A lot of water cooler talk around the capitol centers around HB1380. It’s a somewhat obscure bill, designed, in theory, to pad Georgia’s pension accounts by purchasing life insurance policies on every single State Of Georgia employee.
One person who appears to have taken a personal interest in this bill is none other than former Speaker Glenn Richardson. I say “personal interest” because the lobbyists who have mentioned this to me didn’t see him wearing the required lobbyist badge that they are required to wear at the capitol when they register.
Those same lobbyists and a couple of legislators have also commented to me that the premium from such sales would be better than hitting Powerball (GA Lottery Corps newest bi-weekly game. Buy your tickets for drawings every Wednesday and Saturday and fund the dwindling Hope fund and ensure the board of regents never cuts a budget.)
One capitol insider even went so far to tell me they overheard a legislator say that he would give up his legislative career if he could have that contract.
Rahm Emmanuel’s mantra is never waste a good crisis. GA is trying to figure its way out of the worst budget issues since Reconstruction. We’ve got a bonified budget crisis.
And when I see the names of Burkhalter and Harbin attached to a bill, and hear that there is a personal interest from former Speaker Richardson – all men who have brought shame to themselves and to the House of Representatives – I don’t care to look any further. I don’t want these folks solving this crisis, for fear that they are just making sure they aren’t wasting it.
Kill HB 1380. Please use any time you would have used debating it putting together a real ethics reform package. Preferably one that makes legislators sleeping with lobbyists specifically against the rules of the general assembly.
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Legislators should sleep with whoever will have them, but there should be question on the disclosure statement where it must be disclosed. You know, just to avoid the appearance of impropriety.
If the state self insured itself, outsourced the administrative work it would save 20 to 25% a year. And we do not need a bill to do that, just a new contract.
I will be the first to say the State has many redundancies and inefficient processes. However, outsourcing isn’t always the magic panacea it is touted to be. One only has to look at the cluster F of the IT out-sourcing for proof of that.
+1 I’d hate to be the one calling the state’s administrative offices and end up speaking to someone in India.
Guess what!? If a State employee needs to call the State IT help desk for a computer problem, there is a decent chance you will get someone in India. It happened to me a couple of weeks ago.
Your minuscule tax dollars at work.
Agree. Agree. Agree.
Hmmm wonder if ole Richardson is trying to get paybacks for gettin boned by his pals? Taking out life insurance, that’s a novel idea! Good lord what’s happening to you republicans. Y’all gone nuttier than fruitcakes at christmas.
Psycho head spinning chicks from the exorcist and ghost chasers running for congress, former speaker in drag as a life insurance salesman. Hell, y’all must be on LSD.
Remember, vote Barnes. He’s ugly as hell but keeps his pants on and doesn’t take drugs.
prove it…
Much like that annoying cold sore, BS is ba-a-a-a-a-a-ck…..
If the Dem gubernatorial mantra is going to be:
“He’s ugly as hell but keeps his pants on and doesn’t take drugs.”
Then, the Dems will enjoy a fun, but losing election cycle.
I know, right? What a ridiculous statement!
I wonder what the drug part is about. Is that a comment on someone specific in the GOP or just an accepted explanation about why the GOP seem to be getting their crazy on so frequently these days.
You remember a few days ago saying that some days you are crabby (my word, not your word), well could this be one of those days? LOL!!
Actually, I’m not crabby at all today. Being pretty productive around the commenting.
Good. Me, too. Just keep popping in here every now and again — working in the yard planting flowers, etc. Just worrying where all of this is heading in the long run.
Can we start a thread for losing campaign slogans? Not here, lest Sir Icarus of Front Pagerton kick us. There have been a few floated elsewhere that were pretty funny. Make it a contest. Funniest gets a beer on B Balz at next Road Show.
If I win, I’d actually rather drink it than have it on B Balz, but I do like the idea.
“bonified.” heh. fail.
My reference to drugs was boner boy Richardson’s faux suicide attempt with viagra. My sources tell me he was huntin the honeys at Grady.
Remember, Vote Barnes! He’s ugly as hell, doesn’t beat his wife, doesn’t take drugs, his head don’t spin like the exorcist and duznt chase ghosts.
Damn republicans, bunch of fruitcakes.
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