Monthly Archive for October, 2007

The Young Republicans: Follow the Leader?

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Wilson
on October 12, 2007
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Jason Shepherd and I checked each other out on the internet before this interview, and fearlessly went ahead with it. My worst fears were realized: The YRs don’t sound so bad! Damn, reality is a difficult pill sometime!

Since Jason is the State Chairman of the Young Republicans, I mainly wanted to find out if the future leaders of the Georgia Republican Party (ages 18 to 40) are going to be as arrogant as their current ones. I think not, I hope not and my conversation with Jason gives me great expectations that a new breed of Republican leader is coming of age, either in spite of or as a result of the gridlock and polarization of politics. Now, if I just live long enough to see it happen!

I have been reading “Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That Is Destroying America” by Cal Thomas (conservative) and Bob Beckel (liberal) and am very conscious of the polarization of the electorate. (There are times when I wonder if this radio show is perceived as polarizing.) With our Congress wasting time debating and resolving about the quality of newspaper ads, talk show hosts, and little boys, there is enough shame to go around. (They all need a good spanking, even if some of them think they would enjoy it.) I was encouraged by the fact that Jason and I could have a decent discussion and I am convinced that if the people in the middle of both parties would ignore the extremes, we could either solve some real problems or have a viable new party.

I have never been active in a political organization and have very little understanding of how they work. I was surprised to hear Jason differentiate the Young Republicans from the College Republicans. As best I can tell, the difference is one of maturity, although I am sure that will offend someone. My impression is that the Young Republicans are not as focused on specific issues as the college guys. Now, that may also account for why Jason and I got along.

It appears that the YRs don’t see themselves as a monolithic creature that spits out the party line on command, but that may be because they avoid taking public positions on issues. They are a “get out the vote” organization. However, there are times when they do pass a resolution taking a position on some proposal. For example, when a Republican introduced a bill in the 2007 legislature to require girls to be vaccinated by the sixth grade for the virus that causes cervical cancer, the YRs passed a resolution opposing the bill.

According to Jason, while the YRs support the party, there are YRs that are gay, that favor abortion, that have no problem with gay rights (of some kind), and that probably hold positions similar to Democrats like me on various issues. As I always say (and believe), everyone is really a Democrat at heart.

We did mix it up a little bit when Jason told me the YRs were going to be involved in supporting and campaigning for the passage of a constitutional amendment that will “define life.” Now, I have a problem with that. Frankly, if people don’t know what life is, I don’t think defining it in the costitutiion is going to help any of us. But of course, the purpose for this kind of amendment in 2008 is to get out the base, the right-wingers, the polarizers, the preachers, the pulpits, all the people for whom the immoral game of politics is a moral war of good versus evil. Someone needs to read the verse that says don’t associate with evil doers! Back in the day, most of those “evil doers” were the politicians.

If Jason and the YRs really think that polarization is a bad thing, it seems contradictory to support and work to pass a constitutional amendment which is nothing but polarizing. So why the conflict? In this respect the YRs are just like everyone else with a sense of ambition. If any YR wants to be a future leader, he/she better obey the current crop, no matter how bad they are, or the YR won’t be around to be a future leader.

This dilemma certainly infects more than the YRs. Can you change the organization of which you are apart by opposing it? I don’t think so, unless you are part of the power structure and you win a battle between factions. I don’t think the up-and-coming can do it, although I wish they could. So, we will just have to wait until Jason and his peers get their shot at power and judge them by their actions. I just hope it won’t be too late!

With important issues like water, tax reform, education, etc. that need to be dealt with in 2008, I hope the Old Rs, waste a lot of time on a constitutional amendment to define life. I hope the people of this state wake up and realize cheap manipulation and make the politicians of polarization pay dearly when they seek re-election in 2008. Here, have some more rope! Go hang yourselves! Excuse me, if that is a little polarizing.

 
 Jason Shepherd, Young Republicans [28:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (252)

GEFA, Sewers, Conservation and Water!

Published
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Wilson
on October 11, 2007
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If you haven’t heard of GEFA, you need to. It may have a lien on your toilet–or at least the sewer pipe that connects to it.

Chris Clark is Executive Director of the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA), a little known (to us ordinary folk, anyway) state authority that will hand out $288 million in 2007 to city and county governments in loans for infrastructure. In addition to his responsibilities with GEFA, Chris is also a member of the Water Council, and as head of GEFA, finances the Governor’s Land Conservation Program. On top of all that, GEFA houses the State Energy Office which administers the State Energy Program.

Chris and I started out discussing the rather mundane but important job of financing community infrastructure, like water and sewer. A lot of the money he dispenses comes to us from Washington in one of those don’t tax and spend programs. (I didn’t mention it to Chris, but GEFA sounds like the perfect Democratic scheme for funding things government can’t otherwise raise taxes to afford.) No offense Chris, I am all for government funding of essential government services, but I just could not resist the comparison.

The we hit the Governor’s Land Conservation Program which buys up land that is worth preserving in perpetuity to save it from development. (I did not ask Chris if this is the program that would have bought that property located next to the Governor’s last year, but the decision was made to let it go to the developers.)

And then we turned to water. Chris told me some things you might want to know, as well: (1) the current population of Georgia is around 9 million and is expected to grow to 18 million iby 2030, (2) our drought levels across the state have recently been changed to Levels 2 and 4, and (3) Lake Allatoona is apparently empty! That last one bothers me.

He indicates that at least part of the answer to the water problem is building more reservoirs to supply more water to North Georgia, meaning Atlanta. Currently it takes 14 years to plan and build a reservoir from start to finish. Chris says they want to cut this time in half. The problem with reservoirs: they are expensive. Chris estimates that it will cost billions of dollars over the next 30 years to build the water supply infrastructure that we need to deal with these problems. (I just don’t see where the money is coming from with all the tax cuts we have grown to love.)

If you wonder why Lake Allatoona is dried up, you need to listen to my interview with Neill Herring. Lake Allatoona is supplied by the Etowah River and provides a portion of the water that Atlanta needs. Alabama also gets water from the Etowah and Lake Allatoona and is threatening to sue Georgia demanding more water from this source.

When it came to the issue as to whether or not development in Atlanta will have to restricted in order to deal with this issue effectively, Chris was hesitant to jump into that pond. I don’t blame him, but the answer appears pretty clear. Atlanta has got to curb its growth or there are going to be more dried up Lake Allatoonas and Etowahs all across the state.

And remember, attacking Atlanta is political suicide, even if it is an environmental necessity. The guy that tells Atlanta to quit growing better have a club of some kind, a big one, because his days in power will be numbered, unless the rest of the folks in this state pick up a club and join him. Is there such a person who has the interest of all Georgia at heart? Do we have a leader who doesn’t owe the developers and the Chamber of Commerce and the insurance lobby their poliitcal loyalty? We sure as hell better be looking for one, because around 2030, I am expecting some armed combat!

 
 Chris Clark, Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority [29:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (249)

Public Hearings on Revising the Water Plan!

Published
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Wilson
on October 10, 2007
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The Water Council is holding public hearings on the Water Plan. If you missed the first round, here is your opportunity to participate.

According to the website, all meetings begin at 6:00 p.m.

October 15th
Fort Valley State University
Pettigrew Center
1005 State University Drive
Fort Valley, GA 31030

Georgia Southern University
Neesmith Lane Building
Plant Drive
Statesboro, GA 30460

Augusta Technical College
Information Technology Center
3200 Augusta Tech Drive
Augusta, GA 30906

October 16th
Gainesville State College
Continuing Education Auditorium
Continuing Education Building
3820 Mundy Mill Road
Oakwood, GA 30566

Albany State University
Criminal Justice Building, Room 111
504 College Drive
Albany, GA 31705

October 17th
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Armstrong Center Auditorium
11935 Abercorn Street
Savannah, GA 31419-1997

Okefenokee Technical College
Miller Lecture Hall
1701 Carswell Avenue
Waycross, GA 31503

October 18th
The Forum
2 Government Plaza
Rome, GA 30162

University of Georgia – Athens
Georgia Center for Continuing Education
Masters Hall
1197 South Lumpkin Street
Athens, GA 30602-3603

October 19th
James H. Rainwater Conference Center
Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference
Center & Tourism Authority
Conference Room A
One Meeting Place
Valdosta, GA 31601

Columbus State University
Elizabeth Bradley Turner Center - Auditorium
4225 University Avenue
Columbus, GA 31907

Atlanta Technical College
Cleveland L. Dennard Building - Ballroom
1560 Metropolitan Parkway, SW
Atlanta, GA 30310

The Inside Story on the Water Plan and the History of the Water Wars!

Published
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Wilson
on October 9, 2007
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If you don’t understand all this concern over water, you really need to listen to this interview. Neill Herring, as a veteran environmental lobbyist, was present at the creation–so to speak. Neill is a lobbyist for several Riverkeeper organizations, the Sierra Club and other groups and organizations concerned about the environment, natural resources and, of course, water.

The story is one of deception, not only of the people of Georgia, but whole states: Florida and Alabama. I am not sure I can even summarize the history well enough to do the story justice, so listen to the interview. The following is just an overview.

I am sure that most of us have heard something about the water disputes with Alabama and Florida, and the various efforts to resolve them. They have been going on since the 1970’s and never get resolved, primarily because Georgia (Atlanta) doesn’t want them resolved. Instead Georgia has probably mislead its neighbors for years, if not decades, into believing that Georgia would work in good faith to get the water disputes settled. But what Georgia really wanted was not a resolution, but delay and time. Time for Atlanta to build and grow and build and grow some more, so that whenever that day of resolution came, Atlanta would have the right to demand as much water as possible based on its current needs, not the need a decade ago.

This worked until Alabama finally woke up and is now threatening litigation in the Supreme Court of the United States where disputes between states are resolved.

The big player: Georgia Power. Half of the electricity sold by GP is in metro Atlanta. Have of all the electricity sold by The Southern Company is in Georgia. Thus, a fourth of The Southern Company’s success is due to the growth in Atlanta.

And that is the Water War with AL and FL. It is just a part of the Water War going on inside the State, but the fundamental principles are the same. Atlanta doesn’t have enough water to continue growing and for it to continue growing, it has got to get someone else’s water. Atlanta is at its limit, now, not 20 years from now. And Atlanta and the powers that be are doing everything they can to get control of more water so it can keep growing. If they get their way, streams and rivers will become mud bogs or worse.

Did you know the Flint River starts under Atlanta International Airport? The Ocmulgee starts in another part of Atlanta. I think Neill said 6 rivers supply some form of water to the Metro Water District, and yet, it is the Metro District that Neill says is left out of the Water Plan. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle told me last week the Metro District was not left out, it was just grandfathered in. Whatever, it still seems suspicious to me. Grandfathering something in generally means you can’t control or change it and that just makes no sense if the Water Plan is intended as some comprehensive. Neill says the plan proposed by the Water Council is nothing more than an idea without funding.

And exactly who are the central players in this watery game? The politicians, of course. They get to decide what to do with the Water Plan. They get to decide what constitutional amendment to sneak by us with language that says one thing and means another.

On the side of Atlanta and the developers are House Speaker Glenn Richardson and House Majority Leader Jerry Keene. According to Neill, these politicians, and others who desire statewide office, can’t accomplish those personal goals without the support of the “Atlanta Growth Industry.” Those are the guys that want to build the buildings, that have the people, that use the plumbing, that require the water. They are the fat cats, the insiders, the power brokers, the guys that have the money to insure they get what they want.

How do the people stop the politicians from doing what is great for Atlanta and disasterous for the rest of the state? According to Neill, people are beginning to understand the significance of this battle, especially those outside the Metro Water District. People are beginning to pay attention. The key is to let your local legislator know that the quickest way to retirement politically is to pee in the water.

 
 Neill Herring, Environmental Lobbyist [28:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (367)

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Should Be Ashamed of Itself!

Published
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Wilson
on October 8, 2007
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I don’t generally use this site to discuss legal matters, but this one burns me up, so here goes. A local citizen comes to see me about a problem with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. His vehicle has been in a motor vehicle collision, was totalled and he had to rent a vehicle for a period of time.

Enter Enterprise.

Although he did not know it, his problem began the moment he signed that boilerplate contract that Enterprise so deftly slides in front of its unsuspecting customers. Now many of us know that when you sign those contracts you become responsible for any physical damage that might occur to the vehicle while in your possession. Although I hate to pay for it, I always get the physical damage waiver. I just have this fear of the kind of incident that Wile E. Coyote experienced with the Roadrunner.

Well, anyway, so this guy rents the car, drives it a few days and then it starts having problems. Enterprise gives him another car and takes the broken one. A few weeks later, the guy hears from Enterprise who is now contending that he owes them $1000+ for repairing the engine! Apparently, the guy;s bad luck didn’t stop with the wreck. He was also unfortunate enough to have bought gas at the local Walmart that, according to Enterprise, had water in it and damaged the motor in the car. Now, Enterprise wants the guy to pay for fixing the motor.

I politely called Enterprise and said, come on guys, let’s be reasonable. Chalk this one up to normal repair and maintenance or something, but don’t make this guy who, through no fault of his own, has lost one vehicle and now is supposedly responsible for damage caused by bad gasoline from Walmart. Enterprise politely said, “NO!” They just love insisting on every term of that contract they make you sign, the one none of us read because it would do no good.

And on top of all this, Enterprise will probably sue him is some state of the union far away from Georgia because that same contract said the guy agreed they could.

An individual has absolutely no chance of winning in this kind of case. The law isn’t necessarily on his side, after all he signed the contract. The amount of money isn’t enough to justify the expense of getting a lawyer.

So what happens? Enterprise, god rest their sorry corporate attitude, makes tons of money selling physical damage waiver insurance and can’t assume any expense (a motor for goodness sake) as a part of its cost of doing business. The customer gets screwed again.

The remedy! A law that does something to prevent this kind of ridiculous outcome. I hear the moans of those people that like limited government. I’ll be all for limited government when we have limited corporate power and abuse, but as long as corporations demand having the upper hand, the hand of government needs to be there to slap the silly out of them.

Query: You rent a car and sign a contract that makes you responsible for any damage to the vehicle while in your possession and don’t buy the physical damage waiver. The motor blows up, slings a rod, throws a piston, ie., sustains physical damage. Would Enterprise claim you owe them to fix the car?

SNL on Fred Thompson! Everyone Should See This!

Published
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Wilson
on October 8, 2007
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Meet Bill Gillespie, Iraq Vet and Candidate for Congress (1st-GA)

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on October 8, 2007
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One thing the Iraq war is accomplishing, in addition to giving us all something to have an opinion about, is, it seems, more and more veterans are getting involved in politics. Bill Gillespie served his country in the Army for 23 years, but the Iraq War and the policies of the Bush Administration gave him pause to consider whether or not he needed to serve in another way. He’s running for Congress in Georgia’s 1st Congressional District which has been Republican since Jack Kingston’s election in 1994.

It is early in the campaign and there are still a lot of issues and positions for Bill to fully develop, but as he notes, he’s represented America in uniform all over the world and has a pretty good foundation for understanding our foreign policy and how we are perceived as a country and as a people. Whether it is the Iraq War, immigration or healthcar, Bill believes that it is time for good, honest men, who will tell us the truth, to step forward and serve.

By the way, you remember 1994 don’t you! That was the year Newt Gingrich first fooled America with his Contract with America. That’s the year Jack Kingston got elected promoting term limits, and now his term has been 14 years. In fact, I probably voted for Jack, since I believe Toombs County was in his district at that time. (Could be wrong!)

What happened to the Contract that was supposed to change things?

Turns out it wasn’t a contract with America, but a contract with Jack Abramoff, Halliburton, and lobbyists in general.

Do you remember that contract? Well, if you were Republican then (like I was), you need to go back and read it and realize how utterly stupid we were to believe that things were going to change.

Here’s what the contract promised:

FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs;
FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public;
SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting.

Now, they may have passed this crap in the House, but as far as I know, that is about as far as it went. I do know that nothing in that list solved any problem, because all of them still exist. I dare say there was not one substantive change in American government as a result of the Contract, only a change in who sold us the goods.

I do know that as a Republican in 1994, I bit, hook, line and sinker, for Newt’s Contract with America. Over the next 6 years I enjoyed the wars of conservatives versus liberals. I trusted the Jack Kingstons of the Congress to bring true morality to government, not just radical, partisan morality that suited their base. I even voted for Bush in 2000, not yet realizing the depths to which the Republicans could sink when they controlled both houses of Congress and the Presidency.

We need a new breed of politician. We don’t need representatives in Congress that are unwilling to oppose their own party and offer “rubber-stamp” support, no matter what the issue. We need politicians that can get above the partisan debate and actually solve something. We need politicians that don’t really want to get re-elected. We need politicians who will do what is right, even if we don’t like it every now and then.

2008 is going to be a landmark election year. Don’t miss it. Get involved. VOTE!!

 
 Bill Gillespie, Democratic Candidate, 1st GA [28:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (237)

Have You Heard of Healthy Mothers? Healthy Babies!

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Wilson
on October 7, 2007
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Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia is part of a national organization based in DC whose mission is to improve access to healthcare for families. Not only do they seek adequate funding for heath care, they also serve as a clearing house for information about Physician Referrals, Low-cost Pre-natal Directory, WIC, Children 1st, HIV Testing Sites, and Breastfeeding Support.

Rena did tell me two surprising facts: (1) Within the State of Georgia, Cobb County has the most children on Peachcare. (2) In the Chatham County, there are only two public health providers (physicians who accept Medicaid) who treat children. I am still having a hard time digesting that last one.

I am a litle fuzzy on how HMHB is funded. It apparently participates in some state programs, but it also partners with other coporations and organizations, such as the Partnership for Prescription Assistance which provides free or cheap prescription medications to low income families.

I asked Rena about S-Chip and Peachcare funding. She doesn’t believe the program has sufficient funding for the the 100,000 uninsured children in the State.

As I understand it, HMHB also collects data about the availability of health care across the State and reports the data to the Governor and other agencies.

 
 Rena Hall, Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies [28:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (223)

Casey Cagle on Property Tax Reform and the Water Plan

Published
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Wilson
on October 4, 2007
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In this interview earlier today, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle provides his thoughts about the upcoming efforts in the 2008 legislature to eliminate the property tax and develop a water plan. These are important issues and you really need to listen to what he has to say.

My take on it is this: I think the Lt. Gov. has reservations about totally eliminating the property tax as a source of revenue, although I get the feeling he would consider some reform in property taxation. I think he promised me that any significant overhaul of the tax base was not going to be rammed down our throats, but I still don’t trust the Georgia House.

For more on the property tax issue, you need to visit the recent interview with Alan Essig of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.

As for water, Casey puts a lot more credibility in the Water Plan proposed by the Water Council/EPD than I do, even though he was quick to note that it will not have the force of a rule or regulation or law. It’s just a plan, man! I get the feeling he is in favor of more reservoirs to provide water for thirsty North Georgia and metro Atlanta, but notes they are expensive. What isn’t? He seems to be against taking water from one part of Georgia and giving it to another, which is a good thing to be against.

I am still concerned about that deadline in the law that gives the legislature only 20 legislative days to come up with an alternative plan if they don’t like the EPD one.

 
 Casey Cagle, Lt. Governor [26:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (277)

Okay! I Screwed Up the Alan Essig Podcast!

Published
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Wilson
on October 4, 2007
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I wondered why no one was listening to Alan. I put one too many spaces in the file name. Rusty says that is not good. I have fixed it. Alan’s interview is worth listening to.