Jim Galloway brings us the details:
Last week, Handel was the only Republican candidate for governor to call for the resignation of House Speaker Glenn Richardson. Within the last few minutes, her campaign issued a press release that included the following:
“We are fortunate to have many dedicated members of the Legislature. This is an opportunity for all of us to take significant measures to end the culture of insider dealings, conflicts of interest and behavior that no one should be proud of but has been with us for decades. Republicans and Democrats are equally responsible and it’s time that it is finally addressed, Handel said today.
I agree with and back her suggestions, which include:
1. A ban on gifts of more than $25
2. Make the Georgia Open Records Act apply to the Legislature as it does to all state agencies.
3. Give jurisdiction to the State Ethics Commission for issues relating to conflicts of interest for legislators, state office holders, agency directors — including spouses.
4. Require all legislators to file a Conflict of Interest Statement with the State Ethics Commission, which will serve as the clearinghouse and repository of the statements and will be required to post them online. Lawmakers would also be required to recuse themselves from all matters that pertain to that conflict.
5. Continue the Governor’s transparency initiative so that taxpayers will be able to see – to the dollar – where every dollar is spent in state government.
6. Make mandatory the disclosure of travel and expense reimbursement by elected officials as is already required of agency directors.
I especially like proposal number two. I’m tired of certain pigs being “more equal” than the other animals on our Georgia Government farm.
I would also note that Handel has a history of making and implementing substantive Ethics proposals. Any candidate in Georgia that doesn’t understand Ethics is now THE issue for 2010 isn’t paying attention. As such, there are a few campaigns that probably are now mortally wounded as collateral damange, while voters will and should give fresh looks to Austin Scott and Jeff Chapman as things shake out.
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Handel – Leadership you can trust.
Handel’s slogan should be “I won’t full around with mistresses”
No, don’t have to worry about anything extra-marital with Ms. Handel.
Her mama couldn’t get the dog to play with her unless she tied a bone around her neck.
That’s rough.
That is absolutely uncalled for and inappropriate.
Wow. You’re an @$$.
I guess when you can’t find anything wrong with her job performance you have to insult.
These are good positive steps, let the light shine in.
I am one to try to find the logical reason for certain things. Does anyone know why #2 is as it is now? Why are they exempt? I know there is a reason, that at one time, was logical to someone somewhere.
Legislative staff carries out a lot of confidential projects dealing with policy that usually results in legislation. So, if #2 exemption didn’t exist, then political enemies (and some friends) would constantly file Open Records Requests trying to find out what their rivals are up to.
Just curious are county commissioners and city councilmen exempt from open records requests? What they do results in legislation.
Good question. I’m too lazy to look it up right now. Maybe Erick or any other council members on here can shed some light on that.
Logic and the General Assembly (or any political body for that matter) rarely have much to do with each other. They exempted themselves because they could.
Well said What’s New…
All good ideas!
I AGREE!
Ditto that. Handel looks like she’s getting in a good position to take the GOP nomination.
Once again, Handel is the only candidate for governor taking a stand on this.
All of us know why many of the others do not, as it would be like habitual drink drivers calling for stiffer DUI penalties.
In my opinion, the race for governor is just about over. The good ol’ boys running have all been caught with their pants down (figuratively for the most part) as we are reminded again why ethics are important.
What does Handel think of the governor’s PAC money? Is that included in her suggestions? Or will she not comment because she will receive monies from Perdue…
OX will now surely release one of his boilerplate press releases explaing that he is consulting God and relying on his faith on how to tackle ethics reform.
As to Handel’s proposals? All looks good, but if anyone thinks that final legislation will look anything like this has been smoking too much of their medical marijuana.
I mean, it’s easy to say these things when you already know the General Assembly is going to strip it all down. Sonny ran a similar ethics reform stance back in ‘02; and look where that got us.
It may matter to you guys but to the majority of Georgians it won’t matter much. Ethics and ethic laws are one of those things that people like it when they hear it, but will never actually know what any of it means.
I wonder if the Legislature will implement any of the “Handel Rules.”
Somebody needs to get a Handel on this legislature.
I have to admit, I had written off supporting Karen Handel for some reason. But, I have been impressed with how her campaign has jumped ahead of the others on the ethics and corruption issue. I might have to take a second look at Karen Handel.
Process of elimination.
Yeah kinda. Sometimes that’s what I gotta do.
Handel worked for the only sitting Governor of Georgia that while in office had an ethics violation. Her campaign has jumped ahead because the AJC has their head up her back side. She was wondering in circles until this scorned wife syndrome spot lighted her. She should cut Glenn’s X a check. Georgians must be stupid, their polling favorite is a Ox what drives worse than Ted Kennedy in state cars and piling up a number of his own ethics violations.
Show me one case where KAREN HANDEL has done something unethical.
I feel very sorry for you if you believe that “Karen Handel” is synonymous with “Sonny Perdue”.
Case #1 : Favoring the murder of innocent life based on the circumstances of conception.
That’s about as unethical as you can get.
Karen Handel is pro-life. She has exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. I’d hardly say that she doesn’t care about innocent life.
The torture of rape is enough, not to FORCE someone to have to carry a child as a result of it. I say FORCE because, someone could always chose to carry the child. Under your world FUNDY – someone who was raped would be FORCED to carry the child.
“Under your world” a baby is murdered.
Also, using your logic, isn’t Karen “FORCING” all women to carry a child except in cases of rape and incest? Can’t have it both ways. Life is life and if you’re gonna call yourself “pro-life” then you need actually believe that it is a life no matter how it got there!!!!
Yet another reason I want the government (and my evil insurance company) to get the hell out of the relationship between me and my doctor.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA cough cough cough HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA wheeze, wheeze, cough cough cough.
You have got to be about the most ridiculous person I have wasted my time reading on Peach Pundit. Are you really that stupid?
I sure would be interested in hearing why Karen is “pro-life”. If you can justify murder because a baby was conceived through rape or incest, then you can justify murder because the mother is poor and unable to provide for the baby. And then you justify it because the child has downs syndrome. And so on, and so on, and so on.
Tyler
I would think better of her if she resigned and she would not be in the position to campaign or from her SOS tax payer funded web site or certify an election she is in.
Maybe she could ad this to her newly release ethics platform.
By this logic, no one could run for re-election to their office.
Unlikely.
This is how far the shills for the other candidates have to stretch, and it is really quite pathetic.
Three corpses still in the running for governor and their supporters still fight and pretend that the rest of us can’t smell their putrification.
Byte, that was directed at Ludwig von sockpuppet.
Gator
Did you cry with Tebow the other night?
Karen Handel is the only person that certifies state elections as SOS. She has placed herself in position to certify her own election results in the primary if she stays on. That for the sake of fairness should have been addressed in item #7 if she wants to get all ethical like Eric Johnson.
Snicker
So you’re thinking that because she has to sign the form that says what the election results were, that somehow she can change all the numbers around to suit her? Maybe pull a Katherine Harris and insist that George W. Bush won the state without counting all the votes, something like that?
That’s a strange view of the real world you have there.
As for Tebow: no. I support my team, but I leave the whole “borderline obsessive” behavior to the Dawg fans.
Strange? Above she is telling legislators what they should do. You have a problem with her walking the walk? It’s bad enough she redesigned the state SOS web site at the time she announced and over embellished her roll in the Bush White House.
So would this fall under #4?
http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2009/12/08/georgia-legislature-oddly-incurious-about-bank-failings/?cxntfid=blogs_jay_bookman_blog
Many of the GA banks that failed this year are regulated by the state and the legislative committee responsible for those regulations is headed by people who sit on the boards of those banks. Conflict of interest? Yep. Read the list of the conflicted.
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