state’s County Extension Offices; layoff 1000’s of employees; close some campuses; limit the number of new students this fall; eliminate some degree programs, and the list goes on.

I’m sure some in the legislature were hoping to see the Regents propose cuts that wouldn’t impact the students as hard. Maybe reducing salaries of all system employees making over $100,000 annually by 25%? Reducing vacation time? Eliminating other employee perks? Of course one proposal we did see from the education camp is to raise college tuition by as much as 77%! Families are hurting and the answer is to take the money from them and the coffers of the Hope Scholarship account.

We’re in a place economically most of us have never experienced in our lifetimes and the changes required are painful. I for one fully expect a double dip recession and think we could see even further drops in state revenue later this year. I don’t envy the legislature and I know it’s tough for Georgia’s college system leaders to slash their overhead after years of rapid growth and improvements. However, I also think the Regents deliberately picked out programs like 4-H and Extension Offices so they could rile up large numbers of Georgians who want to protect their turf. This time I don’t believe the Gold Dome crowd is playing chicken… they see the light at the end of the economic tunnel and that train is barreling straight at them half empty. 3-2-10

Here Come The Georgia Democrat Tax Grabbers! First read the piece above on the game of chicken the Board of Regents is playing concerning needed cuts to the University System Of Georgia’s budget. OK… now here comes Democrat State Rep. Doug McKillip falling for the Regent’s bunkum. McKillip says it’s time to save higher education by reinstating the sales tax on groceries (will hurt ALL Georgia families); raising the state income tax from 6% to 7 % for higher income levels (that’s a 17% increase!); and placing a new $1 per pack tax on cigarettes. McKillip is still a freshman legislator, so I guess we need to give him a little slack for not realizing that his tax grabs would hurt every family in the state. Plus he has just played right into the Republicans hands. Those silly Democrats! 3-2-10

The South Shall Rise Again! 3-1-10

2010-03-10T14:18:00.002-05:00

The South Shall Rise Again! Anytime someone mentions states rights or secession, that person is buried by the media as an extremist whacko nut job. However, that does not change the fact that our founders intended the United States to be a voluntary association. This four-minute clip from Judge Andrew Napolitano clearly lays out the facts. Warning… Abraham Lincoln admirers may be offended. 3-1-10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPTbKMnxWGA

Who Gets The Raw Deal? 3-1-10

2010-03-10T14:14:00.001-05:00

Who Gets The Raw Deal? By now we all know Nathan Deal is resigning his seat in Congress effective March 8th to focus on his bid for Georgia governor. The scuttlebutt is that Deal was being pressured by some of the more mainstream GOP folks to devote himself fulltime for governor, lest John Oxendine grab the nomination and sink the party in November. This move possibly unleashes some unintended consequences that could hurt Georgia, hurt America, and in the end hurt Deal’s own chances of wining the governor’s office.

(1) By resigning, Deal’s seat in Congress will be empty during the critical machinations on ObamaCare. This means the Democrats in the House will need one less vote to have a majority, at least minutely improving their chances of passing something. If, and this is a big if… Deal’s absence from Congress results in ObamaCare being passed, then Deal can kiss goodbye ever being elected to anything in this state.

(2) Deal’s bid for governor has already set off a mad dash to replace him in Congress with around 8 Republican candidates prepared to face off in the July GOP Primary. This has the potential to significantly increase voter turnout in Deal’s backyard and help Deal in the gubernatorial bid. However, if a special election to replace Deal is held prior to the Primary, then the race will effectively be decided then. This effective squashes having a hot GOP Primary and possibly reduces Deal’s vote haul in July.

(3) Deal is under an ethics investigation in the House. Unless the ethics report is released prior to his resignation date of March 8, then the ethics probe is effectively dropped and Deal will skate on the charges. Whether this had anything to do with Deal’s decision to bail out early, the perception is there.

(4) Deal tweaked Karen Handel when she resigned her Secretary of State position to devote herself to running for governor full time. Deal’s campaign stated at the time that, “Deal has taken an oath to serve the people of Georgia and has a clear record of completing his terms.” Whoops… wonder if we can strike that one from the record guys?

Based upon money raised and cash on hand, I still say former Senate Majority leader Eric Johnson is the dark horse to challenge Ox for the GOP crown as Deal and Handel stumble down the track. 3-1-10

February 2010 Backroom Report Compilation

2010-02-19T17:24:00.003-05:00

We've set up a new website for commentary and analysis on the latest breaking Georgia news stories and politics... updated daily: http://www.BackroomReport.com

Break Out The Drool Cups! There's some heavy duty salivating taking place from potential candidates for congress in Georgia's 7th District today. 18-year Republican incumbent John Linder surprised the crowd at a dedication ceremony for the new Gwinnett GOP HQ Saturday morning by announcing that he would not run for re-election this year. Blog sites are buzzing with potential candidates. Don't be surprised to see an initial field of eight to ten before things begin to shake out.

For those of you thinking of diving in, remember this will be an election won or lost on national themes. You may have been a great city councilman or county commissioner, but other than a little name ID, it means nothing. And don't think for a minute that you can suddenly be Mr. Tea Party Conservative and pull this off. Intense scrutiny applied to past votes and idle comments will come back to bite... hard.

Look for this to be a battle of state legislators with the two top names thrown around being those of State Senators Don Balfour and David Shafer. For those of you who have watched Balfour in action over the years, you know he can be a real jerk at times and comes off as cold and aloof. While he has the ability to raise some serious cash, he lacks the loyal base of everyday supporters that Shafer has,,, and grassroots networking will carry a huge punch this time. If Shafer announces his bid before Monday afternoon, he will suck the air out of the room for many possible candidates. State Rep. Clay Cox is another name being dropped. The direct mail folks will make a bundle off this race. (Update: The AJC is reporting that John Smoltz may be approached as a possible candidate) 2-27-10

Update 2-28-10:Other names being floated include Gwinnett Sheriff Butch Conway, St. Rep Tom Rice, former head of the Christian Coalition and former Georgia GOP chairman Ralph Reed. Also, Jim Galloway with AJC reporting Sunday that John Smoltz has no interest in running.

Let's Chew Some Fat Off The Porter House - No doubt the decision by Democrat candidate for governor Dubose Porter's wife, Carol Porter, to enter the Georgia Lt. Governor's race on the Democrat side has generated some initial buzz... as intended. With qualifying just weeks away, no Democrat had yet to step forward and time was running out. Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond has been mentioned as a possible candidate, but has been coy about his plans. So here's the answers to the questions you're already pondering...

(1) Some insiders have been pushing for either Thurbert Baker, Dubose Porter or David Poythress to pull out of the Democrat governor's primary and instead run for lt. governor in an effort to clear the field for Roy Barnes. Carol Porter's entry into the race effectively closes that door. (2) Call me sexist, but instead of helping Dubose Porter in his gubernatorial climb, this entry by his wife will cause Dubose to now be seen as a weaker candidate as the attention is turned to Carol. (3) Political tag teams rarely work. Any negatives generated by one of the candidates (Carol or Dubose) will also stick to the other and will usually outweigh any positives gained by the increased media buzz. If they each stick to the same tight script they may be able to avoid problems. (4) In light of recent polling data, Michael Thurmond may now be looking (and probably is being pushed) at challenging Johnny Isakson for his U.S. Senate seat.

(5) Republicans will be careful to treat Carol Porter with respect, but the bottom line is that Georgia Democrats have so little talent on their bench capable of a statewide run that they're down to plugging in spouses of other candidates. (6) 2010 is an anti-incumbent year, but in Georgia that means we will vote out a Republican only if he or she gets replaced by an even more ideologically pure conservative Republican in the primary. This election will be heavily tainted by national politics and there's no way Georgian's are going to give Team Obama more players. (7) If she becomes the Democrat nominee, Carol Porter will lose in November but will be praised by the media as an up and comer in Georgia politics and a force to be reckoned with in the future. (8) Finally, this is a huge gamble and you have to wonder if the state Democrat machine signed off on it? There will be a substantial number of Georgians who will see this as just another political gimmick, and that will hurt the Dems. 2-25-10

Here's Where The Liberal Talk Show Callers Come From: If all those "progressives" calling talk radio sound similar, there's a reason. At this web site operated by the Obama folks, liberals are given talking points about why ObamaCare should be passed. Then they are given the phone number to a radio show in progress so they can call in. After the call there is a feedback box to let the Obama folks know how the call went. Then they can click for the number to another show so they can continue spreading their BS. I guess some of these folks just sit there all day calling show after show. I personally filled in the feedback box and told them there was no way to defend the bill on the radio and that Obama should start over. Yeah, I have a mischievous streak. 2-25-10 http://radio.barackobama.com/

A Different Idea For Funding Georgia's Transportation Needs... Read my guest column in the Atlanta Journal Constitution here 2-23-10 http://www.ajc.com/opinion/a-transit-solution-raise-322139.html

Will We Drink The Tea Once It's Brewed? Right now the Tea Party movement is just a loose confederation of those unhappy at the overall direction our nation is taking, with most participants in favor of general concepts such as lower taxes and reduced government spending. Putting those concepts into practice is a completely different matter. Let's assume the anti-incumbent wave bubbling up out there holds through until November, sweeping away Democrat control of the House and Senate. Then what?

Most folks participating in or sympathetic to the Tea Party movement will not be content to simply slow or even stop the left leaning agenda of Obama, Reid, and Pelosi. They want the federal government to be downsized... significantly. That means completely eliminating entire agencies and departments such as the National Endowment For The Arts, National Public Broadcasting, the U.S. Department of Education, etc.

Does any of that sound familiar? These were some of the same agencies slated for elimination after the Republican Revolution of 1994 and we all know how that turned out. As soon as an agency is targeted, affiliated special interest groups and their socialist/liberal/progressive buddies swarm Capitol Hill and throw a hissy fit. Some deal will then be cut that "slows" the growth of the agency, but the bottom line is the agency survives and continues to get bigger, just at a slower rate. Then everyone on both sides goes back home and claims victory. The pressure on Congress is released and the public returns to watching American Idol or Dancing With The Has-Beens.

Americans have short memories. Right now my friend Congressman Phil Gingrey has fully embraced the Tea Party movement and takes every opportunity he can to denounce runaway government spending. This is the same Phil Gingrey who just a few short years ago championed the creation of the massive Medicare Part D drug plan and the gigantic increase in the size of the U.S. Department of Education known as No Child Left Behind. Just a few months ago, Gingrey even sent out a press release inviting the public to attend an arts workshop he was conducting at Kennesaw State University, where attendees would be taught how to apply for federal arts grants. Huh? This is a conservative congressman? And as the Democrats have rightly pointed out, Gingrey has traveled all over his 11th district to take credit for grants being doled out from the very same federal stimulus he says he opposes.

This coming election cycle is the perfect time to knock off some lefties and slow down the progressive train, but don't expect too much... at least not yet. As we saw during the early years of the George W. Bush administration, far too many Republicans in DC are not true conservatives... they're just progressive light. It's not enough to just win some elections this year and gain GOP majorities. We have to win hearts and minds in massive numbers so that when the special interest groups and their friends in the media rise up to save Public Broadcasting or the Department of Education, we'll have the numbers to be victorious. 2-21-10

Are You In-Censused? I hate government intrusion, so when I received one of those lengthy U.S. Census Bureau Community Surveys a few years ago I threw it in the trash. The Fed's do not need to know how many toilets I have or how far I drive to work. They also sent an Economic Survey to one of my businesses demanding about 6 pages of detailed financial info on my business operations. Yep, that one got shredded. So in just a couple of weeks we'll all receive that glorious once a decade census form. The U.S. Constitution mandates that heads be counted every ten years so the government can equally draw up new congressional districts... that's it. So I'm not answering questions #2, 3, 4,8, or 10. On question #7 I'll give ages, but not birthdates. And on #9 I'm checking "other" for race and writing in "American". I've had ancestors here on this continent since the early days of Jamestown and Williamsburg... so you'd think I'd be a Native American after 400 years. I'm not asking you to break the law, just stating what I plan to do. Here's the census form link 2-21-10 http://2010.census.gov/2010census/how/interactive-form.php

Too Many Conservatives & Libertarians Forget The Constitution: For the newbies let me repeat that the United States of America is not a democracy... it's a Republic... a nation of laws. One of the more basic freedoms guaranteed under our Constitution is the freedom to associate with whomever we want. Another is the freedom to enter into private contracts with other individuals, groups or businesses. Obviously this is something that Georgia State Senator Judson Hill chooses to ignore as he proudly crows about the Senate's passage of his SB 333.

When a person purchases a home inside of a development governed by a homeowners association (HOA), that person does so knowing fully well that he is giving up some of his rights to do with his property as he wishes. In exchange he gets guarantees that his neighbors won't be able to do certain things with their properties that might negatively impact his own property. Some of the more common HOA rules involve not parking junk cars or boats in the yard; keeping your grass well maintained; and only being able to paint your home's exterior certain colors. After all, having a home next door with a multi-color fluorescent exterior paint job wouldn't do much to protect home values. I've read through some HOA covenants and have seen some ridiculous things. Personally, I would never purchase a home governed by an HOA... I value my freedom too much. However, each day citizens across this great land do make the decision to trade away freedom for protection... and that is their Constitutional right... to voluntarily enter into a private agreement with a group of homeowners.

Senator Hill's measure would make it illegal for a HOA to restrict a homeowner's right to fly the U.S. flag on his own property. On the surface any patriotic American would say hurray for Senator Hill as we've all seen news reports over the years of HOA's not letting someone attach a flag to their house or place a flagpole in their front yard. If a HOA has a restriction such as this, most would think it petty and stupid. However, if a group of homeowners want to have that rule as part of their HOA agreement, then why should the government interfere in a private agreement between homeowners?

Before you say that such a rule is unfair to a homeowner, you must remember that the homeowner voluntarily entered into agreement. If he didn't like the HOA rules, he could have decided to purchase a home elsewhere. He could have also requested a variance or exception before purchasing. However most Americans don't want to take responsibility for their own lives. They get caught up in the moment and don't read the HOA rules before making the purchase, and then want the government to bail them out of their bad decision.

I'm not going to come down too hard on Senator Hill this time because on the surface I think his patriotism probably got the better of him. It's easy to do. But if he really wants to uphold the U.S. Constitution and it's protection of individual rights, he'll think long and hard before authoring or voting for this type of intrusive legislation again. You can't pick and choose which parts of the Constitution you want to uphold. 2-19-10

Dripping Faucet Could Blow: Drip... drip... drip... another day another negative disclosure on Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine as this time the AJC's Jim Galloway dishes out a damaging example of Oxendine's foot in mouth disease. (Read here) At this point it really doesn't matter how much of what is being leveled against The Ox is true... it's the fact that almost every day another issue is raised that puts Oxendine on the defensive.

While the drumbeat of stories may have slowed Oxendine in his quest to be governor, he is not yet mortally wounded and still comfortably leads the field for the GOP nomination according to the latest polling data. However, Republicans increasingly are beginning to fear that the media is holding some of their powder dry and will unload on Oxendine after he becomes the Republican standard bearer... and of course then it would be too late to salvage the election. 2-18-10 http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2010/02/18/oxendine-in-2003-youll-give-me-money-because-youre-afraid-not-to/

Conservatives & Libertarians Should Get Behind Geisinger: Georgia needs money... Republicans and Libertarians aren't going to raise taxes (thankfully)... some Republicans and almost all Libertarians truly believe in individual liberty... and GOP State Rep. Harry Geisinger has the solution... pari-mutuel horse racing. Unlike a state lottery, legalized wagering on horse racing does more than just generate gambling revenue for the state. Georgia already has a substantial horse industry, but enact Geisinger's proposals and you'll see money pour into the state as horse people gobble up pastureland, build barns and stables, and open businesses to serve the equine industry. Counties will see more property tax revenue and the state will grab more sales tax dollars. Plus Atlanta's convention business would get a giant shot in the arm as it's marketers will finally be able to show that there is something to do in Atlanta other than go to a strip joint. This is one of those rare win, win, win situations. 2-17-10

Another Republican Joins Race For State School Superintendent: John Barge of Floyd County, the Director of Secondary Curriculum for the Bartow County School System, is joining Roger Hines and Richard Woods in an attempt to knock off Kathy with a "K" in the GOP Primary. Barge is a little late out of the gate and from what I've heard, may not have a firm grasp on what will be required to win. I'm sure that as an educator he believes he can tap into various statewide networks such as GAE and PAGE for support. Barge will be attending the 9 AM Bartow County GOP meeting Feb. 27 at Slopes BBQ in Cartersville. If you attend, send us some feedback. Here's a full article on his announcement 2-17-10 http://www.daily-tribune.com/index.cfm?event=news.view&id=D9FA8C21-19B9-E2E2-670012CB998D5C79

The Death Of Radio As We Know It: The game is changing faster than most radio station owners and listeners are prepared for. Numerous new methods of receiving entertainment programming have put enormous pressure on terrestrial (over the air) radio. Now Internet based Pandora is taking the assault to a new level as they prepare to siphon off local advertisers from stations. Marketing today is all about targeted measurable delivery... something AM and FM radio cannot easily do. This radio industry article lays out the facts 2-17-10 http://www.rbr.com/features/viewpoints/21068.html

Sonny's Transportation Plan: It's been eight long years in the making and won't have much of an impact for at least 3 or 4 more years, but here is Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue's statewide transportation plan - HB 1218. Read it here (with maps) 2-16-10 https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B_KEK8-LWmzhYzQxNDBjNWEtNzZjZC00OGJlLTg5ZDItZjUxMzhhYzg3Y2Ni&hl=en

Time To Stop The Tax Games: I've always been a big fan of Republican State Rep. Bobby Franklin of Cobb County. He's never been afraid of the Politically Correct Police as evidenced by some of the legislation he's introduced over the years. This time however, Franklin has fallen into that slimy trap of giving different tax rates to different groups, by proposing that Georgia's public safety employees be exempted from the state income tax. One of the biggest problems facing Georgia is our convoluted tax code with a zillion different special interest tax breaks cobbled on a piece at a time over the years. It's so easy to say one group or another deserves a break, but when one group gets a reduced tax rate the difference must be made up on the backs of other taxpayers. Yes, our public safety employees do heroic work and many are underpaid, but that is not a valid justification for exempting them from the state income tax. So come on Bobby, let's work for a simplified tax code with no special breaks for anyone. Let's treat every person the same and every business the same. And if public safety employees deserve more, then let's look at adequate pay raises. 2-16-10

Arrogance Not A Great Political Attribute: I really don't personally know Georgia State Senator John Wiles, but I'm familiar enough with him after reading a portion of a Cobb County police report to know I would probably never vote for him if I lived in his district. When police were called to the home of Woodstock and Marietta city judge Diane Busch after a neighbor thought he heard gunshots, they discovered a teenage party in progress with underage drinking and adults allowing it. I'll let you read the article in the AJC here to get the details on the judge's wacky actions. However Senator Wiles, an attorney, was quickly called to the scene by Busch and preceded to show arrogance unchecked. After all he IS a state senator, so these lowly police officers needed to just back down and leave these kids alone... especially the kid whose college athletic scholarship might be jeopardized by an arrest.

I know the Libertarian in some of you will say that if parents want to let their underage kids get drunk at home then that's their right and I have to agree to some degree, but based upon current law the officers were only doing their jobs and it appears Wiles went beyond being a lawyer and was attempting to use his position to influence an active crime scene. 2-15-10 http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb/woodstock-judge-investigated-10-306818.html (Follow-up story in MDJ saying Wiles may face an unexpected challenger for reelection)

Another Sonny Idea Blown Up! Governor Perdue, and many conservatives in the state legislature, favor changing the way Georgia's government schoolteachers are paid from a "degree level/years taught" scale to one based more upon actual classroom results. It sounds great on paper, but doesn't necessarily translate to the real world as evidenced by the CRCT cheating scandal now enveloping Georgia schools. In order to pay teachers upon results you must have a method of measuring those results, and statewide standardized student testing is one of the few if not the only way results can be measured. Base a teacher's pay upon test results and teachers will spend their time teaching the test and the students are the losers. Whether or not little Johnny grows up to be well-rounded educated individual who can think for himself is irrelevant, because that doesn't impact Miss Smith's paycheck. Sure, there are good teachers out there who will still struggle to do the right thing and provide a good classroom experience regardless of the financial costs to themselves, but there aren't enough of them to staff our classrooms. Now is not the time for drastic changes in how teachers are compensated. Let's fix the testing problems first and then we can talk. 2-16-10

Here's A Valentine's Day Treat... Who were our sexiest former presidents? Nixon was the worst at #43, but I think Abraham Lincoln should have had that one locked up... he or Jimmy Carter... includes pictures of all... Read here 2-14-10 http://www.nerve.com/dispatches/the-top-43-sexiest-us-presidents/

Makes You Think Twice About Appointing A Female To The Bench: Article in the American Bar Association Journal highlighting the difference in rulings depending on whether the judge is male, female or a minority. A must read for anyone in position to appoint or vote for a judge: Read Here 2-13-10 http://www.abajournal.com/weekly/article/race_gender_of_judges_make_enormous_differences_in_rulings_studies_find_aba

Will We Leave Georgia Better Than We Found It? Here's a fascinating study by the Georgia Family Council on Georgia's societal indicators as compared to our past and also to national averages. The study includes areas such as crime, marriage, divorce, infant mortality, abortion rates, sexually transmitted diseases, and more. Hats off to GFC for a great job! If you really want to see the "real" Georgia, then read the study here 2-13-10 http://www.georgiafamily.org/upload/Cultural%20Indicators%203.0.pdf

Obama To Nuke'em: Got your attention didn't I? Good news for Southern Company, parent company of Georgia Power, as they expect President Obama to approve loan guarantees next week that will allow Southern to move forward with two new nuclear power reactors at Plant Vogtle in Georgia. 2-12-10

Did Your Child's School Cheat On CRCT? One of the potentially biggest scandals to hit education in Georgia is unfolding as state officials probe possible CRCT cheating at almost 200 schools around the state. See how your child's school looks here 2-12-10 http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/GA09spr_WTR%20by%20School_Public_FINAL.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F624A4E037F1FCCCEF972A203ADFF3EFA8382E8A05B2E851FB&Type=D

Another Stupid PC Trick: For those of you, like me, who would never set foot on a MARTA train... you'll want to know that the brains at MARTA have color coded their rail lines in an attempt to make it easier for people to get around. Well, the Asian community blew a gasket when the rail line into the Asian heavy Doraville/Chamblee area of DeKalb County was color coded as the "yellow" line. To calm Asian tempers MARTA today changed it to the "gold" line. Next week depressed people will protest the "blue" line; Native Americans will complain about the "red" line, and I will bet a box of doughnuts there is no "black" line. Don't you love diversity? 2-11-10

Take That DOT Board! With the governor and state legislature still fuming over recent actions of the Georgia DOT Board, you knew something would happen eventually. Today House Speaker David Ralston announced the house would work on a proposed constitutional amendment limiting the terms of office for board members. DOT board members are selected by the legislators who represent areas within each DOT board district, which means the public should hold legislators accountable for the actions taken by "their" board member. So here's a suggestion for Ralston... include in the legislation a provision requiring all DOT Board election votes taken by legislators to be made public at the time of the vote. The public deserves more accountability. 2-11-10

Perdue Signs Banking Bill: The legislature and governor made short work of HB 926, giving state chartered banks in Georgia some breathing room. Currently state chartered banks can loan no more than 15% percent of their capital to a single borrower. This has caused problems for some banks, which have had to write off bad loans and have seen their total capitalization decrease as a result. With less total capital, suddenly some existing loans that were under the 15% cap before rose above the 15% threshold... and even though the loans were performing, the banks could not renew them. HB 926 allows banks to renew existing performing loans even if in excess of the 15% cap. This legislation makes a lot of sense for both existing borrowers and banks, and may well prevent some small business and bank failures. 2-11-10

Who Can Stop The Ox? If I were The Ox's campaign staff I too would be making hay out of the latest Insider Advantage poll that shows John Oxendine still leading the GOP gubernatorial field with 25% of the likely vote, but at this stage these polls are nothing more than name recognition contests and The Ox has held statewide office since being elected in 1994. The more important number is the 45% of respondents who are undecided. Also noteworthy is that Ox's closets competitors, Nathan Deal and Karen Handel, are each still below 10%, while Eric Johnson has inched up slightly to 7%. Cash on hand come May will be the more telling story. 2-11-10

Seeds Of Their Own Destruction? Republicans in the state legislature are playing with fire... the kind that burned Democrat Roy Barnes so badly he lost his governorship. Back in 2002 Barnes was weakened by several missteps such as his strong-armed changing of the state flag that earned him the nickname "King Roy" and launched a bumper sticker/roadside sign "Boot Barnes" campaign. However, Barnes also riled up Georgia's teachers and they along with their friends and family took it out on Barnes that November... providing the necessary oomph to slide Sonny Perdue into office.

Now Governor Sonny Perdue wants to change the way teachers are paid in a radical way. Hey I'm all for accountability and believe in rewarding teachers who achieve results, but I call BS on Perdue's claim that an e-mail survey netted him over 20,000 teachers in favor of his reform proposal. I'm married to a teacher and a number of my cousins and family members are teachers. My mom just retired as a middle school secretary and I am a former board of education member and chairman. I have yet to find one educator, friend or family, in favor of Perdue's plan.

The problem is the bill is theoretical and has very little relevance to the real classroom experience. If you have 100 third grade teachers and each of them has identical classrooms... same funding, same supplies and materials, same support staff, and most importantly identical sets of students, then it would be easy to compare the competency of the teachers.

However, just talk to a teacher who has 1 or 2 special education students, 2 or 3 behavior problem students, a couple more with serious medical conditions, and of course several whose parents don't give a damn... all in one classroom of twenty-three 8 year olds. How do you measure achievement? Well the "experts" will say you track each individual student from start to finish of the year and measure how much he or she improved. OK, then how do you factor in the kids that move between different schools 2 or 3 times during the year? Or the child who starts the year doing great and then his parents divorce and his world falls apart and it wrecks his grades?

The reforms as proposed in SB 386 sound promising on paper, but most simply will not work. I can't tell you how many educators have told me they are considering early retirement. And for all you college students planning on a career in education? Either find a private K-12 school to teach at or become a college professor, because government schools will sap the life out of you.

Yep, if the legislature passes SB 386 or other similar legislation in any form, Georgia's next governor may well be a Democrat and some Republican legislators may find themselves in trouble come November. Read the bill 2-9-10

Statewide Common School Start Date? State Rep. Jeff May has introduced a bill that would set a standard school year starting date for all school systems in Georgia. The measure has been endorsed by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce as a way to increase tourism and improve student achievement. Once again this comes down to a battle of local control versus state control, but we must remember that local school districts are creations of the state and receive the bulk of their funding from state dollars, and thus the state does have a case to make here. 2-8-10-

Bartow County Board Of Ed In The Crossfire: Interesting commentary from Political Vine goes after lobbyist Boyd Pettit, who also serves as the BOE's legal council, as he convinces the board (including YouTube video) to spend local tax dollars to pay for a lawsuit filed by the board's chairman challenging a state law that would prevent the chairman from keeping his political seat. Read and view here 2-8-10 http://politicalvine.com/politicalrumors/rumors/misappropriation-of-funds-under-the-advice-of-a-gold-dome-lobbyist-impossible/comment-page-1/#comment-11098

Criticism Undeserved - Republican sponsored legislation in the Georgia Legislature would restrict government officials from confiscating firearms during emergencies such as catastrophic weather events. Of course some on the left attacked, calling the bill foolish and declaring legislators had more important things to do. Now we have a city in North Carolina that declared a state of emergency and banned the sales of firearms and ammunition, and the possession of firearms or ammo off a person's own residential property even if that person has a concealed carry permit. The emergency? It snowed! Read story 2-8-10 http://www.wxii12.com/news/22487153/detail.html

Good Thing Gore Didn't Win! For me the hands down winner in the Super Bowl ad wars was the Audi Green Police spot. It served as a great reminder of how bad things would be if Al Gore had been elected in 2000. If you haven't watched it yet, enjoy here 2-8-10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GemJWrp0nAM

Think Last Year Was Bad? Home foreclosures were catastrophic in 2009 and the latest numbers show foreclosures listed for the 13-county core of Metro Atlanta this month are 27% higher than February of 2009. Part of the increase comes from homeowners upside down on their mortgages deciding to walk away. This will be just one more drag on the stock market as traders become increasingly nervous. I personally sold most of my stock holdings the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2009 as I expect to see the Dow drop to 8,000 (or lower) before summer. 2-8-10

Healthcare Reform Georgia Style: Some Georgia Republican State Senators are proposing a healthcare reform bill of their own that addresses several issues they feel Republicans and Democrats can agree on, such as eliminating lifetime benefits caps, allowing children up to age 25 to remain covered on their parents policies, and letting small business owners band together to hopefully get better health insurance rates. The message to Georgia voters is clear... unlike out of touch politicians in Washington, DC, Republicans in Georgia can and will make common sense improvements to our state's healthcare system. While the bill's passage looks promising, expect a fight from insurance company lobbyists on this one. Read the bill 2-7-10 http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/fulltext/sb330.htm

Soon Those Pennies Add Up: We now have yet another proposal in the Georgia House to give local voters a chance to tax themselves even more... this time for arts and quality of life funding. Of course various arts groups are falling all over themselves in glee at the thought of raiding citizens pocketbooks to pay for arts projects that can't compete in the free marketplace. Article here 2-6-10 http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2010/02/08/story3.html?b=1265605200^2837151

Tom Price For President? Probably not, but Georgia's 6th district GOP Congressman Tom Price is heading to Iowa for a couple of events this month where he'll gain some exposure in this early presidential primary state. Tom is a rising star within the GOP House Caucus and is a regular guest on many national radio talk shows. 2-5-10

School Board Members Gone Wild: It continues to amaze me at how many school board members, mayors, city councilmen, and county commissioners think that by getting elected, they have a free pass to do whatever they want. There's a big stink in Dougherty County over the selection of a new school superintendent. And yes it's filled with accusations of racism. Now Georgia's attorney general may get involved. Story here 2-5-10 http://www.albanyherald.com/home/headlines/83695532.html

Power Grab Or Common Sense? If Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue gets his way, Georgians will vote in November on a plan to change the offices of Insurance Commissioner, Agriculture Commissioner, State School Superintendent, and Labor Commissioner from elected positions to appointed ones. If passed, beginning in 2014, the newly elected governor would make the appointments. This step will significantly increase the power of future governors.

Personally, I've always thought it silly to elect the Labor, Insurance, and Agriculture Commissioners. These individuals are heading up large state agencies and should really be part of the governor's "cabinet". School superintendent may pose a different issue... In 1992 Georgia voters changed state law so that all local school superintendents would be appointed instead of being elected, as many were at that time, and all local board members would be elected. The argument was that far too many superintendents were good at getting elected, but were not necessarily the most qualified education professional available to head up a school district.

I guess that same argument could be made about the office of State School Superintendent, though you can just as easily make a case that like local school districts, we should have a state board of education whose members are elected and they would appoint the state superintendent. 2-5-10 (Update: Strong opposition to the governor's plan has developed, ranging from 5 of 6 of the GOP candidates for governor to leaders of the Tea Party movement. Word on the street is that this proposal is dead in the water)

It's A Gas! While it is true that for the past several years our governor and legislature have failed to pass a plan to address transportation funding, we really only have ourselves to blame. In today's political environment, no elected official would dare risk the wrath of the voters by passing any legislation that could even remotely be construed as a tax increase.

Almost every transportation proposal floated involves either paying for projects with tolls or by giving voters the option of taxing themselves through either a statewide or regional sales tax referendum, thus giving our leaders some political cover.

There's a dirty little secret about Georgia's needed transportation improvements. A new mile of roadway costs the same whether paid for by tolls, sales taxes or the gasoline tax. Instead of creating new layers of government to handle collections from additional tollways or confusing regional sales tax plans, the simplest answer would be to raise Georgia's gasoline tax. However, that brings us back to the issue of a public ready to skewer any politician advocating a tax increase.

Here's an idea that would give our elected officials that political cover they desire. Calculate what a ten-cents per gallon increase in the state gasoline tax would generate over a ten-year period. Provide voters a list of transportation projects that would be funded with those dollars and then place the measure, much like a SPLOST, on a statewide ballot. After ten years the tax increase would sunset. Those who use the roads would foot the bill.

History has shown us that whenever government taxes something, we get less of that something. A statewide or regional transportation sales tax would suppress retail sales, especially of bigger ticket items like furniture and cars. This is not something we want as we try to recover from a major recession.

Toll roads also raise other concerns. Our highways are the great equalizer. Whether you drive a rust bucket or a luxury sports car, you are free to drive anywhere you want. By utilizing tolls, you segregate our roadways into rich and poor. This is especially true of concepts such as congestion pricing and HOT lanes.

As a conservative I despise taxes as much as anyone. However, each day that passes without adequate transportation funding places us further behind our neighboring states and it is crippling our ability to attract new businesses. It's also ruining the quality of life for families spending far too much time stuck in traffic. Either those who use the roadways can pay a little now or we can sabotage our state economy for many years. 2-4-10

Charity Game Getting Silly? First we got the "wear pink to raise awareness of breast cancer" campaign that started a few years ago and now people and corporations fall all over themselves to be politically correct by wearing pink or using pink packaging on their products whenever the word is given. I'm sorry, I just can't bring myself to buy soup in a pink can.

Of course other groups then started their own color games as evidenced by this week's "wear red for women's heart disease" campaign. So where does it stop? How about "wear blue for depression" day or "wear brown for warts" day? "Wear green for toenail fungus awareness day" has a nice ring to it.

There's nothing funny about cancer, heart disease or even warts... but our brains are being assaulted 24/7 by these various campaigns and many people are becoming numb. I can't begin to tell you how many folks have told me they hate going to the grocery store because every time they reach the checkout stand they get hit up for donations. Kroger is currently asking its customers to "round up for Haiti". Of course Kroger receives all kinds of free publicity from donating our money. If I feel led to donate to Haiti relief or heart disease research, I'll do it thru the organization of my choice. I don't need special color days or checkout stand coercion to make me more charitable. Oh no... breaking news... some group is starting "wear black for lung cancer day". 2-3-10

Che At Wal-Mart? Obviously the good folks at Wal-Mart must believe there are acceptable levels of evil. Never in a million years would you find Hitler merchandise at your local Supercenter. After all, Hitler was a socialist barbarian responsible for the torture and deaths of millions. Meanwhile Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara was probably only involved in the torture and death of thousands. Still, I was shocked to find a rack filled with shirts emblazoned with the image of Che for sale at my local Wal-Mart. Shameless! 2-3-10

Backroom Report - Monday, January 11, 2010

2010-01-10T23:20:00.001-05:00

During my five years of column writing for the Cartersville Daily Tribune I always put together a piece on my predictions for the coming year. With so much happening, I thought this the perfect opportunity to remind people that I’m no clairvoyant. So here we go…

Internationally, if Israel plans to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, then look for it to happen sometime between mid-March and mid-May. The Israeli government is rapidly testing new missile defense systems and is also planning major national civil defense drills before March. President Obama was recently overheard telling the Chinese that he can’t hold back Israel much longer. If Israel strikes there will be severe worldwide consequences and you can probably disregard the rest of my predictions.

Despite all the commercials, now is not the time to buy gold. While world events could temporarily push the yellow metal and it’s sisters, silver and platinum, a bit higher, the risk of the gold bubble bursting this year is too great. If you’ve made decent gains on your gold investments it might be time to dump most of it. Hey, if the U.S. dollar collapses, you would be far better off with things you can barter like food, water, fuel, and other everyday items.

Speaking of the economy… continued high unemployment numbers will cause Wall Street to finally realize that the consumer is not going to rescue things. A high number of small business failures will also be a source of concern. Expect a major correction in the stock market… probably this spring. Dow 8,500 is likely and 7,500 is not out of the question.

The sixty-four-thousand-dollar question in politics is whether the tremendous anti-incumbent sentiment now in play continues thru until November. If so, look for the GOP to pickup up a minimum of four U.S. Senate seats with a possible net gain of six. In the U.S. House, Republicans garner a minimum pickup of twenty seats with an outside shot at thirty-five. If the Democrat’s healthcare takeover bill passes, then Republicans have a shot at reclaiming a majority in the House.

In Georgia the state budget will be front and center. The Republican leadership has made it clear they will not increase taxes on Georgian’s struggling thru this recession, so that means more cuts in state spending. Look for a strong effort by conservatives to dismantle and abolish some outdated government programs and agencies, and the consolidation of others. Additional ethics reforms will pass quickly, but the big enchilada is transportation and I’m not sure the legislature can put together a plan that will pass House and Senate… and satisfy Governor Perdue. A failure here will seriously taint this session and could impact statewide races in November.

In the race for Governor, Roy Barnes gets the Democrat nod with Dubose Porter dropping out of the governor’s race to run instead for Lt. Governor. For the GOP it’s a lot murkier… Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine is still the frontrunner, but I see Karen Handle gaining some strength, Nathan Deal losing momentum, and the dark horse to watch is Eric Johnson. Johnson is steadily banking campaign contributions and has a network of key players around the state in his corner. Two of these four end up in a runoff…. Probably Ox and Handle or Ox and Johnson.

That’s my opinion, I welcome yours. For a complete transcript of my comments or to replay the audio, go to BackroomReport.com (End of complete transcript of commentary for Monday, January 11, 2010)