Congressman Tom Price will be the guest at a reception for BrookhavenYES on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 from 4-6 PM at Pub 71, located at 4058 Peachtree Road in the area formerly known as Brookhaven.

Joining Congressman Price will be State Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-Ashford), Rep. Tom Taylor (R-It’s still called Dunwoody, I think), Senator Fran Millar, 6th District GDOT Board Member Brandon Beach, Mayor Mike Davis of Dunwoody, Mayor Joe Lockwood of Milton and Evan Galambos, Mayor of Sandy Springs and the Mayors of Chamblee and Johns Creek.

(Atlanta)–A poll of 1,475 Georgia Republican voters released Friday morning by Landmark Communications and Rosetta Stone Communications confirms a surge to second place by former Senator Rick Santorum in the Georgia Presidential Preference election.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who represented a Georgia district in Congress, leads the field with 35%. Santorum has moved to second place with 26% in Georgia in the wake of his resounding “hat trick” series of three wins this week in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado.

“Gingrich leads, and the fight seems for now to have become a battle for second place,” said Mark Rountree, President of Landmark Communications, Inc.  “The race remains volatile.”

“Voter preferences continue to be fluid,” said John Garst, President of Rosetta Stone Communications, LLC. “The question is whether Santorum’s surge can hold until Super Tuesday, or whether it’s just reflecting the news week.”

Landmark Communications and Rosetta Stone Communications are political firms based in Atlanta, Georgia. The firms regularly conduct and release public opinion surveys regarding politics.

Landmark Communications and Rosetta Stone Communications jointly sponsored, conducted and paid for the poll.

Landmark Communications can be found at http://landmarkcommunications.net

Rosetta Stone Communications can be found at www.politicalecalling.com

METHODOLOGY

The poll was conducted Thursday, February 9, 2012 of 1,475 voters who voted in either the 2008 Republican Presidential Preference Primary, or the 2010 Republican General Primary Election. The poll results reflect only those respondents who stated that they intend to vote in the 2012 Republican Presidential Primary. The poll was conducted by telephone using IVR technology. The margin of error on the survey is 2.55%.

The sample was randomly drawn from Republican Primary voters originally made available from the Office of the Secretary of State of Georgia. To be consistent with previous and projected voter turnout, the sample is stratified based on race, age, and gender.

Today’s Courier Herald Column:

I’ve been writing this column which began on the pages of the Dublin Courier Herald for just over a year. I’ve explained a bit about myself and how I came to be a political writer in Atlanta, and about some of my earlier days in organized politics.  What I’ve never written about, however, is how I was originally exposed to politics, why I’ve identified myself as a Republican since early elementary school, nor how those items tie to Dublin.  Until today. But Today’s column is really all about Uncle Frank.

Frank B Flanders Jr. isn’t actually my uncle, in that he wasn’t either of my parents’ biological siblings.  He grew up on the family farm in the Rockledge area of Laurens County where he lived until 1950. The GI Bill sent him to Southern Tech in Marietta Georgia, and four years later he moved to the community of Fife in Fayette County with the former Miss Gena Gwin of Smyrna.  She, of course, was Aunt Gena, for whom my baby sister was named.  While he’s lived on the same farm since then, I should note that he’s never really left Dublin either.

Uncle Frank and Aunt Gena were members of the Bethany United Methodist Church, and were the closest of friends to both my grandparents and parents.  Uncle Frank was part of my family before even my mother was.  She came to visit from Norfolk Virginia on what was essentially my parent’s third date in 1963, and he was part of the vetting process as best I can tell.

At a dinner with my grandparents, parents and Uncle Frank and Aunt Gena, politics was briefly discussed.  The subject of the Kennedy-Nixon election was broached, and my mother quickly responded “Richard Nixon? Only kooks and nuts voted for Richard Nixon!”  Somehow, the other five kooks and nuts at the table were able to bite their tongues, and Dad still proposed before Mom returned home.  A year later, Mom voted for Barry Goldwater.

In keeping with tradition, I managed to bring my college girlfriend who just happened to be the co-chair of Vanderbilt’s Students for Dukakis-Benson over for a family dinner to their house.  Uncle Frank was unaware of her partisan leanings until mid-way through dinner.  Though Aunt Gena tried to quickly change the subject, I distinctly remember him putting down his fork, leaning over to her and saying, “Let me tell you something.  Gerald Ford saved this country.” 

Aunt Gena insisted on changing the topic, and we did.  He still liked my girlfriend a lot, despite her confused political leanings.  We were able to convert her to being a Republican, but I was less successful at ever proposing.  I recall him having a few blunt words about my mistake there, too.  He’s never been terribly shy about giving advice, and some of it was even pretty good.

He’s experienced with giving advice because many of those around him have always sought it.  A man from South Georgia that borrowed his way into business with a civil engineering degree and a lot of personal labor became one of Atlanta’s most successful commercial retail developers.  With that came personal wealth but never a sense of superiority or snobbery.  In good times and bad, he’s always been Uncle Frank.  And Uncle Frank is a generous man.

He was a faithful member of our church as I was growing up, in both presence and gifts.  His special concern was the United Methodist Children’s home, where much of his monetary donations went.  But he was also generous with his time and concern.  He was one of the few that would, or even could, take my large family out for Sunday dinner.  I once remember hearing his son ask where we were going after church.  His reply was “wherever we can get the biggest steak.”  It is sometimes hard to believe he’s not an actual blood relative.

When he thought I was making mistakes – from a young age until, well, now I guess – he would either call me or get a message to me.  While blunt, his advice was of concern but also with a message that he had confidence I could be doing better, and would do better.  He’s always been an optimist, even when evidence presents itself to the contrary.  And that’s a lot of why he cares about politics.

He’s a man that lived Republican talking points before they became caricatures of themselves.  He believes in a country that offers unlimited opportunity for those willing to take risk and work.  He also believes that giving back is a personal responsibility and not that of the government.  I’ve seen him epitomize the former, and selflessly demonstrate the latter.

He’s also a man that “family values” is not a slogan.  Aunt Gena spent about a decade in and out of hospitals suffering from emphysema before finally succumbing to the struggle, with him at her side the entire time.  Yet despite his sadness, he still had three children that needed a father, and eight grandchildren that needed “Big” – the name given to him by Frank B. Flanders IV as he was beginning to speak.

Along the way he’s had his own struggles as well, but when we talk it’s not about them.  He still loves to talk politics, and wants to know that the state and country that he loves will be in good hands.  Such as it was when I visited him this week, as I began the process of saying goodbye over a conversation about the Tuesday Republican caucuses and primaries.   He’s managed to beat cardiac issues well into his 80’s, but liver cancer is another issue entirely.  There’s a good chance we’ll be able to discuss Super Tuesday results, but the general election seems to be an eternity away right now.

Yet he remains smiling, joking, telling stories.  In short, he’s intent on being Uncle Frank for as long as he can.  He’s a fighter, with a strong constitution developed from growing up on a farm in Rockledge and honed by decades of executing business deals in Atlanta.  But reality is we are at a point where the fight will not be his for much longer.

There’s something about having an opportunity to say a proper good bye.  Because, at such time, it’s not good bye that you’re trying to say bye so much as thank you.  Thank you to a man that was such a great friend to my grandparents, father, mother, family, and to me.  Thank you for providing an example of so many things to strive for.  Thank for spending your life trying to make the world a better place to those around you.  Thank you for showing love to so many in so many ways.

God Speed Uncle Frank.

The video is 14+ minutes in total, and once you start watching, you’ll probably not be able to stop. Like when you see a train wreck.

These proceedings were NOT an audition for Tyler Perry‘s new movie, “Madea Gets Elected,” though no one would blame you if you thought so. This was an attempt to create new districts for DeKalb’s school board, and to reduce the number of members on the board from 9 to “no more than 7,” per SB 79, passed last year by State Reps Mike Jacobs (R-Brookhaven) and Mary Margaret Oliver, (D-Druid Hills) and State Senators Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody) and Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur.)  

You may also believe that this debate is really whether to create a 5-member school board or a 7-member school board, and nobody would blame you if you thought that, either. That’s exactly what those responsible for the debacle want you to believe. What it’s really about is eliminating any chance that the DeKalb School System can pull itself out of its usual state of cronyism and dysfunction, and start giving DeKalb taxpayers a return on the investment they make in educating 99,000+ kids in the County public schools.

If I were the speculatin’ type and wanted to noodle out who was behind some mischief in a redistricting process, I’d look for somebody who had spent some time on other governing boards, who had history of skirting the rules, who had not one but two sexual harassment suits against him settled using taxpayer money, who had been a legislator and who had once chaired a reapportionment committee. Bonus points if this person had just taken over the chairmanship of the DeKalb School Board from a feckless incompetent who will soon seek another office. I wouldn’t have to look far:

I think we have a winner.

Whoops: I would be remiss if I didn’t thank John Heneghan for filming the meeting and posting the video to his blog. Thanks, John.

OK, so the perspective of panelists Jay Bookman and Andisheh Nouraee may be a bit “different” than most of our readers, and I would doubt that many could find Euclid Avenue without the aid of a GPS.  That said, both gentlemen are folks who I usually find interesting and if you are looking for a political twist to your Friday evening activities, here’s an opportunity:

Hear author and Atlanta Journal Constitution columnist Jay Bookman’s annual take on the state of American politics – highlighting issues the main stream media doesn’t. Local writer, political satirist and co-author and illustrator of “Americapedia: Taking the Dumb Out of Freedom”, Andisheh Nouraee, will then  respond before Bookman opens the floor to the audience for a Q & A.

The event begins at 7:00pm at 7 Stages, 1105 Euclid Ave, Atlanta GA 30307.  I will be delivering the Republican response (in a RINO dialect, no doubt) from an undisclosed location over many, many beers.

Georgia Military College color guard

Before you do anything else today, go sign this petition or Peach Pundit may not be able to continue providing you a different perspective on Georgia politics.

Jay Bookman feels threatened by the proposed Charter School Amendment, writing that “at stake are local tax dollars generated by local taxpayers for local schools, under the supervision of locally elected school board officials. The notion that unelected state officials should be able to intercede and overrule local officials in how that money is spent is unacceptable.”

Here’s the item from Atlanta Unfiltered that we tried to link to yesterday. Writer Jim Walls matched up reimbursement records by Senator Don Balfour with lobbyist-reported expenditures and raises the question whether Balfour received mileage reimbursement on days he was out of the state. This may be a clerical mistake as reimbursement checks were once, and may still be, automatically sent to legislators along with their per diem checks for days claimed as work days outside the session.

Apparently, Marco Rubio’s speech yesterday to CPAC was a stemwinder. Here’s a link.

The State Senate passed a resolution urging the expansion of federal guest work programs to increase the supply of documented migrant labor.

State Rep. Doug McKillip had his road to Damascus moment in 2009, becoming a Christian. That’s why he now opposes abortion and has filed a bill to further restrict its availability. So it’s not political opportunism mixed with a touch of trying too hard. Good to know. I’m pretty sure this will make Amy Morton feel better.

“Rep. McKillip is a political opportunist who seems willing to say or do whatever pleases his party leadership,” Morton said. “Rep. McKillip was a liberal pro-choice Democrat, and now he seems to have not only changed his party, but his core beliefs. I don’t know how voters of either party can trust him.”

Rep. Dusty Hightower, (R-Carrollton) elected on January 3, 2012 to succeed former Rep. Tim Bearden, can relax a little bit as House Bill 829 passed the House yesterday. The bill makes some redistricting tweaks, including moving the new Rep. out of a district in which he would have been forced to run against fellow incumbent Kevin Cooke (R-Villa Rica). Hightower will run for re-election this year.

Planning a sneak attack against Tennessee, the Rep. Jay Neal (R-Upper Left Hand Corner) has introduced House Bill 400, which would exempt water drawn from the Georgia Tennessee River from the state’s prohibition on inter-basin transfers. If you’re worried that I just alerted Tennessee to our plans, calm down and remember they can’t read.

The Marietta Daily Journal notes that there has been no word on whether the Governor or Speaker support the effort to revise the TSPLOST legislation.

The Augusta Chronicle opines strongly against the Obama administration’s position on contraception and religious organizations. Georgia Liberal Politico notes that the state appears to have the same policy. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, twenty states not including Georgia exempt from similar requirements employers who object for religious reasons. I suspect a bill will be filed shortly to mirror those exemptions.

Natural gas cars may receive a boost from the legislature in the form of income tax credits for buyers and for builders of natural gas refueling stations.

An independent candidate, Roger Fitzpatrick, has announced he will seek to represent Georgia’s new Ninth Congressional District as an Independent.

Kent Kingsley has announced he will run against Congressman Lynn Westmoreland as a Republican.

Attorney General Sam Olens announced that Georgia will participate in a settlement of a lawsuit against the country’s five largest lenders over allegations of fraudulent foreclosure practices. Georgia’s share will total about $814 million.

Olens says portions of the settlement will benefit loan term modifications and allow some homeowners who are underwater to refinance. He also says it will allow a number who unfairly lost their homes to foreclosure to each receive between $1800 to $2000 dollars.

Another $104 million dollars will go to the state. Olens hopes it will be used to prevent foreclosures and prosecute financial fraud, but the ultimate decision will be up to the legislature.

The only proposal to privatize Gwinnett County’s Briscoe Field is conditioned upon adding commercial service to the airport.

Gov. Deal has appointed Timothy Walmsley to fill a vacancy on Chatham County Superior Court and Philip Raymond to Superior Court for the Macon Circuit.

Congratulations to Layla Shipman, whom the Gingrich campaign has named Northwest Georgia Field Representative.

A blue water race for tall ships means that Savannah will host at least eleven of the vessels in May.

The Georgia Prostate Cancer Coalition has announced it will ask for a commemorative car tag to raise awareness. Somebody else will have to write the punchline here.

Here’s a video giving a driver’s eye view of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona from inside the Brumos Porsche #59 GT3 Cup car.

The Senate Regulated Industries Committee, Chaired by Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth) passed Senate Bill 321 by Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford) and Sen. Josh McKoon (R-Columbus), to regulate the buying and selling of recyclable metal.

SB 321 requires metal buyers to collect photos of the material, a signed statement from the seller stating that they are the rightful owner of the material, copy of a valid id card, thumbprint, tag number and other information. Law enforcement may inspect recyclable materials bought for recycling and purchase records. Payment shall be by check mailed to the address on the seller’s identification.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved by a 4-1 vote a Combined Operating License for Southern Company to build and operate units 3 and 4 at Plant Vogtle. These are the first licenses issued in the United States since 1978, the year before the Three Mile Island accident.

The reactor design to be used at Vogtle 3 and 4, the Westinghouse AP1000 utilizes a gravity-fed passive cooling system that will protect the reactor without operator intervention for 72 hours. The AP1000 also incorporates post-9/11 regulations requiring that new reactors be able to withstand an aircraft hit.

Via press release:

On February 9, 2012, after a three day trial, a DeKalb County Jury found Janine Wright, a speech therapist from Stone Mountain, guilty of defrauding the Georgia Medicaid program.

The evidence showed that from June of 2008 through January of 2010, Wright submitted over 900 false Medicaid claims under the Medicaid numbers of fifteen children, totaling $59,570.25, for speech therapy services she never provided.

Wright submitted claims under the Medicaid numbers of children for dates prior to the first time she actually saw them as a patient. She submitted claims under the Medicaid numbers of children who had stopped coming to her for speech therapy, including one child whom she had discharged because she was unable to meet the child’s special needs.  She submitted claims under the Medicaid numbers of children who never came to her for speech therapy. And for children who actually came to her for speech therapy, she submitted Medicaid claims for many more sessions of speech therapy than she actually delivered.

After the jury returned its verdict, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Daniel M. Coursey sentenced Wright to four years in prison, to be followed by six years of probation. He further sentenced Wright to pay a fine of $5,000.00 to DeKalb County, and full restitution of $59,570.25 to the Georgia Medicaid program.

The fraudulent billing pattern was first discovered by Investigator Kevin Banks and Nurse Investigator Kay McCourt with the Office of Inspector General of the Georgia Department of Community Health.  The case was referred by them to the Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, a Unit of the Georgia Attorney General’s Office.

Our friend Baker from That’s Just Peachy (the site you should check every morning AFTER you see our Morning Reads) directs me to these words from Roll Call   regarding Westmoreland’s potential leadership role after the 2012 elections (and presumably, after handily defeating any challengers).

The man in charge of redistricting for House Republicans this cycle will be able to boast several successes if he runs for NRCC chairman next year. The maps were stacked in his favor, but Westmoreland has done a solid job overseeing the once-in-a-decade process — and, as a result, he now knows almost every House district inside and out.

The Georgia lawmaker has leadership ambitions and has shown an interest in NRCC top slots. Before his current job, he served as recruitment chairman for the committee.

Westmoreland would also bring a different personality to the table than the aforementioned choices. His brash and frank speaking style is punctuated by his Southern drawl. Yet even his detractors can’t argue with his experience and track record with the committee.

That’s a decent amount of respect coming from the Capitol Hill watchers at Roll Call.

I’ve been saying since the 2010 elections that the TEA Party energy – and entropy – would likely be directed at incumbent Republicans in the 2012 cycle as much if not more so than Democrats during the 2012 cycle.  We already have Michael Opitz (R-John Oxendine’s biggest cheerleader) challenging Phil Gingrey in GA-11.  Now comes word that political newcomer Kent Kingsley will challenge Congressman Lynn Westmoreland in GA-3.  Should give Westmoreland a decent excuse to dust off his fundraising apparatus if nothing else.

Kingley’s press release is after the fold.

Kent Kingsley of Milner, Lamar County,Georgia, has filed the required paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission to run for Congress in the Third District. Kingsley is a former Chairman of the Lamar County Commission, former high school & college teacher, and holds a B.A. & M.A. in Political Science.

Kingsley retired from the Army in 1996 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. His career as an Infantry officer included serving in the first Gulf War & assignments in Panama, South Korea & Germany, as well as stateside. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Combat Infantryman’s Badge and Master Parachutist’s Badge. His service follows in the patriotic footsteps of his father and grandfather.

Kent has been married to his wife, Joy, for 40 years; they are small business owners managing a real estate brokerage and a small family farm. Kent serves as the Broker at Traditions Realty with 5 Realtors. In addition to Kent’s wife Joy, his family consists of two grown children, Kristin and John, a son-in-law, Brennan Roney and grandson, Cooper. His dad, Ralph Kingsley, is 90 years young and lives close by in Barnesville.

Kingsley has pledged to the voters of the third district to work day and night to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment, to produce tax reform by enacting the Fair Tax, and pass Federal Term Limits for members of Congress. Kent is not the status quo candidate. He believes our country and Congress are off-track; as evidenced by Congress’ 13% approval rating. Enacting these three measures will improve the economy, help end the stranglehold of career politicians in Congress, reduce lobbyist influence, and begin to restore fiscal sanity to America. Kingsley is a true Conservative and Constitutionalist who is committed to upholding our American values of faith, family & freedom.

Kent also believes that a Congressman should be visible in the district and accessible to the voters. He has pledged to hold at least 26 town hall meetings each year, two in each of the 13 counties in the third district.

Today’s Courier Herald Column:

Senate Bill 401 was filed this week, seeking to expand the use of renewable energy in the state of Georgia.  The bills’ reading is somewhat technical, but essentially removes caps on the amount of power that can be produced by solar panels on individual homes and businesses and then sold back to the local power generator.

Essentially, customers with solar panels meter not only power coming into their house from the existing grid, but also the amount of power returned to the grid.  The generating company – Georgia Power in most of the state – is required to buy surplus power back based on their state granted regulated monopoly status.  Currently, projects are limited in size to 10 Kw for residential customers and 100 Kw for business customers.  SB 401 removes these caps.

More intricate details of the bill provide for private ownership of these systems, as opposed to current law which requires the owner of the property to also own the attached grids.  This will allow for manufacturers of solar grids or interested third parties to enter into financing or lease agreements which pay for the systems long term out of cost savings for the customer.  By allowing for these arrangements, many customers can access these systems with no money up front, as opposed to the high initial capital costs which would take years to recover.

Not surprisingly, Georgia Power is less than thrilled with the addition of private generation of power attached to their grid.  They, after all, are entitled to an 11 percent annual return on any investments they make in an effort to keep the lights on in Georgia.  They also have a permanent presence at the Gold Dome, with an army of lobbyists prepared to cater to each legislator’s personal needs.  This is to ensure when pressed about Georgia Power’s objections, the legislator is sure to reply that the company is a “Good Corporate Citizen”.  That’s capitol speak for “They’re going to get whatever they ask for.  Please excuse me while I go attend a NASCAR event at their expense.”

Georgia Power’s grid generation capacity is already under strain as the company is expected to remove three coal powered plants over the next couple of years, as upgrading them to meet new clean air standards has been deemed cost prohibitive.  Meanwhile, Plant Votgle’s two additional nuclear reactors are expected to gain approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday, but will not be online until 2016 at the earliest.

In protesting the rules that are responsible for the coal plant closures, Georgia Power stated that it is likely to have to buy additional capacity from producers out of state.  With other power producers having to close generating plants for the same reason however, the availability of power and more importantly, the price that will be paid for it, is in question.

SB 401 aims to take commercial and government buildings with large flat roofs and enable them to create additional energy during peak times, when Georgia Power and other producers would be most likely to source additional power from out of state.  Peak use tends to occur on hot summer days, precisely the time when solar power would be the most beneficial.

In addition, there is a local economic development benefit to expanding the use of solar.  MAGE solar in Dublin and Sunivia in Norcross manufacture panels which would supply these projects.

As for the consumer, expanding the use of solar with legal third party lease arrangements would be a small acknowledgment that the bill used to finance the reactors at plant Votgle rewarded Georgia power with an advance $1 Billion in profit, paid for by small businesses and residential customers.  SB 401 reminds everyone that with Georgia Power’s monopoly status comes a responsibility to look out for smaller customers, as well as helps them meet their own goals to help Georgia reduce air quality problems.

While the bill is one that is sound on its merit, that does not always mean it will gain acceptance at the capitol.  The first sign of trouble is that the bill has been assigned not to the Regulated Industries Committee, which has jurisdiction over power generation, but to the Natural Resources and Environment Committee.  Capitol insiders predict it will take effort to get the committee to move the bill, but a little sunlight on the issue may make the legislature warm up to solar.

Senate Bill 313, by Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), which he calls the Broadband Investment Equity Act is running into opposition from the Georgia Municipal Association, Google and Columbia County.

According to Rogers’s press release:

The primary goal of SB 313 is to protect taxpayers and encourage private investment by requiring local governments to engage and educate its citizens through public hearings and special election prior to starting a new communications network.  Additionally, the local government must solicit RFP’s from private providers and show fiscal responsibility through a cost-benefit analysis of its plan.  The Broadband Investment Equity Act bill asserts that when a government entity provides a broadband in competition with a private business, it must play by the same rules that apply to private business.

“Broadband is a vital tool for education reform and economic development.  This bill will allow for robust competition in the communication marketplace and encourage continued economic growth throughout our state,” said Rogers.  “By extending our long-standing commitment to policies that encourage private investment and market-driven competition, we are putting the needs of our citizens above those of government.”

The Broadband Investment Equity Act prevents local governments from discriminating against access of rights-of-way or poles and ensuring they provide reasonable rates, terms and conditions to private providers.  Like private business, public providers are prohibited from paying for communication networks with tax revenue or revenue from any other service provided by local government.  Additionally, the bill requires local government to pay income, sales and property taxes, as well as franchise and right-of- way fees from a separate fund established for the service.

A group that includes Google, and the Technology Industry Association wrote to Georgia leaders to oppose the bill, claiming that

SB 313 will hurt the private sector in several ways: by curtailing public-private partnerships; by stifling the ability of private companies to sell equipment and services to public broadband providers; and by impairing economic and educational opportunities that would contribute to a skilled workforce from which businesses across the state would benefit….

SB 313 would impose burdensome financial and regulatory requirements that will prevent public broadband providers from building the sorely needed advanced broadband infrastructure that will stimulate local businesses development, foster work force retraining, and boost employment in these economically depressed areas.

The Columbia County News-Times also opposes the measure, in part because of a project already underway using federal funds:

That federal program is designed to expand broadband Internet service to rural areas that, because of the up-front infrastructure costs, aren’t deemed profitable by private companies. Our county has plenty of those areas, served at best only by spotty, expensive cellular-based services.

Columbia County’s program wouldn’t compete with private companies. Instead, it uses the federal grant and local sale-tax funding to build that high-speed infrastructure, which private companies can then lease to provide Internet service to underserved areas.

Opposing government broadband, Rogers cites the failure of Marietta’s city-owned broadband initiative

“We’re not outlawing a local government entity (from) doing this…  but if they’re going to compete, then they need to play by the same rules and they need to go to the voters and ask the voters if it’s OK that they spend all these dollars before they go out and spend them,” he says.

Rogers cites the city of Marietta’s money-losing venture with the creation of FiberNet in the late 1990’s. The city finally sold the company in 2004 to American Fiber Systems at a loss of $24 million.

First, the taxpayer cost is enormous and often underestimated. From California to Vermont, local taxpayers have been left with millions in deficits because municipalities are not equipped to keep up with the rapidly changing technology necessary to keep these networks up-to-date. Right here in Georgia, Marietta had a to sell its system for a more than $20 million loss.

Second, because GONs often get special tax and regulatory advantages, they keep private competitors from ever investing in an area. Why would private companies choose to compete unfairly with the government when they can take their scarce investment dollars elsewhere. Not only does this mean fewer jobs in these local communities, but because public networks often fail, it means these residents may forever be left without broadband. It at least means a further, or interrupted, delay in access.

Contrary to some rumors, SB 313 would not prevent local lawmakers from building GONs. All the bill would do is ask that they hold public hearings on the plan and put it to a vote. And, if the GON would compete against a private network, it would require both public and private networks compete on a level playing field.

For the sake of the economy, and for the sake of greater broadband access, Georgians should demand as much. And Sens. Bulloch and Hill should require it.

The new Ninth District is in the midst of a GOP primary race that have four contenders going against each other: Rep. Doug Collins (R-Gainsville), conservative talk radio host Martha Zoller, Jackson County Commission Chairman Hunter Bicknell, and newly announced entrant Clifton McDuffie.

Here are a few numbers for you folks to mull around in your noggin from the Gainesville Times:

4th Quarter of 2011:

Rep. Doug Collins: $57,499 in contributions plus a $15,000 personal loan

Martha Zoller: $59,550 in contributions

Jackson County Commission Chairman Hunter Bicknell: $13,359

Clifton McDuffie has announced intentions on running for Congress, but hasn’t filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, so no numbers are available yet.

The more interesting thing to see is that Rep. Collins has more cash on hand than Ms. Zoller does: $114,268 vs. $19,368, respectively according to the FEC.  Chairman Bicknell had $6,499 on hand according to his report.

Based on the cash race, both Doug and Martha could be considered the front-runners in the race.  Take the numbers and make predictions as you wish.  The primary is July 31st.

Breaking News without a lot of details at this hour.  WXIA/11Alive News said during their morning newscast that the Obama administration will be granting waivers to 10 states, including Georgia, from the requirements of No Child Left Behind.  The rationale apparently will be that it is too reliant on standardized test scores.  Somewhere in Cherokee County, John Konop is doing his happy dance.

As a longtime sufferer of chronic insomnia, I developed the 5:30 rule, which states that if I’m awake for any reason at 5:30 AM, it’s time to get up. So if you see me at the Capitol today, you can’t say you weren’t warned.

In celebration of Georgia Day 2012, from 9 AM to 3 PM today in the Georgia Capitol, Secretary of State Brian Kemp will display Georgia’s copy of the Declaration of Independence and Georgia’s royal charter dating from 1733. Today is Georgia Day.

On January 18, 1777, the Continental Congress met in Baltimore, Maryland and ordered that copies of the Declaration of Independence be printed and sent to each of the 13 states. The states were directed to make the Declaration a part of their official records. Georgia’s copy was officially entered into the records on March 2, 1777.

“Some states entered the Declaration into their official records by pasting the printed copy in their record books. Other states, including Georgia, created an official record by hand-copying the Declaration into the state’s record book,” said David Carmicheal, Director of the Georgia Archives.

Today, the Declaration is protected with Georgia’s other “birth documents”: the Royal Charter that created the colony in 1733, and Georgia’s 1788 ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the document that made Georgia a state. All are kept in a high security vault where a constant temperature and humidity are maintained to ensure their long-term survival.

Rep. Mark Hatfield (R-Sideshow) will be holding a press conference to challenge the alleged “birth document.”

Our friends at Atlanta Unfiltered are raising questions about what the hell CloudFlare is and why it hates Georgia blogs. They’re raising other questions, but we can’t link there for now because of that CloudFlare garbage. Check back occasionally.

Gwinnett County School Board Chair Louise Radloff was thankful that the State House failed to pass a Constitutional Amendment on state charter schools yesterday. “I’m not sure where it will go, but I’m very thankful for the legislators who voted against it,” Radloff said. “I’m for public education, and that means public schools.” State Rep. Jason Spencer (R-Fixin’ to whip Hatfield) wrote his constituents that “The charter school movement is predominantly isolated in the Atlanta metro area with some bipartisan support. Many of the rural school systems in Georgia could wither on the vine if this amendment passes.”

State Reps Ed Setzler, (R-Cobb), Rich Golick (R-Cobb) and Matt Ramsey (R-Peachtree City) have sponsored legislation to postpone this year’s TSPLOST vote in order to pass a Constitutional Amendment said to be necessary to allow the TSPLOST vote. The measure would also allow counties to join together to fund regional transportation needs through a multi-county SPLOST or opt-in to proposed regional SPLOST measures.

Senator Charlie Bethel (R-Dalton) has introduced legislation to lengthen the time allowed for the prosecution of sex crimes against minors. The State House passed a measure to create a study commission on sex trafficking. Congratulations to Rep. Buzz Brockway (R-Hates Runoff Elections) for co-sponsoring this in the House and Senator Renee Unterman (R-Buford) for sponsoring it in the Senate.

Propeller Airports has submitted the only bid to privatize Gwinnett County’s Briscoe Field.

Yesterday I received an email that State Rep. David Casas (R-Gwinnett) was holding a conference call to switch his endorsement from Newt Gingrich to Mitt Romney, questioning “Speaker Gingrich’s Unreliable Leadership.” No word on whether Gingrich questioned Casas’s unreliable endorsement.

GDOT’s sucker Lexus toll lane in Gwinnett County set a record high toll of $4.70 yesterday.

Yesterday, two former Atlanta Falcons players testified in support of the Return to Play Act, legislation to enact standards for youth athletes thought to be suffering from concussions. Also testifying was a former high school cheerleader made ditzier by a cheerleading accident.

“There’s one thing to be able to play with a sprained ankle or some type of injury, but concussions is a whole ‘nother ball game,” said [former Falcons Defensive Tackle Buddy] Curry, speaking before the legislative committee.

Piedmont Hospital Neurologist Dr. Robert Gilbert said the dangers of head injuries, especially for teenagers with still-developing bodies, cannot be understated.

“We often see patients who may have had repeated injuries early in life when we didn’t have any criteria, and they’re beginning to have earlier memory and processing problems as an adult,” said Gilbert.

The Bank of America tower in midtown Atlanta was sold on the steps of the Fulton County Courthouse on Tuesday. #Occupy Atlanta did not show up to stop the foreclosure auction.

Mitt Romney appeared in Atlanta yesterday. Newt Gingrich will visit Carrollton later this month.

Atlanta hippies held a drum circle to protest Southern Company’s construction of two new reactors at Plant Vogtle, claiming that the company failed to “look at the lessons learned from a plant that melted down and caused several reactors next to it to meltdown.” Having toured Vogtle’s new construction, I can assure you that Georgia Power has indeed learned all the right lessons from all the nuclear incidents of the last 30 years.

Columbus, Georgia will begin breaching several dams to restore whitewater through downtown. This will be the world’s longest urban whitewater run and the southernmost major rapids in the United States. Senator Josh McKoon (R-Columbus) doesn’t know it yet, but will be hosting a Peach Pundit road trip to Columbus for the opening of the run. Also included in the trip will be a screening of Trading Places, one of McKoon’s favorite films. No word on whether Jamie Lee Curtis is McKoon’s favorite actress.

Alabama is considering lowering legislative pay from the current level of $49,500 per year.

Savannah and Charleston have each been awarded $2.5 million in federal funds toward port development. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will veto the state legislature’s psychotic rage measure to revoke the permit granted for deepening the Savannah River to allow better access to the Port of Savannah.

Electric car con men manufacturer Fisker Automotive are laying off 66 workers after the blocking of drawdowns against the remaining $336 million of the original $528.7 million in federal funding.

McDonald’s will be selling the Shamrock Shake nationwide this year, perhaps prompted to expand the green lucious goodness by Jack in the Box breaking the bacon barrier with it’s new bacon milkshake.

Rep. Ed Lindsey (R-Historic Brookhaven) has introduced legislation to rename the Buckhead area of Atlanta to “Simpson” in recognition of the greater historical claim to the name held by the Town of Buckhead in Morgan County. No word on his constituents’ reactions.

Today’s Courier Herald Column:

We’re in the post mortem stage of the recent battle over the Susan G Komen Foundation and their contributions to Planned Parenthood.  As is predictable in how these skirmishes occur, the pro-choice forces supporting Planned Parenthood were quite ready for their successful counteroffensive, and had from the beginning decided to send a message to other charities who may consider de-coupling from working with the organization.

They had also made it clear from their initial offensive launched Thursday morning that their trophy would be the scalp of former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel.  Handel resigned Tuesday – accepting no severance from the non-profit – so that the Komen organization may resume its mission in the way it sees fit.

The curious note from this episode involves a charge that is of a pot and kettle variety.  When Planned Parenthood released their talking points, chief among them was that they were shocked and disappointed that Komen would politicize their mission by having the gall to stop giving to one of the most polarizing organizations in this country.

The reality is that Komen chose to politicize the issue the day it made the unfortunate decision to partner with Planned Parenthood, and they were aware of it.  One of the reasons they reached out to Handel was to get a better understanding of problems they were having not only with fundraising, but also due to delivery issues because of their entanglement with Planned Parenthood.

The amount of money was small, but raw dollars and percentages are irrelevant when battling over “single issues”.  “It’s the principle” is not only a rallying cry, but a reason to stop debate and discussion.  And in the process, if a well meaning third party charitable organization must be held hostage or even destroyed while others use them as their battleground then so be it.

The faux righteous indignation from the left over the “politicization” of Komen rings hollow in the shock and surprise that a charity would be used for the purposes of the right, when the left was clearly making a much bigger and more widely orchestrated issue in their pushback than pro-life forces had been doing previously.

Further, causes near and dear to the left have not stopped them from preying upon private service organizations for politicization to advance their cause.  Anyone who thinks otherwise should have a long conversation with the Boy Scouts and the funding issues they faced over their exclusions regarding homosexuality.

Now, the Girl Scouts are likely to be pulled into this discussion if a cursory review of Facebook is a leading indicator.  Those upset with Komen’s reversal are posting a lot of informational links to the Girl Scout’s ties to Planned Parenthood.  One more organization with a stellar record of civic added value is poised to become yet another battleground for those who always need stalking horses to advance the culture crusades.

Unfortunately, the battle is not just within private organizations where individuals can decide where to donate their time and money and where they will not.  We now have a President who will tell the audience at a prayer breakfast that Jesus is for tax hikes, but that the Catholic Church needs to get over itself and its opposition to birth control.  Meanwhile, the party of limited government seems to be ready and willing to wage its national primary as much on government involvement in social issues as it is on “taxed enough already” fiscal issues.

The point here is not to illustrate which side is right nor which is wrong.  Ideological extremes without actual debate and discussion rarely serve the best interests of the citizenry.  The point is that those who advance them unchecked and undisciplined are doing little more than engage in a modern version of the crusades that lasted for centuries in the middle ages yet ultimately accomplished little.

Those on the far right will read this, know that they are right, and dismiss any criticism mention here as irrelevant to the battles which they must win because they are right.  Those on the far left will read this, know that they are right, and dismiss any criticism mentioned here as irrelevant to battles they must win because they are right.  Those in the middle will remain uninfluenced, wonder why we spend so much time battling over these things, and go back to trying to figure out how we reduce unemployment, afford the next tank of gas, and keep their or their neighbor’s house from being foreclosed on.

Hearts and minds are not won by exertion of brute force.  Those advancing an agenda of social issues will not win by takeover of new territory with submission of conquered subjects.  Using a scorched earth policy to use charities as proxies for social crusades may embolden those who are on the extremes, but turns off those in the middle who would like to see reasonable solutions.

All sides, as well as those in the middle, are losing in the current culture crusades.

Georgia’s auto and auto-supply industry received another boost today as Governor Nathan Deal announced today that Tenneco will expand production in Hartwell, boosting employment by 350 jobs.

“Tenneco is an important player in the automotive industry, and we are pleased they have expanded their presence in Georgia,” Deal said. “Georgia’s comprehensive logistics system and skilled workforce are two of our many key selling assets because they give companies like Tenneco easy, efficient access to their markets as well as a world-class workforce.”

Tenneco is one of the world’s leading designers, manufacturers and distributors of emission and ride control products and systems for the automotive original equipment market and aftermarket. The company is expanding existing lines and installing additional production lines at its Hartwell manufacturing facility, where automotive shock absorbers and struts are produced.

Hart County has been a Georgia Certified Work Ready Community since 2009, indicating that the county has a ready pool of labor specifically trained for a range of positions, including those in the manufacturing industry. Tenneco has called Hart County home since the 1960s, and already employs a mix of more than 750 full and part-time workers at its Hartwell facility.

This comes less than two weeks after another announcement of 178 new jobs at an auto-related manufacturing facility in Dublin, GA.

As a disclaimer, I should note that I spent the better part of my childhood in a Tenneco family, as my father worked for several divisions of the company over his career, including Newport News Shipbuilding, which has since been spun off.

Insert gratuitous Porsche link here.

Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson has expressed some misgivings about the regional TSPLOST in which her city will vote.

“I wouldn’t want to tax the citizens of this county unless it was absolutely necessary in addition to what they already pay, so I’m sure it’s going to be a hard sell. That’s why you see all the elected officials proceeding so carefully,” said Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson.

Mayor Tomlinson said there are eight transportation projects on the regional list for Muscogee County that would get funding through the TSPLOST but she’s been getting different estimates on the return of our possible tax investment.

“I’ve heard everything from Muscogee County would contribute 65 to maybe 70 percent of that money and only get back 52 percent of it so there is the possibility there is a wide disparity that money we collected here was not staying here,” said Mayor Tomlinson.

Tomlinson neither supports the measure, but she continues to raise the question of whether her area becomes a donor to other counties under TSPLOST.

Mayor Teresa Tomlinson said she is neither a supporter nor opponent of the TSPLOST. She said she has questions that need to be answered before she can take a position.

“Muscogee is paying disproportionately. Counties like Crisp and Randolph are receiving disproportionately,” she said. “Fine, but what are we getting in return for the investment in Crisp and Randolph?”

As is the case in Atlanta, the local Chambers of Commerce are pushing for a Yes vote.

Colin Martin, the local chamber’s vice president for governmental affairs, is leading its campaign to pass the tax. He said he faces a challenge to make people understand how spending in one county can benefit taxpayers in another.

“We’re trying to educate the voter so they can make an informed decision,” Martin said. “I live in Muscogee, but every one of us work with people who live in Harris, Talbot and Chattahoochee and Marion Counties. Better roads benefit those folks, getting to and from work and getting to and from their home to shop in Columbus. That’s a benefit for Columbus.”

Martin notes that some of the projects will have a large regional impact, even though the actual project is located in another county:

Martin offered the spending in Crisp County as an example of Muscogee benefiting from spending that far away.

“The Crisp County project is a bigger picture project because of the Inland Port going in there,” Martin said. “Businesses in Columbus will be shipping goods there and receiving goods from there. So having a good road between here and Cordele is a positive thing.”

The Cordele inland port will be a shipping hub that will be connected to the Savannah port by rail, allowing goods to be shipped by rail in containers that can then be placed on trucks for distribution. Conversely, containers can be trucked to Cordele for rail shipping to the port in Savannah.

Finally, in the background is open opposition from some Tea Party activists:

So far, the most vocal opponent of the tax plan has been the Tea Party, which sent a letter to Gov. Nathan Deal to protest the proposal, calling it the largest tax hike in state history. The letter not only denounced the tax, but reminded Deal that their support depends on an anti-tax stance.

“The hard-working base that made every primary election vote count needs the leadership we were promised,” the letter reads. “Thus far, we have found little to cheer about with the (transportation tax) and the elected officials who support it.”

The first Tuesday in February is Firefighters’ Recognition Day in Georgia. In celebration, they threw a fire hazard in both sides of the Capitol.