What Is Goin’ On?

This interview with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle took place last week and my apologies to Casey for not posting it sooner. It took place the day before a significant court ruling in the “water wars” between Georgia, Alabama and Florida. That decision dealt a significant blow to Governor Perdue’s assertions that Georgia, not Alabama, not Florida, not the Corps of Engineers, would control the flow of water out of Lake Lanier. According to the U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Georgia has no right to take any water out of Lake Lanier for drinking water use without the approval of Congress. The Court’s decision is well worth a read. The main opinion is less than 20 pages, but it gives a good overview of the water wars that have swirled around Lake Lanier.

When you consider that Lake Lanier presently supplies almost a third of the water used by Georgians (all of them in metro Atlanta), this decision could have an immediate and significant impact on the metro area.

I was amazed that the Statewide Water Plan made it through the legislature with such speed and has already been signed by the Governor. With all the controversy surrounding the Plan (at least I thought there was controversy), I assumed the Plan was going to be the subject of hearings and debate. What happened? Casey says the universal support is the result of the good job the Water Council did in developing the Plan. He gives his full stamp of approval to the Plan and assured me that Atlanta was not going to steal my South Georgia water. What more can I ask for?

Only time will tell. Another reason for the lack of opposition may be due to the fact that there really isn’t much to the Plan. It doesn’t constitute a law or a regulation. It is more of an organizational plan that will have to be judged after the dozens of members are appointed and begin their work. I doubt the Plan will have any immediate impact on the water problems.

As for opposition to the Plan, Casey referred to a “very radical environmental viewpoint” that was asserted by some opponents as a scare tactic. I assume this refers to the Riverkeeper organizations. Whether their concerns prove justified, only time will tell!

As for the long-term water solution, there are 11 reservoirs in the planning stage, primarily for municipal water supplies. Casey also said there would be a minimum of $30 million in the budget for water issues.

Another major area of legislative attention this year is health care. According to Casey the uninsured population increases the cost of health care for the rest of us. An average family of 3 pays about $1000 a year in additional premiums just to cover the cost of medical care provided to the uninsured. The legislature is considering two initiatives: safety net clinics and a website which would allow consumers to shop for health care plans on a more competitive basis.

As part of the safety net clinics, incentives would be provided to communities that provide preventative health care to individuals who can’t afford it. I am not sure what this means, but be on the lookout for prohibitions and restrictions on suing safety net clinics and their doctors in the event they kill you!

As for the web based marketplace, I am not sure how that will work either. The concern here is that the insurance industry is allowed to offer all sorts of coverage plans, including the one that covers 100% of you medical expenses if you are bitten by a cobra while standing on your head! Read the fine print!

Casey also discussed an effort to provide coverage for catastrophic illness to the 25 and under age group who don’t like to pay for health insurance because as we all know, the young are invincible. They are also the biggest group of people that are uninsured. The catastrophic policy might cost as little as $45 a month.

On the transportation front, Casey indicates that the DOT is undergoing restructuring and modernization. But what about traffic? What about metro traffic? How about movable lanes? Most of us have seen the heavy traffic going one way in the morning and the other way in the evening. According to Casey the state of Virginia has movable lanes. So do other places! Sounds weird, but it may provide some relief. The biggest problem I see is that if Georgia continues to grow in population and cars, all the lanes in one direction may not be enough in 20 years. And that is the problem. No one is working on a solution that will deal with the long-term. Only time will tell!

Speaker Richardson’s Great Property Tax Plan is dead, but Casey says property owners, both residential and commercial, need relief from an ever increasing property tax burden. He suggests the legislature is considering a cap of 2% or 3% on annual tax increases. Also, local property tax assessments might be frozen until local jurisdictions establish a uniform assessment process. Frankly, I thought we had one.

Casey points out that the Governor has cut the state portion of property taxes by 1/4 mil.

Some consideration is also being giving to eliminating the income tax on senior citizens. Since I am close to being a senior citizen, I am all for this.

As for education, there will be austerity cuts. We did not have time to discuss what they might be.

And what about Georgia’s economic future? Casey says we will see a slowdown in Georgia’s economy. Inflation is up, credit is tight, foreclosure rates are up. But Georgia has always weathered economic downturns better than a lot of states. I hope this continues to be the case.