This is Absolutely Outrageous

Facing a deficit of historic proportions, Republican lawmakers in Georgia want to spend tens of millions on a tax cut for big corporations. What do they want to tax instead? Your groceries.

Family friendly bunch, don't you think?

Oh, they'll tell you that Georgians will still be able to take a deduction on their state income tax returns, but we'll pay the money now, and maybe get part of it back later. Maybe. If you file a return; if you know to take the deduction; if you keep your receipts. If, if, if...Of course, families have to eat NOW, not later. At at time when many Georgians are facing skyrocketing unemployment and one in eight homeowners are behind on their mortgages, this is simply outrageous.

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A Shout Out to the 67!

Props to the 67 Democrats in the Georgia House who stood together today to prevent the passage of HR1. We're not done with this fight, but it's a good start. This legislation would have placed a constitutional amendment on the ballot that sounded great on paper but could have had devastating consequences for local governments, especially in this economy. Keep up the good work, folks!

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Georgia Political Power: The "Y" Factor

Sometimes, a picture really is worth a thousand words. This weekend, someone handed me a copy of this AJC article, Lineup of movers and shakers, published just before the session started. Complete with photographs, the article was a sort of Who's Who of Georgia's most powerful politicians.

Save one honorable mention, they were all men, and all but two were white men.

Now, we could get into an argument with the AJC about women who should have been included, but in politics, perception is reality. The 2009, the reality in Georgia politics is that while there may be 18 million cracks in that last glass ceiling, Georgia's gold dome remains unfazed. In fact, according to the Center for American Women and Politics, while more than half of Georgia voters are female, only 19.1% of Georgia legislators are women. Georgia ranks 37th among states for female representation in the General Assembly. None of us should be satisfied with those numbers.

By the way, according the 2007 Kid's Count Data, Georgia ranks 41st in overall child and family well-being and has ranked in the bottom ten states for the last fifteen years, bringing up the rear in categories like high school dropouts, teens not attending school or working, low birth-weight babies, teen births, children in single-parent families and infant mortality. While the causes of these problems are poverty-linked, these are issues that women are often especially interested in and uniquely qualified to address-not because of their chromosomes, but because of their experience.

By comparison, the states with the highest percentage of women in their legislatures, Colorado, New Hampshire and Vermont, in 2006 ranked 22nd, 1st and 10th respectively. While the overall picture is bleak, Democratic women fare far better than Republican women. Of the seven women in the Georgia Senate, six are Democrats, and more than a third of Democrats in the Georgia House are women-not so on the Republican side of the aisle where only 11 women occupy seats in the House. But, somehow being the best of the bad news just isn't enough. We need to act.

What can we do to change the profile of political power in Georgia?

1) Money Talks. In many ways, money is measure of political viability. It takes initial cash to attract donors. That's why organizations like Georgia's WIN List, a political action committee that is committed to electing more qualified Democratic women, are important. (Full disclosure: I chair Georgia's WIN List, and commit time to that organization in large part because I think electing women is vital for Georgia, and is an essential part of an overall strategy if Democrats are to regain majority party status here.) It's not just important to provide funds for women, it is important to help qualified women think of themselves as candidates and teach them to raise the money they need to be successful when they run.

2) Think Three Cycles. We have to move out of the political mindset of "right now" and begin to think ahead, at least three cycles. As we examine demographic trends and identify districts that are leaning Democratic, it is important to actively recruit qualified female candidates. Not only does this help address the balance of power issue, in some districts, being a women can be an electoral advantage. Also thinking ahead, women who currently serve in the legislature, or in local government, need to both think about taking the step to run for higher office themselves and about mentoring women to run for their seat when they do. Changing the numbers will not happened unless we are intentional.

3) Engage Our Male Political Allies. Georgia women do have friends among the male power-brokers. The four Democratic men included in the AJC article: Sen. David Adelman, Sen. Kasim Reed, Rep. DuBose Porter and Rep. Calvin Smyre have a track record of putting their actions where their mouth is when it comes to supporting female candidates. It's no accident that Democratic women are among the leadership in our House Caucus. Rep. Nikki Randall is Vice Chair of the Caucus, Rep. Kathy Ashe is Secretary of the Caucus, and Rep. Carolyn Hugley is the Minority Whip. At least two of the men listed are rumored to be seeking other office, and, just as they have supported women moving into leadership roles, I challenge all of them to think about the women in their districts who they could mentor to run for their seats as they move on to other endeavors. As they seek our support, we should urge them to do just that. And, as the 2010 ticket shapes up, we all need to identify female leaders who would make great candidates for statewide office.

One thing is certain. This is a tough hill to climb, but there is a path. ONLY with a clear plan and intentional leadership will be able to elect more women to office in Georgia. I want to be a part of that change and hope that you will, too. By changing the face of power in Georgia, we can more effectively address the issues that matter the most to women and families. and that's good for all of us.

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Perdue, Obama and Bubber Epps

Allen Freeman has a rather casual relationship with the truth, especially when it comes to his campaign mailers, radio spots and television ads. In one recent mailer, Allen was anxious to alert voters that "Bubber (Epps) gave major contributions to Barack Obama for President." Actually, Epps gave $250.00, as did his wife, to the DNC's Obama Victory Fund - can't imagine that's a major contribution in Freeman's world of $23,000 radio ad buys and $6,500 Atlanta condos paid for with campaign contributions, but whatever. Frankly, this cycle, Freeman is running so fast from the "R" beside his name, I'm shocked that he didn't give to Obama, too.

But Freeman only told half the truth. (Kind of like when he talks about "deploying" for Desert Storm when in fact he never left the country.) Epps Brothers (Bubber's business) gave $500.00 to Perdue for a New Georgia on 10/17/2006. I believe that contribution makes Epps the only candidate in this race to make significant contributions to candidates of both parties. Allen has spent so much time supposedly making himself an expert on Bubber's business, I'm shocked that he missed that tidbit. The bottom line? While Allen likes to talk about being an independent representative for the district and bends himself into a pretzel to avoid mentioning his own party affiliation, he's really just a lapdog for Atlanta Republicans who are literally sucking the lifeblood out of the Middle Georgia economy.

Did I mention that Allen used campaign contributions to pay $6,500 for an Atlanta condo (State Ethics Commission, March 2008 campaign finance disclosure) for the legislative session? I'd love to know exactly what "campaign activity" goes on in that condo and whether he also took per diem from the state for that period.

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Epps vs. Freeman

If I were Allen Freeman, I'd be worried. It looks more and more like Bubber Epps has the right combination of support to win in November. For example, today, Daryl and I went to Gray for an event, and folks from down that way are none too pleased with Freeman's lack of leadership, especially on the issue of the War Veteran's Home. I also saw a number of Epps signs, but no Freeman signs. Signs don't vote, but interesting still. Then, I keep reflecting back on his announcement party. What struck me were the number of people there with "Sonny" and "Bush" stickers on their cars. Epps will get a lot of cross-over Republican support and will appeal to independent voters. He will do fine in Bibb County-probably lose South Bibb but win the East Macon precinct overwhelmingly, and I predict that he will carry Twiggs, Jones and Wilkinson by a wide margin. In 2006, it poured rain on election day and there was virtually zero GOTV from the top of the Democratic ticket. I can't predict the weather, but I can predict a huge voter turnout this year. Yep, I think come January, we're going to be calling Bubber, "Rep. Epps."

By the way, I'm trying to figure out how Freeman's officer club dues at Robins AFB are a campaign expense. Just asking.

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Georgia Representative's Letters to the Editor Banned

According to the Telegraph, until further notice, letters from Rep. Allen Freeman (R), Macon, are not welcome on the "Viewpoints" page. Why? Because he misled the newspaper and the public by claiming as his own work a canned letter prepared by Calypso Communications, a public relations firm representing a biofuel company, Green Earth Fuels of Houston, Texas-an industry Freeman, as chair of a study committee on biofuels, is supposed to be objectively evaluating-not shilling for. By the way, according to information on the company website, in October of 2007, Green Earth hired Calypso to help package and position the company for a public offering in the next twelve months. These "media kits" and contacts with elected officials are part of that marketing strategy. Why Freeman allowed himself to be used this way is a great question and one that deserves more attention. You have to ask yourself why a Georgia politician was willing to front for this Texas company.

FYI, Freeman's letter actually ran twelve days ago, and I suspected that it was copied as soon as I read it. Anyone who read it would've suspected the same thing. Fifteen minutes of googling confirmed by suspicions. I wrote about it here and provided the Telegraph a copy of my research on that same day. Phil Dodson responded to me by saying that the paper had taken steps to make sure that it did not happen again. I guess now we know what those steps were.

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Thanks, Insider Advantage

Insider Advantage Georgia has posted extremely helpful downloadable spread sheets that detail the qualifying results in the Georgia House and Senate. For all the talk about our recruiting (more on that in the morning), there's some good news for Democrats.

If I can count this time of night:

In the Georgia Senate, Democrats fielded 14 challengers to incumbent Republicans, while the R's qualified just 5 challengers to incumbent Democrats.

In the Georgia House, Democrats fielded 23 challengers to incumbent Republicans, while Republicans qualified 11 challengers to take on incumbent Democrats.

Of course, we have ground to make up in both chambers-ground that was lost long before Jane Kidd took office, by the way-but it looks as though we are actually contesting the most seats.

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Run, Pat, Run!!

Georgia Democrats ought to be happy with this one! Today, Pat Dooley qualified to run for HD38, a seat in Cobb County currently held by Steve Tumlin. To this race, Pat brings a wealth of legislative experience and a passion for working on behalf of the people in her district. I understand that at the recent Cobb JJ dinner, the room erupted into cheers of "Run, Pat, Run" when keynote speaker Rep. Dubose Porter suggested to the crowd that Pat had served us well and should be encouraged to run again. And, so she is. Thanks, Pat, for running. Thanks to you, we've got a very good shot at flipping that seat.

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Once Again, You Get What You Pay For

Today, on front page of the Telegraph, Travis Fain has a story with this headline: More than $882,000 spent on state legislators by lobbyists. (Believe it or not, that's actually less than the $931,000 they spent last year.) Of course, like last year, and every other year, the legislators scoffed, "If people think they can buy my vote for the cost of a dinner, they need to think again." But, then, on the front page of section two, we learn that the insurance industry and their well-financed lobby got about 150 million in tax relief while the average Georgian got zippo, nada, nothing. These stories are, of course, completely unrelated. Of course. Oh, come on. Just use the brain God gave you. If lobbyist spending didn't get results, the money would stay in the bank.

The truth is that lobbyist money may not "buy votes," but the dollars do buy access to the lawmakers, and in politics, access is everything. Who do you think wrote the legislation that gave millions in tax breaks to the insurance industry? Do you really think that the legislators who sponsored the bill spent their summer vacation working on the syntax? I'm guessing, no. The bottom line is, if we want money to speak just a little less loudly under the dome, then we need to pass "cup of coffee" lobbyist reform, like, yesterday. It won't solve all the problems, but it's a good start.

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Oxendine Slams Staton

The insurance industry sure does love Sen. Cecil Staton. Georgia's Republican insurance commissioner? Not so much. A check of Staton's filings with the State Ethics Commission reveals a number of significant contributions from insurance-related people and entities, but one in particular caught my eye. On December 11, 2007, the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia, Inc., made an in-kind contribution to Staton of $1,887.26 toward the cost of a fundraiser at Atlanta's posh 191 Club. Let's call it an early Christmas present. Then, during the session, Staton was the first sponsor of SB276, a bill that passed, prompting IIAA to post this on their website.

Not everyone was quite so pleased. On the heels of a bitter, public battle between Speaker Richardson and Lt. Gov. Cagle, Georgia's insurance commissioner, John Oxendine slammed Sen. Cecil Staton for his allegiance to trial lawyers and insurance companies at the expense of his constituents, in print, in Sunday's Telegraph. (Oh, my God, he used the "T" word about another Republican.) Oxendine said the new law (assuming Gov. Perdue signs it) will increase insurance rates and allow insurance companies to implement new rates without checking in with the insurance commissioner. Here's quote:

Sen. Staton may try to confuse the issue, but the bottom line is that Senate Bill 276 is bad legislation, crafted in secret and passed with little notice or opportunity for public input. Georgians deserve better.

I agree with Commissioner Oxendine. Georgians do deserve better. It's time we had elected officials who will stand up for everyday Georgians. With the help of Georgia Republicans, who are continuing to perfect the art of the circular firing squad, we may just have a chance to elect some Democrats this November.

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Guns at Custody Exchanges

The next time warring parents pull up to the McDonald's for a contentious custody exchange, it's more likely that one or both will be carrying a gun. If they have the requisite permit, then, thanks to the new gun law, they would be allowed to carry a gun to a restaurant like McDonald's. In my real job-family therapist-I sometimes work with families who have rancorous custody disputes. In the worst situations, the custody exchanges are often in public places, often fast food restaurants or grocery store parking lots. The thought of legally adding guns to this already volatile situation scares the hell out of me. Did anyone even consider this? I'm thinking, no. With this new law, judges are going to have to start routinely putting it in the order that neither party is allowed to bring a weapon to the exchange. Holy cow.

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No Wonder They Need Their Guns...

The clock ran out on transportation, trauma care, tax reform and eduction, but, never fear, on the last day of the session, Georgia Republicans found time to pass a bill that allows folks to take their guns to dinner. No wonder. With the warring factions of the Georgia GOP aiming for each other's heads, Glenn and Casey probably think they need their guns at dinner. Petty personal power-grabs and self-promotion took center stage, once again, for Georgia Republicans who chose to fight with one another rather than fighting for the people they were elected to serve.

Seriously, I've yet to find someone who thinks the session was a success. Check this AJC article by James Salzer: the criticism transcends party lines. Unless you're a big time developer or an insurance company, there was little to celebrate in the session this year. Simple things, like having confidence that you'll have water for your morning shower, a reasonable commute time to work and access to trauma care if, God forbid, you have a wreck on the way, are not partisan issues. These are issues that matter to every Georgian, and sooner rather than later, the voters are going to toss out elected officials who'd rather fight with one another than offer solutions for the real problems we deal with every day. Had enough? Vote for a Democrat.

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Banana Puddin'

Rep. Tim Beardon, winner of one of CL's "Golden Sleaze" Awards (The Is That a Banana in Your Pocket or are You Just Planning to Shoot Me Award) got special gifts tonight-banana's piled on this desk. One was even inscribed, "Armed and Dangerous." The clock ran out on the session, but Rep. Beardon will certainly be making a lot of banana pudding over the weekend. Funny. Very Funny.

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Sine Die: Quote of the Day

The award goes to best friend of Democrats, Glenn Richardson, who, frustrated with Casey Cagle, declared:

"We need a new Lt. Gov. in Georgia."

Me, too, Glenn, a new DEMOCRATIC LT. GOV. He further encouraged all Georgians to rename the Tag Tax the "Cagle Birthday Tax." I suppose this is the close of the session and the opening of the Governor's race. Democrats have no better friend than Glenn Richardson.

Sine die and NO tax break for Georgians. Both plans failed. A very flawed water bill passed. A slightly improved TAD bill passed. The "Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just glad to see me" bill passed. You, too can carry your gun in all manner of public places. Good they stopped before they did any more damage.

Aren't there a finite number of laws that need to be passed? Half the problem is that-to feel productive-these folks think they have to think up new legislation. Less is more.

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Jacobs: A Man Without a Party

I probably shouldn't pick on poor Mike Jacobs. I know he's had a rough day, but this guy, who left the Democratic party last year has just been knee-capped by his brand new Republican colleagues. After today, I have this image of Rep. Jacobs as a nomad wandering about, spitting camel and all, looking for political friends who won't stab him in the back. Good luck with that.

Here's what the AJC Political Insider boys have to say about the fate of Jacob's poisoned Grady bill. (We blogged about this a couple of days ago.) The bill HB1299-and it's anti-abortion amendment courtesy of Sen Shafer-were both defeated today in the Georgia House rendering it dead, dead, dead for the session. Jacob's co-sponsor Rep. Sharon Cooper (R) turned the tables on him and worked to defeat the amended bill. It is notable that another Republican, Rep. Jill Chambers reportedly turned thumbs down in a signal to others to vote "nay" and was heard saying:

As the seconds ticked by, state Rep. Jill Chambers (R-Atlanta), held her thumb downward as a signal to others. “I’m tired of men in the Capitol playing vaginal politics,” she said later.

Me, too, Jill, me, too. Jacobs seemed to have acknowledged his party-less predicament. The AJC reports that he suggested to Rep. Cooper that she might as well write a check to his Democratic challenger. Works for me.

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Sine Die: Big Payday for Georgia Insurance Companies?

If you don't think that Georgia Insurance Companies need a $150 million dollar payday tomorrow, funded by tax dollars, then you need to call your senator tonight. Tell them to vote "no" on HB977.

When I was in Iowa, the red Traveler's umbrella was a landmark in Des Moines, but if Georgia Republicans have their way, Georgia may become a new haven for insurance companies. Not so much for consumers, though or for children without healthcare. Tomorrow may be the last day of the legislative session, but the insurance industry is still hoping to bank a cool $150 million in tax breaks to push high deductible-let's call these what they really are-"do-it-yourself healthcare plans." "Do-it-yourself" because while you will still pay the insurance company premiums, when it comes to paying the bills, absent something catastrophic, you pretty much have to manage that on your own. I wrote about this earlier this month, and Rep. Tom Knox has earned himself a CL Golden Sleaze Award for his rather friendly arrangement with the insurance industry, demonstrated by his sponsorship of this bill and others.


Over at American Forum, Dr. David Blumenthal has posted an insightful piece about why these insurance policies are probably not worth the paper they're written on. Here's a quote:

Faced with a high deductible and an outlay of cash to meet even minimal health needs, many consumers will postpone needed care and forgo preventive services altogether. In the short run, money will be saved for the consumer and the health care system. In the slightly longer run, asthmatic kids will wind up in the hospital, middle-aged adults with uncontrolled high blood pressure will have heart attacks, and the elderly who failed to get screened for cancer will have it discovered in advanced stages. Health care costs will increase and Georgians will be less healthy.

Please contact your State Senator today and ask him or her to oppose HB 977. Follow the link above, or visit www.capitolconnect.com/aarp, register your name and address and follow the action steps under state alerts to send an email directly to your State Senator.

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Welfare Lear Jets

From Wall Street to Atlanta's Gold Dome, Bush Republicans are nursing a corrupt culture of corporate dependency designed to benefit the wealthiest of the wealthy. Corporations gambled with the grocery money hoping to turn a quick billion or two, knowing all the time that if they failed, Uncle Sam would be there with a government check to make the next payment on their welfare Lear jet. These multi-national corporate giants will never learn to stand on their own two feet because they know the government will bail them out, but everyday Americans, who find themselves in a pinch as housing values plummet and fuel costs sky-rocket, best not expect help. As Charles Richardson pointed out in today's Telegraph, in this welfare system, bailing out companies like Bear Stearns is a priority, but offering a hand up to homeowners facing foreclosure is out of bounds. The new slogan for the RNC isn't "Consumer Beware" it's "Consumer? Who Cares?"

Not to be left out, last week the Georgia House, led by that darling of the insurance industry, Rep. Tom Knox with back up singers, Jerry Keen and Mickey Channell, passed a $150 million dollar tax break for insurance companies to help them sell the public stripped down health insurance policies that aren't worth the paper their written on. These plans require individuals to pay more than $2200 out of pocket before receiving even basic medical care. That's right, more than 1.7 million Georgians are uninsured and our state is facing a slowing economy, but instead of funding public schools, trauma care or public safety, Georgia Republicans just can't wait to jump on the corporate welfare bandwagon. After all, it's the Republican thing to do. (By the way, there's still time to stop this bill in the Georgia Senate, but a vote is expected any day, so please contact your State Senator today and ask him or her to oppose HB 977. Follow the link above, or visit www.capitolconnect.com/aarp, register your name and address and follow the action steps under state alerts to send an email directly to your State Senator.) By the way, you folks up in Cumming won't need to send any campaign contributions Rep. Knox's way. Judging from his last disclosure, the insurance industry has taken very good care of their man in Atlanta, just as he has taken very good care of them.

Of course, corporate welfare isn't anything new to Republicans. In 1980's Sen. John McCain's buddy, Charles Keating ran the Lincoln Savings and Loan which became insolvent due to "bad loans" (sound familiar?). The bailout cost tax payers 2.9 billion (a pittance compared to the Bear Streans guarantee) while John McCain earned his place among the "Keating Five"-elected officials Charles Keating turned to for political cover.

So, Republicans preach about personal responsibility, extol the virtues of a free market economy and admonish welfare mothers to just pull themselves up by their bootstraps, but they are more than willing to offer up your tax dollars to subsidize corporate fat cats. Why is it that the person who's born into poverty is supposed to struggle while those who have more than they ever need are given hands outs handouts? Look no further than the incestuous relationship between big corporations, their lobbyists and the money that flows into campaign coffers-of both Republicans and Democrats, by the way. Looks like we need a whole new brand of welfare reform.

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State Money Slashed for Georgia Sports and Music Halls of Fame

I am hearing that , based on the supplemental budget passed within the last few days, the state allocation for the budgets of the Georgia Sports and Music Halls of Fame will be cut in half. Both are located in Macon and get zero love from the Atlanta legislative delegations. They are at the heart of the museum district in Macon, and if they ceased to exist, that would be a huge blow to downtown. In that same area of town, we already have the struggling Georgia Children's Museum and the large, unfinished new Tubman. How did this funding cut fly under the radar? What did our local delegation do to try to stop it? I understand that the final vote it tomorrow, and that the budget is pretty much veto-proof.

Update:

I understand that the Senate Appropriations Committee partially restored funding (that the House cut) to the Sports Hall of Fame & the Music Hall of Fame budgets. Both museums will be an issue in the budget conference.

The most effective thing we can do is to call the Senate & House budget conferees. Senate budget conferees are Sen. Eric Johnson, Sen. Tommie Williams and Sen. Jack Hill. House budget conferees are Rep. Jerry Keen, Rep. Ben Harbin and Rep. Mark Burkhalter.

(I look at this list and see no Middle Georgia names. I think that may not bode well for restoration of funding, especially when there are bigger fish to fry-like trauma care.)

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Vic Jones is Going to Love This

We can rely Georgia Republicans to take care of big insurance companies who pour dollars into their campaign accounts. The rest of us are just out of luck. According to an op-ed in today's Telegraph, on Thursday, thanks to Rep. Tom Knox and a quick legislative slight of hand, both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly passed a bill including a provision that makes it unnecessary for insurance companies to get approval from the Insurance Commissioner before passing certain rate increases on to consumers. Here's a portion of Charles Richardson's piece:

So what did the industry buy? The Judiciary Committee added language in Section 4 that will change the way insurance companies raise rates in Georgia. For all the other legal mumbo-jumbo, it comes down to a single sentence: "For all such private passenger motor vehicle insurance (rates) shall be effective upon filing and shall be implemented without approval of the Commissioner."Though insurance companies still have to go through the filing process with the insurance commissioner's office, policy holders will get a bill and be expected to pay it before the commissioner signs off on the increase. There is a smoke and mirrors caveat. Proponents of this sleight-of-hand point to the provision that requires companies to seek the insurance commissioner approval before raising rates on policies that carry mandated minimum coverages. According to Oxendine, 90 percent of policy holders carry insurance above the minimum.

Good to know you're looking out for us, there, Tom. Actually, it looks like Tom is serving those who have contributed rather richly to his campaign. A check of just his December, 2007 disclosure shows a rather tidy sum from insurance companies and their lobbyists. By the way, I noted on the disclosure that in that reporting period, Rep. Knox did not have a single contribution from an individual donor-all special interest pacs and businesses.

If any question remains about whether the insurance industry had a "special" investment in this piece of legislation, all you have to do is check the website of one of Rep. Knox's contributors, American Insurance Association. The headline, Georgia General Assembly Passes Key Auto Reform Measure is at the top of their "news releases."

On another note, when is Civil Justice PAC (trial lawyers) going to stop feeding the hand that bites it?

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Just In Case They Try Again

Here's an educational, informative video about HR536 created by SPARK Reproductive Justive Now:

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