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.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Georgia Representative's Letters to the Editor Banned
Friday, September 21, 2007
This Smells a Little
The open records act request below hit my email this afternoon, and I have to say, this smells a bit. Lindsay Holliday seems to think that Rep. Allen Peake and three of our five Bibb County Commissioners had a meeting with officials at GDOT without notifying the public. I'm not sure if this meeting was an effort on the part of Peake to advocate for the people in his district. If so, notice would've been a good thing. Here's the letter:
From: Holliday Dental [mailto:teeth@mindspring.com]
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2007 1:56 PM
To: Steve LaysonCc: vadams@ajtlaw.com; Joe Allen; Lauren L. Benedict
Subject: Open Records Request - Meeting 9/17/07
Steve Layson slayson@co.bibb.ga.us
Chief Administrative Officer
Bibb County Board of Commissioners
Re: Open Records Request - Meeting 9/17/07
Dear Mr Layson,
It is my understanding that three (3) Bibb Commissioners were present at the meeting with Rep Peake & GDOT, in Atlanta on Monday, Sept 17th 2007. The Commissioners discussed the Macon-Bibb RIP - Roads Improvement Program, and its SPLOST monies. They also specifically discussed their policy and financial commitments to the design of the $17Million proposed expansion of Forest Hill Road. Any 3 Bibb County Commissioners constitutes a quorum. The Georgia Sunshine Law requires that whenever a quorum meets, the public shall receive advance notice of the meeting, and minutes shall be taken and made available to the public. I am hereby requesting a copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Bibb County Commissioners who did meet in Atlanta with the Ga DOT on September 17th, 2007. Thanka, Lindsay
PS - this is a follow-up to citizen requests at the regular scheduled meeting if the Bibb Commission on 9-18-07 here:
http://www.macon-bibb.com/FHR/FHR_Meeting20070918.htm
The plan to widen Forest Hill Road in Macon is a hot local issue, and one that I have not studied closely. Forest Hill Road is a winding road through a residential area, and it is beautifully lined with trees. I have traveled on that road frequently, and rarely recall being delayed in traffic. It appears to me that the road needs some repairs-there are lots of potholes, and there are a couple of intersections, particularly one at Ridge and Forest Hill, that need to be revamped. But, along with most residents of the area, I cannot comprehend why there is a need for a vast widening project. There was a time when the thought was that this was a road people would use to get to and from the Macon Mall. Well, the Mall as we know it is about to be history as a new mall is constructed in North Bibb. It will be interesting to see the response to this request.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The Georgia GOP: Anti-Local Control Tax Zealots
I'm beginning to wonder just which wing of the Republican party these Georgia GOP anti-local control tax zealots belong to.
Like Glenn Richardson, Macon Rep. Allen Peake (my rep) wants you to pay sales tax on your child's daycare, dentist visit, haircut and scores of other services. He took to the editorial pages of the Telegraph yesterday to make clear his support of the Georgia GOP's Great Big Tax on Everything. Not only will you be paying a brand new tax on all services, if the Georgia GOP gets their way, local governments will be reduced to going hat in hand to Atlanta for their money. That should work out well-for Atlanta.
Opponents to this proposal are fighting to be first in line at the Glenn Richardson dunking booth. (If we did that and charged admission, we might not need the tax at all.) That liberal organization, The Georgia Municipal Association makes a compelling case this scheme is "not so great" after all.
In fact, in this scheme, metro-Atlanta (where property values are high and where control will be centered), big multi-state corporations and developers are the big winners, while Georgia's middle class, the service industries and rural counties are the big losers. If this tax plan becomes law, more than ever before, rural Georgia, where 87 counties are considered to be in a state of "persistent poverty" will be supporting the growth of metro-Atlanta.
Plus, don't you think that this GOP scheme is giving pause to business and industry considering locating in the state. If the resolution passes the legislature, it would need the approval of voters in November of 2008 before it could be implemented. That means that for the next year-at least-new business and industry considering moving into Georgia would not be able to accurately estimate what their costs might be. They would view Georgia's economy as unstable or at least as in a state of flux. Uncertainty does not attract business, and I'm betting this proposal has already scared off development deals that were in the works.
Regardless, Peake wants to make sure that you know he is concerned about the epidemic problem of Georgians being forced from our homes because we can't afford to pay our property taxes. I wonder just how many owner-occupied homes were lost last year in Georgia because of failure to pay property taxes? I don't know the answer yet, but I intend to call up our tax commissioner-while he still has a job-to find out. The truth Peake, Richardson and their comrades aren't telling is that it's not property tax, but health problems and medical bills that are most often the straw that sends the middle class into bankruptcy. I'm sure they will be leading the fight to make quality, affordable healthcare available for all Georgians.
Peake says that 70% of Georgians own their homes. He's almost right about that. According the the University of Georgia's Initiative on Poverty and the Economy, 67.5% of homes in Georgia are owner occupied, but in Peake's home county of Bibb, only 58.8% of homes are owner occupied. Plus, in high poverty and rural counties, mobile homes figure prominently in the % of owner occupied homes. For example, in Crawford county 84.76% of the homes are owner occupied, but 41.07% of those are mobile homes. That compares to about 12% of owner occupied homes in Georgia that are mobile homes. That matters because it is one factor that makes property values in rural Georgia much lower than in metro-Atlanta.
Finally, Peake makes the point that there are just too many entities in Georgia who can levy taxes. I wonder if he felt that way last session when he was the first sponsor on legislation to create a charter for Payne City in Bibb County-a charter that obviously includes the authority to levy taxes. Now, Peake seems to feel that state lawmakers are in a better position to make decisions about taxation than local governments. I disagree. Just this year, lobbyists for special interests spent nearly a million dollars wining and dining legislators during the forty days of this year's session. Of that, according to the Sate Ethics Commission, Peake himself took $1,785.85 worth of meals and hockey tickets, more than any other Bibb County legislator. So, unless you've got a lobbyist working for you in Atlanta, I think we're better off trusting locally elected officials to take care of local interests.
The bottom line is that no one likes taxes, and there is a need for tax reform in Georgia, but making the service sector the tax collector for the state while shifting the burden of taxation more and more to the middle class and removing control from local elected officials is just a great big mistake.
This is cross-posted at Tondees Tavern.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Whew! That's a Relief!
Thank God Sen. Cecil Staton and Rep. Allen Peake called a press conference so they and other Macon officials could stand in solidarity against the Mayor's statement of solidarity with Hugo Chavez. Before their press conference today, I was certain that Staton and Peake were co-signers of Ellis' letter (after all, they're all BFFE) and wanted nothing more than to invite Chavez to be honorary emcee for the Cherry Blossom Pageant. Glad they've clarified their position.
Seriously, how hard is it to call a press conference to stand up against something so ridiculous? How about a few press conferences to stand up for our children's health? Or for fully funding their schools? Or maybe to call for some ethics legislation that might address excessive lobbyist spending? Here's what Shipp had to say:Georgia's vision of a prosperous future is based on attracting rich geezers and importing young adults who grew up somewhere else. As you can see, the current crowd certainly has no interest in investing in the well-being of Georgia children here and now.
Me, too. Sphere: Related Content
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