There’s not a whole lot of political news floating around the ATH today, so we hope you’ll forgive us if we break today down for you roundup style:
Pete McCommons reminds us why we think he might be, bar none, the best journalistic writer in Athens.
Bill Shipp thinks that Ralph Reed oughta just give it up already, and gives a nice background on Reed’s current and impending ethical baggage.
Local guy puts his money where his mouth is with regards to the homeless shelter.
And, as always, we’re still trying to fix this poverty thing.
Finally, anyone interested in doing some posting here for about a week in December? Looks like your crack editorial staff may both be out of commission for a few days then. Email us if interested.
Have a great day!
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
A Golden Opportunity
Ask any average American, or any average Georgian what hacks them off the most about the current political discourse, and we’d bet you would hear one response above all others – partisan bickering.
Here at AthPo, we’re big fans of the partisan sniping, most of the time. Heck, it’s the bread and butter that keep political writers at the keyboards day after day. And going after the other guys is an important part of the two-party system. (The Libertarians and the Greens tend to go after everybody, but no one really listens.) When done in a professional yet spirited way, a little partisanship is a good thing; lots of times, it’s the best and only way to make sure the voters know what you’re about.
But sometimes, there are issues that cry out for both sides to work together for the greater good. This year, the growing cost of energy is just such an issue.
Up in Atlanta, the GOP is putting its thinking cap on, and mulling over ways to make sure that everyone in Georgia can afford to keep the heat on in the house. So are the Democrats. Problem is, they aren’t doing it together. So, as reported today, the GOP is talking about a variety of solutions – some good, some not so good. The Democrats are expected to do the same in a few days.
We have a different idea. There are fire-breathing partisan warriors on both sides. They don’t really figure into this fight, though. There are also legislators on both sides who can and will work together for the common good. Those should be the key players in this matter.
This is a golden opportunity for both parties to come out looking just a little bit better, and it’s a golden opportunity for the Governor to show some much-needed leadership on the issue.
One point to remember: for all of the partisan differences between the Republicans and Democrats under the Gold Dome, there is one very strong force that unites them. They’re politicians, and they want to get re-elected. Showing the statesmanship that comes from a bipartisan solution to an urgent problem looks really good to the voters in Dooly County, come November 2006.
Let’s get the Republicans and the Democrats together and get a bipartisan solution to the problem, and let’s do it right now. The weather isn’t getting any warmer.
Here at AthPo, we’re big fans of the partisan sniping, most of the time. Heck, it’s the bread and butter that keep political writers at the keyboards day after day. And going after the other guys is an important part of the two-party system. (The Libertarians and the Greens tend to go after everybody, but no one really listens.) When done in a professional yet spirited way, a little partisanship is a good thing; lots of times, it’s the best and only way to make sure the voters know what you’re about.
But sometimes, there are issues that cry out for both sides to work together for the greater good. This year, the growing cost of energy is just such an issue.
Up in Atlanta, the GOP is putting its thinking cap on, and mulling over ways to make sure that everyone in Georgia can afford to keep the heat on in the house. So are the Democrats. Problem is, they aren’t doing it together. So, as reported today, the GOP is talking about a variety of solutions – some good, some not so good. The Democrats are expected to do the same in a few days.
We have a different idea. There are fire-breathing partisan warriors on both sides. They don’t really figure into this fight, though. There are also legislators on both sides who can and will work together for the common good. Those should be the key players in this matter.
This is a golden opportunity for both parties to come out looking just a little bit better, and it’s a golden opportunity for the Governor to show some much-needed leadership on the issue.
One point to remember: for all of the partisan differences between the Republicans and Democrats under the Gold Dome, there is one very strong force that unites them. They’re politicians, and they want to get re-elected. Showing the statesmanship that comes from a bipartisan solution to an urgent problem looks really good to the voters in Dooly County, come November 2006.
Let’s get the Republicans and the Democrats together and get a bipartisan solution to the problem, and let’s do it right now. The weather isn’t getting any warmer.
Your Watkinsville: Still Workin'
With respect to our post about the new Watkinsville land use plan, the local paper writes it up here. Well, to be accurate, they write a lot about one particular aspect of it, but it’s still worth a read, if you’re into land planning and whatnot.
For what it’s worth, the local electeds in Watkinsville get it. We hope that their colleagues on the county level pick up a few hints from them too.
For what it’s worth, the local electeds in Watkinsville get it. We hope that their colleagues on the county level pick up a few hints from them too.
All We Know Is What We Read in the Papers
Retraction time, sort of. Seems Blake Aued kind of got it wrong in Sunday’s “In The Loop,” as regards the semi-fundraiser that the Athens Chamber of Commerce is semi-hosting for Ralph Reed, who, as we all know, is running for lieutenant governor. We covered it here.
Courtesy of a friend at the Chamber, (we know, don’t revoke our Democratic street cred, we do have friends in the Chamber) we received the following strongly-worded “nuh-uh!!” from the CoC. We won’t quote the whole thing, because man, the Chamber can be wordy at times, but here’s the gist:
“…this was not a fundraiser for Ralph Reed. He was invited to be a
speaker at our first Executive Lecture Series as a business owner. No
proceeds were to go to him, or his organization, or his political
campaign.
“We do not endorse political candidates, nor use any portion of member
dues for political purposes. We do, however, have a separate PAC for such purposes.
“Finally, Chateau Elan is a Chamber member in good standing. It is our
long standing policy to only do business with Chamber members. In 2005,
we have used more than a dozen members to cater our events.”
So there you have it. Either the Chamber is engaging in some really fast damage control, or Blake flat got it wrong. For answers, we went to a source we trust, who also happens to be an active member of the Chamber, as well as having some pretty sharp political insight. Our source tells us:
“The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in between. Who would invite one of the nation’s most controversial businessmen and political candidates just to talk about leadership? And on top of that, a guy with nationally publicized ethics charges? So I have no doubt they were sucking up to him, and they are guilty of politics by association.
“But the reporter's job is to get the facts and tell the truth, and he
failed miserably. If he missed it that bad, I would fire him.”
It’s nothing new for the ABH to get it wrong. There are usually one or two minor facts that are off in just about anything they write. But this is a big screwup for the ABH, if true. And it brings up questions about the amount of research that Blake puts into his columns.
If you want our two cents, here goes. The Chamber got misrepresented in a big way by the ABH on this one. Blogging about the “fundraiser-that-isn’t” yesterday made us curious, for one of the very reasons that the Chamber’s response cites. Fact is, the Chamber does, as we mentioned, have a PAC, so any fundraisers would logically, and we imagine legally, go through them, not the Chamber itself. In retrospect, that was something we should have mentioned as well.
Our question now is, whither Blake Aued? Does he get a slap on the wrist from the editorial staff? Or will it be worse? Or, in typical dead tree media style, will the ABH just let this go away? We suspect that the answer to that question is wholly contingent on exactly how big a stink the Chamber decides to make about this issue.
Courtesy of a friend at the Chamber, (we know, don’t revoke our Democratic street cred, we do have friends in the Chamber) we received the following strongly-worded “nuh-uh!!” from the CoC. We won’t quote the whole thing, because man, the Chamber can be wordy at times, but here’s the gist:
“…this was not a fundraiser for Ralph Reed. He was invited to be a
speaker at our first Executive Lecture Series as a business owner. No
proceeds were to go to him, or his organization, or his political
campaign.
“We do not endorse political candidates, nor use any portion of member
dues for political purposes. We do, however, have a separate PAC for such purposes.
“Finally, Chateau Elan is a Chamber member in good standing. It is our
long standing policy to only do business with Chamber members. In 2005,
we have used more than a dozen members to cater our events.”
So there you have it. Either the Chamber is engaging in some really fast damage control, or Blake flat got it wrong. For answers, we went to a source we trust, who also happens to be an active member of the Chamber, as well as having some pretty sharp political insight. Our source tells us:
“The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in between. Who would invite one of the nation’s most controversial businessmen and political candidates just to talk about leadership? And on top of that, a guy with nationally publicized ethics charges? So I have no doubt they were sucking up to him, and they are guilty of politics by association.
“But the reporter's job is to get the facts and tell the truth, and he
failed miserably. If he missed it that bad, I would fire him.”
It’s nothing new for the ABH to get it wrong. There are usually one or two minor facts that are off in just about anything they write. But this is a big screwup for the ABH, if true. And it brings up questions about the amount of research that Blake puts into his columns.
If you want our two cents, here goes. The Chamber got misrepresented in a big way by the ABH on this one. Blogging about the “fundraiser-that-isn’t” yesterday made us curious, for one of the very reasons that the Chamber’s response cites. Fact is, the Chamber does, as we mentioned, have a PAC, so any fundraisers would logically, and we imagine legally, go through them, not the Chamber itself. In retrospect, that was something we should have mentioned as well.
Our question now is, whither Blake Aued? Does he get a slap on the wrist from the editorial staff? Or will it be worse? Or, in typical dead tree media style, will the ABH just let this go away? We suspect that the answer to that question is wholly contingent on exactly how big a stink the Chamber decides to make about this issue.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Your Watkinsville at Work
Courtesy of Watkinsville Councilman (Post 1) Brian Brodrick, we get some 411 on what’s going down in the OC, and we’ve gotta tell you, it’s pretty interesting. On Thursday, December 1, the powers that be (including, we assume, Brodrick) will be presenting a new land use plan for Watkinsville. The plan, called, “Your Watkinsville,” has a lot of neat proposed changes, geared towards historic preservation, as well as cutting down on the potential for sprawl. Here at AthPo, we’re big supporters of the arts, so we’re especially heartened to see that the proposals contain the possibility of creating an arts district.
Note however, that in the finest traditions of open government, this plan is not written in stone yet, and that’s why your attendance (and comments) at Thursday’s meeting are so important (if, that is, you live in the OC. If you don’t, they probably don’t care too much.)
Here in Athville, we tend to look down our noses at our neighbors in the OC; it’s a land of unfettered sprawl, where developers run free and feast on the milk and honey of large land parcels and zoning laws that are less stringent than Athens. Good land use is a good thing, and we applaud Watkinsville for taking some steps in the right direction to preserve the city’s unique character.
Note however, that in the finest traditions of open government, this plan is not written in stone yet, and that’s why your attendance (and comments) at Thursday’s meeting are so important (if, that is, you live in the OC. If you don’t, they probably don’t care too much.)
Here in Athville, we tend to look down our noses at our neighbors in the OC; it’s a land of unfettered sprawl, where developers run free and feast on the milk and honey of large land parcels and zoning laws that are less stringent than Athens. Good land use is a good thing, and we applaud Watkinsville for taking some steps in the right direction to preserve the city’s unique character.
Chamber of Commerce, You Got Loop'd!!
Hi kids.
Hold on to your seats here, because we’ve got some shocking news. The Athens Chamber of Commerce is full of Republicans!
We know, we know. Watergate, this isn’t. But Blake mentions it in “In the Loop,” so we’ll touch on it here as well.
Seems that the Chamber is hosting a fundraiser for Lieutenant Governor candidate Ralph “I never hit on a soft 14” Reed, who, as it happens, is a Republican. Does this amount to an endorsement from the Chamber? Unclear. We’ll see if the Chamber also hosts a fundraiser for Casey Cagle or Greg Hecht, or even Jim Martin (Heaven knows he could use the help.)
We’re betting that they won’t do that though. So, looking at this as a tacit endorsement, we’ve got to say that this is kind of a boneheaded move from the Chamber. In the first place, Reed is not exactly a lock to win the nomination, much less in the general. In the second place, the Chamber stands to gain exactly nothing from getting their thumbs in this particular pie this early.
If you want our two cents, here it is. The Chamber has been trying for a few years to become more of a player on the local and state political scene. They put together a shiny new PAC, spread some financial love around, and even put out a report card for our Commissioners. Needless to say, few of the M&C passed. Having been pretty much stymied on the local scene (as nearly as we can recall, none of the candidates they backed in 2004 actually won), the Chamber is trying to move into the more fertile (for Republicans) ground of state politics. This is just a case of jumping the gun, which just ends up hurting their credibility as a player on the political scene.
It’s like Kenny Rogers says, you’ve gotta know when to hold ‘em; know when to fold ‘em; know when to walk away; and know when not to have fundraisers for candidates who are not a shoe-in for the nomination.
Or maybe they just wanted to solicit some advice on how to build an Indian gambling casino in the Classic City.
Hold on to your seats here, because we’ve got some shocking news. The Athens Chamber of Commerce is full of Republicans!
We know, we know. Watergate, this isn’t. But Blake mentions it in “In the Loop,” so we’ll touch on it here as well.
Seems that the Chamber is hosting a fundraiser for Lieutenant Governor candidate Ralph “I never hit on a soft 14” Reed, who, as it happens, is a Republican. Does this amount to an endorsement from the Chamber? Unclear. We’ll see if the Chamber also hosts a fundraiser for Casey Cagle or Greg Hecht, or even Jim Martin (Heaven knows he could use the help.)
We’re betting that they won’t do that though. So, looking at this as a tacit endorsement, we’ve got to say that this is kind of a boneheaded move from the Chamber. In the first place, Reed is not exactly a lock to win the nomination, much less in the general. In the second place, the Chamber stands to gain exactly nothing from getting their thumbs in this particular pie this early.
If you want our two cents, here it is. The Chamber has been trying for a few years to become more of a player on the local and state political scene. They put together a shiny new PAC, spread some financial love around, and even put out a report card for our Commissioners. Needless to say, few of the M&C passed. Having been pretty much stymied on the local scene (as nearly as we can recall, none of the candidates they backed in 2004 actually won), the Chamber is trying to move into the more fertile (for Republicans) ground of state politics. This is just a case of jumping the gun, which just ends up hurting their credibility as a player on the political scene.
It’s like Kenny Rogers says, you’ve gotta know when to hold ‘em; know when to fold ‘em; know when to walk away; and know when not to have fundraisers for candidates who are not a shoe-in for the nomination.
Or maybe they just wanted to solicit some advice on how to build an Indian gambling casino in the Classic City.
Winders: Racism is Bad, mmmmkay?
In yesterday’s Banana-Herald, Executive Editor Jason Winders continues to backpedal faster than Lester Maddox at a NAACP meeting, with respect to the ABH’s position on the Voter ID Law. We mentioned last week that, in light of the comments made by Sue Burmeister (R-Jim Crow), the local paper has decided that they might have been just a skosh too hasty in their initial full-throated support of the law.
We’re glad that Jason and the ABH posse are cottoning on to some of the real motivations behind this law. We just wish that they had had our back two months ago.
Look, it’s easy to dogpile a racist. But hey, if that’s the stimulus you need to oppose this law, then we’ll forget that you showed up late, and embrace the fact that you showed up at all.
Still, this shows what happens when you stake out your ground in the mushy middle.
One thing we really like from Winders’ column is this quote: “According to our early look at the state GOP playbook for 2006, undocumented Hispanics are the new black.” Nice double entendre, JW! We can hope that you’ll be bitch-slapping the GOP around on that issue in a month or two.
By the way, if you didn’t get the Lester Maddox joke above, click here.
We’re glad that Jason and the ABH posse are cottoning on to some of the real motivations behind this law. We just wish that they had had our back two months ago.
Look, it’s easy to dogpile a racist. But hey, if that’s the stimulus you need to oppose this law, then we’ll forget that you showed up late, and embrace the fact that you showed up at all.
Still, this shows what happens when you stake out your ground in the mushy middle.
One thing we really like from Winders’ column is this quote: “According to our early look at the state GOP playbook for 2006, undocumented Hispanics are the new black.” Nice double entendre, JW! We can hope that you’ll be bitch-slapping the GOP around on that issue in a month or two.
By the way, if you didn’t get the Lester Maddox joke above, click here.
Is the ABH Bigoted?
You know, there’s nothing that gives us the editorial red-ass faster than when folks play the race card without any justification. Here at AthPo, we’re more than willing to call a racist a racist (that means you, Rep. Burmiester), but we’re also willing to get good and steamed when people throw baseless accusations of racism around. And that’s what’s happening in Sunday’s ABH.
Seems that folks are getting their panties in a wad because the ABH took exception to State Rep. Keith Heard (D-Athens, kind of) calling out the Mayor and Commission on the poverty issue.
For what it’s worth, while we think that Heard was right on in calling the Mayor and Commission out, we also acknowledge that the desire to avoid talking about raising the hotel-motel tax was at least one element in Heard’s sudden stand. We also would point out that, as a legislator, Heard has been, to say the least, passive on poverty. He’s made most, if not all, of the right votes, but he’s never really been proactive in pushing his own ideas through.
All of that is really neither here nor there, however. The real point is that the ABH, for all of its faults, isn’t motivated by race when they criticize Heard.
Shoot us some backwards spit.
Seems that folks are getting their panties in a wad because the ABH took exception to State Rep. Keith Heard (D-Athens, kind of) calling out the Mayor and Commission on the poverty issue.
For what it’s worth, while we think that Heard was right on in calling the Mayor and Commission out, we also acknowledge that the desire to avoid talking about raising the hotel-motel tax was at least one element in Heard’s sudden stand. We also would point out that, as a legislator, Heard has been, to say the least, passive on poverty. He’s made most, if not all, of the right votes, but he’s never really been proactive in pushing his own ideas through.
All of that is really neither here nor there, however. The real point is that the ABH, for all of its faults, isn’t motivated by race when they criticize Heard.
Shoot us some backwards spit.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
ABH: Um...about that Voter ID Law? Our bad.
So, despite coming out against any changes to the Voter ID Law just three weeks ago, the ABH takes a step back and thinks that maybe they were a leeeeeetle too hasty.
Amazing what a little overt racism does to your position, huh?
Of course no one wants to be on Sue Burmeister’s side anymore, not since she got caught with her sheet down in front of the Department of Justice and the AJC. That’s why State Senator Cecil Staton (R-Macon) is getting it together to tweak the law just a little bit.
For what it’s worth, we think Staton is on the right track, sort of. If, for instance, ID’s were issued from local government offices (perhaps the local Board of Elections, which is usually centrally located, often in the county courthouse in smaller towns), and were made available for free (without having to go through the soul-crushing loss of dignity that signing a pauper’s affidavit would require), that would go a long way towards eliminating some of the problems that the opponents of this bill have with it. It also has the side benefit of making Staton look more bipartisan, and more interested in working with both sides to find solutions. It goes without saying that this is a quality sadly lacking in most Republicans in Georgia. It also goes without saying that having that reputation only helps in an election year.
Don’t get us wrong, though. The best fix for the law is to repeal the damn thing altogether. But we like compromise sometimes too.
One big question we have is whether this law will even be revisited at all during the 2006 session. The journey through the courts will probably last long enough to give the GOP some political cover, which is why the Democrats should make it one of their top priorities. And, as you know, the Gubner hath decreed that 2006 will be a quiet year under the Dome o’ Gold. (He’s gotta run fer re-election, yo.)
With respect to this law, we’d like to see three things, politically speaking, in the 2006 session.
Amazing what a little overt racism does to your position, huh?
Of course no one wants to be on Sue Burmeister’s side anymore, not since she got caught with her sheet down in front of the Department of Justice and the AJC. That’s why State Senator Cecil Staton (R-Macon) is getting it together to tweak the law just a little bit.
For what it’s worth, we think Staton is on the right track, sort of. If, for instance, ID’s were issued from local government offices (perhaps the local Board of Elections, which is usually centrally located, often in the county courthouse in smaller towns), and were made available for free (without having to go through the soul-crushing loss of dignity that signing a pauper’s affidavit would require), that would go a long way towards eliminating some of the problems that the opponents of this bill have with it. It also has the side benefit of making Staton look more bipartisan, and more interested in working with both sides to find solutions. It goes without saying that this is a quality sadly lacking in most Republicans in Georgia. It also goes without saying that having that reputation only helps in an election year.
Don’t get us wrong, though. The best fix for the law is to repeal the damn thing altogether. But we like compromise sometimes too.
One big question we have is whether this law will even be revisited at all during the 2006 session. The journey through the courts will probably last long enough to give the GOP some political cover, which is why the Democrats should make it one of their top priorities. And, as you know, the Gubner hath decreed that 2006 will be a quiet year under the Dome o’ Gold. (He’s gotta run fer re-election, yo.)
With respect to this law, we’d like to see three things, politically speaking, in the 2006 session.
- Staton introduces his changes.
- A Democrat (we’d suggest Vincent Fort [D-Atlanta]) introduces a measure to repeal the thing altogether.
- A Republican and a Democrat co-sponsor a resolution to censor Burmeister for her comments, which passes.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Now that we've got that out of the way...
The executive director of the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Athens weighs in in today's ABH about poverty.
We've got to admit, we're glad that the community as a whole is starting to pay attention to the issue, and that it's finally getting some ink in the ABH. Patty Freeman-Lynde (the aforementioned ED of the aforementioned Network) offers the usual solutions, and she gets it right. Put succinctly, if you want to ameliorate poverty, you've got to either raise wages or reduce costs, or preferably both.
And, if we had one criticism to make of her op-ed, its that it makes it sound far easier than it is. But, let us tell you, she hit the nail on the head on one issue, and it's one that not many folks are talking about.
Affordable Housing.
We've been saying for some time that affordable housing is going to be the sleeper issue in 2006, not just locally, but probably nationally as well. Will affordable housing drown out Iraq, the Warren Tara (TM), job loss, or the fact that 41.6 million Americans can't afford to go to the doctor? No, but smart candidates from both parties will be talking about it on the campaign trail.
Anyway, sounds like Patty Freeman-Lynde has gotten the poverty issue licked, so if the M&C would just listen to her, we could fix things and go back to talking about bike lanes and artsy-fartsy bus stops.
We've got to admit, we're glad that the community as a whole is starting to pay attention to the issue, and that it's finally getting some ink in the ABH. Patty Freeman-Lynde (the aforementioned ED of the aforementioned Network) offers the usual solutions, and she gets it right. Put succinctly, if you want to ameliorate poverty, you've got to either raise wages or reduce costs, or preferably both.
And, if we had one criticism to make of her op-ed, its that it makes it sound far easier than it is. But, let us tell you, she hit the nail on the head on one issue, and it's one that not many folks are talking about.
Affordable Housing.
We've been saying for some time that affordable housing is going to be the sleeper issue in 2006, not just locally, but probably nationally as well. Will affordable housing drown out Iraq, the Warren Tara (TM), job loss, or the fact that 41.6 million Americans can't afford to go to the doctor? No, but smart candidates from both parties will be talking about it on the campaign trail.
Anyway, sounds like Patty Freeman-Lynde has gotten the poverty issue licked, so if the M&C would just listen to her, we could fix things and go back to talking about bike lanes and artsy-fartsy bus stops.
Gubner to AJC: Up Yours!
Also in AJC-related news is a burgeoning war with the Gubner's office over an op-ed piece in last Thursday's AJC. We'll let the Gubner's press release tell the story:
ATLANTA – In today’s edition, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution used a form of censorship to hide its own hypocrisy. The editorial page ran a lead editorial criticizing Governor Perdue for using tax and other incentives to lure 2,000 new jobs to Georgia – specifically, a significant expansion of Aflac’s operations in Columbus. They called the incentives “corporate welfare.”
The AJC solicited an equal time piece from the Governor’s Office to offer an alternative perspective – a perspective the Governor’s Office provided. The rebuttal pointed out that Cox Enterprises – parent company of the AJC – received millions in property tax incentives to relocate its corporate headquarters to Fulton County. That portion of the equal time piece was ordered deleted by Cynthia Tucker, the paper’s editorial page editor.
“This is a form of censorship and it points out a major problem at the AJC. They are a liberal, blue state paper in the middle of an increasingly conservative red state,” said Dan McLagan, communications director for Governor Perdue. “What’s worse, they see themselves as the arbiters of truth, and in our judgment, eagerly omit facts and opinions which do not fit their world view.”
Whether consciously or subconsciously, Georgians have taken notice. The Newspaper Association of America recently reported that the AJC lost a larger percentage of its subscribers than any major daily newspaper, save one: the San Francisco Chronicle. The AJC lost more subscribers than the scandal-plagued New York Times, more than the Boston Globe. In a six-month period ending in September, 8.73 percent of AJC subscribers dropped subscriptions.
The following is the equal time piece in its entirety with the censored portion in italics.
Unbelievably, the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) is opining against jobs for Georgians. The AJC editorializes today that the state of Georgia should not spend taxpayer dollars to encourage businesses to grow in Georgia. When Cox Enterprises, parent company of the AJC, returns the $6.7 million in Fulton County property tax incentives it received to locate its headquarters in the county, then it will have the credibility to make such judgments.
Incentives are essential to bring and keep successful economic projects to Georgia. In a recent survey, Site Selection magazine, an influential trade publication, found that incentives are in fact the top determinant for companies picking a location.
Incentives are not always financial. They can include workforce training, such as that given by Georgia’s internationally acclaimed Quickstart training program. University research and development partnerships are highly valued, as are local tax abatements. Governor Perdue has put in place strict policies to ensure that if a company receives business assistance and doesn’t live up to its commitments, it doesn’t receive the assistance.
Georgia is considered in consultant circles to be very conservative with incentives. Other states are much more aggressive. What we look for is what every well-run business looks for: return on investment. And we think Aflac, as a longtime, native Georgia company, offers a good return on investment, not only in the way its successes reflect on and filter down economically to the people in the Columbus region, but to the state as a whole.
Since January of 2003, Georgia has announced 436 new business projects, creating 31,975 jobs, investing $5.6 billion dollars worth of investments into Georgia communities. We owe it to the citizens of Georgia to continue this trend, and not to stand by while jobs and economic opportunity slip away to other states.
###
And there you have it. For what it's worth, we agree with the GOP and the Gubner on this one. While there's no standard that says that the AJC should have revealed that they have benefitted from a similar break, good journalism dictates that they should've at least let the piece run in toto. However, our mentors always told us never to pick a fight with folks who buy ink by the barrel. We're going to be interested to see how this one plays out, and whether Cynthia Tucker (the AJC's editorial page editor) decides to go medieval on Sonny and the gang.
Interesting side note. Gov. Perdue's press secretary, Heather Hedrick, is an Athens native. Just thought you'd like to know.
Interesting side note. Gov. Perdue's press secretary, Heather Hedrick, is an Athens native. Just thought you'd like to know.
Burmeister and the Voter ID Bill
As frequent contributor Dawg Corleone pointed out, Sue Burmeister (R-Jim Crow) is now trying to back away from the statements attributed to her in the DOJ memo about her bill. Backing away from her remarks is probably a bit of an understatement. Running away like Paris Hilton at a MENSA convention is probably more appropriate.
Sez Burmeister, “An Atlanta Journal-Constitution article citing a Department of Justice memo has erroneously misrepresented comments made by me concerning voter turnout in my district. While I do believe that voter fraud is rampant in our state, I in no way believe that African Americans in my district or around the state only vote when they are paid to do so. If the AJC’s misrepresentation has offended anyone, I apologize. However, I do not believe that these statements are accurate and they are in no way a reflection of my beliefs on this issue. I am equally offended by the newspapers blatant misrepresentation of the facts."
Notice how Sue Burmeister deftly tries to shift the blame away from her and over to the evil, liberal AJC. However, the AJC was merely quoting the DOJ memo (page 6), which says, "Rep. Burmeister also said that if there are fewer black voters because of this bill, it will only be because there is less opportunity for fraud. She said that when black voters in her black precincts are not paid to vote, they do not go to the polls." (Emphasis added)
So, the AJC got it right, based on the memo. It seems pretty cut and dried; the AJC repeats what the DOJ memo says. So if anyone misconstrued Burmeister's racism...err, we mean remarks, then it's the DOJ, right?
Or is it? Let's think this one through, kids. Who has more motivation to rewrite history, the career attorneys at the DOJ, or Sue Burmeister after getting caught with her sheet down?
This is, plain and simple, a case of a politician who said something extremely inappropriate trying to play the victim, with the terrible "liberal media" as the culprit.
You'll notice that the usual GOP spokes-suspects aren't exactly jumping to Burmeister's defense, and we think that's because they know that she screwed the pooch from a political PR standpoint, and would prefer to avoid the fallout from this one. Lesson number one in the GOP Guide to Playing Racial Politics: No matter what you actually think about black people, don't actually be dumb enough to say it in public. We're betting that, as far as the Republican leadership is concerned, this particular turd sandwich is Burmeister's, and Burmeister's alone, to eat.
By the way, before our more conservative readers jump on us, we should make it clear that we know that Burmeister's comments are not reflective of all Republicans, or even most Republicans in Georgia. That's why we're hoping that, among others, Brian Kemp will stand up and decry Burmeister's statements to the DOJ.
Regardless of all that, we're betting that there's at least one race in 2006 that the black community in Burmeister's district will be turning out to vote in. And we're betting that they won't require compensation of any kind.
Slip us the tippies, yo.
Sez Burmeister, “An Atlanta Journal-Constitution article citing a Department of Justice memo has erroneously misrepresented comments made by me concerning voter turnout in my district. While I do believe that voter fraud is rampant in our state, I in no way believe that African Americans in my district or around the state only vote when they are paid to do so. If the AJC’s misrepresentation has offended anyone, I apologize. However, I do not believe that these statements are accurate and they are in no way a reflection of my beliefs on this issue. I am equally offended by the newspapers blatant misrepresentation of the facts."
Notice how Sue Burmeister deftly tries to shift the blame away from her and over to the evil, liberal AJC. However, the AJC was merely quoting the DOJ memo (page 6), which says, "Rep. Burmeister also said that if there are fewer black voters because of this bill, it will only be because there is less opportunity for fraud. She said that when black voters in her black precincts are not paid to vote, they do not go to the polls." (Emphasis added)
So, the AJC got it right, based on the memo. It seems pretty cut and dried; the AJC repeats what the DOJ memo says. So if anyone misconstrued Burmeister's racism...err, we mean remarks, then it's the DOJ, right?
Or is it? Let's think this one through, kids. Who has more motivation to rewrite history, the career attorneys at the DOJ, or Sue Burmeister after getting caught with her sheet down?
This is, plain and simple, a case of a politician who said something extremely inappropriate trying to play the victim, with the terrible "liberal media" as the culprit.
You'll notice that the usual GOP spokes-suspects aren't exactly jumping to Burmeister's defense, and we think that's because they know that she screwed the pooch from a political PR standpoint, and would prefer to avoid the fallout from this one. Lesson number one in the GOP Guide to Playing Racial Politics: No matter what you actually think about black people, don't actually be dumb enough to say it in public. We're betting that, as far as the Republican leadership is concerned, this particular turd sandwich is Burmeister's, and Burmeister's alone, to eat.
By the way, before our more conservative readers jump on us, we should make it clear that we know that Burmeister's comments are not reflective of all Republicans, or even most Republicans in Georgia. That's why we're hoping that, among others, Brian Kemp will stand up and decry Burmeister's statements to the DOJ.
Regardless of all that, we're betting that there's at least one race in 2006 that the black community in Burmeister's district will be turning out to vote in. And we're betting that they won't require compensation of any kind.
Slip us the tippies, yo.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Voter ID Bill
Hey, Voter ID proponents! If you want someone to shill for your law, may we humbly suggest not letting Sue Burmeister open her mouth. Ever.
Come to think of it, that's pretty good advice for any legislation past, pending, current, or proposed. But we digress.
Following in the wake of yesterday's released DOJ memo (which we still want to see), more information trickles out, courtesy of Rep Burmeister. According to the Honorable Rep., blacks in her district only vote if you pay them.
We have no response to that, except to wonder if the ABH will be permitted by its corporate ownership to call her out for her racist statements. We know her hometown paper, the Augusta Chronicle won't do it. If there isn't a backlash like God's own fury in the media and from politicians of both parties to her comments, then we're going to be sorely disappointed.
One last thing. In the AJC article, it mentions that Congressman David Scott of the 13th district appeared at a press conference by 5 of Georgia's 6 Democratic congressmen. We wonder who skipped and why?
Come to think of it, that's pretty good advice for any legislation past, pending, current, or proposed. But we digress.
Following in the wake of yesterday's released DOJ memo (which we still want to see), more information trickles out, courtesy of Rep Burmeister. According to the Honorable Rep., blacks in her district only vote if you pay them.
We have no response to that, except to wonder if the ABH will be permitted by its corporate ownership to call her out for her racist statements. We know her hometown paper, the Augusta Chronicle won't do it. If there isn't a backlash like God's own fury in the media and from politicians of both parties to her comments, then we're going to be sorely disappointed.
One last thing. In the AJC article, it mentions that Congressman David Scott of the 13th district appeared at a press conference by 5 of Georgia's 6 Democratic congressmen. We wonder who skipped and why?
Smoking Ban
The owner of the Nowhere Bar weighs in (just a little late) on the smoking ban. You know, I never favored the ACC smoking ban; the state version is draconian enough, thank you. (Though my cohort may disagree.)
Still, the ACC version ain't going anywhere soon. Nonetheless, Hertwig's got an interesting take.
Still, the ACC version ain't going anywhere soon. Nonetheless, Hertwig's got an interesting take.
Over in Normaltown
Athens Regional Medical Center and their Community Advisory Council try to smooth over the rough spots and agree to stay together, at least 'til the kids get off to college or something.
Seriously, it's always kind of been our opinion that the Community Advisory Council exists solely to provide a PR boost to ARMC and show that, on the surface at least, ARMC is walking the walk on involving community input. But does the Advisory Council have any input into policy? Can they even stop ARMC from doing anything that ARMC wants to?
Well, maybe they can, it turns out. Y'see, the advisory council has grown to be more than just a slick PR move. They're getting ink, and it isn't the ink that ARMC might like to see. Could a bunch of busybody Boulevardians tame the 800 pound gorilla that is ARMC? We'll just have to see.
Also in Normaltown news, suggestions abound as to what to do with the Navy School in a few years. We'd like to see it stay a school of some kind, or maybe go mixed-use. But what do we know?
Seriously, it's always kind of been our opinion that the Community Advisory Council exists solely to provide a PR boost to ARMC and show that, on the surface at least, ARMC is walking the walk on involving community input. But does the Advisory Council have any input into policy? Can they even stop ARMC from doing anything that ARMC wants to?
Well, maybe they can, it turns out. Y'see, the advisory council has grown to be more than just a slick PR move. They're getting ink, and it isn't the ink that ARMC might like to see. Could a bunch of busybody Boulevardians tame the 800 pound gorilla that is ARMC? We'll just have to see.
Also in Normaltown news, suggestions abound as to what to do with the Navy School in a few years. We'd like to see it stay a school of some kind, or maybe go mixed-use. But what do we know?
News From Under the Various Domes
Georgia
Under the Gold Dome, the Gubner is flexing a little political muscle and trying to keep the steely-eyed zealotry of the GOP to a minimum for the 2006 session, sez Jones. Y'see, while a safe Republican in a 70% GOP seat (like Jerry Keen, for instance) can introduce whatever crazy nonsense they want to, knowing they'll get re-elected. The Gubner, on the other hand, has to run statewide, and would prefer that the more wacko members of the GOP keep it to themselves this year. (Did you hear that, Sue Burmesiter? More on her in a subsequent post.) The upshot is that we won't be hearing about funding education with a sales tax. But something tells us, given the legislative bloodlust that the GOP showed last year, that this session won't be as quiet as Sonny wants it to be. Our question is, what lengths will he go to to keep his safe seats quiet?
(Also, according to Jones, the state is evenly split between Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. As Democrats, we appreciate the compliment, but question the numbers.)
DC
A bi-partisan push in DC saves Even Start. Alisa Marie DeMao writes it up here. This is good news for ACC, Georgia, and the U.S. Now if only we could get some more love for Head Start and the rest of these No Child Left Funded unfunded mandates.
Under the Gold Dome, the Gubner is flexing a little political muscle and trying to keep the steely-eyed zealotry of the GOP to a minimum for the 2006 session, sez Jones. Y'see, while a safe Republican in a 70% GOP seat (like Jerry Keen, for instance) can introduce whatever crazy nonsense they want to, knowing they'll get re-elected. The Gubner, on the other hand, has to run statewide, and would prefer that the more wacko members of the GOP keep it to themselves this year. (Did you hear that, Sue Burmesiter? More on her in a subsequent post.) The upshot is that we won't be hearing about funding education with a sales tax. But something tells us, given the legislative bloodlust that the GOP showed last year, that this session won't be as quiet as Sonny wants it to be. Our question is, what lengths will he go to to keep his safe seats quiet?
(Also, according to Jones, the state is evenly split between Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. As Democrats, we appreciate the compliment, but question the numbers.)
DC
A bi-partisan push in DC saves Even Start. Alisa Marie DeMao writes it up here. This is good news for ACC, Georgia, and the U.S. Now if only we could get some more love for Head Start and the rest of these No Child Left Funded unfunded mandates.
The Mayor Gets it Right
Among the things coming out of last night's session of the ACC Commission is some movement on one of our favorite issues - public transit. Heidi is ready to push it through next year (don't get too optimistic, we've heard that song before), but in a shock to no one, certain of the Commissioners aren't so sure. For instance Carl Jordan, who sez, "I think all of us have some fine-tuning we'd like to do to various parts of it before we go any further."
Now, depending on the Commissioner in question, "fine-tuning" could mean many things. From certain Commissioners, it means we might actually get an improved plan. For others, it means we're going to stall and stall until improving public transportation is a lost cause, and the precious status quo is maintained. After all, we wouldn't want those smelly poor people to be too mobile, else they might end up in our neighborhoods. (We're not naming any names though. We'll leave that for the comments, but seriously, the lengths to which some Commissioners will go to protect the status quo surprises even us.)
For Carl Jordan, we're betting that he wants to make sure the buses don't have headlights.
The point (or one point at least) is this. We've been going round and round here at AP about poverty in ACC. There are certain things the government can do to alleviate poverty. This is one of them. It's also environmentally friendly, good for neighborhoods and traffic congestion, and keeps the roads safer.
If Athens Transit has failed in any aspect of their push for more funding, it's in failing to act on those facts and build a coalition of advocates for the poor, advocates for the environment, and advocates for neighborhoods to rally up support from the M&C. Strength in numbers, especially when you're playing interest group politics.
Oh yeah. Blake writes it up here. Also some zoning and stuff.
Now, depending on the Commissioner in question, "fine-tuning" could mean many things. From certain Commissioners, it means we might actually get an improved plan. For others, it means we're going to stall and stall until improving public transportation is a lost cause, and the precious status quo is maintained. After all, we wouldn't want those smelly poor people to be too mobile, else they might end up in our neighborhoods. (We're not naming any names though. We'll leave that for the comments, but seriously, the lengths to which some Commissioners will go to protect the status quo surprises even us.)
For Carl Jordan, we're betting that he wants to make sure the buses don't have headlights.
The point (or one point at least) is this. We've been going round and round here at AP about poverty in ACC. There are certain things the government can do to alleviate poverty. This is one of them. It's also environmentally friendly, good for neighborhoods and traffic congestion, and keeps the roads safer.
If Athens Transit has failed in any aspect of their push for more funding, it's in failing to act on those facts and build a coalition of advocates for the poor, advocates for the environment, and advocates for neighborhoods to rally up support from the M&C. Strength in numbers, especially when you're playing interest group politics.
Oh yeah. Blake writes it up here. Also some zoning and stuff.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
More on the Voter ID Bill
Federal repercussions this time. Apparently, the career civil rights lawyers at the DOJ voted to reject the proposed law, but their politically-appointed supervisors overruled them. WaPo has it here.
For those of you out there who are ok with this law, but might still have an open mind, read the piece carefully, because the DOJ lawyers did a fine job of laying out all of the problems with the bill, as well as a pretty good number of fixes, of which we wish the WaPo had mentioned more.
We would love to get our hot little hands on the actual August 25 staff memo.
For those of you out there who are ok with this law, but might still have an open mind, read the piece carefully, because the DOJ lawyers did a fine job of laying out all of the problems with the bill, as well as a pretty good number of fixes, of which we wish the WaPo had mentioned more.
We would love to get our hot little hands on the actual August 25 staff memo.
The new math: Employment = Poverty
Interesting piece in today's ABH about the local economy. Now, said piece is written by Walter Jones, who is Morris News' stringer in Atlanta, and you all know how we feel about Walter Jones.
Still, according to the piece, Athens has a pretty enviable unemployment rate: 4%. But then, we figured out (at about the same time as one of our alert readers) that this brings up some really interesting and disturbing extrapolations.
Now, we were told there would be no math, but if you look at the numbers, Athens has about a 28% poverty rate. Accounting for statistical errors (and to make the math easy), we'll call it 25%. So one out of every four people in Athens lives in poverty.
And then you have the rosy news from Walter Jones that 24 out of every 25 folks in ACC who need a job have a job.
So, if out of every 100 Athens residents, only 4 need a job, but more than 25 are poor, what does that say about the state of the local economy? Suddenly, it doesn't seem as rosy after all. But that's what you get when you have a service economy. Low wages, high turnover, high poverty.
Meanwhile, as referenced before, both the local government and the state legislative delegation have been less than proactive. In fact, images of ostriches doing what they do best come to mind.
We still believe that the onus is on the local government. That means that somehow, the M&C have to declare a cease-fire with the Chamber of Commerce and actually work together. (It also means that the Chamber is going to have to grow up and stop acting like spoiled three year olds every time the M&C pass something they don't like.) The key words here are economic development. Should Athens turn into a manufacturing town? No. Should we be able to get better, higher-paying jobs here? Yes. But until the M&C and the CoC start taking economic development seriously, then we're never going to grow past being a service economy.
[Edited because I forget to put in the linky goodness. P]
Still, according to the piece, Athens has a pretty enviable unemployment rate: 4%. But then, we figured out (at about the same time as one of our alert readers) that this brings up some really interesting and disturbing extrapolations.
Now, we were told there would be no math, but if you look at the numbers, Athens has about a 28% poverty rate. Accounting for statistical errors (and to make the math easy), we'll call it 25%. So one out of every four people in Athens lives in poverty.
And then you have the rosy news from Walter Jones that 24 out of every 25 folks in ACC who need a job have a job.
So, if out of every 100 Athens residents, only 4 need a job, but more than 25 are poor, what does that say about the state of the local economy? Suddenly, it doesn't seem as rosy after all. But that's what you get when you have a service economy. Low wages, high turnover, high poverty.
Meanwhile, as referenced before, both the local government and the state legislative delegation have been less than proactive. In fact, images of ostriches doing what they do best come to mind.
We still believe that the onus is on the local government. That means that somehow, the M&C have to declare a cease-fire with the Chamber of Commerce and actually work together. (It also means that the Chamber is going to have to grow up and stop acting like spoiled three year olds every time the M&C pass something they don't like.) The key words here are economic development. Should Athens turn into a manufacturing town? No. Should we be able to get better, higher-paying jobs here? Yes. But until the M&C and the CoC start taking economic development seriously, then we're never going to grow past being a service economy.
[Edited because I forget to put in the linky goodness. P]
The Gas Man Cometh
Any ideas who this article could be referring to? We're waiting with baited breath for someone in Athens to get publicly bitch-slapped by the Gubner for price gouging.
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