Poverty is costly. That's the bottom line of a report commissioned by The Center for American Progress and released on Wednesday. The New York Times reports that children who grow up poor cost the economy up to $500 billion a in lost productivity, increased health care cost and increased criminal behavior. More and more, there is agreement that investing in eliminating childhood poverty makes good economic sense.
Money alone is not the answer. Changes in actions, neighborhoods and parenting are needed.
Of the 37 million people who live in poverty in this country, more than 17% of those are children. In Georgia, one of every five children live in poverty. As John Edwards would say, that's just wrong. We can do better.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
$500 Billion Every Year
Monday, January 29, 2007
Richardson Channels DeLay
Feeling a little tense there, Mr. Speaker? More and more, it appears that Speaker Richardson is channeling Tom DeLay. (We know what happened to DeLay, and Richardson might be wise to note his fate.) The Speaker's arrogance and impulsiveness seem boundless. On Saturday, he is quoted in the Telegraph saying this about the person who filed the ethics complaint against Larry O'Neal:
"This is the Democratic Party of Georgia's lawyer cronies, using him as a pawn in a very dangerous game for him," said Richardson, a Republican from Hiram." (Jan. 27, 2007, The Telegraph)
Today, the Speaker is quoted taking on the press, threatening to yank credentials based on what they write. They have, according to his staff, no constitutional right to be on the floor of the House. I can absolutely understand why the Speaker wants to hide from the press, but his continued threats to those who would dare criticize him and his friends are wearing thin, as is his lip-service treatment of ethics that allows him to remain on the panel for his friend.
The REST of the Republican Presidential Candidates
Michael the Archangel is God? Yes, just ask one the declared candidates for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Check the rest of the field. Below is the info on Mr. Archangel:
STATUS: ANNOUNCED CANDIDATE. This gadfly candidate -- who also uses the name "Saint Michael Jesus the Archangel" (note: formerly named Philip Silva until he legally adopted the Archangel moniker in 1996) -- appears rather delusional. "From the time I was a little boy I knew I was God and Michael the Archangel, but I didn't dare tell anyone, not even anyone in my family because I knew that the devil, Satan, was going to try to murder Me, and indeed he did try, four separate times," he explains. He says he's a Vietnam War veteran who attempted suicide due to depression and paranoia. He also claims he later became a "a volunteer Secret Agent for the Central Intelligence Agency without pay." A former janitor, he is a self-employed "writer" these days. As for politics, he describes himself as a "radical conservative Republican" who recognizes "the fact that America is an official Theocracy." Archangel was arrested on attempted murder and other felony charges in March 2006. "As a matter of fact, he is crazy. Anyone in their right mind can see that," said the Sheriff who arrested him. You can find lots and lots of very long pages of his bizarre writing on his official website: ArchangelMichael.info (you've got to scroll down very far on the homepage to find the link to his Presidential campaign and his autobiography).
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Michael Jesus Archangel (Michigan)
STATUS: ANNOUNCED CANDIDATE. This gadfly candidate -- who also uses the name "Saint Michael Jesus the Archangel" (note: formerly named Philip Silva until he legally adopted the Archangel moniker in 1996) -- appears rather delusional. "From the time I was a little boy I knew I was God and Michael the Archangel, but I didn't dare tell anyone, not even anyone in my family because I knew that the devil, Satan, was going to try to murder Me, and indeed he did try, four separate times," he explains. He says he's a Vietnam War veteran who attempted suicide due to depression and paranoia. He also claims he later became a "a volunteer Secret Agent for the Central Intelligence Agency without pay." A former janitor, he is a self-employed "writer" these days. As for politics, he describes himself as a "radical conservative Republican" who recognizes "the fact that America is an official Theocracy." Archangel was arrested on attempted murder and other felony charges in March 2006. "As a matter of fact, he is crazy. Anyone in their right mind can see that," said the Sheriff who arrested him. You can find lots and lots of very long pages of his bizarre writing on his official website: ArchangelMichael.info (you've got to scroll down very far on the homepage to find the link to his Presidential campaign and his autobiography).
Sunday, January 28, 2007
What Mike Berlon Did
Because of Mike Berlon, Georgia Democrats will never again forget to acknowledge the power of grassroots activism. Because of Jim Nelson, we may all learn to speak "evangelical." Hattie Dorsey, though her service and her candidacy, made certain that we will never again take for granted the support of women and African Americans. And, who better than Carol Jackson to challenge us to re-define "winnable" and remind us that we can successfully reach out to rural Georgia? In Jane Kidd, we elected a powerful, smart, creative women to lead us, but there is no question that the others who ran point the way toward a winning strategy, and I have no doubt that Jane will make sure they are all at the table as we make plans to move forward.
I have never been more proud to be a Georgia Democrat than I was yesterday. For a Party that has spent much of the last six years doing virtually everything wrong, we finally did virtually everything right.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Nelson, Dorsey Out
Kidd and Berlon still in. Jane Kidd ahead on the last ballot. 113 to 1O6 and 17 for Dorsey. This will be close.
Sphere: Related ContentJackson is Out
Carol JacksonIs* out first round, and Neon* and Kidd were the top two.
Note: Clearly, no one named "neon" was running. This should've read:
"Carol Jackson is out first round, and Berlon and Kidd were the top two."
Chalk this error up to my first effort at Blackberry blogging....
Berlon Promised a Hundred Grand
Yep. 25 thousand year. And Mayor Shirley Franklin just nominated Hattie Dorsey.
Sphere: Related ContentBye Bye Bobby
The first act of the DPG state committee was to honor Bobby Kahn. He was given a watch and trip and quipped, "are you sure one of these is not a one way ticket. " Chair is a tough job, clearly!
Sphere: Related ContentFriday, January 26, 2007
DPG Elections
Tomorrow, I intend to blog from the DPG Elections- at least the fun parts. The meeting starts at 1 pm with the Chair's race first, so, tune in for updates!
Sphere: Related ContentMacon Mayorial: Reichert's Pre-Announcement Announcement
If live in Middle Georgia and do not come to Politics and Lunch on the last Friday of each month, you not only miss great speakers (like Mattice Haynes-Amusa who spoke today) and lively bi-partisan discussion, you also miss the occasional political "scoop." Today, one the the widely rumored candidates for Mayor of Macon, Robert Reichert, came in and told the group that he will hold a press conference on Monday to announce his intent to run.
You can sign up for email notification of Politics and Lunch here. We meet the last Friday of each month at The Power Station (formerly Nashville Station), at noon. The only cost, $10.00, is for your lunch. Next month, Bibb superintendent of schools, Sharon Patterson, will be our speaker, and she will address what's working and what the challenges are in our local school system.
Stop. Please. Stop.
I love the fact that people are so eager to serve in DPG offices that they are employing all of the typical strategies. Heck, I half expect to turn on my television and see an ad for one or more of the candidates. I appreciate the mail, the emails, the videos, the websites, and the letters from third parties in support of candidates, but, and this is my personal bias: I HATE ROBO-CALLS, and I just got one ON MY CELL PHONE from one of the candidates. What is "Calling Post" anyway?
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