My father always says, “It’s not a bargain if you can’t afford it.” I believe that is the advice he might pass along to MARTA supporters.

MARTA has long desired more flexibility in its ability to determine how it will spend its funds. Currently, 50% of MARTA funds must be spent on capital improvements and 50% on operations. This is a fairly tight financial straitjacket, though it is a way to prevent subsidization of riders at the expense of abandoning necessary upkeep of the system.

There is a possibility that the ties on spending might be loosened in the draft legislation suggested by the Transit Governance Task Force. There are; however, strings as Maria Saporta writes in The Saporta Report:

To free MARTA from the state-imposed restriction that 50 percent of its revenues be spent on capital and 50 percent be spent on operations, MARTA basically would have to turn over most of its authorities to the newly-created Transit Governance Council. For the record, no other transit agency in the nation is saddled with such an unworkable rule.
MARTA represents a $6 billion investment in our region. Why should MARTA turn over its Constitutional powers to a state-controlled entity and give up its designation as the transit authority that can receive federal funding in the region.
According to folks close to MARTA, relaxing the 50/50 rule would give MARTA flexibility over how it spends its sales tax revenue (and it is expected that currently would be worth about $20 million a year for the transit agency.
It is inconceivable that MARTA could or should give up most of its powers and its $6 billion investment in return for getting flexibility in how it can spend the MARTA sales tax collected in the City of Atlanta, and Fulton and DeKalb counties.

And then there is the issue of the make-up of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) which would be the body with the ultimate control of MARTA. The 15 members would all be appointed: 9 by the governor, 3 by the lieutenant governor and 3 by the state house speaker. It’s not as though petty, personal politics ever happens in Georgia, so what could possibly go wrong?

From the state’s perspective, things are different. One of the complaints about the state is that it has not contributed as much money to MARTA as is needed. It is a fact that state governments are reluctant to give up control of funds, but let’s take this a step farther.

If the state increases its control of the funds, then it has greatly increased its responsibility for MARTA. It can no longer stand at a distance and point fingers. It will be forced to have a hands-on, problem-solving approach and let’s face it, the state has many more resources at its disposal that it could employ to improve MARTA – if the price is right.

In this case, the price for the state of Georgia taking so much control of MARTA is inescapable political responsibility.

If one wants the state to “man up” and do the right thing by MARTA, then allowing the state to be responsible might be the right way to go. The next logical step would be for the state to increase its funding of MARTA to acceptable levels for a state that still lays claim to the title Empire State of the South.

Is this a bargain that MARTA can’t afford? Perhaps, after all, it is not. My father, actually a man of few words, might offer another bit of sage advice to MARTA supporters, “If you want a man’s help, then make your interests his interests.” Yeah, that bit of wisdom would certainly fit.

There is much more at The Saporta Report, so check it out to get additional information. This is not the only issue with the draft legislation that is discussed. You’re big boys and girls so you can wander over there and find your way back again. For the weary, here’s the link.

I heard this morning that Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle is on his way back to getting power, and now Jim Galloway is reporting that Governor Nathan Deal has brokered a peace treaty between President Pro-Tem Tommie Williams, Majority Leader Chip Rogers, and Lt. Gov. Cagle.  A vote of no-confidence was to be held today, but both Sens. Williams and Rogers went to Governor Deal to intervene (a breach in the separation of powers, perhaps??) in the matter.  What resulted was a meeting between Cagle, Williams, Rogers, Sen. Ronnie Chance, and Sen. Don Balfour and apparently an agreement was worked out:

Cagle would chair a reconfigured five-member committee on assignments. The lieutenant governor would also have two appointments to that committee. Williams and Rogers would hold seats as well.

However, an agreement was reached that the committee would make no changes in the current chairmanship roster. Caucus elections this fall, after the November general election, would settle the matter.

Also, William and Rogers were guaranteed seats on this session’s budget conference committees.

Perhaps this peace treaty will keep everyone peachy through the remaining 38 days of the legislative session.  Maybe the war will end and the senate can get back to work on legislation rather than engaging in political in-fighting.  We’ll see, but speculation would be that changes are coming in the fall.  Stay tuned.

::UPDATE::

Nevermind, the proposal has been rejected by the Senate GOP Caucus according to Todd.

Carnac the Magnificent via Wikipedia

Polls are open, people are voting, and most of us in Georgia are just guessing how the numbers will shake out when the polls close in New Hampshire.  Get your prognosticating devices out and make your predictions below.

For those who may not want to talk about presidential politics, the governor will be delivering his state of the state address tonight at 7p. I’m sure you can tune in on your local GPB station or on the GPB website.  Feel free to discuss what you believe the governor’s agenda will be below in the comments as well.

::UPDATE::

Suffolk University and 7News has released the latest poll for New Hampshire:

At an event the other night, the Governor opened the floor to questions and someone asked him about repealing the sales tax on energy used in manufacturing. The Gov. said that the “cost” of the tax cut was roughly $170 million, but that he thought they could identify enough savings to make it feasible.

“I read that we’ve lost $1 billion worth of jobs,” asked the gentleman who offered the original question. “Don’t we make enough in taxes on those jobs to pay for the tax cut.” That sounds like a no brainer but it’s a bit more complicated than that.

“Dynamic scoring” is a budgetary concept over which Congress has been fighting for years. Dynamic scoring includes changes in behavior that are expected from proposed tax cuts. For example, if we exempt the sales tax on Porsche automobiles, we expect more to be sold, and we might anticipate additional income tax from new salesroom jobs.

So in the example of the sales tax on energy used in manufacturing, a dynamic scoring model would include additional income tax revenues from jobs attracted to Georgia, or less income tax lost to jobs moving to other states.

But Georgia uses a static model for budgeting that doesn’t account for anticipated changes that ramify from tax cuts. So we must find a way to “pay for” tax cuts in a down economy like we currently experience.

I recognize that we may have gotten into the weeds on a technical budgeting issue, but I hope there are enough policy wonks among our readership that this little segment was worth producing.

The field of 8 license plate finalists have been narrowed down to 3. (??)

The three plates you see were the top three chosen by a no-holds-barred cage match online voting on the Department of Revenue’s website.  If you’re wondering, the motto “In God We Trust” hasn’t gone away, but it won’t be a permanent fixture on next license plate.  The motto is an optional sticker that can be purchased from your county tag office for an extra dollar.

Governor Nathan Deal will make the announcement on Friday at the state capitol as to which license plate design will be bolted onto vehicles starting next year.

I watched Dale Russell’s I-Team report last night but really didn’t learn anything new about Governor Deal. He hired his daughter-in-law to do some fundraising for his campaign and he’s still not interested in talking to Russell about it.

We begin with Philip Wilheit, Governor Deal’s campaign chairman. He said Denise Deal’s was initially a volunteer, and then she was put on salary.

“We put her on a salary with some reward bonuses, as we called them, as we won time after time,” said Wilheit.

Wilheit says the campaign evolved, so did Denise Deal’s job, from staff member to fundraiser. He says they paid her the same percentage fee they paid to their main fundraising group, a company called Capital Strategy Group.

“I think we paid her hourly, it was almost nothing that we paid her during the course of the campaign,” said Wilheit. “And then, when it became obvious we were going to win, she was out there kicking tires, raising money for us, we came up with the bonuses, the same thing we did for Capital Strategies.”

In my mind there’s not much here. Was she qualified to do the job? Yes. Did she do the work she was paid to do? Yes. Did she get paid more than other people would have for doing similar work? No. OK. What’s the big deal?

We’re getting word that one of Governor Deal’s first initiatives was passed by the House yesterday and on its way for the governor’s signature.  SB 122 will allow public-private partnerships to be formed in the development of new reservoirs in Georgia.

From the AJC:

The bill, Senate Bill 122, is part of Gov. Nathan Deal’s plan to jump-start reservoir development, but several lawmakers voiced concerns that it would lower environmental protections and give too much authority to private developers.

The bill passed by a vote of 92-68, with a number of metro Atlanta Democrats supporting the measure.

Rep. Mark Hatfield, R-Waycross, opposed the bill and said Georgians downstream from the new projects would suffer.

“We have water supply concerns, too,” he said.

House Natural Resources Committee Chairwoman Lynn Smith, R-Newnan, stressed the voluntary nature of the process. Local governments could choose to create these partnerships or they could go it alone, she said.

“Nothing in this bill is mandatory,” she said. “It is all optional.”

::UPDATE:: The bill that was passed yesterday was a committee substitute with some small changes and will be sent back to the Senate for their agreement.

::UPDATE 2:: The Senate did agree on the House’s changes. (From Morris News’ Twitter feed: @MorrisNews: Reservoir bill heads to Gov. Deal after House narrowly decides not to reconsider passage, Senate accepts House changes. #gapol)

Today’s Courier Herald Column:

As of Wednesday, proposals for an “Arizona style” immigration reform have passed both the House and the Senate.  Yet considering the differences between the bills, and cautious indifference expressed by the Governor, this may be as far as either bill goes.  Aligning the competing interests within the Republican base over this issue add an extreme degree of difficulty in moving this concept to Georgia law.

The House version, HB-87, is by far the tougher of the two pieces of legislation.  While both measures require the use of E-Verify –the federal system designed to verify citizenship or other eligibility for employment – the House bill goes much further, and has fewer exceptions to which employers must use the system.  The Senate version exempts farmers from using E-Verify, which leave a large number of potential illegal immigrant employees outside the scope of the law, and leaves those who employ them free to continue status quo.  This loophole affects not just vast sections of South Georgia, but the poultry industry of North Georgia – a key economic driver in the home region of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Speaker of the House.

The House version would further penalize employers by not granting licenses and other state required documents to businesses who fail to use E-Verify.  It also has penalties for transporting or harboring illegal immigrants, as well as adds stiff penalties for those who attempt to use fake identification to secure employment.

Governor Deal, for his part, has urged caution of placing an “undue burden” on employers, and has questioned whether E-Verify works as promised.  Just under one year ago, Candidate Nathan Deal was a bit more firm on the subject, saying “I agree with the Arizona governor and Legislature that the federal government has failed miserably at protecting our borders and enacting sensible solutions that would protect our states, counties and cities from bearing the enormous costs associated with illegal immigration, from emergency room visits to public schools to the criminal justice system. As governor of Georgia, I’d work to pass and sign similar legislation.”

And therein lies the state of the current debate.  As candidates, Republicans are increasingly aware that any threat to their continued existence lies in primaries and not general elections.  And throughout the recent election, no candidate wanted to let any other candidate get to their right on immigration reform and enforcement.  Even Democratic nominee Roy Barnes signaled support for similar legislation, indicating strong political support from much more than just Republicans and the hard right.

Yet, those elected are keenly aware of the dual edge sword of unemployment numbers above 10%.  A general public may look at these numbers and conclude that illegals are occupying jobs that Georgians could be working.  Business interests make the counter argument that additional burdens and restrictions on Georgia employers could cause some to leave the state, thus making our above average unemployment situation even worse.

So how does one appease a demanding electorate yet not upset the state’s business interests? One way may be to claim “We passed our bill, but that other chamber wouldn’t cooperate.” and hope that the electorate is appeased in 2012.  Legislators do have one more session before they have to face voters again, so a non-solution this time is a relatively low-risk outcome. 

Another possibility for inaction would be a Governor’s veto, but that would be a much higher risk possibility for Governor Deal, who may not be ready to interrupt his continuing honeymoon period with a controversial veto that would not sit well with his party’s base.

The best solution is one out of the grasp of state officials, as their action is demanded/required in the first place because the Federal government has continued to ignore the problem.  Yet, any solution short of a roundup and deportation of 10+ million people is referred to as “amnesty” by those on the right, and those are the voters controlling the debate in Georgia.  Equally irresponsible are those that want virtually instant citizenship on the other side of the argument.  Lost is any approach that would document those here for work visas and work visas only, with existing rules for citizenship still applicable. 

Thus, inability to address the matter in any serious way at the Federal level has placed this political football at the feet of legislators at the state level. These legislators, having used the issue to fire up voters during elections, are now caught between an angry electorate they helped to inflame, and the business interests they are loathe to cross.

Helicopter owned by PWWR, LLC

It got a bit more interesting when I received the attached pic showing the helicopter in question sitting on the helipad outside the Capitol.  After all, that’s the helicopter Deal uses, no?

Well, sometimes, but apparently, no.

On state business, Deal has access to state aircraft, which includes helicopters.  But as we remember from the campaign, Deal and his Chief of Staff Chris Riley have access to planes held in an LLC registered at Chris Riley’s home.  Deal, now a resident of West Paces Ferry Rd, doesn’t use a helicopter for his daily commute.  But Riley, who still resides in Gainesville, occasionally does. 

The tail number on the pictured aircraft, N4567,  is registered to PWWR, LLC.  PWWR, LLC’s registered agent is Chris Riley.  The helicopter pictured appears to match the one used today,  and is not state property. 

Republicans may now go back to worrying about who the next leaders of their party will be, and not worry that taxpayers are providing a taxi service for a campaign team.

Today’s Courier Herald Column:

It wasn’t supposed to be close.

Nathan Deal released his plan for restructuring Georgia’s HOPE scholarship program with not only Republican leadership of both House and Senate flanking him at his press conference, but also Representatives Stacey Abrams and Calvin Smyre. Abrams is the new House Minority leader, a respected in-town Atlanta Democrat from the state’s more progressive wing of the party.  Smyre, a former Democratic Party of Georgia Chairman, served in House leadership when Democrats were the only party in Georgia, and represented a more broad governing coalition.

Abrams was tapped by Governor Deal to be inside the room, and given a real voice to alter key provisions of HOPE.  She is credited with protecting key provisions such as maintaining funding for remedial programs in technical schools, as well as initiating a loan program to assist funding gaps caused by reduced tuition coverage.  In exchange for these concessions, Abrams became an advocate.

The inclusion of Abrams and Smyre was, in political reality, political gravy for new Governor Deal.  Elected in November with a 10% spread over his Democratic rival, Deal came into office with a full slate of Republican constitutional officers, 35 (of 56) Republican Senators, and 116 (of 180) Republican House members.  With the first major policy initiative of a new Republican Governor backed by near super-majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly, HOPE adjustments were assured passage by the new one party Georgia. 

That is, until that whole “two Georgias” issue resurfaced.

Back when Georgia was a one party state under that other party, Democrats often had a campaign theme of “two Georgias”.  While never given specific boundaries, there was presumed a rural Georgia and a metro Atlanta Georgia.  Sometimes it was a rich Georgia versus a poor Georgia.  Black versus White.  North Versus South.  Us against them. 

Folks assuming that one party rule would be an end to competitive politics under the gold dome received a wakeup call Monday and Tuesday when Senator Jason Carter (D-Decatur)  somewhat unexpectedly made the coronation of Deal’s HOPE reform package an actual contest for passage.  Though the bill won Senate approval, Carter was able to appeal to rural Georgia Republicans by using a simple spreadsheet to make a sharp point: voting for his proposal to means test HOPE would ensure 100% college funding for virtually all of HOPE recipients in their district.

In placing clear data in the hands of rural Senators, Carter was able to send a direct message.  If he can hand you this today, an opponent can mail or robo-call your voters this same info next November.  And in a state where HOPE has become our own untouchable entitlement, a vote for reducing HOPE benefits to 90% of tuition for all when 100% can be preserved for their constituents if more was taken from suburban Atlanta families was compelling.  In the end, it was enough to extract a guarantee that the top two students from every high school in Georgia would receive a full ride, not just those with a 3.7 GPA and 1200 SAT.

In winning these concessions, Carter has also begun to crystallize a potential path forward to Democratic relevancy, and perhaps, his own upward trajectory.  Republicans moved from obscurity to majority party by picking off coalitions within the Democratic party to systematically win issues, build a platform, and eventually, the state.

Democrats, meanwhile, have been consumed with hand wringing and teeth gnashing over how to reunite their urban Atlanta base with rural Georgians who are bolting the party in droves.  Carter of Decatur has the Atlanta Democratic base covered.  But just down the road from his district is a Presidential library bearing his family name, one with its roots still firmly entrenched in Southwest Georgia’s peanut producing soil. 

At the end of this day, Deal and the Republican majority won the day with their solution to preserve HOPE.  The silver lining for Democrats is that Jason Carter may be reason for them to maintain hope as well.

I’ve been silent about this HOPE “thing” since I posted the initial proposal. In fact, I’ve been silent on the “premier Georgia politics website”, period. Throughout this fishing trip (both literally and figuratively) of mine, I’ve had a chance to sit back and watch the drama of trying to save a beloved part of what makes Georgia great unfold. In the wake of the changes to the scholarship being passed in the Senate (35-20, on straight party lines), I’m ready to break my silence.

Full disclaimer: this is the perspective of a college student, first-generation, from a rural area, who will be hit by these changes come August 2011. And what is the first thought I have?

There is something terribly wrong here.

And it’s not with our state leaders.

Most of you can guess where I’m going to line up when it comes to the actual proposal, so I’ll start this off with something else. The behavior exhibited by certain peeved-off college students, commonly known as my “peers”, is absolutely embarrassing to me as a Georgian and as a college student.

Childish behavior does nothing. Intelligent ideas, alternatives and discourse do. Yelling “kill the bill” in the middle of a floor debate and shouting “shame” at Representatives walking out of the Capitol accomplish nothing. Respect, open dialogue and thoughtfulness do.

For example, here’s a quote directed towards me from angry student (but cleaned up a bit):

“I’m glad to know that for you, eating one piece of (stuff) is a whole lot difference than eating 10 pieces of (stuff). For me, it’s still eating (stuff).”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is just what’s wrong. I’m not a stickler for censorship, and my language gets a bit salty from time to time, but attempts at dropping more “S-bombs” than South Park’s Cartman with Tourettes is not the way to change legislation or convince others of your argument.

Most college students on my campus (or as I call it, the Promised Land), could care less about state politics, at least until times get rough. All of a sudden choosing to care about what goes on under the Gold Dome is going to get you nowhere when all you have are childish attacks, elementary school behavior and little to no thoughtful ideas about the topic at hand.

Which brings me to part of the title of this post: man up. The simple fact that seems to be lost on many of my “peers” is the truth that college students in Georgia have it better than any other students in any other state of this great country. Why don’t we take a trip up to New York and ask students there how they would feel about getting 90% of their current tuition rates paid? Why don’t we ask the out of state students from Texas (who not only have to deal with tuition but the cost of merely getting to Athens) who attend UGA how they would feel about getting that much money? Why don’t we ask Peach Pundit’s own Rep. Buzz Brockway what he would have done for that money when he was working 20 hours a week to get through college? Man up.

Sorry I’m not sorry for telling the truth in a blunt way. I know how harsh this sounds but the thing to remember here is that I’m going to be dealing with these changes myself. I would much rather live in a state that requires a balanced budget, which demands action on this matter now, than one that would drive us into debt by the time I’m out of college.

Which brings me to HOPE (for the future).

Do I wish that there was a way to not have SAT scores factored into the equation? Yes.

Do I hope that at some point video lottery systems will be implemented in Georgia? Yes.

Do I wish that there was a grandfather clause in the new system? Yes.

Am I realist? A pragmatic (at least in my own mind) thinker who realizes that ideas, numbers and viewpoints have been taken into account? A thinker who sees that compromises have been achieved and that something must be done?

More so than any of the first three, yes.

What we have here is a painful, well-thought out, bipartisan (in the People’s House at least), compromise-laden proposal that will preserve a cherished, merit-based scholarship for college students for years to come. As it should be. There is no way to avoid the sting of budget woes and tough economic times; this proposal has taken every possible step to make that blow as light as possible.

I applaud our leaders for the compromises regarding the 3.3 GPA, the full pre-k days and full tuition for the top two highest high school graduates. As a rural Georgian, compromises such as these make me feel considerably better about the SAT being incorporated as a factor.

Which brings us to “Real Deals”. Governor Deal could have waited another year before dealing with this matter; he did not. He could have turned a blind eye and refused to listen; he did not. He could have refused to work across party lines with lawmakers and leaders; he did not. Am I saying that Governor Deal is (two months in) the best Governor we’ve ever had? No. Am I saying that I am going to agree with every single decision he makes? No.

What I am saying is that we have a steady leader (key word) as our state’s chief executive; a leader who is willing to listen to all sides of an issue and offer thought out solutions to problems in a timely manner. Realize it or not, that’s better than a lot of other states in these great United States.

Which also ties back into the leadership in the General Assembly; it is not even Crossover Day yet and the biggest single issue (along with the budget) is set to be resolved by Thursday. How anyone can not say that this has been handled in a timely, professional fashion (agree or disagree with the bill) is beyond me. Which also ties back into having a Governor who…you see where I’m going here.

Bottom line: HOPE has been preserved. We have a scholarship in place that rewards students for academic excellence and keeps them in Georgia. I think we can all agree that we wish it would have never come to this point, or maybe that’s just a biased college student’s opinion. Either way, kudos to this bill. There are times when we are thriving and there are times we are surviving. Now is the time that decisions have to be made in regards to surviving.

These changes to HOPE will set us on the path to thrive again.

Today’s Courier Herald Column:

In my post college career I was an Atlanta banker.  One week before my 23^rd birthday, I was placed in charge of a branch in Mableton Georgia.  I had to quickly assimilate into an established staff that was still referring to a part-time teller with over two years experience as “the new girl”.  Upon meeting one of the more seasoned tellers, I was told – after she literally looked me head to toe, twice – “Hmmph. I don’t need this. I’ve got one of you at home.”  I promoted her.

It was a good group, and over two years, no one quit, and no one was fired.  The branch far exceeded all goals given to us.  But in order to get the job done, we had to make occasional allowances and adapt to whatever the real world handed us.

One of the more challenging events was when the Cobb County School System decided to adopt a calendar that incorporated multiple half-day teacher work days.  Of my staff of 10, half had children in Cobb County schools.  And each requested these days off.  Every one of them.

We discussed various scenarios of whom to decide to allow off.  But generally the ones with the lowest seniority were the lowest paid, and even the senior staff couldn’t afford the expense of a half day of daycare, which would cost them more than they would make for their full day of work.

Eventually, necessity stoked creativity, and we brought about seven kids into our break room and conference room for the afternoons that involved teacher work days.  No one took time off so that we were fully staffed, and between the oldest kids and rotating staff members, we kept the children entertained and our customers were taken care of.  We also got some coins rolled with cheap child labor.

And so it was with this experience in mind that I was initially quite skeptical of Governor Deal’s plan to move Georgia’s lottery funded pre-kindergarten program to shorter days.  His original plan would have been to scale back the Pre-K day from 6.5 hours to 4.  This invoked memories of my rogue daycare center.  The vast majority of kids in Georgia’s Pre-K program have working parents, and the strain of trying to find half-day daycare or other arrangements would make the program cost-prohibitive for many.  I’m guessing the Governor and General Assembly got an earful, as the proposal has now been adjusted to restore the day to 6.5 hours, but reduce the number of days from 180 days to 160.

It will be much easier for parents to make proper day care arrangements for the 20 full days than 180 half days under this new plan.  And thus, the children targeted for this program are much more likely to benefit rather than end up in just a full day of daycare.

The downside to this program is that Deal’s original plan would have expanded the program by 5,000 additional students.  Now, the expectation is for just 2,000 additional student slots to open up.

Overall, however, I would have to give credit to the Governor and his staff for getting this one right, or at least, making the proposal better.  Like it or not, when dealing with education, especially a program targeted toward at-risk children, the program has to work for student and parent.  And for the program to work for the parent, it also has to be conducive to their employment.

For those still committed to the value of public education, these are good changes that deal with realities of our current budget.  Everyone gives a little, and most still get what they need.  And in the process, the Governor gets another early victory.

At the risk of ruining Governor Deal’s conservative cred, I submit for your approval an article at Creative Loafing praising him.

But Deal was different, the Democrat warned. “He’s not one of these ideological yahoos,” I was told. “He’s a serious guy.”

Well, now that this serious guy has been our governor for a month, I admit to being cautiously optimistic that, our lousy economy aside, Georgia is headed in a better direction than it has in a while. And not just because I might soon be able to buy a bottle of bourbon on Sunday — although let’s be careful not to underestimate the near-biblical magnitude of that change.

One anecdotal thing I’ll tell you is that a week or so ago Legislators were given a sheet with information on who to contact in the Governor’s office to get group pictures with the Governor (for school groups and other groups that regularly come to the Capitol). Also on that sheet was a schedule of when the Governor was making himself available to speak with Legislators; 15 minutes at a time on whatever topic was on their mind. I can’t speak to how things were before I got here but I was impressed.

The healthcare sector of our economy has been growing at an alarming rate for the past 10 years.  In fact, it’s one of the few sectors that seems to be somewhat recession proof.  If you’ve got the chops to be a healthcare consultant or a benefits expert or whatever, you could have made a lot of money these past ten years.

So why would you make a risky bet on an upscale sporting goods store in rural Georgia after having filed for bankruptcy only years earlier?  You see, it makes sense for the nursing home industry to make a bet on Clint Wilder.  Even if they are paying him $200k/year, they need to see their reimbursement rates either stay flat or go up by about 2% of 1% in order to break even on the deal.

But if Clint Wilder has such an impressive background in healthcare, why open that store?  I don’t think it was because he wanted to be the HR guy.

Democrats ruled over Georgia and her Republicans for more than 130 years.  During those 6 score and 10 years, many of the leading prognosticators of the day repeatedly saw their own shadow and forecast endless Democratic reign.  But then there was light!  And, ironically, some of these same people who profited mightily from their association with the state’s Democrats were quickly reborn Republicans (as many of the Democrats they once partnered with had also done) and now still look into their crystal ball (and to be fair, the Georgia Election Results page on the SOS website since 2002).

And what does this crystal ball show them?  Besides 130 years of uninterrupted GOP rule?  Why, that Clint Wilder needs a job.  And many more family vacations to far off destinations in Speaker Ralston’s future.  And perhaps one or two lobbyists checking to make sure she is current on her birth control before a committee dinner.   Whether it will be another 130 years or 1.3 it is guaranteed to be fun.

Still discovering “how big state government really is,” Georgia’s Governor, Nathan Deal (R- Eally Loves Spending) has shown an inventive way of cutting state government by…expanding his staff? Wait, that can’t be right. Roll the tape!

There are 10 more employees in Deal’s office compared with the final months of Perdue’s administration, and top-tier salaries have increased. Eight people in Deal’s office are making more than $100,000, compared with three in the previous administration.

Overall payroll in Deal’s executive office stands at $3.32 million for 72 employees, compared with the $2.62 million payroll for 62 employees in Perdue’s office on Election Day in 2010, records obtained through Georgia’s Open Records Act show.

Welcome to the new norm. Oh, and we’re still screwed.

Today’s “fresh political pickins from the Peach State”:

1.) Coming off a bitter campaign, Governor Deal and former Governor Barnes have forged an unlikely alliance over a good cause: ensuring that spouses of state employees killed in the line of duty are able to continue health coverage under the state’s plan. To quote Barnes: “It’s the least we can do, really”.

I didn’t vote for Governor Barnes and I don’t regret that decision. But it’s good to see this kind of unity from Speaker, Governor and former Goveror when it comes to something like this, which is doing the right thing.  It also more than makes up for these shenanigans last week by Barnes. “What a crock”.

2.) HB 92, sponsored by Rep. Mark Hamilton, R-Cumming, would reduce the early voting period from 45 to 21 days. Read the full article here. Personally, I think this is very necessary. I’d even support cutting it down to 14 or 7 days, but 21 is a good number. Cost-wise, it guts rural counties to have this long of an early voting period:

An ACCG survey found that counties with less than 10,000 registered voters spent an average $78.31 per early vote in the 2010 primary election, and $11.79 in the general election, compared with $10.76 and $3.63 for counties with more than 100,000 registered voters.

Plus, ya’ll know us rural folks have had problems with voter fraud in the past. A long period of early voting allows more ballots to be mailed out to cemetaries everywhere.

3.) Attorney General Olens, Congressman Westmoreland and Governor Deal held a press conference yesterday in response to the ruling in Florida on the healthcare law.

4.) HB 100, introduced by Rep. Allen Peake of Macon, creates a new court in Georgia to exclusively deal with problems regarding the Department of Revenue.

5.) There are two bills in the House looking to place more scrutiny on projects that “rely on transferring water from one river basin to another”. This idea is currently being worked on by Rep. Tom McCall and Rep. Alan Powell.

6.) In other positive news (not), a new report says that Georgia is 7th among states in total illegal immigrant population.

Governor Nathan Deal told the Savannah Morning News that his legislative priority this year is to pass an “austere” balanced budget that protects K-12 education but does not raise taxes.   He indicates that the climate is not right for a major tax code change this year, especially if the result appears to be a tax increase.

Deal appeared to take a much harder stance in the interview against legalized gambling, noting that it would compete with revenue with the Georgia Lottery, thus potentially reducing already stretched HOPE dollars.  Reading between the lines, however, the door may be open to proposals that would allow the Georgia Lottery to operate video gambling machines, such as the ones proposed for a Georgia Lottery run casino at Underground Atlanta.

When Deal said last year he was “open” to casino gambling, he said so in the context of potential revenue.

On Thursday, he said he’s personally opposed to the idea and added that it might undermine the state lottery, which bankrolls the HOPE scholarships and pre-K programs.

“You have to ask the question is there a limit on the amount of money people are willing to spending on wagering activities, he said, “and certainly there must be some limit there.”

Noting that lottery income already is down, he said the state shouldn’t do anything to reduce it more.

While the possibility of a Georgia Lottery run casino is pure conjecture, the hibernation of the tax reform proposal seems more certain.  The tax reform commission was a product of former Governor Perdue, and thus, Deal is not obliged to invest political capital to ensure it’s passage. Moreover, Americans for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist has labled the proposal a “tax increase”, and Deal does not wish to start his term as Governor as the last (and first) Republican Governor did, by proposing something labled a tax increase. 

However, Norquist was meeting with legislative leaders behind closed doors this morning to see if there was wiggle room to have him rescind his “tax increase” edict.  And re-reading Deal’s quotes, he does not say he will veto the tax reform proposal.  He says “We’re not going to sign anything that is a tax increase … in this climate, no matter how intentioned it is.”

So, is it a tax increase, or just tax reform?  The answer seems to be the answer whether this proposal will awaken from its hibernated state, or endure a long, probable permanent slumber.

H/T Jim Galloway.

Otis Campbell breathlessly writes in this evening between shots of Old Crow to inform the Peach Pundit Executive Committee the day our kidneys will forever regret has arrived: the beginning of the end of the absurd ban on Sunday sales of alcohol in stores. ‘Tis true, my friends. Feast your eyes on SB 10, sponsored by six lovers of local responsibility and proofread by Ben Harbin between jello shots with Kiki and Bambi lobbyists concerned citizens.

This time, Georgia’s Governor says he’ll sign the legislation if it lands on his desk.