Editorials and Op-ed

Little League Champs Deserve More Coverage
By: Governor Sonny Perdue

If anyone still wonders why newspapers are losing subscribers in droves, Thursday’s AJC provided another case study. 

Thursday morning I found myself in an unusual position. Even though my picture was splashed across the front page, I skipped straight to the AJC’s Sports section eager to read the coverage of Georgia’s back-to-back Little League Softball World Series champions. Unfortunately, it didn’t take me very long to read the one sentence, 39-word, description of this fantastic accomplishment. As I flipped through the pages, I noticed the paper found plenty of space for a story on the Pan-Pacific swim meet and an article on the never-ending saga of Brett Favre’s indecisive future. They also had a lengthy write-up on a trade between the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions, two teams that went a combined 7-25 last year. 

Maybe it’s just me, but I think most Georgians would rather read about the true heart-warming success stories coming from towns within our state’s borders. However, unless you scoured your AJC with a microscope, most readers probably missed this great news. Let me put this in perspective for you – the entire world had a chance to watch this game in a two-and-a-half-hour broadcast on ESPN2, but the AJC devoted only one sentence, 39 words long, in the Sports section to this incredible feat. Moreover, had my office not put the game on the paper’s radar screen, I doubt they would have even given Georgia’s only reigning world champions that measly sentence.

As a grandfather to six girls, including two softball players, I’ve also noticed a disheartening double-standard in the coverage of Little League Baseball and Little League Softball. Last year when Georgia’s boys’ team lost a heartbreaker in the semi-finals, the AJC devoted 529 words to the loss from a staff reporter. When the girls’ team won that very same year, the championship game received a mere 140 word write-up, and half of that story was built around the bet I made with President George W. Bush over the outcome of the game. There was even a story today previewing the Columbus Northern boys starting play tomorrow in the baseball World Series. Total coverage of the girls’ run to the championship still remains at one, 39-word sentence.

As a former little leaguer I know that the lessons of teamwork, perseverance and learning how to win and lose gracefully are just a few of the things young boys and girls take with them for the rest of their lives. In an age where professional athletes have hour-long TV specials to announce where they are going to earn their next nine-figure pay check, little leaguers play with an innocent joy, the pride of representing their town, state and region, and for the love of the game.

These are the stories that we want to read. All Georgians – our world-champions, parents, brothers, friends and sports fans – deserve better from the state’s largest paper.

August 20, 2010

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Scientists, the downside of science
By Harold Brown

Reporters and commentators frequently cite scientists as support for positions. In headlines, scientists assess disasters (“Scientists say Gulf spill is way worse than estimated”), bolster environmental actions (“Scientists say mountaintop mining should be stopped") even to make the obvious official (“Drought grips some of Harris County, scientists say”).

The public holds scientists in high regard, too. In a 2009 poll by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, 70 percent of respondents viewed scientists as contributing “a lot” to society’s wellbeing, compared to 40 percent by clergy and only 21 percent by business executives.

This high regard for scientists is not necessarily well-founded. First, it is subjective. “Wellbeing” in this case is probably based on advances in medicine, technology and communications. Economic advancement, one of the real marvels of the 20th century, is not usually credited to business executives. Second, scientists are viewed as experts in subjects most of us know little about. The everyday science that we know is considered practical engineering or mechanical expertise, not the “science” that holds us in awe.

In the public view, scientists are paragons of objectivity and judgment. When Pew surveyed 2,500 scientists about the behavior of colleagues, 14 percent said they were aware of falsification of results, and about the same number knew of scientists who withheld data that contradicted their own research. In other surveys, up to 72 percent of scientists said they knew about instances of questionable research practices by colleagues.

A majority of the public – 64 percent – believe scientists are not particularly liberal or conservative, and just 20 percent see scientists as politically liberal. In fact, 52 percent of scientists polled claimed to be liberal; 9 percent said they were conservative.

Political leanings aside, scientists are subject to the same weaknesses and desires as the rest of the public. They may feel they are noble and providing a public service but they participate in shortcuts to success, cheating, vilifying opponents and hiding bad behavior. Such allegations are rampant on both sides of large issues such as global warming. 

Scientists comment on much they know little about; they are not as smart as the public thinks. In that way and in their bias, they are like the rest of the population. 

"[I]n contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid,” said James Watson, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, in his book, "The Alpha Heli."

Watson was saying, perhaps without intending to, that scientists are run-of-the-mill people. So was he: great in his scientific discovery, ordinary in other ways.

Especially suspect are those scientists who predict the future, especially about the climate. “Scientist says that 1927 will be virtually without a summer,” read a 1926 New York Times headline. (The year was slightly warmer than average.) In 1961, the newspaper's headline was, “Scientists Agree World Is Colder.” A claim of unanimity followed, “After a week of discussions on the subject of climate change, an assembly of specialists from several continents seems to have reached unanimous agreement on only one point: it is getting colder.” 

One measure of the humanity of scientists is the advocacy of practices that are popular in their era, but repugnant in others. Early in the 20th century, many scientists endorsed the misguided practice of human population engineering (Eugenics), including sterilization of the unfit. Conservationist Madison Grant helped start the New York Zoological Society, the American Bison Society, the Save the Redwoods League and "scientific racism." He declared of humans in 1916, “The laws against miscegenation must be greatly extended if the higher races are to be maintained.”

Expecting scientists to be unbiased is about as realistic as expecting politicians to be modest or bankers to be generous. Some politicians are modest and many bankers generous, and scientists, like all humans, are biased. If you want to test the bias of an individual scientist, ask if his or her specialty is one of the least important. If they say "yes", they’ve caught on to your motive.

Next time you hear a scientist predict the future or advocate solutions instead of advancing science, fall back on that human trait that has served science so well from the beginning: skepticism. 

University of Georgia Professor Emeritus R. Harold Brown is an Adjunct Scholar with the Georgia Public Policy Foundation and author of "The Greening of Georgia: The Improvement of the Environment in the Twentieth Century." The Foundation is an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature.

August 13, 2010 

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Cut Capital Gains Tax Rate to Boost Georgia's Economy
By Mark King

The looming possibility of a federal tax increase if Congress allows the Bush administration's tax cuts to expire offers the states an opportunity to protect investment. By lowering the capital gains tax rate, Georgia could earn a much-needed economic boost, inspiring confidence that it is fertile ground for capital investment and is dedicated to economic growth.

At 6 percent, Georgia's long-term capital gains tax rate equals the state's top income tax rate and is second highest in the Southeast. Nationally, it is 20th highest. Why would potential investors see this as anything but an unfriendly environment for capital investment?

The tax has several disadvantages. First, capital gains are not adjusted for inflation when they are taxed. An item that cost $1.00 in 2000 cost $1.23 in 2009 because of inflation. The seller is paying tax above the real purchasing power gains on the asset, an argument for capital gains taxes to be lower than income tax rates on wages. 

Second, the tax ignores investment losses above a certain level. This distorts the market for investment; those on the fence are steered away from taking a risk. The economy is built on risk-takers trying to fill the voids of supply in response to consumer demand. A high capital gains tax rate restricts the economic engine.

Further, capital gains taxes produce an unstable revenue stream that fluctuates enormously with the health of the economy. Looking at the last 10 years, the capital gains tax base in Georgia has fluctuated by more than 15 percent either way in eight of those years, compared to zero years for the income and sales tax base (see graph). In 2001 and 2008, the capital gains tax base decreased by 40 percent and 53 percent respectively; in 2004 it increased by 51 percent and in 2005 it increased 42 percent.

Such fluctuations produce huge headaches for the state’s financial projections. States that rely highly on capital gains taxes, such as California, spend these excess funds in the good years, overinflating their budgets, and face major budget crises in the down years. Reducing reliance on the capital gains tax to fund the state will result in a steadier, more predictable revenue stream. In Georgia, net capital gains tax revenue has averaged about 5 percent of total state tax revenue.

Researchers have found that cuts in capital gains taxes do not cost as much to government revenues as other tax cuts. The National Bureau of Economic Research found that evaluating tax cuts using dynamic scoring (factors in resultant economic growth) shows 50 percent of a cut in capital gains is recovered by higher economic growth in the long run. For labor taxes, the figure is just 17 percent. 

Essentially, each dollar of capital gains allowed to remain in the investor’s hands costs the government only 50 cents in revenue. This is a small price to pay for economic growth, increased investment and job creation.

In the short run, capital gains tax cuts have shown to actually increase revenues as investors become much more active. The cuts at the federal level in 1980, 1997 and 2003 all increased revenue in the years following. 

Seniors ages 65 and over earn 30 percent of capital gains income, according to the Tax Foundation. This is highly disproportionate to their share of the population. Given that Georgia has made the commitment to eliminate the income taxes for this age group, the net cost of reducing the capital gains tax is even lower. 

One potential benefit of lowering the capital gains tax rate is to incentivize investment in higher-risk startup companies, typically in high-tech industries with large potential payoffs. Coupled with state pension reform that allows for venture capital fund investment, a cut in capital gains tax rates could help retain companies formed at Georgia’s world-renowned research institutions and attract greater outside investment to further the state’s prowess as an incubator for ground-breaking businesses. 

The recently formed Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians will examine the entirety of the state’s tax code. Early comments indicate that the Council will look seriously at trying to lower income tax rates in a revenue-neutral manner. It should also consider lowering the capital gains tax rate to half of the decided-upon income tax rate. This policy change will spur investment and market activity in the short-term while developing the infrastructure for Georgia to lead this nation out of the recession as a hub of innovation. 

Source: IRS

Mark King, who is completing his master's degree at the University of Georgia, is a summer intern with the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. The Foundation is an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Foundation or the Center for Health Transformation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature.

August 6, 2010

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Beware Where Policy-makers Go With Transit
By Benita M. Dodd

The drumbeat for more public transportation by planners and policy-makers rises in inverse proportion to the public's enthusiasm. The reality of the steady decline in Americans' use of public transportation fades into the background, overwhelmed by transit-oriented hype. 

It started with "smart growth" and "new urbanism." Now this elitist focus on public transit as the solution to congestion now has a frightening hold on the U.S. Department of Transportation. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who has long cited his preference for "livability" instead of mobility, this month announced a $293 million "investment" so that "residents in dozens of communities nationwide will soon enjoy major transit improvements, including new streetcars, buses and transit facilities." It would "boost economic development and recovery, and further reduce our dependence on oil.”

Free-market think tanks and policy analysts around the nation who oppose this approach are maligned as "anti-transit." Not so. Transit is a necessary tool in the transportation policy toolbox to accommodate the needy, those unwilling and unable to drive and a growing elderly population. What's at issue is (a) what type of transit to choose and (b) who should manage it. 

Why are these issues? First, the numbers of transit users are low and declining. Demographer Wendell Cox reports that in 1955, transit's market share was more than 10 percent; by 2005, it was at 1.5 percent. By 2008, amid high fuel prices, transit market share climbed – to 1.6 percent. It is also high cost. The farebox covers around 25 percent of operations. It requires massive subsidies from already-struggling taxpayers. 

Unfortunately, planners are opting for trolleys, street cars and rail. President Obama's $8 billion in grants for "high-speed" rail have over-excited states. And Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff says, “Streetcars are making a comeback because cities across America are recognizing that they can restore economic development downtown. ...These streetcar and bus livability projects will not only create construction jobs now, they will aid our recovery by creating communities that are more prosperous and less congested.”

Atlanta's Beltline greenbelt project proposes using light rail, estimated at $25 million to $50 million per mile and the costliest of three options. Cobb County also is looking at light rail. Planners maintain it encourages economic development.

Which leads to management: With taxpayer funds materializing from the federal government to cover up to 90 percent of the cost of the projects they support, policy-makers inflate requests with expensive, ambitious projects that have little relevance to consumer demand. LaHood's streetcar initiative will fund up to 80 percent of projects. The profit motive of a private-sector investor can encourage efficiencies and protect taxpayers. 

The feds do appear to be rethinking their generosity. Rogoff said recently it is time to "put down the glossy brochures. ... At times like these, it's more important than ever to have the courage to ask a hard question: If you can't afford to operate the system you have, why does it make sense for us to partner in your expansion? ... [A]re we at risk of just helping communities dig a deeper hole for our children and our grandchildren?" 

This is especially not the time to commit funds to fixed transit as a solution. An Atlanta Regional Commission "snapshot" of congested corridors resembles the can of worms it is. Regional planners are considering delaying needed maintenance to fund new projects. The region needs a stunning $56 billion through 2040 just for repairs and maintenance, and $113 billion more to build, operate and maintain "all additional identified needs in the region." 

The good news is that even in automobile-oriented Georgia, where land is cheap so lots are large and business centers dispersed, there are less costly transit options. The law enabling regional referenda on a transportation sales tax also creates a commission to investigate combining regional transit entities into one, and another to encourage transit cost-sharing by various agencies.

Then, too, the proposed high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane network proposed for the metro region could provide a seamless, congestion-free transit network for express buses and bus rapid transit (BRT). For reference, the Beltline's estimates for BRT are $15 million to $25 million a mile.

Nobody's taking the train. Georgians must demand that social engineers stop trying to get them on board. Georgians want mobility: freeing their cars from congestion, not moving them out of their cars. As transportation policy advances, focus the finite dollars on practical plans that advance regional mobility, not on modes from which Americans have long moved on.

Read the Foundation's proposals for transportation policy in Georgia at http://www.gppf.org/pub/agenda2011/transportationagenda.pdf  

Benita M. Dodd is vice president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature. 

July 30, 2010

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It’s Time to Listen to Health Care Consumers
By Ronald E. Bachman

The great frustration for many Americans during the debate on ObamaCare was tone-deaf politicians. No one seemed willing to listen to their concerns. Federal deficits, pork-barrel spending and cost got lost in the push to pass partisan legislation. Moving into the regulatory phase of writing the critical implementation rules, the concern is that bureaucrats will also ignore the people. 

Bureaucrats are empowered to define "essential" benefits, structure plan designs, establish rate structures, set rules for cost-sharing, make decisions on allowable rewards and incentives and so much more. With so much Washington opposition to health care consumerism and the use of insurance with personal care accounts, the fear is that the new rules will inhibit or prohibit the adoption of the fastest-growing concept since the 401(k) retirement savings plan.

Health care consumerism is about health plans that put purchasing power and decision-making in the hands of participants. It's about supplying the information and decision support tools they need, along with financial incentives, rewards and other benefits that encourage personal involvement in altering health and health care purchasing behaviors.

A Mercer study for the American Association of Preferred Provider Organizations (AAPPO) showed 23 million lives are covered by insurance with health care consumerism, which includes insurance plans with personal care accounts attached to the insurance coverage. These account-based insurance plans give choice, options for care and key health decisions to patients. All types of personal care accounts are growing rapidly. Plans with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) grew 27 percent from 2008 to 2009, up from 18 million lives to 23 million.

For the first time in history, people are choosing plans that empower individuals and reduce premiums without shifting costs to patients. Karen Greenrose, president and CEO of AAPPO, said, “At a time when employers are faced with the difficult choice of limiting benefits or raising health care costs to their employees, they are turning to CDHPs (consumer-driven health plans) given the cost savings inherent in these plans.” 

Health care consumerism encourages good health and health-care purchasing behaviors with support for higher use of prevention, more adherences to medical treatments, greater personal responsibility, and an emphasis on health and health care education. 

This inclusive concept for engaging plan members is good for both the healthy and those with chronic conditions. It is voluntary, not coercive. No one is forced to be compliant. HSA-eligible plans, insurance with HRAs and other consumer-driven options have been proven to lower overall health costs and improve care. A 2009 study of health care consumerism by the American Academy of Actuaries (AAA) found, “The total savings generated could be as much as 12 percent to 20 percent in the first year. After the first year, studies indicate trend rates lower than traditional PPO plans by approximately 3 percent to 5 percent.” 

Most importantly, the AAA concludes that in these plans “recommended care for chronic conditions (are) at the same or higher level than traditional plan participants” and the “studies reported a higher incidence of physicians following evidence-based care protocols.”

Health care consumerism has been tested in the employer and personal insurance market for nearly a decade, and the AAA and the AAPPO reports reflect the amazing results. The AAPPO report shows 43 percent of large employers now offer a health care consumerism plan. And in 2009, small employers were largely responsible for health care consumerism enrollment rising from 9 percent to 15 percent, a 66 percent increase. 

There are elements of health care consumerism in ObamaCare that could be expanded on during the regulatory process. The emphasis on prevention and the allowance of increased rewards and incentives is a good provision. The use of bio-metrics (blood pressure, cholesterol levels, nicotine use and body mass index) to reward healthy behaviors has real potential. Catastrophic coverages for those under age 30 can work if regulatory rules allow them to be HSA-eligible. These are aspects of the new law that are consistent with the movement to health care consumerism.

The administration did not listen to the polls, the elections or large segments of citizens during the health legislation debate. Now, unelected bureaucrats can define what the legislation means. Americans are speaking loudly by embracing health care consumerism, which can lower health care costs and premiums. The regulatory process needs to support this movement, not try to suppress 

Ronald E. Bachman FSA, MAAA, is a Senior Fellow at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for Health Transformation, an organization founded by former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Mr. Bachman worked as an outside expert with members of Congress and the Clinton administration during the 1993-94 health reform. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Foundation or the Center for Health Transformation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature. 

July 23, 2010

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Conserving Georgia’s Future: One Year After Water Ruling
By: Governor Sonny Perdue

Tomorrow marks one year since Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson ruled in a lawsuit filed by Alabama and Florida that the Army Corps of Engineers exceeded their authority in allowing water withdrawals from Lake Lanier to meet the water supply needs of metro Atlanta’s 3.5 million residents. In his order, Judge Magnuson made it clear that the only way to meet the needs of the metro area is for Congress to authorize Lake Lanier for water supply. The judge stayed his ruling until 2012 to give Georgia time to seek that authorization. 

As virtually everyone knows by now, the Magnuson ruling has serious implications not only for metro Atlanta, but for everyone in the state. A significant water deficit in metro Atlanta, which is a vital economic engine for our state, will negatively impact businesses and citizens across Georgia and the Southeast.

While that is certainly a disturbing thought, there is reason for optimism. Beginning long before the ruling last year, Georgia has worked hard to develop and implement effective water planning efforts. We have focused on encouraging a culture of conservation in Georgia and our citizens have responded to that call. We began comprehensive, statewide water planning initiatives more than six years ago, and recently I signed landmark water conservation legislation into law. In 2008, I launched Conserve Georgia, a statewide outreach campaign that includes water conservation as an important component.

Working closely with the Environmental Protection Division (EPD), ten regional water councils created by the State Water Plan have met regularly since early 2009 to discuss water resources, usage and challenges regarding supply and access. The councils are currently working to identify management practices to meet future needs. The EPD and the water councils expect to have the first regional water plans finished next year. 

The recently enacted Water Stewardship Act asks Georgians to make an active commitment to water conservation, while at the same time providing incentives that encourage innovation and creativity among our water providers. The legislation prepares Georgia for future growth, protects water-sensitive industries and equips us with tools to navigate future water shortages caused by natural occurrences such as droughts.

Residents, businesses, schools and other organizations have proactively embraced a culture of conservation across the state. Water conservation is now a common and expected practice, even though Georgia is experiencing a normal rain pattern. 

In the wake of Judge Magnuson’s ruling, I instituted a four-pronged response plan. We re-opened negotiations with Alabama and Florida to find a fair and equitable water-sharing solution, and those negotiations continue. I want to reassure Georgians that I am doing everything I can to reach agreement on a beneficial water sharing plan before leaving office early next year. 

We have also appealed Judge Magnuson’s ruling, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit will soon hear our reasoned and logical arguments. And we have worked closely with our Congressional delegation in Washington DC to pursue Congressional authorization of Lake Lanier as a water-supply reservoir, and those efforts are still underway. 

The Water Stewardship Act, the State Water Plan, regional water planning and the efforts of Georgia residents and business leaders to conserve is the culmination of hard work and active collaboration among the state’s leadership, as well as our agriculture, business, water supply and conservation communities. 

That same level of collaboration will be key as we continue the tri-state negotiations, appeal the judge’s ruling and seek Congressional authorization. By continuing to pull together, we will ensure that all Georgians have access to a safe and plentiful water supply.

July 16, 2010

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New Mexico Provides Model for Georgia Tax Reform
By Mark King

When it comes to the tax climate, Georgia ranks middle of the road or worse in several categories, according to the Tax Foundation. The state ranks 29th (50 being the worst) in the State Business Tax Climate Index, a judge of the state tax structure’s promotion of economic growth, and has the 23rd highest top income tax rate at 6 percent. The middle of the road is better than the ditch, but why not strive for the fast lane? 

When Georgia is compared with neighboring states, the urgency of tax reform is evident. Tennessee and Florida have no taxes on wages; Georgia taxes 6 percent of income. Georgia ranks worst among its border states in state and local tax burden according to the Tax Foundation. Clearly, it's time to do a better job of encouraging economic growth through tax reform. 

For a shining example of tax reform, "Go West" to New Mexico. In 2003, Governor Bill Richardson signed into law a set of income tax reductions. The legislation lowered the top income tax rate from 8.2 percent to 4.9 percent by 2008. Despite dire predictions that the state would lose revenue, during the years of this tax reduction revenues increased and New Mexico experienced a period of substantial economic growth. 

The simple explanation could be that the increases in New Mexico’s tax revenue reflect the economic boom of the mid-2000s. Yet, when compared with Georgia’s economic growth over the same time period, New Mexico shows far superior growth. 

Georgia’s top income tax remained constant at 6 percent from 2003 to 2008 while New Mexico’s top income tax dropped 3.3 percentage points. Analysis of the personal income per capita and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita growth in both states shows that New Mexico experienced significantly higher rates of economic growth. 

Personal income per capita in New Mexico grew 33 percent, from $25,049 in 2002 to $33,385 in 2008. Georgia’s personal income increased just 19 percent, from $29,264 to $34,849. GDP expansion shows an even more dramatic difference: From 2002 to 2008, GDP per capita grew a whopping 42 percent in New Mexico compared with just 15 percent in Georgia. New Mexico had a lower starting point with both metrics, but has nearly surpassed Georgia with no sign of slowing down. 

The Rio Grande Foundation, a free-market policy group in New Mexico, recently proposed phasing out the income tax all together in order to compete with the likes of Wyoming, Nevada and Texas, all zero income tax states. According to a study by the group, a 4.5 percent cap on annual spending growth would enable the state to eliminate the income tax within five years. 

Because of the recent recession plans of this nature have most likely been placed on the back burner. Nevertheless, New Mexico has situated itself to better weather the storm by fostering economic growth over the past six years. Economic growth means more jobs, the central need for its citizens in hard times. The remarkable increase in personal income per capita is compelling evidence for lowering income taxes to improve the standard of living. Simply put, people want jobs, and when they have a job they want to increase their income. 

To put things in perspective, had Georgia enjoyed the economic growth of New Mexico over the past six years, personal income per capita would be more than $4,000 greater than the current level. Certainly, many Georgians could desperately use that difference in income. Too, more people would begin to understand the economics in not taxing income, investment and production. 

A more viable solution is to focus more on taxing consumption. Consumption taxes incentivize saving, investment and fiscal responsibility. Broadening the tax base would also help reduce volatility in tax revenue. Tough times call for tough decisions. Tax reform is not an easy Sunday drive, it's a hard fought and, hopefully, well thought out process. Georgia’s current income tax structure hinders kinds of gains enjoyed by New Mexico and its proactive policies. Now, especially, is a time to change gears and drive economic growth across the state. 

Mark King, who is completing his master's degree at the University of Georgia, is a summer intern with the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. The Foundation is an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Foundation or the Center for Health Transformation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature.

July 16, 2010 

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Ga. Students Left with Virtually 
No Online School Opportunities
By Mike Klein

Georgia high school students who would like to pursue full-time online education options may have seen their hopes diminished this week. Two companies that were approved to open online high schools in August will cancel because they believe the financial model offered by the state does not work. This is a gut punch for advocates of online education in Georgia.

Last month the Georgia Charter School Commission approved Kaplan Academy of Georgia and Provost Academy Georgia with the understanding that coursework costs would need to fit into available state funding, estimated at about $3,500 per pupil. Provost planned to enroll 800 high school students and Kaplan planned 460 students.

Provost Academy Georgia is a project of New York-based Edison Learning. Speaking from his New York office, Edison spokesman Michael Serpe explained the decision to withdraw. “It’s very simple. Based on our original application, per-pupil funding is dramatically lower than what we originally expected even when our application went in over one year ago.” 

Foundation calls to Kaplan Academy of Georgia were not returned, but its decision to withdraw was confirmed by Executive Director Mark Peevy at the Georgia Charter School Commission. Kaplan Academy is a project of Hollywood, Fla.-based Kaplan Virtual Education, which is a major player in online education products.

The withdrawals are a two-fold shock to the system. It immediately reduces online school options for Georgia high schoolers. It also sends a message to other companies that working with Georgia is at your own peril until the state can figure out its funding models.

“I think all of them would take a hard look at what we’ve done and try to understand the decisions,” Peevy said. “We’ve had two credible companies who want to be in the market say we can’t do it for what you offer. This challenges us to put out the right numbers.”

Kaplan, Provost, Connections Academy and Mercury Online Academy are four of five companies that sought charter school commission permission to operate online high schools in Georgia next year. Connections and Mercury petitions were denied last month. The fifth, Georgia Cyber Academy, is a major online education player and the state’s last chance to offer online ninth grade this fall. 

Georgia Cyber operates Odyssey School, the only statewide online school for elementary and middle school students, with some 6,000 students. Odyssey is the largest public school of any kind in Georgia, brick and mortar or virtual.

Georgia Cyber is beginning the second year of a two-year contract with the state Department of Education. Matt Arkin, head of school at Georgia Cyber, said the Academy is preparing an amendment request that would permit it to open a ninth grade this August. The Academy wants to enroll 600 students.

Traditional brick and mortar education is funded by state dollars and local dollars generated by county property taxes and other sources. The most recent Department of Education report puts the statewide average payment to brick and mortar schools at $8,261 per pupil during the 2008-2009 academic year.

Full-time online school charter funding fluctuates widely nationally. Pennsylvania has paid up to $8,100 per student, according to a Georgia Cyber analysis. Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin provide between $5,000 and $7,500 per pupil. South Carolina is at the low end, at about $3,300 per pupil.

Last month the charter school commission approved only state dollars for Kaplan and Provost. Peevy said payments would have been about $3,500 per student, which both companies decided is not enough to offset their costs. Arkin said he believes Georgia Cyber would receive about $3,300 in state dollars for each ninth-grade student.

“There is a perception that virtual schools don’t have costs,” Arkin said. “We certainly don’t have some costs that brick and mortar schools have, but we have costs that they don’t have to bear. I do think there is an opportunity to have the state save money through virtual education, but this isn’t free and doing it cheap, it’s the families that get penalized.”

The Georgia Cyber request to operate a virtual ninth grade is expected to be an agenda item at the Aug. 18 State Board of Education meeting. Peevy said the charter school commission will discuss next steps regarding Kaplan and Provost on Aug. 19.

Peevy also predicted the next governor and Legislature will need to focus on virtual education funding models. “I think we can turn this into a positive,” Peevy said, “and have it be a step in the right direction as opposed to a false start.”

Mike Klein is an editor with the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature. 

July 13, 2010

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Gwinnett Place – 
The Unique Place To Be In Gwinnett County
By Mark Williams

Gwinnett Place is truly the central business district of this county, and our area is
a top draw year round. Gwinnett Place collectively offers a wide variety of dining,
entertainment and shopping attractions that can only be found in our portion of
Gwinnett County.

We have some of the newest hotel accommodations, including a new Holiday Inn
and other locations that have recently completed multi-million dollar renovations.
Gwinnett Place is home to one of the county’s tallest buildings – the Atlanta
Marriott Gwinnett Place, Gwinnett’s premier location for conferences and other
special events.

Did you know that we have the only Bahama Breeze in Gwinnett and the only
such location in northeast metro Atlanta? We are the only local place to enjoy
the expanded menu of a Chick-fil-A Dwarf House. Gwinnett Place also has
unparalleled international cuisine from Italian to Japanese and all the choice
brand names, from quick snacks to family style dining.

We are the only part of Gwinnett with two malls – Gwinnett Place and Santa Fe.
We have the largest indoor international food market in the country, Assi Plaza.
Gwinnett Place is the only destination with Fry’s Electronics, Sears and The
Shane Company. And we are soon to be home to the new Mega Mart shopping
experience, the first American opening for one of Korea’s biggest retailers.

Gwinnett Place can even claim one of the country’s largest dance and music
venues – the nationally renowned Will Bill’s Dance Club and Concert Hall.

Our area is also uniquely served by the members and leadership of the Gwinnett
Place Community Improvement District (CID). The CID joins the interests of area
commercial property to expand the economic vitality of greater Gwinnett Place.

As you will hear more in the coming months, Gwinnett Place will soon claim
another first-of-its-kind accomplishment – one of the first diverging-diamond
interchanges (DDI) in Georgia.

The Gwinnett Place CID is working closely with county, state and federal
transportation officials to retrofit the Pleasant Hill Road bridge over Interstate 85
with a DDI, which allows drivers to cross over to the “opposite” side of the road to
greatly improve traffic movement.

The DDI is an exciting innovation because it immediately reduces traffic delays,
costs less than a entirely new bridge and can be adapted using the existing
roadway infrastructure.

So as you can see, there is no summer slowdown for greater Gwinnett Place or
the Gwinnett Place CID. We are fully at work to keep Gwinnett Place the place to
be, and we invite you and your family to come be part of the action.
To learn more about all the businesses at Gwinnett Place, please take a look at
the VisitGwinnettPlace.com site. And more information about the Gwinnett Place
CID is always available at GwinnettPlaceCID.com.

June 28, 2010

Mark Williams is Chair of the Gwinnett Place CID Board of Directors. He is the
owner of Printing Trade Company - a full-service print company his family started
39 years ago. He has served in appointed and volunteer roles with numerous
civic efforts countywide and in the cities of Norcross and Duluth. Mark lives in
Cardinal Lake, one of Gwinnett’s oldest and largest neighborhoods.

* * * 

The Gettysburg Reunion of 1913
By: Calvin E. Johnson, Jr.

Happy 234th birthday America!

The War Between the States Sesquicentennial, 150th Anniversary, runs from 2010 through 2015. The Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans has an information page at: http://www.150wbts.org/. Make it a family affair to attend the events planned throughout the USA. The National SCV Sesquicentennial Commission website is: http://www.confederate150.com/ 

The fading photos and stories of Union and Confederate Veterans from that summer of 1913, shaking hands, sharing a meal and trading war stories is a special part of our National Heritage well worth sharing.

Do young people know who Gen. Robert Edward Lee, Major Gen. George Edward Pickett and Major Gen. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain were? Do schools still teach children about these men and all those who met on that famous War Between the States battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania? Some call the Gettysburg Battlefield the most haunted place in America as many thousands died on that fateful month in July 1863.

“Comrades and friends, these splendid statues of marble and granite and bronze shall finally crumble to dust, and in the ages to come, will perhaps be forgotten, but the spirit that has called this great assembly of our people together, on this field, shall live forever.”
-----Dr. Nathaniel D. Cox at 1913 Gettysburg Reunion

The summer heat of July 1913 did not keep the old Confederate and Union Veterans from attending the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. It has been written that over 50,000 sons of the North and South came for what has been called the largest combined reunion of War Between the States veterans.

The youngest veteran was reported to be 61 and the oldest was 112 years young.

No one dared criticize the United States or Confederate flag that flew side by side at the Gettysburg soldier’s reunion of honored men who had been enemies on the field of battle just 50 years earlier. 

The State of Pennsylvania hosted the 1913 reunion at the insisting of state Governor John K. Tener. Tener also encouraged other states to arrange rail transportation for the participants. Down South, the United Daughters of the Confederacy helped raise money for the transportation and uniforms for the Confederate veterans.

The soldiers of Blue and Gray, Black and White, came with heads raised high. It is written that the hosts did not count on Black Confederates attending the meeting and had no place to put them however the White Confederates made room for their Southern brothers. Black Union veterans also attended. 

Nearly 700,000 meals were served that included fried chicken, roast pork sandwiches, ice cream and Georgia watermelon. The temperature soared to 100 degrees and almost 10,000 veterans were treated for heat exhaustion and several hundred more were hospitalized. The United States Army was also present in support and the old men loved the attention.

A highlight of the reunion was the Confederate Veterans walk on the path of Gen. George Pickett’s charge that was greeted, this time, with a handshake from the Union Veterans. 

President Woodrow Wilson spoke to those veterans with compassion and appreciation, and said, quote “These venerable men crowding here to this famous field have set us a great example of devotion and utter sacrifice. They were willing to die that the people might live. But their task is done. Their day is turned into evening. They look to us to perfect what they have established. Their work is handed to us, to be done in another way but not in another spirit. Our day is not over; it is upon us in full tide.” Unquote

June 24, 2010

* * *

Consumerism: the Cure for Health Care's Ills 
By Ronald E. Bachman 

Megatrends represent major movements so powerful that the direction of change cannot be stopped. Federal laws can speed up or slow down megatrend forces. But, like dammed rivers, megatrends will redirect themselves to achieve the inevitable result. Health care consumerism is such a force.
Government and the quest for political power is a strong force in and of itself. Cynics will point to increasing demands for federal support and government dependency by large parts of our population. That may be a current political direction, but growing welfare and expanding entitlements is not a financially sustainable path and therefore cannot be a megatrend. 

ObamaCare is fighting health care consumerism and broad cultural movements to personal responsibility, individual ownership, self-reliance, convenience, choice and transparency. The health mandates violate the growth of personal responsibility and self-reliance.

Government-required plan designs violate the cultural movement to choice. Added bureaucracies create barriers to responsive plan designs and convenient medical services. Federal subsidies violate the concept of individual ownership. Backroom dealing between big government and lobbying interests violate transparency. For the political class the passage of ObamaCare is a pyrrhic victory. It assumes that Americans are sheep that can be led to slaughter for feeding the political class and its favored supporters. It will either fail in court as unconstitutional or be defeated by the ballot box.

The future is not the opiate of government, but the empowerment of “health care consumerism:” transforming health benefit plans by putting economic purchasing power and decision-making in the hands of participants. It’s about supplying the information and decision support tools needed, along with financial incentives, rewards and other benefits that encourage personal involvement in altering health and healthcare purchasing behaviors. 

Health care consumerism is independent of plan design. It includes opportunities to accumulate funds and/or receive grants through shared savings. Individuals can be financially rewarded for doing the right activities that improve their health and lower costs. The rewards can be for activities such as participation in a wellness assessment, compliance with a condition management program (taking medications, diet, exercise, office visits, etc.), and maintenance of good health characteristics (e.g. blood pressure, cholesterol, nicotine use, body mass index). 
Since 2004, a popular form of health care consumerism has been HSA-eligible plans. Insurance with personal savings accounts (HSAs and FSAs), while not killed are seriously limited by the new federal law. But these are not the only forms of health care consumerism. In 2002, health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) were established by the Treasury Department. HRAs can be used with any plan that the Secretary mandates. Congress either forgot about or ignored the many uses and flexibility of HRAs. 

The new law deals with limited plan choices, mandated benefits and premium controls, but the real world has moved to next-generation health care consumerism. Plans are now focusing on rewards and incentives. Health Incentive Accounts (HIAs) are a special form of HRA that builds value only from rewards and incentives. There are many other special use HRAs that may become the channels for health care consumerism. 

This compelling force because embraces reducing costs, improving quality, enhancing choice and expanding access by empowering individuals and reinforcing personal responsibility. A force operating throughout our economy is just beginning to be structured into health care and insurance. 

The 2009 American Academy of Actuaries' multi-year study of healthcare consumerism concluded that first-year claims could be lowered by 12 percent to 20 percent, with future cost trends decreased by 3-5 percent. While HSAs are disfavored, employers and insurers would be wise to consider health care consumerism as allowed. Under the legislation, financial rewards based on health status are increased from 20 percent to 30 percent. The Secretary of Health and Human Services has the authority to increase that limit to 50 percent. The new federal still allows unlimited rewards and incentives for participation and engagement.

ObamaCare was never about health or health care reform. At best it is a health insurance law, at worst it is government intrusion into the insurance industry that creates a transfer of wealth from Medicare beneficiaries and pre-ObamaCare insureds to low-income non-elderly and the previously uninsured. It will produce changes and unintended consequences for individuals, employers, companies and medical industry stakeholders. Everyone will now begin to reposition their personal and business interests to minimize the damage and maximize opportunities in this new world.

As we await the ultimate demise of ObamaCare, the megatrend of health care consumerism continues. Americans who bank electronically at ATMs, purchase stocks over the Internet, buy and sell goods through eBay, maintain their music with iTunes, keep personal videos on Facebook, seek employment through LinkedIn, and control television programming with Tivo will not tolerate the government controlling their health, their most personal asset. The Dutch boy learned decades ago that one cannot hold back the waters in a dam.

June 25, 2010

Ronald E. Bachman FSA, MAAA, is President and CEO of Healthcare Visions, Inc. and a Senior Fellow at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for Health Transformation, the Wye River Group on Health and the National Center for Policy Analysis. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Foundation or the Center for Health Transformation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature. 

* * *

Celebrating America's 234th Birthday 

234 years ago, 56 Founding Fathers pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor - putting literally their lives, their monies, and their reputations on the line - to guarantee freedom for future generations. Because of their sacrifices, America is still the longest on-going constitutional republic in the history of the world. This is a blessing that we too often take for granted.

Typical Fourth of July celebrations include cookouts, firework shows, days at amusement parks, or any other number of frivolous activities. However, when the Founders reflected on what they felt upcoming Fourth of July celebrations might - and should - look like, John Adams said it should also be a day when we remembered God's hand in deliverance and a day of religious activities when we committed ourselves to Him in "solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty."

The importance of remembering God's Hand in American independence was passed from generation to generation – illustrated by John Quincy Adams' famous 1837 oration in which he reminded Americans:

The birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior. It forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation. The Declaration of Independence . . . laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity. 

As this Fourth of July approaches, let's break ranks with only participating in "traditional" activities and remember to:

Take time to honor and thank God on the Fourth – make it a day celebrated "with solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty." 

Read the Declaration of Independence. Knowing the reasons for our founding is no less important today than it was 234 years ago.

This is a flag-waving time of the year, so review the fascinating account surrounding Francis Scott Key's writing of the Star-Spangled Banner. You can view a 7-minute video of that inspiring narrative, or download it to show at your church over the next two Sundays. 

Read John Quincy Adams' famous 1837 Fourth of July oration.
With your family and/or friends, go online and learn about two Founders that you've never heard of or aren't familiar with. A great site to visit for more information about the founders is www.colonialhall.com .

* * * 

Rail Transit Losing Traction
By C. Kenneth Orski

More than two years ago, we suggested that the era of multi-billion dollar system-building investments in urban rail transit is coming to an end. In "Urban Rail Transit and Freight Railroads: A Study in Contrast," we wrote: "The 30-year effort to retrofit American cities with rail infrastructure, begun back in the Nixon Administration, appears to be just about over. The New Starts program is running out of cities that can afford or justify cost-effective rail transit investment. To be sure, federal capital assistance to transit will continue, but its function will shift to incrementally expanding existing rail networks and commuter rail services rather than embarking on construction of brand new rail systems." 

Now comes a startling new revelation from a senior U.S. DOT official that even rail extensions may be at risk. Speaking at a National Summit on the Future of Transit before an audience of leading transit General Managers on May 18, Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff questioned the wisdom of expanding rail networks when money is badly needed to maintain and modernize existing facilities. 

"At times like these, it's more important than ever to have the courage to ask a hard question: If you can't afford to operate the system you have, why does it make sense for us to partner in your expansion? If you can't afford your current footprint, does expanding that underfunded footprint really advance the President's goal for cutting oil use and greenhouse gases. ... Or are we at risk of just helping communities dig a deeper hole for our children and our grandchildren?" 

In Rogoff's judgment, the first priority for the transit industry is to follow the precept, "fix it first."

"Put down the glossy brochures, roll up our sleeves and target our resources on repairing the system we have," he told the assembled transit officials. 

Transit systems that don't maintain their assets in a state of good repair risk losing riders, he warned. The Administrator cited the preliminary results of a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) study of the financial needs of 690 public transit systems across America that show a $78 billion backlog of deferred maintenance. Fully 29 percent of all transit assets are "in poor or marginal condition." The challenge facing transit managers is to resist the siren call of new construction and devote money to the "unglamorous but absolutely vital work of repairing and improving our current systems." 

At first blush, Rogoff's position would appear to go counter to the Administration's announced policy of favoring public transit. Hasn’t Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood repeatedly championed public transit as an alternative to highway expansion? Hasn’t the Administration’s proposed Fiscal Year 2011 budget include major commitments to funding new rail lines in Denver, Honolulu, Minneapolis and San Francisco? Hasn’t the FTA dropped the former emphasis on cost-effectiveness as an evaluation factor in rail project selection in favor of a broader range of factors? All true.

But fiscal realities can do wonders to bring federal officials down to earth. The Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund is barely solvent. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) budget will grow by only 1 percent in 2011. With commendable consistency and fairness, the Administration seems to have decided to apply the same investment standard to transit as it has preached and laid down for highways: Forget about massive capacity expansion; focus on getting the most out of the assets already in place by maintaining them in a state of good repair.

To critics of the DOT's new posture — and there will be some — a good answer could be: It’s just a different way of looking at what it means to be pro-transit.

This commentary by C. Kenneth Orski, editor and publisher of Innovation Briefs (http://www.innobriefs.com) transportation newsletter, is reprinted with permission by the the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. The Foundation is an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature. 

June 11, 2010

* * *

Stop Governing, Not Providing Services
by Darian Worden

New York state officials are threatening to shut down non-essential government services if a state budget is not passed. But what is an essential government service anyway?

The "first government shutdown in New York history" as the New York Times calls it in a June 9 article won't be as exciting as they make it sound. Government will still be operating; it will just be less convenient for those who are governed.

Officials intend to continue funding "essential" services, like the State Police (who disrupt highway traffic) and prisons (which mostly house those who commit victimless non-crimes). What will close are bureaucracies like the Department of Motor Vehicles, a government monopoly that people only need to use because essential government workers force them to. State-controlled parks would close, and the computer system that processes Medicaid claims would probably not be operating.

A similar situation occurred in New Jersey in 2006. State politicians continued to govern but wouldn't let the people use things they had paid for. Basically, people were being held hostage in the pursuit of political sway.

Forcing a decision on what counts as essential government services shows what government's essential nature is. It exists to exercise force. Not to keep society running smoothly, and not to make sure people have access to medicine. These things are just there to make it look like society could not function without the fist of the state.
Government is that which governs, and to govern is to rule over others through unequal authority.

Government shutdown ploys ought to bring forth the question of how to do things without the state. Alternative dispute resolution methods that do not rely on "non-essential" government courts would be one thing to think about.

Another thought would be: how can people take over things that the state claims ownership of?

When business leaders in Argentina abandoned workplaces and those who labored at them, considering them not worth the investment, the workers kept their jobs by taking the workplaces under their own management.

Who needs a governor to say how a park should be run? Schools would probably work better if they were run by people who use them instead by of Department of Education bureaucrats. And all enterprises are better when they are run based on the choices of free individuals, not based on the coercion of essential government services.

If enough people were working for maximum freedom instead of focusing on tweaking the way the state coerces, government crises could be used to gain major concessions from the politically powerful. If there is sufficient demand to do so, states could be shut down for good and we could enjoy a future without coercive agencies that drive up the cost of living while locking the economy into rigid hierarchy.

Authoritarian power structures that always take more from people and place more restrictions on them are unstable. As their operation affects more and more individuals, polarization and conflict escalate.
The way forward is to stop struggling to rule other people – anarchy would be good for the world.

C4SS News Analyst Darian Worden is an individualist anarchist writer with experience in libertarian activism. His fiction includes Bring a Gun To School Day and the forthcoming Trade War. His essays and other works can be viewed at DarianWorden.com. He also hosts an internet radio show, Thinking Liberty.

June 10, 2010

* * *

New Study Examines the Cost of Transit in Georgia
By Benita M. Dodd

Public transit is often portrayed as a low-cost, energy-efficient alternative to auto driving. Cato Institute Senior Fellow Randal O'Toole debunks that portrayal in an Issue Analysis for the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.

"In fact, transit is much more costly than driving, and requires huge subsidies to attract any riders at all," writes O'Toole in, "Public Transit in Georgia: High Costs for Low Fares," which was released today by the Foundation.

"Moreover, transit systems in the vast majority of American cities use more energy and emit more greenhouse gases than the average car," adds O'Toole, whose latest book is, "Gridlock: Why We're Stuck in Traffic and What to Do About It."

For every dollar collected in fares from transit riders, the average transit system in America requires more than $2 from taxpayers for operating subsidies plus more than $1 for capital improvements and maintenance, according to O'Toole's analysis. 

While it's no surprise that Georgia's transit systems require large subsidies, it may surprise Georgians to know that most systems are "far less environmentally friendly than a typical sports utility vehicle," O'Toole writes.

He compared the cost of driving with the cost of transit and found that the total cost of driving in Georgia is still less than 22 cents per passenger mile, with a subsidy per passenger mile of a half-cent. By comparison, the national average cost of public transit is more than 90 cents a passenger mile, more than 70 cents of which is subsidized by non-transit users. 

In Georgia, the costs are a little lower: 84 cents per passenger mile, 72 cents of which is subsidized. Georgia transit riders pay an average of 85 cents every time they board a bus, while taxpayers pay an average of nearly $3 to support that trip.

As for energy efficiency, O'Toole says, driving is more energy efficient and cleaner than most public transit in Georgia. The most energy efficient transit systems in Georgia are vanpools, the closest thing public transit offers to actual cars. 

Why is transit less energy efficient? One reason is that a crucial part of energy efficiency is filling the seats, O'Toole says. The average transit bus in Georgia fills only 22 percent of its seats, and counting standing room they operate an average of about one-sixth full. The Atlanta rail system fills an average of 39 percent of its seats, but counting its ample standing-room capacity it operates only about one-eighth full.

Those who want to save energy and reduce pollution would do better encouraging people to drive more fuel-efficient cars than encouraging cities to expand transit service, O'Toole says. 

That's not to say there are no ways to make transit a better deal. For example, O'Toole cites the mantra of rail proponents – "Highways are subsidized, so we need to subsidize rail transit as well” – in calling for an end to highway subsidies. That's one way to get transit authorities to be more cost-conscious instead of justifying the diversion of billions of dollars to rail projects. Contracting out, privatizing and downsizing transit vehicles also can contribute to lower costs and more efficient public transportation, he says.

For those who truly have no access to automobiles or are unable to drive, O'Toole suggests vouchers. From taxis to airlines, a voucher enables those individuals to make the best choice for their needs – at a lower cost to taxpayers.

O'Toole's Issue Analysis should become a cautionary tale for Georgia's planners chomping at the bit for their turn at the federal trough. And it should be a road map for local governments now that Governor Sonny Perdue has signed into law the Transportation Investment Act of 2010, which would allow regions to come together on projects to be funded by a penny sales tax. For transportation policy to succeed, it is imperative that Georgians see prudent expenditures that relieve congestion relief and improve mobility. 

The Issue Analysis, "Public Transit in Georgia: High Costs for Low Fares" can be accessed at http://tinyurl.com/2d4xg7q.

Benita M. Dodd is vice president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature. 

June 8, 2010

* * *

A Case Study in How Consumerism Loses 
in European-Style Health Care
By Ronald E. Bachman

At the invitation of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a dozen American policy wonks from differing perspectives traveled to Germany in December 2009. The Foundation was interested in our observations of the German social health system. My interest was how consumerism and individual choice worked in Germany.

We listened to federal and state officials, doctors, hospital executives, members of the Bundestag (German parliament), a health journalist and German policy experts. They told us that the German system is the fourth most expensive system in the world. Their costs are rising rapidly and are unsustainable. I listened from the perspective of a patient and a consumer wanting access to care, choice of providers, medical information and quality medical services. 

Asked for the three best characteristics of the German system, federal health agency officials responded that “first and foremost” is solidarity. Solidarity is the mantra and the cornerstone, and was explained to mean the entire population participated in and was in agreement that everyone should have the same health care. Second was “progressive financing:” Wealthier Germans pay a larger percentage of the costs through an income-related premium. Officials were quick to say this is not a tax but a required income-based premium.

The government officials were very proud of these two characteristics of their health care financing system. Pushed for a third positive, they looked baffled and could not come up with a response. Quality, access, cost effectiveness, choice and convenience were never mentioned.

At each meeting it was reiterated that 90 percent of Germans have compulsory statutory social health insurance through one of 170 plans. Under most plans, there are waiting times for office visits, delays for elective hospital care and postponed care if quarterly medical budgets are exceeded. Choice of physicians/surgeons is limited and private hospital rooms are not available. 

Ten percent of Germans, generally wealthier, are covered by 50 private insurance plans. The private option costs more and there is no government subsidy for family members. Those choosing this option must earn more than 49,000 euro (about $66,000 per year). These individuals get to the front of the line for appointments, have access to private hospital rooms and use of “master” surgeons and leading specialists. 

At one meeting it was mentioned that private coverage was “complimentary to special systems of civil servants, judges and soldiers.” Civil servants are defined as federal government employees, state employees, professors and others. By some estimates, civil servants make up about 14 percent of the German workforce. When pressed for an estimate of civil servants in the private insurance option, the German experts stated that 80 percent of those in the private health option are civil servants, with most of their premiums paid by their government employers. 

Which raises two questions: If 80 percent of the private plan participants are government employees getting better access to better care with the best providers, how is that solidarity? Do non-civil servant consumers know that most civil servants get preferred coverage and care? With a shrug and a wink, the off-the-record response was that few Germans understand the system of privileged bureaucrats. Those who do understand accept that in social health systems government employees usually get better benefits. 

The government compulsory system is on a pay-as-you-go basis, with no reserves or capital set aside to support the soundness of plans. Private plans are on a fiscally sound accounting basis with reserves and capital standards to assure their ongoing solvency. The current political debate is whether or not the government should nationalize the private plans. Some politicians want to seize and spend the hundreds of millions in private plan reserves and capital. 

Health care budgets came up in one meeting. It seems that even primary care physicians operate with more than 100 separate quarterly budgets covering office visits, exams, laboratory tests, prescriptions, referrals, admissions and more. When the budget runs out, services can be performed but the physicians will not get reimbursed. Many patients must wait until a new quarterly budget is established for the service. Patients are never told they may be waiting because of a “maxed out” budget. Apparently, near the end of each quarter many primary care physicians close their offices after meeting their key budget limits. 

Doctors at one meeting said a single quarterly co-payment of 10 euros ensures unlimited access to primary care physicians. Germans say they need thousands of new primary care physicians. The average number of visits to primary care providers in Germany is about 18 per year, compared with the U.S. average of about three. 

Why the difference? The low cost encourages over-utilization and therefore long waits. Germans also must physically go to the doctor's office for a prescription refill before going to the pharmacy. Free care, choice of physicians, access to treatments? Sounds good, but for the consumer reality seems much different.

I asked, “Do consumers know if the delay of a cancer test is because of a budget limit? Can they find information to go to another physician who has not hit his budget limit for that test?” The answers were "No" and "No." Citizens are not told the reason for any delays, have no access to information on physicians' budgets and, of course, most have no idea budget limits exist.

Hospital officials talked about the high quality of surgeries and specialist care. The data showed few complications, low infection rates and high survival rates. I asked, “Do patients have access to the quality information to compare hospitals and physicians?” The response was, “It is available to data experts but could never be understood by the average German.” 

Yet we were told a growing number of Germans are going to other countries to get care. In particular, many are going to Great Britain's burgeoning private market for high-quality care, reasonable cost and nearly immediate access. 

At the end of the day, German consumers seem to be pawns in a great game of controlling costs through budgets, restrictive choices and limited access to care. The games within the game were obvious as the truth was peeled back. Most providers want to give quality care to their patients and try to find ways around restrictive legislation and regulations. Politicians keep plugging the “loopholes” with more rules, legislation and regulations. 

Consumer interests in social health systems seem to fall behind government employees, unionized physicians, bureaucratic budgeting, big pharma and political interests. I was hoping to find an interest in the “little guy” as professed by social health advocates. Their words were always compassionate, but the result is a cynical dismissal of consumers, who are assumed compliant with edicts from the ruling elite. 

Fortunately, the new German government is asking for outside input to include consumerism in health care and to promote personal responsibility. It is hard to change a system so ingrained with a history of doing the opposite. The concern voiced was that the opposition would merely wait until they are again in power to reverse any reforms. 

Satisfaction surveys probably show German acceptance of their system, but behind the “home team” pride it is clear that German health care consumers get the short end of the stick. The final question may be, “Why is America going down this path to social health insurance?” It doesn’t help the consumer get better health or health care. It only seems to help big government, big business, big hospitals, big pharma and unionized physicians. Then again, that may be the answer to the question.

Ronald E. Bachman FSA, MAAA, is a Senior Fellow at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for Health Transformation, an organization founded by former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Mr. Bachman worked as an outside expert with members of Congress and the Clinton administration during the 1993-94 health reform. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Foundation or the Center for Health Transformation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature. 
© Georgia Public Policy Foundation (June 4, 2010). 

* * * 

Remembering Jefferson Davis
By: Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., Speaker, Writer, Author of book “When America Stood for God, Family and Country” and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans

"Nothing fills me with deeper sadness than to see a Southern man apologizing for the defense we made of our inheritance. Our cause was so just, so sacred, that had I known all that has come to pass, had I known what was to be inflicted upon me, all that my country was to suffer, all that our posterity was to endure, I would do it all over again.''     Jefferson Davis
                                                      

Monday, the 31st day of May, in the year of our Lord 2010, is Memorial Day. It was on Memorial Day--Wednesday May 31, 1893, when the remains of Jefferson Davis was re-interred at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. Thursday June 3rd, is the 202nd birthday of Jefferson Davis?

Jefferson Davis served the United States as a soldier, statesmen and Secretary of War. He was also the first and only President of the Confederate States of America. On Saturday, April 24, 2010, a statue depicting Jefferson Davis and two of his sons Joseph and adopted Black son Jim Limber was unveiled at Beauvoir, http://www.beauvoir.org , the last home of Jefferson Davis located on the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast. 
If you listen closely, and the wind blows in the right direction, you might hear a train whistle in the distance.

When I was growing up near Atlanta, Georgia this and the sound of "taps" from nearby Fort McPherson were special sounds. Today, air conditioners and closed windows segregate the sounds of the trains, owls and the wonderful sounds that are nature's symphony at night.

On Sunday, May 28, 1893, a few days before "Memorial Day", in New Orleans, a story began that overshadowed all other events reported in the newspapers of the South and that of the North.

This was the day when the remains of Jefferson Davis, former president of the Confederate States of America, laid in state at Confederate Memorial Hall in the historic crescent city of New Orleans. 

Jefferson Davis died in 1889 and was buried at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans. Four years later, May 27, 1893, his body was moved from the burial site, placed in a new heavy brass trimmed oak casket and taken to Confederate Memorial Hall where it was placed on a huge oaken catafalque.

At 4:30PM, May 28th, a funeral service was held for Mr. Davis and a moving memorial address was delivered by Louisiana's Governor Murphy J. Foster as thousands listened. There were no sounds of cars, planes, sirens, cell phones or sound systems. They did not exist. A reverent silence fell among the people as the casket was given to the commitment of veterans from Virginia who had been sent to receive it. 

The procession then formed for a slow march to the railroad station on Canal Street.

Train No. 69, with Engineer Frank Coffin, waited patiently as the casket was taken to the platform and passed through an open observation car to a catafalque. The cars wall could not be seen due to the many flowers.

This was the vision of Mrs. (Varina) Jefferson Davis when she began three years previous to secure a funeral train and military escort for a 1,200 mile train trip from New Orleans, Louisiana to Richmond, Virginia.

Train engine No. 69, of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad slowly pulled out of New Orleans Station at 7:50PM. L and N Railroad later became CSX Railroad.

Newspaper reporters from New Orleans, Richmond, Boston, New York and the Southern Associated Press were guests on the train.

After a brief stop at Bay Saint Louis, and a slow-down at Pass Christian, where hundreds of people lined the tracks, the Jefferson Davis Funeral Train stopped at Gulfport, Mississippi, near Beauvoir which was the last home of Jefferson Davis. It was here that Davis wrote his book, "The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government." 

Uncle Bob Brown, a former servant of the Davis family and a passenger on the train, saw the many flowers that the children had laid on the side of the railroad tracks. Brown was so moved by this beautiful gesture that he wept uncontrollably.

In Mobile, Alabama, the train was met by a thousand mourners and the Alabama Artillery fired a 21-gun salute. Locomotive No. 69 was retired and Locomotive No. 25 was coupled to the train. The new train's Engineer was C.C. Devinney and Warren Robinson was its fireman.

Church bells rang in Montgomery, Alabama when the train pulled into the city at 6:00AM on May 29th. A severe rainstorm delayed the funeral procession to about 8:30AM when a caisson carried the body of Davis to Alabama's state capitol. A procession carried the casket through the portico where Jefferson Davis, in 1861, had taken the oath of office as President of the Confederate States of America.

The casket was placed in front of the bench of the Alabama Supreme Court. Above the right exit was a banner with the word "Monterrey" and above the left exit was a banner with the words "Buena Vista." During the War with Mexico Jefferson Davis was a hero at Monterrey and wounded at Buena Vista.

All businesses and schools closed, and church bells toiled during the procession to and from the capitol. In final tribute, thousands of people of Montgomery, including many ex-soldiers and school children filed by the casket.

At 12:20PM the funeral train departed over the Western Railway of Alabama and Atlanta and West Point Railroad for Atlanta. At West Point, Georgia the train stopped under a beautiful arch of flowers to pick up Georgia's Governor William J. Northen and staff.

At 4:30PM the funeral train pulled into Union Station in Atlanta, Georgia. It is estimated that 20,000 people lined the streets as the funeral procession made their way to the state capitol. Atlanta’s Gate City Guard, which had served as Company F, 1st Georgia (Ramsay’s) during the War Between the States, stood guard over the president.

At 7:00PM the train went north on the Richmond and Danville Railroad, which later became Southern Railway and, today, Norfolk Southern Railroad. The train traveled through Lula, Georgia, Greenville, South Carolina and stopped at the North Carolina capitol at Raleigh.

A brief stop was made in Danville, Virginia where a crowd of people gathered around the train and sang, "Nearer My God To Thee" as city church bells toiled.

Finally, the train reached Richmond, Virginia on Wednesday, May 31, 1893, at 3:00AM. It was Memorial Day. Mrs. Davis met the train and her husband's casket was taken to the Virginia State House.

At 3:00PM, May 31st, the funeral procession started for Hollywood Cemetery. The caisson bearing the casket was drawn by six white horses. Earlier rains kept the dust from stirring from the dirt roads.

With Mrs. Jefferson Davis were her daughters, Winnie and Margaret. Six state governors acted as pallbearers. It was estimated that 75,000 people attended this final salute to President Davis. The ceremony concluded with a 21-gun salute and "Taps.

May 28, 2010

* * *

Federal Health Care 'Reform' About to Get Old for Retirees 
By John C. Goodman

There are 78 million baby boomers and a very large number of them have retirement on their minds. If the past is a guide, more than 80 percent of them will retire before they become eligible for Medicare (at age 65). Although about one-third of U.S. workers have a promise of post-retirement health care from an employer, almost none of these promises are funded and, as is the case of the automobile companies, are likely to be broken in whole or in part.

As a result, millions of retirees will find themselves buying their own insurance in the individual market. There they will face some unpleasant realities, which for many of them may come as a shock:

Whereas employers typically pay about 75 percent of the premium at work, these retirees will have to pay 100 percent of the premium out of their own pockets. 

Whereas the share of premium paid by employees tends to be the same – regardless of age – individual insurance premiums for, say, a 60-year-old tend to be five times higher than for a 20-year-old. 

Whereas employers are forced to accept employees into their health plans and charge the same premiums regardless of health status, people in the individual market typically face medical underwriting. They may be charged higher premiums because of a health condition, face exclusions or be denied coverage altogether. If they are forced into a risk pool, they may face waiting periods as well as higher premiums.

Unwise public policies will make these problems even worse. And far from correcting these mistakes, ObamaCare promises to pile new problems on top of existing ones.

In general, tax law, labor law and employee benefits law favor the active employee and discriminate against the retiree. For example, here are three public policy barriers that will stand between early retirees and affordable health insurance:
Although tax law allows employers to pay premiums for group insurance for active employees with pretax dollars, employers cannot make premium contributions to the individually owned insurance of their retirees with untaxed dollars.

Although many employees are able to pay their share of health insurance premiums using premium-only plans set up by their employers, retirees must pay their premiums with after-tax dollars. 

Although the ability to pay premiums with untaxed dollars encourages employer-paid health insurance for current medical expenses, there is no easy way for employers and employees to save for future medical expenses – including post-retirement expenses. 

As for employer promises of post-retirement health care, it tends to be an all-or-nothing proposition. That is, employers can keep their retirees in their group insurance plan – paying with pretax dollars – or they can do nothing. It’s hard to be in between. If an employer cannot afford, say, $12,000 family coverage for a retiree, the employer cannot split the difference and contribute $6,000 to the employee’s individually-owned insurance. Such a contribution would be treated as taxable income.

The obvious solutions to these problems are: (1) allow employers to contribute (say, to a retiree’s Health Savings Account) any contribution the employer can afford to make; (2) allow the retiree to pay his share of premiums with pretax dollars and (3) allow active employees and their employers to save tax-free – knowing that they will face the problem of post-retirement care.

Yet precisely because these solutions are obvious, direct, simple and workable, they are nowhere to be found in ObamaCare.

Instead, the new law creates subsidies for employer-provided insurance for retirees between now and 2014. However, these subsidies go not to individuals but to employers. And because higher-income employees are more likely to have an employer promise of post-retirement care, the subsidies will go to those who least need them.

These subsidies end in 2014, by which time insurers – selling in a newly created health insurance exchange – will have to accept all applicants regardless of health condition. Since the difference in premiums in this artificial market cannot exceed 3 to 1 (rather than the actual cost ratio of 6 to 1), the idea is to overcharge young people so that 50- and 60-year olds can be undercharged.

Problem is: It appears the mandate will be weakly enforced. If people wait until they get sick to insure, the average premium in the exchange will have to be quite high to cover the costs. As a result, seniors could face higher premiums in the exchange than they would have faced with no reform at all. 

John C. Goodman, Ph.D., is president and CEO of the National Center for Policy Analysis and a Senior Fellow for the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature. 

May 14, 2010

May 04, 2010

May 15, 2010 is Armed Forces Day
Thank the Troops!

Right now volunteer men and woman are everywhere protecting we civilians here at home. And in honor of the troops who do so much to protect us, hundreds of troop support groups across America ship thousands of care boxes each year to them all over the world.

Over 90% of Americans have never served in the military. I am one of them, representative of the rest. And on behalf of all of those they protect, I thank the troops for preserving our liberties, livelihoods, and businesses. Even though the borders of this country are penned with their blood, and even though we don’t keep our national house in order, they go forth each day to protect it and give us more time. Let’s hope in the end we can all make them as proud of us as we are of them.

Showings of support means a lot to them, and here is an inkling of their gratitude for the bonds between us.

“I wanted to say thank you so much for sending out the care package to my airman. She received the box today and she was literally in tears and could not believe that there are people who cared enough to send her a box. She said she felt like it was Christmas or better because she has not had a Christmas since she was younger. It was great seeing her tell everyone who walked in the office about the box. Again, thank you and your team for taking the time to think of us over here and we truly do appreciate your support! “ ~~ SSgt Leticia -----

“Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you so very much for the packages we received. We, the 2025th Transportation Company want you to know how appreciative we are for the phone cards, games, magazines, books, music CD's , DVD's, toiletries, the food and all the other goodies that were sent to us yesterday. Major H---- was overwhelmed with the packages that came in and he right away distributed the goodies to all the soldiers. It is a hard road for us over here especially during the holiday season. Being away from our families is really tough but with the goodies and gifts it made everyone feel like getting into the holiday spirit. From the 2025th Transportation Company Family we would like to extend our heartfelt "Thank You" for all of your support. We will always have a place in our heart for you. “ Thank you. ~~ Major Earnest ----.

Since her inception America has been unique among nations of the world. We go further to do more good than any other nation on earth. As acts of freedom, not dominion. Which is why so many foreigners want their pictures taken with our troops when they encounter them in transit.

I periodically receive emails from people in other countries pining that they wished their people did for their military community the way Americans do for theirs. You see, America is a charitable nation, with a majority who believes in the personal responsibility of doing good at the individual level. Hence a voluntary military. And hence the voluntary support for its members from us. Indeed, hundreds of charitable groups have arisen to support the troops’ morale and well-being while they are deployed. Are there amazing people in this country or what? You will find these groups listed at www.SupportOurTroops.Org .  

So for Armed Force Day this year go out and find an event to participate in. Or send a care package. Or make a donation. Find the core moral satisfaction in stepping up for those who step up for all of us. 

And to all the troops from all of us here at home, I say thank you, and may God bless and keep you safe.

Martin C. Boire
Chairman, Support Our Troops®
Armed Forces Day 2010

* * *

May 2, 2010

Aircraft Carriers In Jeopardy 

An article in the Navy Times entitled “Strike group mission expands far beyond simple escort” has me concerned.

The aircraft carrier strike group is composed of a carrier and air wing, a submarine, and five or six escort destroyers and cruisers. The escorts protect the carrier by interdicting enemy units attacking the group.

Unfortunately, at times the carrier has only one escort because the other ships are dispersed hundreds or even thousands of miles from the carrier to carry out “patrol missions, exercises and port calls”. An example of this policy occurred in 2008 when the Carrier Theodore Roosevelt visited South Africa while some of its escorts were in the Mediterranean and another escort went to France for a D-Day event.

As stated, the Navy is comfortable dispersing the ships because we are not “facing direct, hot war threats”, but what would happen if Russia or China with its submarines and missile delivery systems decides to launch surprise attacks against our carriers? One escort and the air wing cannot protect a carrier from a large scale attack.

Our carrier strike groups should remain intact when they are deployed, and ancillary events should be handled by other ships in the fleet, or possibly not at all.

We currently have 283 naval ships, which is the smallest U.S. Navy since 1916, and it is 17 ships short of the recognized minimum of 300 ships. It is a woefully inadequate number of ships.

We need more ships. 

Donald A. Moskowitz
Former AG2 and LT, USN
Londonderry, NH

* * * 

April 30, 2010

Where to Go with Transportation?
By Benita M. Dodd

The Georgia Legislature has finally approved a funding mechanism for transportation. Next comes the jockeying for placement on project lists among advocates, agencies and authorities for the various modes. Just because there's finally an opportunity for transportation funding, however, doesn't mean throwing good money after bad. Taxpayers must be vigilant and demand sound solutions and bang for their buck – or their 1 percent sales tax, to be precise. 

On the bright side, Georgia's Transportation Investment Act of 2010 (HB 277) would spur cost-sharing through a new Coordinating Committee for Rural and Human Services Transportation representing the State School Superintendent and the departments of Transportation, Human Services, Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Community Health, Labor, Community Affairs and the Governor's Development Council. It provides some financial relief for the struggling Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and creates a Transit Governance Study Commission comprising legislators and representatives of regional organizations and agencies to investigate combining all the regional transportation entities into one.

Most important is the creation of 12 districts in which a "special district transportation sales and use tax of 1 percent" can be imposed for 10 years – and renewed. "The General Assembly intends through the creation of such special districts to enable the citizens within each district to decide in an election whether to authorize the imposition of a special district transportation sales and use tax to fund the projects on an investment list collaboratively developed by the affected local governments and the state," the legislation states.

Among the exemptions from the tax are energy used in the manufacturing process, jet fuel at Atlanta's airport, and locomotive and motor vehicle fuel. But the tax will apply to the first $5,000 in an automobile sale or lease, which is likely have the biggest impact on lower-income buyers who can least afford the added burden.

The legislation has a series of deadlines. The state transportation planning director must provide local governments in each special district with recommended criteria to develop an investment list of projects and programs; by August 15, 2011, he or she must deliver to them a draft investment (transportation project) list. The list must include a statement of the "specific public benefits" of each project on the investment list. "Examples of specific benefits include, but are not limited to, congestion mitigation, increased lane capacity, public safety and economic development."

The problem: "'Project' means, without limitation, any new or existing airports, bike lanes, bridges, bus and rail mass transit systems, freight and passenger rail, pedestrian facilities, ports, roads, terminals, and all activities and structures useful and incident to providing, operating and maintaining the same. The term shall also include direct appropriations to a local government for the purpose of serving as a local match for state or federal funding." Oh, yes, and the kitchen sink. 

The stick: The district representatives ("roundtable") must approve the investment list by Oct. 11, 2011, or a "special gridlock" is declared and the district may not hold a public referendum for another two years. Local governments unable to come to agreement must ante up a 50 percent match for local DOT grants "until the special district roundtable approves an investment list meeting the special district's investment criteria and an election (referendum) is held within the special district." The roundtable must hold at least two public hearings. If, during the referendum, voters reject the sales tax, the local match required is 30 percent in that district. 

The carrot? The match is 10 percent on projects if voters approve the tax in a referendum, to take place in 2012 on the day of the statewide primary elections.

There are huge challenges for Georgia. The state needs to invest in the freight network; eliminate the "last mile" bottleneck at the Savannah port and focus on reducing congestion in the metro Atlanta area, as well as routine road maintenance and repairs. The federal government not only has warned that funding is dwindling, but the Secretary of Transportation maintains that "mobility" is less of a concern than "livability" – which may mean even less funding toward Georgia's road and freight network.

There are good signs, too. In the summer, construction begins on the high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane demonstration project on Interstate 85 in metro Atlanta. The state continues to inch toward the perfect public-private partnership. (Bob Carr, former premier of New South Wales, Australia, will be in town May 14 to recount his conversion from an opponent to proponent of PPPs). It's encouraging that the state finally has a funding avenue for transportation and the "two Georgias" seem to be moving closer together.

Ultimately, however, unless policy-makers ensure that mobility and congestion relief are the priorities in funding projects, "all structures useful and incident" and other nebulous phrases in the law could gridlock transportation policy, hinder economic progress and disenchant voters. 

Benita M. Dodd is vice president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature. 

* * * 

Law Day: Reaffirming legal traditions 
and confronting emerging challenges
By Allan Tanenbaum, National Law Day Chair 

Today we are faced with challenges never before seen; challenges that our founders could not have anticipated when they established our constitutional republic. The world is shrinking and becoming increasingly interconnected and borderless. New communication technologies, and new ways of working with these technologies, are being rapidly developed. As we begin the second decade of the 21st century, the law is changing dramatically as it seeks to shape and adapt to new conditions.

Every year on May 1, Americans celebrate Law Day -- an opportunity for all Americans to reflect on the rule of law and the foundations of our legal system. It’s a time to celebrate the rich history of our legal system and a time to consider its future in this rapidly changing world. 

When President Dwight Eisenhower established Law Day on May 1, 1958, as “a day of national dedication to the principle of government under law,” he sought to highlight and honor, for all Americans, our enduring legal culture.

Law Day is being commemorated all across our nation by bar associations, courts, civic groups and schools—by lawyers, judges, teachers, and citizens. To meaningfully mark this observance, they are engaging in activities to enhance public understanding of law and the role that lawyers and judges play in American governance and society. 

Here in Atlanta, the Atlanta Bar Association, Atlanta Bar Foundation, Atlanta Police Department, Fulton County Courts, Fulton Emergency Management, Fulton Sheriff and the Multi-Bar Leadership Council are all coordinating public events and special programs to mark this day. The Fulton County Courthouse complex will welcome visitors and conduct special programs for jurors, and organizations will provide volunteer attorneys and paralegals who will be available for free legal assistance.

Law in the 21st Century: Enduring Traditions, Emerging Challenges. Law Day 2010 provides us with an opportunity to understand and appreciate the emerging challenges that confront our world—and the law—in the 21st century. We encourage all Americans to take this opportunity to refresh their understanding of our legal system and reaffirm our shared national allegiance to the rule of law. 

April 29, 2010

* * * 

April 28, 2010

Freight Logistics Moving in the Right Direction in Georgia
By Mike Klein

Think about this image. You are traveling down one of Georgia’s splendid highways and suddenly a train carrying coal hurtles past in a near blur. High speed rail discussion is usually about moving people. But how about moving coal and other cargo at high speeds?

“Definitely we could and we should,” says Page Siplon, executive director at the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics, which describes itself as "Georgia's leading resource for accelerating logistics growth and competitiveness in the state."

Most folks don’t associate coal with Georgia, but they should. Rail cars haul more than 40 million tons of black gold across the state every year. That is 800 percent more tonnage than grain, the next closest product.

These are the kinds of ideas that keep Siplon busy. His focus is how to move products at time and price points that enable businesses to deliver their promised goods. His goal is to make certain Georgia does it better than not just other Southern states, but every other state, especially those with ocean ports. 

Just how well we are doing will be discussed Thursday when the Center of Innovation for Logistics hosts its second annual summit at the Cobb Galleria. Last year’s theme was defining logistics; the 2010 theme is connecting the dots. Five hundred attended last year; this year, 800 registered.

“Logistics is about moving stuff,” Siplon said. “That sounds easy. But the challenge is there are lots of dots that need to connect to move stuff. I stopped calling it an industry. I call it an ecosystem, a bunch of organisms that rely on each other completely. If you take trucks out of the mix, the airport shuts down. If you take the railroad out of the mix, the seaports shut down.”

Attendees can expect to hear about Georgia’s first statewide freight plan that will be unveiled at the conference. Siplon enthusiastically describes it as “the state’s first action and business plan around how we will move freight and logistics forward."

This summit takes place against the backdrop of two recent developments. A 20-year strategy plan to move people and freight was released within the month. Last week the General Assembly approved a concept to fund designated projects within 12 regions if local voters approve a 1 percent sales tax. 

Almost everything about Georgia transportation strategy has been controversial for years. But even as stakeholders often disagree about details, they do agree something must happen because economic development suffers without comprehensive transportation strategy.

Some 1 million employees and a $286 billion annual economic impact can be linked to Georgia logistics, according to Siplon. Nearly everything you purchase for business or home is moved by some combination of air, ship, rail and truck.

The state’s logistics "ecosystem" includes the Savannah and Brunswick ports, Atlanta’s international airport and dozens of regional aviation airports, 5,000 miles of main trunk and smaller rail lines, and a vast system of interstate and four-lane highways that serve the long-haul trucking industry. The state boasts about these resources during economic development pitches. And it should boast.

But any review of the system must also recognize challenges it faces. Let’s begin with the two ports, Savannah and Brunswick. Savannah’s harbor is dredged to 42 feet deep, completely insufficient within four years when the improved Panama Canal will begin to handle ships that require 48 feet. 

Georgia is aggressively pursuing federal funds to deepen Savannah. Siplon said tens of millions of dollars were spent over the past decade on environmental impact studies. Georgia is confident deeper dredging will happen, but federal impact and funding decisions are not expected until next spring. Charleston, S.C., and Norfolk, Va., already have deeper harbors. Failure to deepen the harbor would relegate Savannah to second-tier East Coast port status and business would go elsewhere.

Equally big for Savannah and Brunswick is the so-called last mile, that is, easiest possible access to the two big maritime ports. The Georgia Public Policy Foundation, the Center of Innovation for Logistics and virtually everyone else has identified this as a key priority. This involves thorough reviews and decisions about how to best improve rail and truck access to Savannah and Brunswick terminals.

Logistics to most Georgians means roads. The Foundation maintains that Georgia must relieve trucking congestion around urban areas, where 18-wheelers and commuter cars don’t mix well. Metropolitan Atlanta and the Macon-to-Atlanta corridor are two big challenges. 

Atlanta’s modern congestion came about because of a major interstate highway system design flaw that funneled all traffic downtown. The Interstate 285 bypass is insufficient; the area's population leapt over the bypass and now extends another 20 miles or more in every direction.

This problem is aggravated by how long-haul truckers must move cargo diagonally across the state. For example, from Albany or Columbus to Augusta, the only interstate option is north up I-75 then around Atlanta to connect with I-20. The Fall Line Freeway connecting Columbus to Macon to Augusta would also reduce Atlanta congestion.

Millions of tons of trucking cargo travel across the state with no Georgia destination address. Freight that does not need to enter metro Atlanta would move much better with a north-south interstate near Georgia’s western border. Think of the route as Macon to Chattanooga. This would help alleviate Macon-to-Atlanta congestion and improve the city’s commuter slowdown.

U.S. manufacturing continues to shift from Midwest and Northeast to Southwest and Southeast, creating huge economic development opportunities for Georgia. “Freight first” policies that better connect major cities outside Atlanta and alleviate truck traffic that clogs the Atlanta region will make the entire state more attractive for economic development investment.

Additional summit information is available at www.georgialogistics.org.

Mike Klein is an editor with the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature. 

* * * 

April 22, 2010

Confederate Memorial Day
By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., 
Chairman of the Confederate History Month Committee of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. 

April 26th is Confederate Memorial Day in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas and Mississippi.

The Constitution of the Confederates States of America will be exhibited from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm on Monday, April, 26, 2010, in the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library (on the 3rd floor of the Main Library) at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Also, on display will be War Between the States letters, documents artifacts and images.

See complete details at: http://entertainment.georgia.com/athens-ga/events/show/111717005-annual-exhibition-of-the-
confederate-constitution    

The Confederate History Month Committee of the Sons of Confederate Veterans encourages everyone to make it a family affair in attending Confederate Memorial Day activities throughout the USA and teaching your children about the role the men and women of the Southern Confederacy played in our nation’s history. See: http://confederatehistorymonth.com   and http://confederateheritagemonth.com   for Confederate Memorial Day events.

A Statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis will be dedicated on Saturday, April 24, 2010, at “Beauvoir” the last home of Davis located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in Biloxi in celebration of Confederate Memorial Day. The statue depicts Jefferson Davis and two of his sons Joe and adopted black son Jim Limber. See complete details at: http://www.beauvoir.org/   

Confederate Memorial Day has been a legal holiday in Georgia since 1874 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly and bill signed by then Governor James Smith, who also served as Confederate Colonel, Lawyer and Congressman and………….

For over 100 year’s the members of the Ladies Memorial Association, United Daughters of the Confederacy and Sons of Confederate Veterans have kept the tradition of Confederate Memorial Day alive.

The Georgia General Assembly passed Senate Bill No. 27 in 2009 officially and permanently designating April as Confederate History and Heritage Month and signed by Governor Sonny Perdue.

In 2010, the Governor’s of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Virginia signed proclamations designating April as Confederate History and Heritage Month.

Lest We Forget!

* * * 

April 16, 2010

Long-Term Budget Reality Requires Bold Innovation
By Kelly McCutchen

With state revenues finally ending their freefall and a balanced budget working its way through the House, it's reasonable to expect the job will be easier next year. Georgia’s fiscal year 2011 budget is balanced. Unfortunately, it's with nearly $2 billion of federal stimulus funds. That's money that will not be available next year. And Georgia may have missed several golden opportunities to avoid a repeat of this year’s budget drama.

Unlike most recessions that are followed by a rapid recovery, many experts believe the economy – and state revenues – will recover much more slowly this time around. With the burden of massive new health care spending and significant federal tax increases on the horizon, it's hard to disagree.

In previous recessions, state government could use rainy day funds and other short-term fixes to bridge the gap before revenue growth returned. This recession was different. Not only did revenue growth decline, revenues dropped below the previous year’s revenues, which has happened in Georgia only a handful of times in its history. Not only did revenues drop, they dropped to 2005 levels – one of the largest declines in the nation.

So what does this mean? A long-term decline in revenues means temporary measures like furloughs and one-time funds simply shift the crisis forward to the next year. Across-the-board spending cuts need to be replaced with strategic thinking. Balancing this year’s budget solves little unless Georgia begins the process of fundamentally restructuring state government to be more efficient. 

It is not for a lack of ideas: 
There was discussion of reducing the state workforce by 10 percent, which would save $367 million. Even a 5 percent reduction would save more than $183 million and eliminate the need for the hotly debated hospital tax. 

Implementing health care incentive programs for state employees would save $180 million in the short term, and as much as $1.5 billion over five years, according to an actuarial projection. Many large corporations have saved even more with similar programs. 

At a forum in Atlanta on April 13, officials from Texas described how that state's prison system has saved more than $320 million by implementing common-sense reforms that have reduced recidivism rates and the need for new prison construction. 

North Carolina recently announced a public-private partnership with IBM to identify and prosecute cases of Medicaid fraud. It is estimated that fraud could account for up to $350 million of Georgia’s $7 billion Medicaid spending, but a bill that would have addressed this issue failed in the Senate.

These measures must be implemented now to have time to influence next year’s budget. The benefit is that the savings multiply over time. Delaying the hard choices only makes matters worse.

Change is difficult, so the natural human response is to delay change. That’s why, especially in government, constant pressure is needed to focus on capturing efficiencies. Distressingly, two bills intended to do just that failed this year. 

HB 1134 by Rep. Wendell Willard was modeled in part on the Florida Council on Efficient Government, which has saved Florida taxpayers more than $550 million. An Office of Public-Private Partnerships would have identified opportunities for efficiencies at the state and local level. Even more important, it was to provide technical assistance to local governments in designing competitive program delivery programs. With so many local governments, shared service delivery and outsourcing have the potential to save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and improve services.

HB 236 by Rep. Charlice Byrd, the Georgia Government Accountability Act, would have created a Legislative Sunset Advisory Committee to review the hundreds of commissions and authorities in state government. The committee would also review each state agency every eight years. Just as many laws and regulations become obsolete over time, so do commissions and authorities. This bill would have provided needed oversight and review.

These are all missed opportunities that may well come back to haunt us next year. An optimist can hope that behind closed doors these ideas are still alive and may yet have hope in the waning hours of the legislative session. As campaign season approaches, candidates must explain just how they plan to fundamentally rebuild state government rather than turning to taxpayers to prop up inefficiencies simply because, “That’s how we’ve always done things.”

Kelly McCutchen is president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature. 
© Georgia Public Policy Foundation (April 16, 2010). Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided the author and his affiliations are cited.

* * *

Confederate History Month in Dixie
By: Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., 
Chairman of the Confederate History Month Committee for the Sons of Confederate Veterans http://confederatehistorymonth.com   

April 2010, Confederate History and Heritage Month, is the month that marked the beginning of the War Between the States (1861) and its end (1865.)

In 2009, the Georgia General Assembly approved Senate Bill No. 27, signed by Governor Sonny Perdue, officially and permanently designating April as Confederate History and Heritage Month. 

The Old South captures the imagination of people from around the world who come to see; Southern Belle’s in hoop skirts, Confederate flags and Southern Memorial’s like the famous carving of: Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis at Stone Mountain Memorial Park near Atlanta.

On Saturday, April 10, 2010, an Annual National Confederate Memorial Service is scheduled to begin at 12 Noon in front of the Carving Reflection Pool at Stone Mountain Park sponsored by the Georgia Society Military Order of Stars and Bars and Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans. http://www.georgiascv.com/ 

April is a time to remember the men and women of the Confederacy and those who kept their memory eternal; like Ms. Mildred Lewis Rutherford who almost a century ago served as Historian-General of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. She was a respected teacher, writer, speaker and defender of the true history of the War Between the States. Ms. Rutherford also wrote a monthly newsletter from 1923 to 1926 entitled “Miss Rutherford’s scrapbook” and in 1920 wrote the book “Truths of History.”

Efforts to mark Confederate graves, erect monuments and hold memorial services were the idea of Mrs. Charles J. Williams. It is written that she was an educated and kind lady. Her husband served as Colonel of the 1st Georgia Regiment during the War Between the States. He died of disease in 1862, and was buried in his home town of Columbus, Georgia. 

Mrs. Williams and her daughter visited his grave often and cleared the weeds, leaves and twigs from it, then placed flowers on it. Her daughter also pulled the weeds from other Confederate graves near her Father. 

It saddened the little girl that their graves were unmarked. With tears of pride she said to her Mother, "These are my soldiers' graves." The daughter soon became ill and passed away in her childhood. Mrs. William's grief was almost unbearable. 

On a visit to the graves of her husband and daughter, Mrs. Williams looked at the unkept soldiers' graves and remembered her daughter as she cleaned the graves and what the little girl had said. She knew what had to do. 

Mrs. Williams wrote a letter that was published in Southern newspapers asking the women of the South for their help. She asked that memorial organizations be established to take care of the thousands of Confederate graves from the Potomac River to the Rio Grande. She also asked the state legislatures to set aside a day in April to remember the men who wore the gray. With her leadership April 26 was officially adopted in many states. She died in 1874, but not before her native state of Georgia adopted it as a legal holiday.

Mrs. Williams was given a full military funeral by the people of Columbus, Georgia and flowers covered her grave. For many years a yearly memorial was conducted at her grave following the soldiers' memorial. 

Among the gallant women of the Confederacy was Captain Sally Tompkins who was the first woman to be commissioned an officer on either side of the War Between the States. Commissioned by Jefferson Davis, she took care of thousands of soldiers in Richmond, Virginia until the end of the war. 

Those who served the Confederacy came from many races and religions. There was Irish born General Patrick R. Cleburne, black Southerner Amos Rucker, Jewish born Judah P. Benjamin, Mexican born Colonel Santos Benavides and American Indian General Stand Watie who was born in Rome, Georgia. 

Find out more about Confederate History Month at: http://confederateheritagemonth.com   

March 31, 2010

* * * 

Bishop’s Healthcare Vote Important 
for Georgians to Watch
By Governor Sonny Perdue

Last Thursday, I wrote to Congressmen Sanford Bishop and John Barrow asking them to put the needs of their districts and state before their political party, and oppose the healthcare legislation pending before Congress. Now that Rep. Bishop is poised to be one of the deciding votes in favor of the legislation, I am publicly imploring him to vote no for the good of our state.

Unlike Congress, Georgia is obligated to pass a balanced budget every year. In the midst of the worst economy since the Great Depression, balancing the state budget has been a monumental task entailing great sacrifices. Teachers and state employees have taken furlough days and we have been forced to close crime labs we would prefer to keep open. All told we have cut more than $3 billion from our state budget in the last 18 months. The state is now operating at 2005 spending levels, while serving nearly a million additional residents.

Congressman Bishop’s vote on healthcare will further devastate our state’s budget. It will eventually result in an additional billion dollars of Medicaid costs per year. The state simply cannot provide basic services such as education and public safety with another billion dollars in spending forced on us by Washington. We all know Congress thinks they have a national credit card with no limit, now they seem intent on roping the states into their spending rodeo.

What’s more, Congressman Bishop’s vote will delay our state’s economic recovery. Among the job killing provisions in the bill, Bishop is voting for is a requirement that triples the penalty for small businesses who do not offer health insurance to their employees. Those mom and pop businesses, the backbone of Georgia's economy, will have to pay an additional $2,000 per part-time and full-time employee. As a small businessman myself, I know that mandate will unbearably squeeze business margins and result in layoffs and delayed hiring.

The current bill also includes an extension of the Medicare tax on all non-wage income. This means that small business owners will see their top rate increased by 20 percent and investment income taxes will increase 60 percent. I can think of no better way to slow our nation's economic rebound. 

Sadly, most Americans are unaware of these and other provisions in the healthcare bill because Congress has kept the bill hidden from them and did not unveil until the last possible minute for a Sunday vote. We've seen backroom, sweetheart deals like the Cornhusker Kickback and the Louisiana Purchase, examples of what citizens dislike most about politics today. These provisions mean Georgians will pay not only for increased healthcare costs here, but in other states as well.

This Sunday morning as Congressman Bishop prepares to cast a deciding vote on healthcare, I join the majority of Georgians in praying he does the right thing and votes no.

March 20, 2010

* * *

Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne—Stonewall Jackson of the West
By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., 

Wednesday, March 17, 2010, is the 182nd birthday of Patrick Ronayne Cleburne.

Do you remember the 1961 weekly television series, entitled “The Americans?” This wonderful-educational show centered around two brothers who fought on opposite sides of the War Between the States—Confederate Corporal Jeff Canfield played by Richard Davalos and Union Corporal Ben Canfield played by Darryl Hickman. Their Father, Pa Canfield, was played by the late great John McIntire. The great theme music was produced by Hugo Friedhofer and original music by Bernard Hermann.

When I was growing up near Atlanta, Georgia school children could recite some of the words to the United States Constitution, Bill of Rights and knew the true history of those who gave us our freedom. Politicians in their speeches proudly quoted from American Patriots like; George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Robert E. Lee. 

Who was Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne?

Patrick Ronayne Cleburne was born on March 17, 1828, in Ovens, County Cork, Ireland. He was an Anglo-Irish soldier who served in the 41st Regiment of Foot of the British Army. He is however best known for his service to the Confederates States of America during the War Between the States. 

He was only eighteen months old when his Mother died and a young fifteen when his Father passed away. He tried to follow in his Father’s foot steps, Dr. Joseph Cleburne, in the field of medicine but failed his entrance exam to Trinity College of Medicine in 1848. He immigrated to America three years later with two brothers and a sister and made his home in Helena, Arkansas.

In 1860 Cleburne became a naturalized citizen, lawyer and was popular with the residents.

He sided with the Confederacy at the outbreak of the War Between the States and progressed from the rank of private of the local militia to major general.

Cleburne, like many Southerners, did not support the institution of slavery but chose to serve his adopted country out of love for the Southern people and their quest for independence and freedom. In 1864, he advocated the emancipation of Black men to serve in the Confederate Armed Forces. In early 1865, his dream became a reality but it was then too late--the war was lost.

Did you know that Gen. Ulysses S. Grant owned slaves but Gen. Robert E. Lee did not?

Cleburne participated in the Battles of Shiloh, Richmond, Perryville, Stones River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Ringgold Gap and Franklin. He was killed at the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee on November 30, 1864.

Due to his brilliant strategy on the battlefield Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne was nicknamed “Stonewall Jackson of the West.”

General Patrick R. Cleburne said before his death at the Battle of Franklin:

"If this cause, that is dear to my heart, is doomed to fail, I pray heaven may let me fall with it, while my face is toward the enemy and my arm battling for that which I know is right."

Cleburne was engaged to Susan Tarleton of Mobile, Alabama.

On March 17, 1979, Cleburne’s birthday, I organized the Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne Camp 1361 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Jonesboro, Georgia which is still active. The Confederate Cemetery in Jonesboro is also named in honor of the general.

Gen. Cleburne is buried in Maple Hill Cemetery in Helena, Arkansas. 

A good book “A Meteor Shining Brightly” Essays on Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne” --edited by Mauriel Phillips Joslyn, is a good source of information about Cleburne.

Freedom is God given. Nation’s remain who free put their trust in God and the People.

March 5, 2010

Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., is a American-Historical Writer, Speaker, Author of book “When America Stood for God, Family and Country” and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. http://www.scv.org  

Job creation in Georgia and 
the “Angel Tax Credit” 
By Lt. Governor Casey Cagle

Over the past few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time talking about one of my top priorities this session: creating new jobs for Georgians. While government can’t create jobs, we can create the right environment for business to thrive and grow. The first step we must take is to provide a balanced budget that will keep our taxes low and control spending, allowing us to find new ways to spur business growth.

The facts are stark: Georgia’s unemployment rate has climbed from 4.3% in January of ’07 to 10.3% today, tying the record high for Georgia and exceeding the national unemployment rate of 10.0%. This means that more than a half-million Georgians are out of work and the number continues to grow. 
Although we have our challenges, our state is weathering the storm better than most other states, we are one of only 7 states with a AAA bond rating and our fiscal conservatism is going to lead us through this economic downturn. States like California and New York are falling off a cliff with budget deficits in the tens of billions of dollars and are looking to tax everything that moves. Oregon just voted to raise its income taxes on high-earning individuals and to raise fees on businesses. These are not the kind of actions you will see here in Georgia. 

Instead, you will see Senate Republicans investing heavily in making jobs a top priority amidst a struggling economy. Recently, we rolled out a jobs package for the 2010 legislative session. This newly revised legislation includes tax incentives to create jobs for out-of-work Georgians and for businesses to relocate to Georgia. It would waive startup fees imposed by the state on new businesses, offer tax credits to companies hiring unemployed Georgians, and reduce the capital gains tax by up to 50% through various trigger mechanisms.

A piece included in the package that I have been pushing for includes an “Angel Investor Tax Credit.” Research proves that 80% of new jobs in Georgia are created from small businesses. Angel investors are individuals who write a personal check providing a boost to high-risk, early state entrepreneurial endeavors. In this current economy, it is extremely difficult for new businesses to find the capital necessary to expand and grow. Angels fill a critical role in financing and many businesses stay open and stay in Georgia because of their participation. To encourage more Angels to invest in Georgia’s entrepreneurs, we will provide a tax credit of half of the total investment, up to $50,000. Twenty-one other states have implemented programs to incentivize Angels and North Carolina’s tax credit program along resulted in nearly 700 new jobs with average salaries of over $58,000.

This is bigger than a simple tax credit, however; it is an investment in emerging technologies and a way for Georgia to step up its game as a major player in the bioscience and technology industries – key growth sectors for the future of Georgia’s economy. This targeted approach will lead the way to job creation as Georgia sits as one of the nation’s leaders in new discoveries and boasts unmatched research institutions. Georgia has always prided itself in being an innovator and this strategic focus on our intellectual assets will reap rewards. In fact, we’ve seen it already. One Georgia company, Internet Security Systems, was saved from closing its doors because of an Angel investor. And a few years later, sold their business for millions to IBM. I believe we can see more success stories just like this if we make this piece of legislation a priority.
Our economy will recover and businesses will expand again. By proactively enacting these incentives, Georgia will be positioned as the destination for job creation.

February 12, 2010

* * *

A Forgotten Story for Black History Month
By: Calvin E. Johnson, Jr.

The following is a true but sadly forgotten story that should be included during Black History Month and shared with our children and their school teachers.

February is Black History Month.

In 1989, a magazine article caught my eye which I had to read from beginning to end. This was not an ordinary story but about a black child, a Confederate President's First Lady and the Southern Presidential Family. The story was written by Gulfport, Mississippi freelance writer Mrs. Peggy Robbin's and is entitled, "Jim Limber Davis."

While Black History Month mostly focuses on black adults in history, this story is about a black child. This is a summary, in my own words, of Mrs. Robbin's splendid story.

On the morning of February 15, 1864, Mrs. Varina Davis, wife of Southern President Jefferson Davis, had concluded her errands and was driving her carriage down the streets of Richmond, Virginia on her way home. She heard screams from a distance and quickly went to the scene to see what was happening.

Varina saw a young black child being abused by an older man. She demanded that he stop striking the child and when this failed she shocked the man by forcibly taking the child away. She took the child to her carriage and with her to the Confederate White House.

Arriving home Mrs. Davis and maid 'Ellen' gave the young boy a bath, attended to his cuts and bruises and feed him. The only thing he would tell them is that his name was Jim Limber. He was happy to be rescued and was given some clothes of the Davis' son Joe who was the same size and age.

Joe was tragically killed in an accidental fall later that year.

The Davis family were visited the following evening by a friend of Varina's, noted Southern Diarist-Mary Boykin Chesnut, who saw Jim Limber and wrote later that she had seen the boy and that he was eager to show me his cuts and bruises. She also said, "the child is an orphan rescued yesterday from a brutal Negro Guardian." and "there are things in life that are too sickening, and such cruelty is one of them."

There were some children who addressed Jim as Jim Limber Davis for fun. This was fine with him because he felt he was indeed a member of the family. The Davis letters to friends are indication of his acceptance and they said he was a member of their gang of children.

The Christmas of 1864, would be memorable for the Davis family and probably the best Christmas Jim Limber would ever have. A Christmas tree was set up in Saint Paul's Church, decorated and gifts placed beneath it. On Christmas evening orphans were brought to the church and were delighted with the presents they got. Jim was happy that he helped decorate the tree.

Mrs. Robbin's wrote, in her story, that Mrs. Jefferson Davis was a very good story teller who was able to make sounds of different animals in the stories about the critters. Jim was always eager to help.

The end of the War Between the States was coming and Richmond was being evacuated. Varina and the children left ahead of Jefferson Davis. The president and his staff left just hours before the occupation of Union troops.

Varina and the children were by the side of Jefferson Davis at his capture near Irwinville, Georgia and again the family was separated. Jefferson Davis was taken to Virginia to spend two years in prison.

Mrs. Davis and her children were taken to Macon, Georgia and later to Port Royal outside of Savannah. At Port Royal their Union escort, Captain Charles T. Hudson, made good at his earlier threats to take Jim Limber away.

As the Union soldiers came to forcibly take young Jim, he put up a great struggle and tried to hold onto his family as they to him. Jim and his family cried uncontrollably as the child was taken. His family would never again see him or know what happened to him. The Davis' tried in later years to locate Jim but were unsuccessful. They prayed that he grew to manhood and did well in life.

The Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia is home to a portrait of Jim Limber Davis in the Eleanor S. Brookenbrough Library. I thank Mrs. Peggy Robbin's who wrote the Jim Limber Davis story in 1989 and the Southern Partisan Magazine for publishing her story in the second quarter Issue-Volume IX of 1989.

For more information about Jefferson Davis go to: www.beauvoir.org, the website about the last home of Jefferson Davis where the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library is also located.

February 11, 2020

* * *

Transforming Teacher Pay
By: Governor Sonny Perdue

Last month I proposed a new plan that will transform the way we compensate K-12 teachers and leaders in our state. It will put them on the same playing field as our state’s top coaches who are rewarded for consistently winning games.

Our current compensation system credits our teachers only for time in the profession and the level of their advanced degree, not the degree to which our students learn. This antiquated practice encourages some of our most ambitious teachers to leave the classroom, and it prevents some of our best and brightest from ever entering the field in the first place. 

The enhanced pay plan will increase the early, mid-career and lifetime earning potential of top teachers and school leaders. Doing so will help the state attract, encourage, reward and retain the best talent in our schools. New teachers will be able to earn much higher pay, much sooner. Rather than waiting 25 years for a salary that appropriately rewards their teaching abilities, effective teachers can be rewarded much earlier in their careers. Most importantly, the pay proposal will align our compensation system with the mission of our schools: academic achievement.

We developed the plan for enhanced pay after hearing from over 20,000 Georgia teachers, 80 percent of whom said they would like to be evaluated on both classroom observation and the degree to which they have helped students learn. The enhanced pay model was shaped by our Race to the Top Great Teachers and Leaders Task Force, made up of current and former teachers and leaders with more than 150 years of combined experience in our classrooms and schools. 

Already twenty-three local school districts making up 41 percent of Georgia’s public school students have committed to a similar bonus model through the state’s federal Race to the Top application. The state will implement best practices from those districts in developing and implementing the statewide system.

Since announcing this plan, I have heard from a number of teachers, school leaders and parents that are excited about the possibility of rewarding the hard work that drives student improvement. Understandably, many also have questions about how this new system will work. 

First, some have voiced concerns that teachers should not be evaluated or compensated solely on the achievement of their students. I agree. The proposed effectiveness measure will also take peer review and classroom observation into account when evaluating and rewarding a teacher for his or her performance. Most importantly, a teacher will not be judged on student’s raw achievement, but on a student’s improvement over time. This will ensure a level playing field, keeping top teachers in low-performing schools and giving teachers in high-performing schools something to strive for beyond proficiency.

Others have asked whether non-core teachers could be included in a performance pay system. I believe that non-core teachers are vital in ensuring Georgia’s students are well-rounded and our schools are successful. Non-core teachers will be eligible for performance pay and will be evaluated based on qualitative measures as we work to develop additional quantitative measures for non-core subjects.

Lastly, there is a misconception that a performance pay system will punish educators who have earned advanced degrees. I wholeheartedly disagree. Teachers who have already earned advanced degrees may remain in the current salary structure and continue to be paid for those degrees if they choose to do so. Current teachers will have the choice of opting into the new system, or remaining in the existing one. 

It is time that we align our compensation system with the mission of our schools, for the good of our students, for the good of our teachers and for the good of our state.

February 9, 2010

* * * 

Seize the Opportunity
By state Representative Tom Graves

This week the Georgia General Assembly reconvenes in Atlanta for the 2010 Session, and, as Chairman of the 9thDistrict Legislative Caucus, I wanted to give you a first hand look at what this session holds.

Many are saying that the legislature faces insurmountable challenges as we gather in Atlanta. Continued declining revenues and multi-billion dollar cuts in recent years have certainly created significant challenges. But, it’s times such as these that create the greatest opportunities. Despite the budget “crisis” as some would call it, this is a Session of opportunity! Opportunity to lay the groundwork for future recovery, opportunity to change the way we do business and a reminder that more government is not the answer.

The most important thing government can do for our struggling economy is to get out of the way of individuals and small businesses. Last year, I authored and the legislature overwhelming passed the Jobs Opportunity and Business Success (JOBS) Act, which focused on helping small businesses and creating, expanding and attracting jobs through a series of tax credits, cuts, and incentives for businesses to hire Georgians. Unfortunately, the legislation was vetoed. This year, House and Senate leadership are again committed to passing pro-jobs legislation firmly rooted in our conservative principles. The way out of this recession is not through higher taxes, expanded government, deficit spending, or bailouts. The road back is found through getting Georgians back to work through an expanded private sector. This will be the 9th District Legislative Caucus’ number one priority again this year.

During this session, there are some additional measures that the 9th District Legislative Caucus is encouraging our colleagues to advance. First, we should pass Zero-Based B 

January 12, 2009

* * * 

Remembering Robert E. Lee
By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., American-Historical Writer, Author of book When America Stood for God, Family and Country and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

“Duty is the sublimest word in the language. You can never do more 
than your duty. You should never wish to do less.”—Robert E. Lee

Did you know that Paul Revere, Betsy Ross, Martin Luther King and Robert E. Lee were born during the month of January? History can be great fun when parents and grandparents share stories about the past with their children making the study of American history a ‘Family Affair.’

Tuesday, January 19, 2010, is the 203rd birthday of Robert E. Lee, whose memory is still dear in the hearts of many Americans and people throughout God’s good earth.

During Robert E. Lee’s 100th birthday in 1907, Charles Francis Adams, Jr., a former Union Army Commander and grandson of United States President John Quincy Adams, spoke in tribute to Robert E. Lee at Washington and Lee College’s Lee Chapel in Lexington, Virginia. His speech was printed in both Northern and Southern newspapers and is said to had lifted Lee to a renewed respect among the American people.

Robert E. Lee-Stonewall Jackson Day events are planned for Saturday, January 16, 2010, in Lexington, Virginia that includes a Memorial at Lee Chapel featuring Guest Speaker Pastor John Weaver, Past Chaplain in Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. For additional information go to: http://leejacksonday.webs.com/   

Many more events are planned for Lee’s birthday that includes:

The United Daughters of the Confederacy’s annual Robert E. Lee birthday commemoration held in front of Lee’s statue which is in the Crypt area of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. See upcoming events at: http://www.leecamp.org/ and

The Sons of Confederate Veterans 23rd Annual Robert E. Lee birthday celebration in Milledgeville, Ga. on Saturday, January 23, 2010, beginning with a 10:45 a.m. march from the old governor’s mansion to the one time capitol building of Georgia. See details at: http://www.georgiascv.com/ 

Do you remember when….

On August 5, 1975, 110 years after Gen. Lee's application, President Gerald Ford signed Joint Resolution 23, restoring the long overdue full rights of citizenship to Gen. Robert E. Lee. Read more at: http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/speeches/750473.htm 
Who was Robert E. Lee?

Robert E. Lee was born on Monday Jan. 19, 1807, at ‘Stratford’ in Westmoreland County, Virginia. The winter was cold and the fireplaces were little help for Robert’s mother, Ann Hill (Carter) Lee.

Ann Lee named her son ‘Robert Edward’ after two of her brothers.

Robert E. Lee undoubtedly acquired his love of country from those who lived during the American Revolution. His Father, ‘Light Horse’ Harry was a Revolutionary War Hero, served three terms as Governor of Virginia and was elected to the United States House of Representatives. Two members of his family also signed the Declaration of Independence.

Lee was educated at the schools of Alexandria, Va., and he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1825. He graduated in 1829, second in his class and without a single demerit. 

Robert E. Lee’s first assignment was to Cockspur Island, Georgia, to supervise the construction of Fort Pulaski.

While serving as 2nd Lieutenant of Engineers at Fort Monroe, Virginia. Lee wed Mary Ann Randolph Custis. Mary was the daughter of George Washington Parke Custis, the Grandson of Martha Washington and adopted son of George Washington.

Mary was an only child; therefore, she inherited Arlington House, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., where she and Robert E. Lee raised seven children.

In 1836, Lee was appointed to first Lieutenant. In 1838, with the rank of Captain, Robert E. Lee fought in the War with Mexico and was wounded at the Battle of Chapultepec.

Lee was appointed Superintendent of the United States Military Academy in 1852.

General Winfield Scott offered Robert E. Lee command of the Union Army in 1861, but he refused. He said, “I cannot raise my hand against my birthplace, my home, my children.”

Lee served as adviser to President Jefferson Davis, and then on June 1, 1862, commanded the legendary Army of Northern Virginia.

After four terrible years of death and destruction, Gen. Robert E. Lee met Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia and ended their battles.

Lee was called Marse Robert, Uncle Robert and Marble Man.

In October 1865, Lee was offered and accepted the presidency of troubled Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. The school was later renamed Washington and Lee College in his honor.

Robert E. Lee died of a heart attack at 9:30 AM on the morning of October 12, 1870, at the college and is buried at Lee Chapel with his family and near his favorite horse, Traveller.

Booker T. Washington, America’s great Black-American Educator wrote in 1910, “The first white people in America, certainly the first in the South to exhibit their interest in the reaching of the Negro and saving his soul through the medium of the Sunday-school were Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.”

Let’s not forget those who made our nation great!

January 7, 2010

* * * 

A Soldier’s Christmas Gift
By: Calvin E. Johnson, Jr. 

This is a True Christmas Story.

Christmas is a wonderful time to celebrate with family, friends and supper at Grandma's house. Grandpa will gather the children around the fire place and tell them the story of Jesus Christ who was born on Christmas Day while Grandma makes ginger bread cookies and Daddy brings the Christmas tree in the family room for decorating. Mamma as always will lead us in the singing of ‘Silent Night—Holy Night’ as the Star of Bethlehem is placed on top of the tree.

90 years ago….

during the year 1919, one year after the end of World War I, the people of Atlanta, Georgia were celebrating the Christmas Season. Many people attended Church or Synagogue and gave thanks to God for his many blessings. Folks, while shopping, were uplifted by sweet sounds of Christmas music played by the Salvation Army Band. There was a friendly and charitable atmosphere during this time of the year. 

There were, however, some who were not as fortunate! 

The aging veterans, in the Confederate Soldier’s Home, were proud men who had braved many a battle in the 1860s. One of these men was former Captain Thomas Yopp who saw such battles as that of Fredericksburg where a cannon shell burst knocked him unconscious. 

The man who stayed with him until he recovered was his servant who had also joined the 14th Georgia Regiment, Company H. Bill Yopp was more then a servant; he and Thomas Yopp were friends who hunted and fished together. 

Bill Yopp, a Black Confederate, was sympathetic to the men of Atlanta’s soldiers home who had been his compatriots in arms over fifty years earlier. 

During the War Between the States, 1861-1865, Bill Yopp was nicknamed "Ten Cent Bill" because of the money he made shining shoes. He did this for the soldiers at a dime a shine and ended up with more money than most of his comrades. These men, also, cared for him when he was sick. 

During the Christmas of 1919, Bill wanted to pay back the kindness that was shown to him. He caught a train from Atlanta to Macon, where he was offered help from the editor of a local newspaper [The Macon Telegraph]. He then caught a train to Savannah to raise Christmas money for the old veterans. Bill met many generous people on his trip.

Just weeks before the Christmas of 1919, he had raised the money and Georgia’s Governor Hugh Dorsey helped him distribute envelopes of three dollars to each veteran. That was a lot of money in those days. 

The old Confederates were speechless. Tears were shed because of Bill Yopp's good heart and kind deed. Many of these men had little or nothing. Bill was invited to come into the home's Chapel and say a few words. 

Bill Yopp was later presented a medal of appreciation for his support of the old soldiers and also voted in as a resident of the Confederate Soldier's Home. 

Bill died on June 3, 1936, the 128th birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. He was buried at Marietta, Georgia’s Confederate Cemetery with his compatriots.

The Confederate Soldier’s Home was located at 401 Confederate Ave., in Atlanta, Georgia.

Christmas is about love, forgiveness, old friends, family and the Child who became a savior.

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus!

The source of information for this story came from the book, entitled: Bill Yopp "Ten Cent Bill" Narrative of a Slave! This book was written in 1969 by Charles W. Hampton.

A Freelance Writer, Calvin E. Johnson, Jr. is author of book ‘When America Stood for God, Family and Country’ and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

December 14, 2009

* * *

The impact of Washington’s healthcare bill
By Lt. Governor Casey Cagle

As the focus of the healthcare reform debate in Washington has shifted from the United States House of Representatives to the U.S. Senate, the “public option” government-run insurance program continues to command the pundits’ attention. While the public option warrants significant discussion, I believe the media’s fixation on it obscures one of the most dangerous aspects of this legislation.

In its current form, the House Democrats’ health care bill would create a huge increase in the number of Americans eligible for government-run Medicaid healthcare. But these increased costs would not be covered by the federal government. Instead, they would be passed onto the states in the form of unfunded mandates – with Georgia being one of the most negatively impacted states.

Georgia would be one of just 14 states that would see the Medicaid-eligible population balloon by 45%. In fact, if the bill passes, Heritage Foundation research indicates that as many as one in five Georgians would have access to a government-run healthcare entitlement. Estimates indicate that over the five year lifespan of the bafflingly titled “Affordable Health Care for America Act,” over $2.4 billion in new expenses would be added to our state’s budget. Even a “watered down” alternative also being proposed could cost as much as $2 billion for Georgians.

This additional financial burden would crush our state budget. In Georgia, we have already witnessed a massive state budget shortfall caused by deteriorating economic conditions and dramatically lower tax revenue. Unlike Washington, our state Constitution requires us to balance the budget each year. As elected officials, we have two basic tools to achieve balance: cut spending or increase taxes. I’m proud that Georgia Senate Republicans addressed recent shortfalls without raising taxes during the 2009 legislative session. Together, we have cut billions from the budget, requiring state employee furloughs and state agencies sustaining cuts as high as 50%. We are already identifying additional budget cuts that will be necessary during the 2010 legislative session. 

I recently sent a letter to our United States Senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, expressing my deep concern about the bill in its current form. I applauded their ongoing efforts to defeat this bill, and thank them for their recent procedural vote against the bill, which I believe threatens to short-circuit our state’s potential for growth and progress. 

The unfortunate reality is that if healthcare reform in its present form passes, no amount of cutting will bring our state budget into balance. While the Obama Administration misleadingly states that tax increases in the bill only target the top 1% of wage earners, the truth is the healthcare bill will force an increase in taxes for all Georgians.

There are better healthcare solutions than trillions in new spending, increased taxes, and increased government intervention. In Georgia, we have made progress without raising taxes or increasing government interference. Those who are most at-risk and cannot afford insurance can receive care through our Safety Net Clinics initiative, and the Senate passed a Healthcare Marketplace Initiative that offers insurance policy portability and small business tax deductions for health insurance.

I’m confident that through the efforts of everyday citizens, business owners, and elected officials, our nation will rebound from this economic downturn. Our state is poised to benefit tremendously as businesses considering relocation view Georgia as an attractive destination because of our low taxes, unmatched quality of life, and thriving communities. However, I fear our best efforts to prepare for success can be undermined by a massive unfunded mandate from the federal government that will cripple our state budget as never before. I ask you to please join me in voicing your concern about this bill by helping inform those around you.

December 10, 2009

* * *

Obama Should Take a Tax Policy Hint from Europe on Jobs and Economic Growth
By Scott A. Hodge

President Obama has now held a job forum in Washington, started a Main Street Tour through cities around the country, all devoted to getting feedback from CEOs, small business owners and financial experts on how to create jobs.

His first stop was Allentown, Pennsylvania, where corporate taxes are the highest in the developed world: 35% federal and 9.99% state. But tax rates never got a mention.

Instead the President heard what he had arranged to hear: that a second stimulus bill loaded with job credits and more spending would bring the economy around, especially if the job credits are for so-called “green” jobs. He also wants to extend unemployment insurance again and add health care for the jobless, give more emergency aid to states and cities, and also provide aid to senior citizens.

Among these proposals, the job credit idea is the only one that even pretends to create jobs. If it passes, the government will pay companies some amount toward each new hire. Obama has mentioned $3,000 in the past. Job credits are common at the state level, and they’ve never worked well. The president’s men know this, so they are actually gambling that the economy has turned the corner, and no matter how ineffective job credits are, they will look good if the economy is on the way up anyway.

Instead of focusing on short-term job creation, the President and Congress should be laying the groundwork for long-term growth. If he demanded an answer from candid CEOs, small business owners and financial experts, here’s what they’d tell him.

The CEO could truthfully tell the president, “Mr. President, high U.S. business taxes – federal and state – make every country on earth look like a corporate tax haven by comparison with U.S. tax rates. And the U.S. taxes our foreign profits while other nations let their companies earn profits abroad tax-free. We need some relief if we’re going to grow and create jobs.”

The small business owner – who pays her business taxes on her personal 1040 form – could candidly tell the president that she worries about the coming higher income tax rates. “Mr. President, I’m already paying a 35 percent top tax rate, plus Medicare and state taxes, not to mention property taxes and several others. If all three of the big tax hikes Congress is planning are enacted -- the income tax hike of 4.6 percent, the health care surtax of 5.4 percent, and the war surtax -- entrepreneurs like me could face tax rates of 60 percent. I can’t be hiring people with such an uncertain tax climate.”

The financial expert could honestly explain how high our taxes on dividends are. “Mr. President, the U.S. now has the 3rd highest total tax on dividends among OECD nations. Just five years ago, our rate was 8th highest. If the House health reform plan passes, our dividend tax will be the world’s highest in 2011.”

These statistics should worry the president and his economic team as they consider policies for growing the economy over the long term. The very taxes that the U.S. ranks worst in are the most harmful for long-term economic growth according to the study “Tax and Economic Growth,” published in July 2008 by economists at the OECD.

Sometimes criticized for leaning left, the OECD nevertheless publishes a report that flies in the face of every Obama tax policy. No administration in memory has shown as much hostility toward business and high-income individuals as has Obama’s.

Sweden, of all places, cut its personal income tax rates this year to encourage people to enter the workforce. And, over the past two years, more than 50 nations – including China, Great Britain and Germany – have cut their corporate income taxes in order to maintain their global competitiveness. Many of these countries have pleasantly discovered that lower tax rates reduce the incentive for businesses and individuals to engage in income-shifting which means more taxable income stays in-country.

For the sake of the long-term health of the nation, the President may have to set aside his ideological beliefs for a new set of practical solutions that are working in other nations.

Hodge is president of the Tax Foundation, a non-partisan tax policy research organization in Washington, DC.

December 10, 2009

Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District (CID) 
by Mr. Joseph Piccolo, 
Area General Manager for Gwinnett Place Mall

The holiday season always brings the desire to find that perfect gift, that just-right item to add joy to the lives of those we care about. And now more than ever, Gwinnettians have an even stronger desire to get the most of every holiday dollar. This includes finding bargains that are close to home. 

This year greater Gwinnett Place has welcomed dozens of new businesses, adding names that you already know in addition to international companies coming here for the first time. These new locations enhance and compliment our area’s existing base of dining, shopping, hotel and entertainment venues. 

To help make this holiday season even easier, the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District (CID) has initiated numerous efforts benefiting those spending time in the county’s central business district. 

Before you even get in the car, there is a unique resource to get an inside track on area destinations. The CID created the VisitGwinnettPlace.com site to serve as a one-stop-shop of information for businesses and retailers throughout Gwinnett Place. The site even includes special discounts and coupons available exclusively online. 

Once in the District, you will find traveling from point to point is more easily accomplished because of the CID’s ongoing traffic signal retiming efforts throughout this year. In peak travel times, drivers will collectively save 98,000 hours and nearly 59,000 gallons of gas annually because of the CID-funded initiative to make the signals function more efficiently. 

Our visitors will see enhanced landscaping and street signage, including direction assistance, added by the CID. The area is also well maintained through the CID’s daily community patrols and routine roadway cleaning to ensure it remains attractive and inviting. 

In the future, area travel will be even smoother with the redesign and reconstruction of the Pleasant Hill Road bridge over I-85. This month the CID’s Board of Directors approved an agreement with a professional engineering firm to complete preliminary planning to replace the now-outdated interstate crossing. Having these efforts completed ahead of time will help speed up the eventual construction. 

To coincide with the bridge replacement, the CID is pursing another key area roadway improvement. This month the Board of Directors secured funding for engineering assistance for widening and relocating Venture Drive between Steve Reynolds Boulevard and Pleasant Hill Road. The realignment will allow faster, safer access to major thoroughfares. 

Another recent undertaking shaping our future is the approval of a tax allocation district (TAD) to provide redevelopment incentives for greater Gwinnett Place. With TAD-supported improvements and revitalization, our area could experience as many as 11,233 new jobs resulting in $470 million in annual payroll in the coming decade. 

While there are many great projects and improvements destined for our area, the CID would like for everyone seeking shopping and entertainment options to remember that greater Gwinnett Place is their best choice for neighborhood convenience. 

December 4, 2009

* * * * 

Gone with the Wind premiered during the Christmas Season of 1939, just 74 years after the end of the “War Between the States” and December 15, 2009 marks the 70th anniversary of that wonderful-classic movie that begins with:

“There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South. Here in this pretty world, Gallantry took its last bow. Here was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave. Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind.”

Gone with the Wind won 8 Oscars for 1939, including Best Picture, and;

Hattie McDaniel, the first Black American to win an Academy Award, expressed her heart-felt pride with tears of joy, upon receiving the 1939 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her memorable role as “Mammy.” See her acceptance speech at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3hpmgn7Q30

Victor Fleming won the Academy Award for Best Director and even though Max Steiner did not receive an award for his excellent music score, the “Gone with the Wind” theme song has become the most recognized and played tune in the world.

Vivian Lee, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role, humbly and eloquently summed her appreciation by thanking Producer David O. Selznick which you can view at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaPMpD4oxDA&feature=related  

And, who can forget Olivia De Havilland as the pure-sweet Melanie Hamilton, Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes and Clark Gable as Rhett Butler.

Friday, December 15, 1939, was an icy-cold day in Atlanta but people warmed to the excitement of the world premiere of “Gone with the Wind”--The Selznick International Pictures “Technicolor” Production of the Metro Goldwyn Mayer Release of Margaret Mitchell’s novel about the Old South at the Loews Grand Theater.

We remember Thomas Mitchell who played (Gerald O’Hara) telling daughter Scarlett:

“Do you mean to tell me, Katie Scarlett O'Hara, that Tara, that land doesn't mean anything to you? Why, land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for, because it's the only thing that lasts.

And, we cried when Bonnie Blue Butler, the daughter of Rhett and Scarlett—played by Cammie King, was killed in a pony accident.

The cast of Gone with the Wind stayed at the historic Georgian-Terrace Hotel.

Anne Rutherford, who played Scarlett’s sister Carreen, took time to visit the Confederate Veterans at the soldier’s home and the stars toured the famous “Cyclorama” at Grant Park.

The festivities surrounding the premiere of Gone with the Wind included a parade down Peachtree Street with three hundred thousand folks cheering the playing of “Dixie”, waving Confederate flags and shouting Rebel Yells. 

And, many witnessed the lighting of the “Eternal Flame of the Confederacy”, an 1855 gas lamp that survived the 1864 Battle of Atlanta. The lamp remained for many years on the northeast corner of Whitehall and Alabama Streets. Mrs. Thomas J. Ripley, President of Atlanta Chapter No. 18 United Daughters of the Confederacy, re-lit the great light with Mr. T. Guy Woolford, Commandant of the Old Guard by her side.

My Mother remembers the great spot lights lighting up the night sky.

The house where Margaret Mitchell wrote “Gone with the Wind” is still standing. See information at: http://www.margaretmitchellhouse.com/  

Time Magazine wrote:

“The film has almost everything the book has in the way of spectacle, drama, practically endless story and the means to make them bigger and better. The burning of Atlanta, the great "boom" shots of the Confederate wounded lying in the streets and the hospital after the Battle of Atlanta are spectacle enough for any picture, and unequaled.” 

Read entire article at:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,952044,00.html#ixzz0XFQVmsTD  

The 70th Anniversary of “Gone with the Wind’ was recently celebrated with a re-premiere showing at the beautifully restored Strand Theater located on the square in Marietta, Georgia. Read information at: http://www.earlsmithstrand.org/  

Merry Christmas and May God Bless!

December 1, 2009

* *  *

Water is a finite resource. It is critical to our environment, our quality of life and our economic success.

The limited availability of water is why Georgia has been in negotiations with Alabama and Florida for nearly twenty years. And it was the impetus for the passage of a statewide water management plan last year.

While our state’s leaders have been rightly focused on addressing Georgia’s long-term water needs, a recent federal judge’s ruling has created the need for more immediate action. U. S. District Judge Paul Magnuson ruled that in July 2012, absent Congressional or other action, Lake Lanier will no longer be a viable source of water for the 3.5 million Georgians who depend on it today. Should this ruling go into effect, we will be faced with a tremendous water shortage that could jeopardize our state’s future.

Governor Perdue has responded to this decision with a multi-pronged strategy that includes continued negotiations with Alabama and Florida, seeking Congressional assistance and a legal appeal. While he is hopeful that these strategies will be successful, the Governor has also created a Water Contingency Task Force to focus on the acute need created should the ruling stand.

This diverse, statewide task force, made up of more than 80 business, government and conservation leaders, began its work last month. Assisted by a technical team comprised of some of Georgia’s top engineers and water experts, it will spend the next few weeks researching, analyzing and ultimately prioritizing a list of recommendations for Governor Perdue and the General Assembly to consider. Feasibility, cost and overall impact on Georgia’s environment and water supply will be critical factors, as will how various recommendations will work within the state’s current water plan.

At its first meeting last month, the task force established three areas of focus – enhancing current conservation efforts, increasing the state’s ability to capture rain and ground water, and reviewing current control and management policies. Any and all options under these three categories will be examined between now and when the task force makes its final report. The public is invited to send recommendations to info@gawatertaskforce.com for consideration as the task force works towards identifying possible solutions.

Given the 34 percent projected gap between permitted withdrawal and projected demand should the ruling go to into effect, it will likely take a broad combination of ideas to address this potentially acute need. Some may be relatively simple to implement, others may require more of a sacrifice. We are confident, though, that this task force will be able to provide Governor Perdue, members of the General Assembly and the citizens of our state with the tools we need to meet our future water needs while protecting both our economy and our environment.

John Brock is Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises and Tim Lowe is President of Lowe Engineers

****

Veterans Day, Wednesday November 11th, is a time to pause and thank our Veterans!

But is America still a Free and Sovereign Nation where courageous men and women fought for the right of free speech, the press, worship, the right to keep and bear arms and real freedom?

Do we still teach our children about men like Patrick Henry who said “Give me Liberty or Give me Death?” 

What does Veterans Day mean to you?

To me, Veterans Day, is a time to remember American patriot Patrick Henry who said, "It can not be emphasized too strongly are too often that this great nation was founded not by the religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ." 

Let us remember that General George Washington led his troops in prayer before they crossed the Delaware River on a cold-snowy night to surprise the British and Hessian troops on December 26, 1776. They gained a great victory in the worst of conditions.

Our children should know of Andrew Jackson and a ragtag army who defeated the British at New Orleans in 1815. A young officer named Wade Hampton of South Carolina rode 750 miles in ten days to Columbia, South Carolina, and then to Washington, D.C. to tell President Madison and the country of the great victory.

We shall never forget that in March, 1836, a small band of men at the Alamo stood between Santa Anna's 5,000 man army and the unprepared small army of Sam Houston. In the lonely monastery were Davy Crocket, Jim Bowie and less than two hundred men. Just three days before Santa Anna's final assault, these men came into the Alamo, knowing their lives were at great risk.

On their last night on earth the Alamo men prayed that their battle would, somehow, lead to victory even though they would die. Their prayer was answered. A few days later at San Jacinto, Houston defeated Santa Anna with the battle cry of, "Remember the Alamo!"

Let us remember “1861” when our nation became two nations. The South under President Jefferson Davis and the North under President Abraham Lincoln, fought for four long, bloody years to decide our future. Both armies prayed to the same God for guidance. This war has many names but the United States Congress would officially name it "The War Between the States." Since 1865, the Confederate Battle flag has been the blood brother of the Stars and Stripes as Southerners have taken their place at the front in all our nation's wars.

Let us remember that in February of 1898 the American Battleship Maine blew up in Havana Harbor with nearly 300 dead. The Spanish-American War brought Teddy Roosevelt's "Roughriders" to Cuba to charge up San Juan Hill to victory. Old Joe Wheeler, an ex-Confederate Cavalry General, was there with him. Wheeler got excited and forgot which war he was in. He shouted, "There they are, go get those Yankees!"

In Greensboro, North Carolina a six year old girl named Mary Frances Barker awoke to the shouts of a boy far down the street. It was 5 A.M., November 12, 1918. It was the paper boy shouting, "The War is Over, the war is over!" World War one had finally ended on the 11th day of the 11th hour of the 11th month of November in 1918.

The United States Congress proclaimed "Armistice Day" a year later on November 11, 1919.

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the first word of the attack on Pearl Harbor came by radio. Newspapers did run "extras" that Sunday with little information and a lot of fear. This Sunday would become "a day of infamy." On Monday the 8th President Franklin D. Roosevelt, during a special session of congress, told of the attack and declared war on Japan. His speech was broadcast on the radio.

F.D.R.'s closing words were: "With the abounded determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph, so help us God!"

Since that time there was Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq. We can not forget they we were attacked again on September 11, 2001. 

We have, since World War II, seen prayer taken out of our schools and "Under God" in the pledge of allegiance under attack. Are we still a nation of God as we once were during the times of our founding fathers and mothers? With all that is happening in the world today, it seems to me that we may need God more then ever.

Armistice Day became Veterans Day in 1954. To forget our Veterans is to dishonor!

November 3, 2009

***

As we write this letter, both of us are pleased the Gwinnett County Public Library Board has voted to reverse its prior plan to convert three libraries to computer labs. Instead, the Library system will continue to maintain full services at all branches and reduce operating hours across the system equally. 

We applaud the community for rallying around this cause so effectively and for pursuing it relentlessly. Thanks are due also to Commissioners Kenerly, Nasuti and Beaudreau for being willing to take a stand on this issue and provide valuable guidance to their Library Board appointees. Our hats are off, as well, to our colleagues in the Gwinnett Legislative Delegation and to the Mayors and City Council members across the County for their support and assistance.

This issue was vitally important to both of us not only because our constituents were passionate about it, but also because we see accessible libraries as a critical component of strong communities. Reading is a skill that can bring pleasure throughout life and allow individuals to be productive members of society. 

Improved literacy is recognized as a major goal for the State of Georgia and within Gwinnett County because reading is fundamental to other learning, and we cannot afford to lag behind the rest of the world in education. Our economic future as a society and as individuals depends on being able to compete internationally, while our democracy is strengthened by educated and informed voters.

Easy access to books and reading-based activities is the key to developing reading skills. Study after study confirms the value of reading to children even before they are able to read themselves. Then, as they begin to read, they need books which engage their interest and encourage them to progress. For older children, teens and adults, easy access to books and other learning resources is equally important.

The public library represents the likeliest source of reading and research materials for a large portion of our residents. Community-based libraries place these critical resources closer to those who need them and make them more accessible. Shorter distances to the library make it easier for parents to bring their children, while a short trip to the library is feasible even for seniors who may be hesitant to drive long distances in the congestion on our Gwinnett roads. 

Seniors have been particularly hard hit by the recession, as most investments have lost value and their fixed incomes have not kept pace with the jump in medical care costs, fuel prices and the cost of staples like food, heat and water. Having access to a library provides seniors with a chance to refresh themselves through reading and learning, all at little or no cost, putting these activities within reach of those with very limited funds. 

Ensuring easy access to libraries seems like the least we can do for our seniors who have fulfilled their obligations over the years by paying taxes and supporting referendum issues that helped build the facilities we all enjoy. While many seniors are comfortable with technology, for others there is no substitute for real books, periodicals, journals, and newspapers and, to them, a computer lab is not a library.

In closing, there are some lessons to be learned from the library controversy, including the following:

· Libraries are important to communities and individuals---so important that a community can be galvanized into action to save its library and normally quiet individuals speak out.
· Action by public bodies without adequate discussion and sharing of information with the public are usually doomed when the public will be directly affected by the action. Wise public officials never lose sight of this fact.
· Our cherished community facilities and amenities cannot be taken for granted. We all must be vigilant in ensuring that their importance is recognized and that they are protected.

Congratulations to those who led the fight to save our libraries and to everyone who helped! We all owe them a debt of gratitude.

October 22, 2009

***

The headline from a Richmond newspaper read, quote;

“News of the death of Robert E. Lee, beloved chieftain of the Southern army, whose strategy mainly was responsible for the surprising fight staged by the Confederacy, brought a two-day halt to Richmond's business activities.” unquote

The United States flag, which Robert E. Lee had defended as a soldier, flew at half mast in Lexington, Virginia and throughout the USA.

General Lee died at his home at Lexington, Virginia at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, October 12, 1870. His last great deed came after the War Between the States when he accepted the presidency of Washington College, now Washington and Lee University. He saved the financially troubled college and helped many young folks further their education.

Some write that Robert E. Lee suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on September 28, 1870, but was thought to greatly improve until October 12th, when he took a turn for the worse. His condition seemed more hopeless when his doctor told him, "General you must make haste and get well---Traveller---has been standing too long in his stable and needs exercise."

Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Cadet William Nalle said in a letter home to his mother, dated October 16, 1870, quote;

“I suppose of course that you have all read full accounts of Gen Lee's death in the papers. He died on the morning of the 12th at about half past nine. All business was suspended at once all over the country and town, and all duties, military and academic suspended at the Institute, and all the black crape and all similar black material in Lexington, was used up at once, and they had to send on to Lynchburg for more. Every cadet had black crape issued to him, and an order was published at once requiring us to wear it as a badge of mourning for six months.” unquote

Read entire letter on Virginia Military Institute website at:
http://www.vmi.edu/archives.aspx?id=5517   

The rains and flooding were the worse of Virginia's history on the day General Lee died. On Wednesday, October 12, 1870, in the presence of his family, Lee quietly passed away. 

The church bells rang as the sad news passed through Washington College, Virginia Military Institute, the town of Lexington and the nation. Cadets from VMI College carried the remains of the old soldier to Lee Chapel where he laid in state. 

Memorial meetings were held throughout the South and as far North as New York. At Washington College in Lexington eulogies were delivered by: Reverend Pemberton, Reverend W.S. White--Stonewall Jackson's Pastor and Reverend J. William Jones. Former Confederate President Jefferson Davis brought the eulogy in Richmond, Virginia. Lee was also eulogized in Great Britain.

When all settled down, Mrs. Robert E. Lee said, "If he had succeeded in gaining by the sword all the South expected and hoped for, he could not have been more honored and lamented."

Many thousands witnessed Lee's funeral procession marching through the town of Lexington, Virginia, with muffled drums and the artillery firing as the hearse was driven to the school's chapel where he was buried.

US President Dwight D. Eisenhower knew and appreciated our nation’s rich history. President Eisenhower was criticized for displaying a portrait of Robert E. Lee in his office. This was part of his response; quote

"Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by this nation." unquote

Robert E. Lee was the hero of the Southern people and admired both North and South of the Mason-Dixon Line. This Christian- gentleman's last words were, "Strike the Tent."

There will be a Remembering Robert E. Lee Program at Lee Chapel on Monday, October 12, 2009. For details go to: 
http://chapelapps.wlu.edu/tertiary.asp?ID=40&Parent=43&NavOrder=1

October 8, 2009

September 15th -October 15th is Hispanic History Month and the Educational Committee of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a national-historical and educational organization, has included an informative Hispanic History Month fact sheet about those who served in the Confederate and Union Armies at: 
http://www.scv.org/documents/edpapers/hispanichistory.pdf  
Some say, Americans know more about sports then they do about their nation’s past. Sports are a wonderful past-time of family fun but there can also be fun in reading stories about great Americans like; George Washington, Robert E. Lee, Booker T. Washington, Florence Nightingale and Moses Ezekiel, with your children and grandchildren.

Please share this story of America’s forgotten past with teachers, young people, family and friends.

Moses J. Ezekiel was born in Richmond, Virginia on October 28, 1844. He was one of fourteen children born to Jacob and Catherine De Castro Ezekiel. His grandparents came to America from Holland in 1808, and were of Jewish-Spanish Heritage.

At the age of 16, and the beginning of the War Between the States, Moses begged his father and mother to allow him to enroll at Virginia Military Institute.

Three years after his enrollment at (VMI) the cadets of the school marched to the aid of Confederate General John C. Breckinridge. Moses Ezekiel joined his fellow cadets in a charge against the Union lines at the "Battle of New Market." 

When the War Between the States ended, Moses went back to Virginia Military Institute to finish his studies where he graduated in 1866. According to his letters, which are now preserved by the American Jewish Historical Society, Ezekiel met with Robert E. Lee during this time. Lee encouraged him by saying, "I hope you will be an artist.....do earn a reputation in whatever profession you undertake.”

The world famous Arlington National Cemetery is located in Virginia and overlooks the Potomac River. At section 16, of the cemetery, is a beautiful Confederate Monument that towers over the graves of 450 Southern soldiers, wives and civilians. These words are inscribed on the memorial:

"Not for fame or reward, not for place or for rank, Not lured by ambition, or goaded by necessity, But in simple obedience to duty, as they understood it, These men sacrificed all, dared all....and died."

The United Daughters of the Confederacy entered into a contract with Moses J. Ezekiel to build this Confederate Monument at Arlington National Cemetery. It is written that he based his work on the words of Prophet Isaiah, "And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks." 

This Confederate Memorial towers 32 and 1/2 feet and is said to be the tallest bronze sculpture at Arlington National Cemetery. On top is a figure of a woman, with olive leaves covering her head, representing the South. She also holds a laurel wreath in her left hand, remembering the Sons of Dixie. On the side of the monument is also a depiction of a Black Confederate marching in step with white soldiers.

Ezekiel was not able to come to the dedication of the monument held on June 4, 1914, with President Woodrow Wilson presiding. Union and Confederate soldiers were present among a crowd of thousands at this historic event.

Moses Jacob Ezekiel studied to be an artist in Italy. As a tribute to his great works, he was knighted by Emperor William I of Germany and King's Humbert I and Victor Emmanuel, II of Italy---thus the title of "Sir."

Among the works of Sir Moses J. Ezekiel are: “Christ Bound for the Cross", "The Martyr", "David singing his song of Glory”, “Moses Receiving the Law on Mount Sinai" and “Stonewall Jackson” located at VMI.

Upon his death in 1917, Moses Ezekiel left behind his request to be buried with his Confederates at Arlington. A burial ceremony was conducted on March 31, 1921, at the amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery. It was presided over by the United States Secretary of War John W. Weeks. He was laid to rest at the foot of the memorial that he had sculptured. Six VMI cadets flanked his casket that was covered with an American flag. Lest We Forget!

October 1, 2009

The following is dedicated to all who stand up for the truth.

In 1859, Ohio Native Dan Emmett first performed “Dixie” New York City.

Two years later, on February 18, 1861, the band played Dixie at the Inauguration of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Montgomery, Alabama. 

And on April 14, 1865, after General Robert E. Lee’s surrender, President Abraham Lincoln said: “Now Let the Band Play Dixie; it belongs nether to the South, nor to the North but to us all.”—New York Times Sunday Magazine, August 11, 1907.

For 150 years Northern and Southern Bands have played Dixie including the Milton High school “Dixie Eagles” Band who performed Dixie at the invitation and inauguration of the late Lester G. Maddox as Governor of Georgia in January 1967.

Dixie was played in 1976, during America’s Bi-Centennial birthday, at the Old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia and the late Johnny Cash sang Dixie at the Ford Theater in Washington, D.C. to then President Jimmy Carter and members of Congress.

Dixie has been performed by many musicians including; Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Lawrence Welk, Louis Armstrong, Dinah Shore, John Phillip Sousa, Osmond Brothers, Boxcar Willie, Jane Froman, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Mitch Miller, Johnny Hartman and The Rebelaires.

Roz Bowie, a Black Southern Lady, sang Dixie in 1986 at the reburial of a Confederate Soldier in Columbia, South Carolina.

So, what happened to “Dixie?”

Autumn is an exciting time for high school and college football. School bands will play to lift the soul but students, teachers, parents and fans will not hear "Dixie." Many of our institutions of learning have stopped playing Dixie even though the song is universally loved.

What happened to "Dixie" that was the official band music of the Confederate and Union Armies? What happened to this song that Northern and Southern children sang from their schools standard song book?

As a young boy, I remember going to the Great Southeastern Fair, in Atlanta and hearing "Dixie" coming from the Carousel. I also remember my teacher closing the window as the Headland High School Band rehearsed outdoors to "Dixie."

Today, men and women serve overseas to free the people of Iraq and Afghanistan....But school bands are no longer allowed to play "Dixie" and "Under God" is under attack in the pledge of allegiance.

Country music singer Lee Greenwood, who sang "God Bless the USA" and "Dixie" may have become politically incorrect. Yes, this Northern born American included "Dixie" on his "American Patriot" CD.

There was a time not long ago when high school bands played Dixie and public prayers asked for the safety of the football players and safety of the men and women of our United States Armed Forces. 

Back when prayer started a school day, streets were safer and news was not filled with murder, rape and hatred. 

Imagine for a moment that you are taken back to a high school football game of that time. The prayer had been prayed and the band begins to play Dixie. There is a huge cheer that builds as this tune is played. The people rise to cheer and sing this song that they love.

Dan Emmett's headstone reads: "Daniel Decatur Emmett 1815 - 1904 whose song 'Dixie Land' inspired the courage and devotion of the Southern people and now thrills the hearts of a reunited nation."

God Bless America and Let the Band Play Dixie!
091609

Calvin E. Johnson, Jr. is a Freelance writer, Author of the book, “When America Stood for God, Family and Country” and proud member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans--www.scv.org.

God, in his fifth commandment, said “Honor thy Father and Mother.”

This article is dedicated in honor of my Mother, Margaret L. Johnson, who has helped our Veterans, supported the Men and Women of the United States Armed Forces and worked to preserve the true history of the USA.

Let me tell you about a German-American who, with no thought for his personal safety, saw to the spiritual needs of his fellow soldiers.

Jonesboro, Georgia, a few miles south of Atlanta, could have been the setting for a Norman Rockwell painting. In 1977, super-stars; Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason and Jerry Reed put Jonesboro on the map with their hit movie “Smoky and the Bandit.” 

The history of the War Between the States still holds the interest of both young and old but, since the passing of the soldiers of Blue and Gray, some people have shamefully criticized our gallant ancestors and their blood-stained flags of many battles.

Jonesboro is sacred-historical ground where Confederate and Union soldiers clashed in a War Between the States battle on Wednesday, August 31 and Thursday, September 1, 1864. These mighty armies fought the decisive “Battle of Jonesboro”, which ended the Campaign for Atlanta, Georgia and led to Gen. William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea.

Jonesboro is called the home of “Gone with the Wind.” The past, here, is alive with historic treasures that include; the Confederate “Pat Cleburne” Cemetery, the Old Jail, the Old Courthouse, Stately Oaks and the Old Railroad Station and historic groups; Historical Jonesboro/Clayton County, Inc., Sons of Confederate Veterans, United Daughters of the Confederacy and Daughters of the American Revolution. My Mother started the Augustin Clayton “DAR” Chapter in 1973.

In 1982, while living in Clayton County, my mother, Margaret Johnson, and I were visited by Rev. Peter J. Meaney from Morristown, New Jersey. Father Meaney has researched the Confederate Chaplains of the War Between the States that include; Rev. Peter Whelan and Rev. Emmeran M. Bliemel. He asked if there was an organization that recognized such people. His candidate was that of a Chaplain Priest of the War Between the States–Father Emmeran M. Bliemel of the Order of Saint Benedict.

Rev. Peter Meaney, OSB sent me documented information on Father Bliemel who died a hero’s death on the first day of the War Between the States Battle of Jonesboro. After receiving approval from the Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp in Jonesboro, a request was sent to the SCV National Organization.

The forgotten Confederate Chaplain, Rev. Emmeran M. Bliemel, was finally remembered at a special ceremony in front of the Clayton County, Georgia Courthouse on Saturday, March 12, 1983. It was here that the late Colonel Lindsey Henderson of the Sons of Confederate Veterans presented the posthumous “Medal of Honor” to the Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne Camp 1361 SCV, in Father Bliemel’s honor and tribute. It was then presented on loan, by Cleburne Camp SCV, to the City of Jonesboro and accepted by Mayor Hugh Dickson who had it displayed at Jonesboro’s City Hall.

March 12, 1983, was a chilly day in Jonesboro but many hundreds of people attended this event including; Chairman of the Clayton County Commission–Mr. Charley Griswell, the late Mayor of Jonesboro–Mr. Hugh Dickson and Rev. Peter J. Meaney, OSB.

Who was Rev. Emmeran M. Bliemel?

Father Emmeran M. Bliemel, OSB the first American Catholic Chaplain to die on the battlefield, was killed during the Battle of Jonesboro, Georgia on Wednesday, August 31, 1864.

As Chaplain of the 10th Tennessee Regiment he courageously and unselfishly ministered to the spiritual needs of all the wounded, both under fire and behind the lines. He died while giving the last rites to his Commanding Officer, Colonel William Grace. Rev. Bliemel also ministered to the men of the 4th Kentucky Regiment (the Orphan Brigade).

Bliemel was temporarily buried at Jonesboro’s Pat Cleburne Cemetery, but his remains were removed to Tuscumbia, Alabama in 1899.

Today, the Sons of Confederate Veterans Medal of Honor, honoring Father Emmeran M. Bliemel, OSB, is displayed at the Knights of Columbus building in Jonesboro.
August 13, 2009

July marks the145th Anniversary of the Battle of Atlanta that marked the beginning of the end of the Southern people's quest for independence.

Are today’s children taught about the War Between the States Battle's of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Jonesboro, Fredericksburg, Pea Ridge, Vicksburg, Kennesaw Mountain, Nashville and Atlanta that ultimately led to Gen. Sherman’s March to the Sea?

Did you know that Confederate Brigadier Gen. Stand Watie, an American Indian, held the highest rank on either side, Union or Confederate, or that Black Confederates helped defend Atlanta and are buried on the grounds of a famous Atlanta Black University?

In July, 1864, a free-black man, Soloman (Sam) Luckie, was leaning against a gas lamp post in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta barber was talking to a group of businessmen when a cannon shell burst wounded him. The white businessmen took him to their surgeon where he died from the wounds. Luckie may have been one of the first casualties of General Sherman's assault on Atlanta. A street was later named in his memory. 

This gas lamp that proved unlucky for Sam Lucky was one of 50 gas lamps erected by the Atlanta Gas Light Company in 1856 and the only one to survive the War Between the States. This famous lamp was relit on December 15, 1939, in conjunction with the World Premiere of the movie "Gone with the Wind" in Atlanta, Georgia. It stood for many years on the corner of Whitehall (now Peachtree) and Mitchell Street. It was moved to Underground Atlanta when construction began on the Five Points Marta Rail Station. 

One hundred sixteen years after the War Between the States Battle of Atlanta, a memorial event took place at the Neiman Marcus Department Store at Atlanta, Georgia's Lenox Square Shopping Mall. A special Battle of Atlanta Tea was held here starting in 1980. The programs for this occasion included speeches by noted historians; Mr. Virlyn Moore, Mr. Judson Ward and the late great Mr. Franklin M. Garrett. Garrett was the official Historian for the City of Atlanta and served as Director of the Atlanta Historical Society. History is always alive in Atlanta, Ga. Check the many events at: www.AtlantaHistoryCenter.com 

The Battle of Atlanta Tea, held through the early 1980s, was a big success due to the efforts of Mrs. Elizabeth Edmondson, Mrs. Sally White of Nieman Marcus, the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. www.scv.org 

Atlanta's historic "Cyclorama", http://www.webguide.com/cyclorama.html, located at Grant Park, is a jewel of a painting depicting the Battle of Atlanta. A short distance from here is Historic Oakland Cemetery, http://www.oaklandcemetery.com. that is the final resting place to many Confederate soldiers some of whom died during the Battle of Atlanta. 

Many people supported the Battle of Atlanta Tea in the 1980s. A reception room was set up with food and refreshment and the walls were adorned with Confederate and United States flags. The women wore ante-bellum attire and men wore Confederate uniforms. Confederate reenactors, with replica black powder period rifles, stood guard at store entrances and escalators to give directions and tell stories from the past. 

Can you imagine such an event happening today? Our school bands no longer play "Dixie" but Dixie was played during the Battle of Atlanta Commemorations. 

The Battle of Atlanta took place south of the Carter Center, down to the intersection of Moreland Avenue and Interstate 20 and around Glenwood Ave., Memorial Drive and Clay Street. 

During the Battle of Atlanta the Confederate forces were first commanded by General Joseph E. Johnston and later by General John Bell Hood. The Union Forces were under command of General William Tecumseh Sherman. The main Union force was the Army of the Tennessee under Major General James B. McPherson who was killed during the Atlanta battle. 

2011 will mark the 150th anniversary of the War Between the States. Let’s Not Forget!!
July 24, 2009

Do you know who Gen. Robert Edward Lee, Major Gen. George Edward Pickett and Major Gen. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain were? Are children still taught about these men and all those who met on the famous War Between the States battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania? Some call the Gettysburg Battlefield the most haunted place in America as many thousands died on that fateful month of July 1863.

The story of the Battle of Gettysburg and 50th Anniversary Reunion would make for a heart-warming and touching TV Historic mini-series or Hollywood movie.

“Comrades and friends, these splendid statues of marble and granite and bronze shall finally crumble to dust, and in the ages to come, will perhaps be forgotten, but the spirit that has called this great assembly of our people together, on this field, shall live forever.”
-----Dr. Nathaniel D. Cox at 1913 Gettysburg Reunion

The summer heat of July 1913 did not keep the old Confederate and Union Veterans from attending the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. It has been written that over 50,000 sons of the North and South came for what has been called the largest combined reunion of War Between the States veterans.

The youngest veteran was reported to be 61 and the oldest was 112 years young.

No one dared to criticize the United States and Confederate flags that flew side by side at the Gettysburg soldier’s reunion of honored men who had been enemies on the field of battle just 50 years earlier. Some of today’s politicians and people’s rights groups could learn something from these grand old men of yesterday. Knowledge is Power!!

The State of Pennsylvania hosted the 1913 reunion at the insisting of state Governor John K. Tener. Tener also encouraged other states to arrange rail transportation for the participants. Down South in Dixie, the United Daughters of the Confederacy helped raise money for the transportation and uniforms for their Confederate veterans.

The soldiers of Blue and Gray, Black and White, came with heads high and full of war stories. It is written that the hosts did not count on Black Confederates attending the meeting and had no place to put them but the White Confederates made room for their Southern brothers. Black Union veterans also attended this event.

It is written that nearly 700,000 meals were served that included fried chicken, roast pork sandwiches, ice cream and Georgia watermelon. The temperature soared to 100 degrees and almost 10,000 veterans were treated for heat exhaustion and several hundred more were hospitalized. The United States Army was also present in support and the old men loved the attention.

A highlight of the reunion was the Confederate Veterans walk on the path of Gen. George Pickett’s charge that was greeted, this time, by a handshake from the Union Veterans. 

President Woodrow Wilson spoke to those veterans with compassion and appreciation, and said, quote “These venerable men crowding here to this famous field have set us a great example of devotion and utter sacrifice. They were willing to die that the people might live. But their task is done. Their day is turned into evening. They look to us to perfect what they have established. Their work is handed to us, to be done in another way but not in another spirit. Our day is not over; it is upon us in full tide.” Unquote

These men of Blue and Gray are gone but let’s never forget them. God Bless!!
July 17, 2009

Monday, July 13th, in the year of our Lord 2009, is the188th birthday of American legend and Southern Hero--Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest.

President Obama continued a century-old tradition, on Memorial Day, by honoring American Servicemen and women buried at Arlington National Cemetery and sending a wreathe to the Confederate and Black Union soldier’s section.

Some criticized Obama for remembering the Confederate soldiers buried at section 16 but, like his predecessors, the president did the historically-correct and Patriotic thing in remembering ‘All’ American Veterans.

Almost a century earlier, on June 4, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson spoke at Arlington National Cemetery on occasion of the unveiling of a new Confederate Monument by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. His speech echoed praise for the Confederate soldier and he received applause from a crowd of thousands that included Confederate and Union Veterans.

Will the circle, of remembering our American family, be unbroken?

Some, today, seek to ban the Confederate Battle flag, the blood-stained soldier’s banner of many hard fought battles, from Veterans Day events and the soldier’s monument at South Carolina’s State Capitol. There is also a push to ban the Confederate flag at all NASCAR races. Some groups claim the Southern flag is offensive to Black people.

But, what do they say to Black folks who call the Confederate flag a symbol of Southern Pride like Nelson Winbush of Florida who is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans—www.scv.org? Mr. Winbush speaks truthfully and from the heart about the War for Southern Independence, 1861-65, and of his grandfather who fought for the South. He may even ‘proudly’ show you a picture of himself, as a child, with his Grandfather, Louis Napoleon Nelson, who rode with Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest in Company M of the 7th Tennessee Cavalry and was buried with his Confederate uniform and Confederate flag draped casket.

Gen. Forrest said of the Black men who rode with him, quote "These boys stayed with me ... and better Confederates did not live.” unquote

You might also ask Black Southern-Historian H.K. Edgerton who marched across Dixie from North Carolina to Texas attired in Confederate uniform, carrying the Confederate flag and educating many Black and White people along the way about their Southern Heritage. Edgerton is also past president of the local NAACP Chapter in Asheville, North Carolina.

Was Gen. Forrest an early advocate for Civil Rights?

Forrest's speech during a meeting of the "Jubilee of Pole Bearers" is a story that needs to be told. Gen. Forrest was the first white man to be invited by this group which was a forerunner of today's Civil Right's group. A reporter of the Memphis Avalanche newspaper was sent to cover the event.

Miss Lou Lewis, daughter of a Pole Bearer member, was introduced to Forrest and she presented the former general a bouquet of flowers as a token of reconciliation, peace and good will. On July 5, 1875, Nathan Bedford Forrest delivered this speech:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I accept the flowers as a memento of reconciliation between the white and colored races of the Southern states. I accept it more particularly as it comes from a colored lady, for if there is any one on God's earth who loves the ladies I believe it is myself. (Immense applause and laughter.) I came here with the jeers of some white people, who think that I am doing wrong. I believe I can exert some influence, and do much to assist the people in strengthening fraternal relations, and shall do all in my power to elevate every man, to depress none.

I want to elevate you to take positions in law offices, in stores, on farms, and wherever you are capable of going. I have not said anything about politics today. I don't propose to say anything about politics. You have a right to elect whom you please; vote for the man you think best, and I think, when that is done, you and I are freemen. Do as you consider right and honest in electing men for office. I did not come here to make you a long speech, although invited to do so by you. I am not much of a speaker, and my business prevented me from preparing myself. I came to meet you as friends, and welcome you to the white people. I want you to come nearer to us. When I can serve you I will do so. We have but one flag, one country; let us stand together. We may differ in color, but not in sentiment. Many things have been said about me which are wrong, and which white and black persons here, who stood by me through the war, can contradict. Go to work, be industrious, live honestly and act truly, and when you are oppressed I'll come to your relief. I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for this opportunity you have afforded me to be with you, and to assure you that I am with you in heart and in hand." (Prolonged applause.) End of speech.

Nathan Bedford Forrest again thanked Miss Lewis for the bouquet and then gave her a kiss on the cheek. Such a kiss was unheard of in the society of those days, in 1875, but it showed a token of respect and friendship between the general and the black community and did much to promote harmony among the citizens of Memphis, Tennessee.

Some people have claimed that Forrest was associated with the Ku Klux Klan but he officially denied participation. He encouraged the friendly reunion of North and South and the remembrance of both the Confederate and Union Dead.

Forrest died on October 29, 1877, in Memphis, Tennessee and is buried with his wife at Forrest Park.

In his press conference on Thursday, Chairman Bannister issued a call to our county’s civic and business leaders to help solve the county’s financial crisis. I trust that his invitation for others to assist the county is sincere. He can demonstrate that it is by opening the county’s books and releasing the 2009 line item budget. Only then can taxpayers learn what their taxes are funding and the value of the services provided. 

One week ago, I authored an open letter opposing the property tax increase that our Gwinnett Commissioners planned to impose on taxpayers. Despite our efforts, we had only primitive knowledge of how those taxes were to be spent, since the Commission refused to share the line items in the 2009 budget. 

But as a result of the County’s compliance with one of the several Open Records requests filed by Gwinnett cities, we have learned a few nuggets: For starters, the 2009 budget (adopted on March 3) includes an 8.25% pay hike for county employees (4% for public safety.) Another revelation: the 2009 budget shows the County socking away, not $43 million into reserve as once thought, but in fact, $81 million.

And the tax hike would have passed just fine, thank you, except for one small variable… the taxpayers who provide the revenue in the first place. They educated themselves and took a strong stand. The fact that this tax hike is likely to be reconsidered is a testament to the power of our collective voice when we participate in our community.

All Gwinnett taxpayers should call for Gwinnett to truly open its books and share its intentions on the 2009 budget , especially as changes are being made. Urge our leadership to listen to the citizens. But most of all, follow through on this rare opportunity to genuinely engage the constituents who took a stand against higher taxes and the growth of county government. After all, government belongs to the people, not the elected officials and staff.

May 29, 2009

Let’s not forget Monday May 25th is Memorial Day!!

Once upon a time, school children were taught about great Americans like Jefferson Davis whose 201st birthday is June 3rd. 

The statue of Jefferson Davis and his two sons, Joe and Jim Limber, is nearing completion and will be placed at Beauvoir, the last home of the Confederate President, on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. Jim was the Davis’ adopted African-American son. Read more about this Sons of Confederate Veterans project at: http://www.scv.org/pdf/DavisAppeal2008.pdf 

On Sunday, May 28, 1893, a few days before "Memorial Day", in New Orleans, a story began that overshadowed all other events.

This was the day when the remains of Jefferson Davis, former president of the Confederate States of America, was taken to Richmond, Virginia for final burial.

Jefferson Davis died in 1889 and over 200,000 people witnessed his temporary burial at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans. Four years later on a rainy Saturday, on May 27, 1893, the remains of Jefferson Davis was removed and taken to Confederate Memorial Hall in New Orleans.

At 4:30PM, May 28th, a funeral service was held for Mr. Davis and a moving memorial address was delivered by Louisiana's Governor Murphy J. Foster as thousands listened. A reverent silence fell among the people as the casket was given to the commitment of veterans from Virginia.

The procession then formed for a slow march to the railroad station on Canal Street.

Train No. 69, with Engineer Frank Coffin, waited patiently as the casket was taken to the platform and passed through an open observation car to a catafalque. 

Train engine No. 69, of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad slowly pulled out of New Orleans Station at 7:50 p.m. for the 1,200 mile trip.

After a brief stop at Bay Saint Louis, and a slow-down at Pass Christian, where hundreds of people lined the tracks, the Jefferson Davis Funeral Train stopped at Gulfport, Mississippi, near Beauvoir the Southern president’s last home. http://www.beauvoir.org 

Uncle Bob Brown, a former servant of the Davis family and a passenger on the train, saw the many flowers that the children had laid on the side of the railroad tracks. Brown was so moved by this beautiful gesture that he wept uncontrollably.

In Mobile, Alabama, the train was met by a thousand mourners and the Alabama Artillery fired a 21-gun salute. Locomotive No. 69 was retired and Locomotive No. 25 was coupled to the train. The new train's Engineer was C.C. Devinney and Warren Robinson was its fireman.

The Atlanta Journal reported, quote, "The Cradle of the Confederacy is ablaze with life and light tonight. Everything is ready for honoring the memory of Jefferson Davis. Tomorrow morning with the rising of the sun the funeral train from New Orleans will reach Montgomery.” unquote.

Church bells rang in Montgomery, Alabama when the train pulled into the city at 6:00 a.m. on May 29th. A severe rainstorm delayed the funeral procession to about 8:30 a.m. when a caisson carried the body of Davis to Alabama's state capitol. A procession carried the casket through the portico where Jefferson Davis, in 1861, had taken the oath of office as President of the Confederacy.

The casket was placed in front of the bench of the Alabama Supreme Court. Above the right exit was a banner with the word "Monterrey" and above the left exit was a banner with the words "Buena Vista." During the War with Mexico Jefferson Davis was a hero at Monterrey and wounded at Buena Vista.

At 12:20 p.m. the funeral train departed over the Western Railway of Alabama and Atlanta and West Point Railroad for Atlanta. 

At 4:30 p.m. the funeral train pulled into Union Station in Atlanta, Georgia. It is estimated that 20,000 people lined the streets as the funeral procession made their way to the state capitol. When Davis’ body lay in state at the Capitol, it was guarded by Atlanta’s Gate City Guard which had served as Company F, 1st Georgia (Ramsay’s). 

At 7:00 p.m. the train went north on the Richmond and Danville Railroad. The train traveled through Lula, Georgia, Greenville, South Carolina and stopped at the North Carolina capitol at Raleigh. 

A brief stop was made in Danville, Virginia where a crowd of people gathered around the train and sang, "Nearer My God To Thee" as city church bells toiled.

Finally, the train reached Richmond, Virginia on Wednesday, May 31, 1893, at 3:00 a.m. It was Memorial Day. The casket was taken to the Virginia State House.

At 3:00 p.m., May 31st, the funeral procession started for Hollywood Cemetery. 

With Mrs. Jefferson Davis were her daughters, Winnie and Margaret. Six state governors acted as pallbearers. It was estimated that 75,000 people attended this final salute to President Davis. The ceremony concluded with a 21-gun salute and "Taps."

May 14, 2009

In recent times much discussion has spawned regarding President Barack Obama’s general performance throughout his first few months in office. Not only have the President’s acts been measured within this context, but also his works as they relate to the addressing of the concerns of the African American community. While the Obama administration has primarily had to contend with our nation’s economic crisis; some African Americans have still found cause to level criticism towards the President asserting that he has essentially ignored many of the communities’ issues and to some degree the group itself. 

In mid April, Obama drew disapproval from African American activists as well as the Congressional Black Caucus, as the White House announced it would not send a delegation to the international conference on racism, in Geneva, Switzerland. Obama’s decision to forgo this event was stated to be predicated on his refusal to involve the United States in any discussions that would potentially inspire anti-Semitism in addressing relations between Israel and Palestine. Obama’s pronouncement was received in some African American quarters as an act of “quasi-treason,” as many members of this group empathize with the plight of the Palestinians in their efforts to overcome the oppressive measures imposed upon them by their Israeli neighbors. Additional angst registered within segments of the African American body as sentiments emerged suggesting that Obama’s decision to skip the conference signified his willingness to acquiesce to Jewish interests at the expense of those of other ethnic populations. Further discontent regarding the Obama administration has found its expression, as some Americans of African descent have begun to call the President’s legislative intentions into question. 

In late April, a measure featured in Obama’s “Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan,” that would have allowed scores of home owners facing foreclosure (many of whom are African American and where targeted by banking institutions engaged in predatory lending practices) an opportunity to have their mortgage loans adjusted by bankruptcy court judges was rejected by the Senate. Although multitudinal indicators suggested the provision would face defeat days prior to the Senate vote, the White House made little attempt to counter the actions of banking industry lobbyists conscripted to bring about the amendment’s demise. This circumstance prevailed in the face of Obama’s prior proclamations touting his administration’s commitment to the legislation and his desire to bring it into law. While Obama has perhaps made a significant overture towards addressing the interests of the African American community by the appointing of Eric Holder to the position of United States Attorney General, conceivably little else by way of action suggests that his administration is principally intent on working to remedy the societal arrangements that have perpetually hampered African American prosperity. In light of this plausible reality, one question must be asked. What actions must the African American community take to ensure that our nation’s first President of African descent (as well as the political class in general) acknowledges its issues to the extent they become integrated into the national and (where necessary) international agenda? 
The answer to this question may be revealed through an analysis of what African Americans have unfortunately failed to do for many years as it relates to “group survival,” within the political construct of our nation. To this end, Americans of African descent have not been able to effectively organize on a national level where by a comprehensive analysis of its social, political and financial condition would be realized. Resultantly, an agenda encompassing a list of prioritized, “African American interests” which political figures would be expected to consider (with the understanding that the African American vote weighs in the balance) has not been crafted. This prevailing circumstance persisted and was further exacerbated during this past Presidential election cycle as the African American public, enamored with the prospect of our nation’s first President of African descent, (as reflected by Obama’s 95% support rating among this group) intentionally sought not to make overt demands upon Obama. This approach was adopted as it was reasoned that such actions would have functioned to provide the foundation by which Obama’s opponents would have been able to portray him as the “Black Candidate,” whose ultimate allegiance was to the group to which he belonged as opposed to that of the larger society, thus potentially alienating the then Illinois Junior Senator from large portions of the electorate. As a result of this reality, Obama has not had to “make good” on any promises to African Americans, as none were ever made. 

The African American community finds itself in a precarious position. While the Obama administration has been and will continue to be confronted with a plethora of problematic occurrences and circumstances, this group must find a way to secure its seat at the table of, “political opportunity.” Although the African American vote served to help propel Obama to our nation’s highest office, efforts in this area were done so without any real expressed contingencies. Americans of African descent as a result, have essentially been left to rely on the will of the Obama administration to contend with the multitude of societal issues that function to constrict their collective advancement in an environment in which, the needs of the many are great, and political capital is at a premium. The African American community may have initially missed its opportunity to concisely specify its expectations of Obama and in so doing implicitly exercise its political girth however; it may not be too late to perform this maneuver. If such an evolvement is brought to fruition perhaps the full breadth of “Change” may be experienced within the communities of this population. 

May 13, 2009
Frederick Alexander Meade is an educator and journalist providing analysis on social and political matters. His works have appeared in news magazines and publications around the country. Meade, who lives in Atlanta, GA, can be reached by E-mail at meade1900@yahoo.com 

Over the last 30 years, Atlanta and Georgia have led the way for economic success and growth across the New South. This growth, however, has come at a cost as we have seen relentless traffic congestion not just in metro Atlanta but in other metropolitan areas around the Southeast. To ensure we do not become a victim of our own success, we must consider investing in a high-speed rail system throughout the Southeast as an innovative way to connect our cities without increasing the burden on our interstates and airports.

I am glad President Barack Obama has chosen to focus on high-speed rail because I have been a big believer for years that high-speed rail will complement the Southeast’s transportation infrastructure, reduce congestion on the interstates between the region’s economic centers and increase our competitiveness around the world.

What we must avoid at all costs, however, is a rail operation built on subsidies. That is a model that has not worked and never will. We need to fundamentally alter our method of capitalizing rail transportation and put it on a footing similar to that of airports, freeways and seaports.

Governments —- a combination of state and federal —- should acquire the right of way and build tracks with user fees to pay for upkeep, levied by private rail corporations that would succeed or fail on their own performance. Passenger rail lines should be privately operated on publicly funded infrastructure. Private operation will lead to a competitive and efficient passenger rail industry.

Have you ever thought about the difference between railroads and airlines? With passenger rail in the United States, you subsidize everything. With air travel, you and I as taxpayers pay for the runways at Hartsfield and the infrastructure at Hartsfield, but that’s where the public investment ends.

Delta, AirTran and other airlines risk capital and compete to deliver the services to move people from one city to another.

High-speed rail can succeed when projected ridership can support proposed operating costs. In 2000, Amtrak launched its high-speed Acela Express trains with service between Washington, New York City and Boston. At the time, 37 percent of travelers in the Washington-to-New York corridor took Amtrak while the remaining 63 percent traveled by other means. Today, those numbers are reversed. In addition, passenger rail ridership from New York to Boston has grown from 20 percent of travelers to 49 percent.

High-speed rail only works when trains go where passengers want to go and the number of passengers is large enough to support the operation. I believe the corridor from Washington to Richmond to Raleigh to Charlotte to Greenville, S.C., to Atlanta to Birmingham possesses the projected ridership to support rail service on a profitable basis, much like the Boston to Washington corridor.

There are estimates we could take 15 percent of the traffic off I-85 between Atlanta to Charlotte, and I view that as a very good utilization of federal investment.

With the presence of high-speed rail, Atlanta has the potential to be an anchor for multimodal transport. It could serve as the backbone off which other forms of transit such a light rail would connect regional communities. We have to think outside the box. We have to think intermodal. There is no reason why, in high-traffic areas, Georgia cannot take advantage of both light and heavy rail to make sure that people move smoothly and efficiently.

Republican Johnny Isakson represents Georgia in the U.S. Senate.
May 10, 2009

Sunday, April 26th, is Confederate Memorial Day in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas and Mississippi.

The Constitution of the Confederates States of America will be exhibited
from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm on Monday, April, 27, 2009, in the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library (on the 3rd floor of the Main Library) at the University ofGeorgia in Athens.

See details at their website: http://www.libs.uga.edu/hargrett/speccoll.html

The Confederate History Month Committee of the Sons of Confederate Veterans encourage all Americans—Black, White, Jewish, Hispanic, Native American, Arabic, Oriental—men, women and children, to attend Confederate Memorial activities throughout Georgia and the nation and learn more about the role the Confederacy played in our nation’s history. To find a Confederate Memorial Day event near you please log on to: http://confederateheritagemonth.com

Confederate Memorial Day has been a legal holiday in Georgia since 1874 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly and bill signed by then Governor James Smith, who also served as Confederate Colonel, Lawyer and Congressman and………….

for over 100 year’s the members of the Ladies Memorial Association, United Daughters of the Confederacy and Sons of Confederate Veterans have held annual Confederate Memorial Day services on or near April 26th and in other states on May 10th and June 3rd.

June 3rd is the 201st birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his last home and Presidential Library is owned and operated by the Mississippi Division Sons of Confederate Veterans. Please log on to: www.beauvoir.org to read information about Beauvoir’s April 25th Confederate Memorial Day Service.

The Georgia General Assembly recently passed a bill officially designating April as Confederate History Month that now waits for Governor Sonny Perdue’s signature. 
April 21, 2009

Did you know that Confederate Memorial Day is observed during the months of April, May and June in the north and south? For Confederate Memorial Day event information please see: http://confederatehistorymonth.com 

Let me tell you a story about Arlington National Cemetery where this nation honored the men who fought for the Confederacy, the Union and those men and women who fought our nations' wars since the War Between the States. 

Did you know there are 245,000 service men and women, including their families, are buried at Arlington? 

The world famous Arlington National Cemetery is located in the shadow of the Custis-Lee Mansion (Arlington House) that was home to General Robert E. Lee and family until 1861 and the beginning of the War Between the States. This cemetery is on the Virginia side of the Potomac River across from the nation's capital. 

In 1864, Union soldiers were first buried here and by the end of the war the number rose to 16,000. 

The Union burial site at Arlington National Cemetery is at section 13. Also buried in Arlington include: President John F. Kennedy, General Jonathan M. Wainwright and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 

Around the start of the 20th century this country also honored the men who fought for the Confederacy. This site of men who fought for " Dixie" is located in section 16. 

There is an inscription on the 32.5 foot high Confederate monument at Arlington National Cemetery that reads, "An Obedience To Duty As They Understood it; These Men Suffered All; Sacrificed All and Died”!

Some claim this Confederate Monument at Arlington may have been the first to honor Black Confederates. Carved on this monument is the depiction of a Black Confederate who is marching in step with the White soldiers. Also shown is a White Confederate who gives his child to a Black woman for safe keeping. 

In 1898, President William McKinley, a former Union soldier spoke in Atlanta , Georgia and said, “In the spirit of Fraternity it was time for the North to share in the care of the graves of former Confederate soldiers.

In consequence to his speech, by Act of the United States Congress, a portion of Arlington National Cemetery was set aside for the burial of Confederate soldiers. At this time 267 Confederate remains from and near Washington were removed and re-interred at this new site. 

In 1906, the United Daughters of the Confederacy asked permission from William Howard Taft to erect a monument. Taft was at the time serving as the United States Secretary of War and was in charge of National Cemeteries. 

With permission the Arlington Confederate Memorial Association was formed and the United Daughters of the Confederacy were given authority to oversee work on the monument. 

An agreement and contract was made with Sir Moses Jacob Ezekiel who was a Jewish Confederate Veteran by the record of his service at the Battle of New Market while he was a Cadet at Virginia Military Institute. Work started at his workshop in Italy in 1910, and upon his death in 1917, the Great Sculptor, was brought back home and buried near the base of the Arlington Confederate Monument . 

On June 4, 1914, the Arlington monument was unveiled to a crowd of thousands that included former Confederate and Union soldiers. 

The Memorial Event was presided over by President Woodrow Wilson and the people applauded the stirring speeches given by: General Bennett H. Young- Commander In Chief of the United Confederate Veterans; General Washington Gardner-Commander In Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic and Colonel Robert E. Lee - grandson of General Lee. 

The Confederate monument unveiling was concluded by a 21 gun salute and the Arlington monument was officially given to the United Daughters of the Confederacy and was given back to the U.S. War Department for keeping and accepted by President Woodrow Wilson who said: 

"I am not so happy as PROUD to participate in this capacity on such an occasion, Proud that I represent such a people." 

Lest We Forget!! http://confederateheritagemonth.com 
April 16, 2009

What must be done to recover from this financial crisis? Barack Obama rightly stresses that we first must understand how today’s problems emerged. It is “only by understanding how we arrived at this moment that we’ll be able to lift ourselves out of this predicament."

Unfortunately, Obama (along with most of the Washington establishment) has created only misunderstanding. In calling for a massive increase in government control over the economy, he has evaded the mountain of evidence implicating the government.

For example, Obama’s core explanation of all the destructive behavior leading up to today’s crisis is that the market was too free. But the market that led to today’s crisis was systematically manipulated by government. Fact: this decade saw drastic attempts by the government to control the housing and financial markets--via a Federal Reserve that cut interest rates to all-time lows, and via a gigantic increase in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s size and influence. Fact: through these entities, the government sought to “stimulate the economy” and promote homeownership (sound familiar?) by artificially extending cheap credit to home-buyers. Fact: most of the (very few) economists who actually predicted the financial crisis blame Fed policy or housing policy for inflating a bubble that was bound to collapse.

How does all this evidence factor into Obama’s understanding of “how we arrived at this moment”? It doesn’t. Not once, during the solemn 52 minutes and 5,902 words of his speech to Congress did he mention the Fed, Fannie, or Freddie. Not once did he suggest that government manipulation of markets could have any possible role in the present crisis. He just went full steam ahead and called for more spending, more intervention, and more government housing programs as the solution.

But a genuine explanation of the financial crisis must take into account all the facts. What role did the Fed play? What about Fannie and Freddie? To be sure, some companies and CEOs seem to have made irrational business decisions. Was the primary cause “greed,” as so many claim--and what does this even mean? Or was the primary cause government intervention like artificially low interest rates, which distorted economic decision-making and encouraged less competent and more reckless companies and CEOs while marginalizing and paralyzing the more competent ones?

Entertaining such questions would also mean considering the idea that the fundamental solution to our problems is to disentangle the government from the markets to prevent future manipulation. It would mean considering pro-free-market remedies such as letting banks foreclose, letting prices reach market levels, letting bad banks fail, dismantling Fannie and Freddie, ending bailout promises, and getting rid of the Fed’s power to manipulate interest rates. 

But it is not genuine understanding the administration seeks. For them, the wisdom and necessity of previous government intervention is self-evident; no matter the contrary evidence, the crisis can only have been caused by insufficient government intervention. Besides, they are too busy following Obama’s chief of staff’s dictum, “Never let a serious crisis go to waste,” by proposing a virtual takeover of not only financial markets, but also the problem-riddled energy and health-care markets--which, they conveniently ignore, are also already among the most government-controlled in the economy.
While Obama has not sought a real explanation of today’s economic problems, Americans should. Otherwise, we will simply swallow “solutions” that dogmatically assume the free market got us here--namely, Obama’s plans to swamp this country in an ocean of government debt, government controls, and government make-work projects. But alternative, free-market explanations for the crisis do exist--ones that consider the inconvenient facts Washington ignores--and every American should seek to understand them.

Those who do will likely end up telling our leaders to stop saying “Yes, we can” to each new proposal for expanding government power, and start saying “Yes, you can” to Americans who seek to exercise their right to produce and trade on a free market.

April 8, 2009

Alex Epstein is an analyst at the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights. The Ayn Rand Center is a division of the Ayn Rand Institute and promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead.”

Copyright © 2009 Ayn Rand® Institute. All rights reserved.

In dealing with AIG, why are people pussyfooting around? They believe that the bonus money was stolen from the public and must be retrieved by any means possible. So why not bypass the niceties and just send in some well-armed “enforcers” to confiscate the bonus recipients’ cars and houses and bank accounts? 

If this raises fear about ushering in mob rule, it’s too late. AIG employees have been crudely vilified, they have been targets of death threats, a U.S. senator has urged them to kill themselves, protestors “tour” their homes, they have had to hire security guards and AIG has removed its name from the front of its Manhattan offices. 

This mass hysteria is being fueled by the government, which is proceeding on the premise of: “Get the money back first, rationalize later.” The House passed an extraordinary piece of punitive--and unconstitutional--legislation to tax away almost all the bonus money. New York’s attorney general, abetted by the threat of making their names public, has gotten many of the recipients to “voluntarily” return their bonuses. Perversely, the rights of captured Islamic jihadists generate greater concern in Washington.

All these actions are tantamount to rule by mob action.
A mob is driven by rampant emotionalism, with no concern for facts--facts such as: Are these particular recipients guilty of anything? Are they competent individuals, necessary to keep the company operational? Would they have resigned without the inducement of the bonuses? Didn’t Washington consent to the bonuses at the time of the bailout? Aren’t the recipients entitled to the bonuses by contract? 

The essence of mob rule is arbitrary and unchecked force, in disregard of all rights. If so, then when the government spends our money with virtually no limits--then trillions of dollars are gleefully disbursed through unrestrained horse-trading and arm-twisting among members of Congress--when trillions more are poured down the rat holes of failing companies at the uncontrolled discretion of bureaucrats--when government “czars” can select a company’s CEO and dictate its product line--then what we have is government by mob rule. That is, we have government with arbitrary, unchecked power to do as it wishes--which means: government unconstrained by the principle of individual freedom.

Like any mob, Washington desires a scapegoat. It blames capitalism for the mortgage and credit crisis, in order to divert attention from the real culprit: government intervention. Every housing-related measure taken by Washington has made the standards for homeownership looser than they would be in a free market. Government has stepped in to override private companies’ aversion to undue risk. Regulators criticized banks for turning down too many mortgage applications. FNMA and FHLMC were created to encourage the issuance of mortgages that would not be prudent in a free market. The FDIC anesthetizes depositors against risks taken with their funds. And the entire Federal Reserve exists to pump paper money into the economy, and to keep interest rates artificially low--often below the rate of inflation--so that more lending occurs. Yet when this house of cards collapsed, it is capitalism that was denounced, and more government power that was demanded. 

The administration’s latest proposal, for a “systemic risk regulator,” should leave little doubt that it seeks carte blanche in ruling the economy. This is a plan for an economic dictator, an “enforcer” who will have the frightening authority to oversee every decision that, in his opinion, significantly influences the economy.

Of course, once the mob-rule mentality takes hold, everyone becomes a potential target. If you obtain a mortgage or a college loan, the government may subject you too to “risk regulation.” You may be told that you can’t buy a plasma TV or take a vacation or quit your job, because the risk to your finances is “unacceptable.” But isn’t that a purely private decision?--you will indignantly demand. If government power keeps expanding, however, there may no longer be any private decisions.

Peter Schwartz is the author of The Foreign Policy of Self-Interest: A Moral Ideal for America. He is a distinguished fellow, and former chairman of the board, of the Ayn Rand Institute.

April 6, 2009
Copyright © 2009 Ayn Rand® Institute. All rights reserved.

Remembering the Great Locomotive Chase
By: Calvin E. Johnson, Jr.

Are children still taught American History in the public and private schools?

The Georgia State Senate, on Friday April 3, 2009, approved the changes the House made to SB No. 27 that officially proclaims April as Confederate History Month. It now goes to Governor Sonny Perdue for signing. April 26th, Confederate Memorial Day, has also been recognized as a legal Georgia holiday since 1874.

2009 marks the 53rd anniversary of Walt Disney Pictures great movie classic "The Great Locomotive Chase" starring Fess Parker and Jeffrey Hunter.

When it comes to old locomotives, we are all children at heart. Many of us love a story from the bygone era of passenger trains that was once the fastest way to travel.

Our nation's most famous locomotive "The General" is now home at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Ga. Kennesaw is about 45 miles north of Atlanta on the Old Highway 41. http://www.southernmuseum.org 

April 12, 2009, is the 147th anniversary of the "Great Locomotive Chase" that made "The General" famous. Jefferson Cain, an employee of the Western and Atlantic Railroad, was Engineer of The General. At 4:15 on the morning of April 12, 1862, Cain pushed the throttle of The General and drove the engine out of Atlanta, Georgia for Chattanooga, Tennessee as a cool spring rain fell on the city.

During the spring of 1862, the peaceful town of Big Shanty (now Kennesaw) was paid not so peaceful a visit by Union spies led by James Andrews, who brought with him plans to disrupt Confederate supply lines. Andrews and his men boarded the train at Marietta, Georgia. They had spent the previous night at the Fletcher House now (Kennesaw House). Twenty boarded the train while two were left behind.

The next stop was the Lacy Hotel in Big Shanty for a twenty minute breakfast break. That's where The General was stolen in full view of "Camp McDonald" a drill camp and home to many Confederate officers and enlisted men. There was no telegraph there, which was one reason Andrews chose the site.

Andrews, A Kentuckian, had made a name for himself by smuggling much needed quinine through Union lines for the benefit of Confederate soldiers and civilians. There were with him three experienced engineers, William Knight, Wilson Brown and John Wilson. When asked where they were from, they replied by saying, "I am from Fleming County, Kentucky." They also said that they were on their way to join the Confederate Army.

The official plan to steal The General was approved by Union General Ormsby Michael. The plan was to take the locomotive north on the Western and Atlantic Railroad and destroy tracks, bridges and tunnels along the way. General Michael agreed that he would take Huntsville on April 11, 1862, and then would wait on Andrews before moving into Chattanooga, Tennessee.

"Someone.....has stolen my train,” William Fuller, conductor on the General said in amazement as the train was pulling away from the Big Shanty train depot. Men of the Western and Atlantic railroad almost immediately began the chase with engineer Jefferson Cain, William Fuller, and machine foreman Anthony Murphy close behind.

With no telegraph at Big Shanty, the men ran north along the railroad tracks to Moon Station and procured a platform handcar; then went on until they found "The Yonah." The next train used was the "William R. Smith."

The last locomotive used in the chase by William Fuller was the famous "Texas" that was heading South. The Texas is now housed in Atlanta, Georgia's Cyclorama at Grant Park. With no time to spare, the Texas was run in reverse through the entire chase.

James Andrews and his Raiders were slowed down by southbound trains that had to pass before they could continue. With the telegraph out of service, Fuller was fortunate to catch telegraph operator Edward Henderson. Fuller gave the young Henderson a hand up on the train, as it was in motion, and gave him a message for General Ledbetter that Henderson sent from Dalton.

Andrews and his men failed to destroy the bridges over Georgia's Chickamauga Creek, Etowah River and Tunnel Hill. They also failed to slow down the pursuers by setting up the cars of The General on fire and sending them back down the railroad tracks. The end came when they ran out of wood and lost power about 18 miles south of Chattanooga.

It took about two weeks for the Confederates to capture the Union spies. Some of them made it as far as Bridgeport, Alabama. Eventfully, all 20 of Andrews Raiders were captured. James Andrews and six of his men were hung in Atlanta, eight escaped, and others were paroled.

The United States Congress created the Medal of Honor in 1862 and it was awarded to some of the raiders. James Andrews was not eligible because he not a part of the military service.

William Fuller, who is buried at Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery, was recognized by the Confederate Government, Georgia Governor Joseph Brown and the Georgia General Assembly for his act of heroism.

Learn more about Confederate History Month and the events of this memorial month at” http://confederateheritagemonth.com and http://confederatehistorymonth.com 

April 6, 2009

The Confederate History Month Committee of the National and Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans proudly recognizes the signing of many proclamations by Southern governors, mayors and county commissioners since 1995 designating the month of April as “Confederate History and Heritage Month.”

Georgia’s Governor Sonny Perdue and Mississippi’s Governor Haley Barbour have both signed a proclamation designating April as Confederate History and Heritage Month for 2009 and city mayors and county commissioners will follow and;

The Georgia Senate also recently passed SB Bill 27 officially proclaiming April as Confederate History Month and the Georgia House rules committee voted 5-0 sending it out of committee for a full house vote. Supporters of the bill say quote, 

“The measure would be a boom to the state’s tourism industry, encouraging visitors to come to Georgia’s Civil War Battlefield sites.” Unquote

America will celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the War Between the States from 2011 through 2015 and the Confederate History Month Committee encourages all Americans to make it a family affair to learn more about this time of our nation’s past.

Confederate History Month commemorates the men and women of the Confederate States of America who came from all races and religions that include: Irish-born General Patrick R. Cleburne, Black Georgia Confederate drummer Bill Yopp, Mexican born Colonel Santos Benavides, Cherokee Born General Stand Watie and Jewish born Confederate Nurse Phoebe Pember who was the first female administrator of Chimboraza Hospital in Richmond, Georgia where she served until the end of War Between the States.

Confederate Memorial Day became a legal holiday in Georgia by act of the Georgia legislature in 1874. For over 100 year’s members of the Ladies Memorial Association, United Daughters of the Confederacy and Sons of Confederate Veterans have held annual Confederate Memorial days on or near April 26th. Other states celebrate Southern Memorial Day on May 10th and June 3rd--the birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis whose 200th birthday was celebrated last year at Davis’ last home Beauvoir www.beauvoir.org and other places throughout the nation.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans encourage all Americans and people throughout the world to learn more about the roll the men and women of the Confederacy played in the history of the USA and to take part in Southern Memorial Day and April’s month of events. A historical information brochure and “I Support Confederate History Month” stickers will be made available to SCV members and the public.

For further information check out: http://confederateheritagemonth.com and http://confederatehistorymonth.com. 

On Saturday, March 28, cities around the world will turn off their lights to observe “Earth Hour.” Iconic landmarks from the Sydney Opera House to Manhattan’s skyscrapers will be darkened to encourage reduced energy use and signal a commitment to fighting climate change.

While a one-hour blackout will admittedly have little effect on carbon emissions, what matters, organizers say, is the event’s symbolic meaning. That’s true, but not in the way organizers intend.

We hear constantly that the debate is over on climate change--that man-made greenhouse gases are indisputably causing a planetary emergency. But there is ample scientific evidence to reject the claims of climate catastrophe. And what’s never mentioned? The fact that reducing greenhouse gases to the degree sought by climate activists would, itself, cause significant harm.

Politicians and environmentalists, including those behind Earth Hour, are not calling on people just to change a few light bulbs, they are calling for a truly massive reduction in carbon emissions--as much as 80 percent below 1990 levels. Because our energy is overwhelmingly carbon-based (fossil fuels provide more than 80 percent of world energy), and because the claims of abundant “green energy” from breezes and sunbeams are a myth--this necessarily means a massive reduction in our energy use.

People don’t have a clear view of what this would mean in practice. We, in the industrialized world, take our abundant energy for granted and don’t consider just how much we benefit from its use in every minute of every day. Driving our cars to work and school, sitting in our lighted, heated homes and offices, powering our computers and countless other labor-saving appliances, we count on the indispensable values that industrial energy makes possible: hospitals and grocery stores, factories and farms, international travel and global telecommunications. It is hard for us to project the degree of sacrifice and harm that proposed climate policies would force upon us.

This blindness to the vital importance of energy is precisely what Earth Hour exploits. It sends the comforting-but-false message: Cutting off fossil fuels would be easy and even fun! People spend the hour stargazing and holding torch-lit beach parties; restaurants offer special candle-lit dinners. Earth Hour makes the renunciation of energy seem like a big party.

Participants spend an enjoyable sixty minutes in the dark, safe in the knowledge that the life-saving benefits of industrial civilization are just a light switch away. This bears no relation whatsoever to what life would actually be like under the sort of draconian carbon-reduction policies that climate activists are demanding: punishing carbon taxes, severe emissions caps, outright bans on the construction of power plants.

Forget one measly hour with just the lights off. How about Earth Month, without anyform of fossil fuel energy? Try spending a month shivering in the dark without heating, electricity, refrigeration; without power plants or generators; without any of the labor-saving, time-saving, and therefore life-saving products that industrial energy makes possible.

Those who claim that we must cut off our carbon emissions to prevent an alleged global catastrophe need to learn the indisputable fact that cutting off our carbon emissions would be a global catastrophe. What we really need is greater awareness of just how indispensable carbon-based energy is to human life (including, of course, to our ability to cope with any changes in the climate).

It is true that the importance of Earth Hour is its symbolic meaning. But that meaning is the opposite of the one intended. The lights of our cities and monuments are a symbol of human achievement, of what mankind has accomplished in rising from the cave to the skyscraper. Earth Hour presents the disturbing spectacle of people celebrating those lights being extinguished. Its call for people to renounce energy and to rejoice at darkened skyscrapers makes its real meaning unmistakably clear: Earth Hour symbolizes the renunciation of industrial civilization.

March 24, 2009

Keith Lockitch, PhD in physics, is a fellow at the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, focusing on science and environmentalism. The Ayn Rand Center is a division of the Ayn Rand Institute and promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead.”

Copyright © 2009 Ayn Rand® Institute. All rights reserved.

The latest wrinkle in Georgia’s budget saga emerged Thursday when the Governor warned legislators that rising unemployment could cause a nine percent increase in Medicaid enrollees. When workers lose their jobs, they often also lose job-based health insurance and join the ranks of the uninsured. Medicaid is the state health plan for the uninsured. House Speaker Glenn Richardson added to the bad news by revealing that among other cuts, teacher furloughs and the closure of universities and state parks may be added to the already sizeable mountain of cuts to healthcare, corrections, education and other critical services. Further, the prospect of a special legislative session in order to make still deeper cuts to meet the ever-dwindling budget projections looms over the capitol as we speak. 

Recently, Georgia unsuccessfully considered raising the tax on food and hospitals to cover the budget shortfall. Conspicuously absent from this conversation however, was the much more attractive prospect of a tobacco tax increase. It generates significant and predictable revenue, enjoys very high support in polls, and impacts only the 20% of Georgians who smoke. Are our Georgia legislators really telling us that cheap tobacco is more important than funding teachers? That we would close universities before we would raise cigarette taxes? That we would tax food, but not tobacco when many Georgians are struggling to buy groceries, and when so many are losing their jobs and healthcare benefits? 

Indeed, tough times call for tough decisions, but I don't see enough of our legislators making the easy decision either: Raising tobacco taxes. In fairness, I may not be entirely impartial. I am a cancer doctor and I routinely see the impact that tobacco use has on my patients health. But as a doctor, I am also a business owner. And I think its time that Georgia started operating more like a business. For example, what does the private insurance market do to insurance premiums for smokers? They raise them. Because smokers represent a much higher risk, and higher risk equals higher premiums. Georgia should take a page from the private market playbook and do the same by increasing the state tobacco tax. In doing so, the state would be asking smokers to take personal responsibility for the increased health costs they place on our strained Medicaid and healthcare system--just as the private market does. 

And in addition to improving health, we could avoid closing universities and parks, furloughing teachers and spending even more taxpayer dollars to fund a special legislative session to make even deeper cuts to such important causes. 

I keep hearing that there are no easy solutions to the budget predicament, but I have to disagree. We just may not be looking in the right place.

March 20, 2009

Ayn Rand died more than a quarter of a century ago, yet her name appears regularly in discussions of our current economic turmoil. Pundits including Rush Limbaugh and Rick Santelli urge listeners to read her books, and her magnum opus, "Atlas Shrugged," is selling at a faster rate today than at any time during its 51-year history.

There's a reason. In "Atlas," Rand tells the story of the U.S. economy crumbling under the weight of crushing government interventions and regulations. Meanwhile, blaming greed and the free market, Washington responds with more controls that only deepen the crisis. Sound familiar?

The novel's eerily prophetic nature is no coincidence. "If you understand the dominant philosophy of a society," Rand wrote elsewhere in "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal," "you can predict its course." Economic crises and runaway government power grabs don't just happen by themselves; they are the product of the philosophical ideas prevalent in a society--particularly its dominant moral ideas.

Why do we accept the budget-busting costs of a welfare state? Because it implements the moral ideal of self-sacrifice to the needy. Why do so few protest the endless regulatory burdens placed on businessmen? Because businessmen are pursuing their self-interest, which we have been taught is dangerous and immoral. Why did the government go on a crusade to promote "affordable housing," which meant forcing banks to make loans to unqualified home buyers? Because we believe people need to be homeowners, whether or not they can afford to pay for houses.

The message is always the same: "Selfishness is evil; sacrifice for the needs of others is good." But Rand said this message is wrong--selfishness, rather than being evil, is a virtue. By this she did not mean exploiting others à la Bernie Madoff. Selfishness--that is, concern with one's genuine, long-range interest--she wrote, required a man to think, to produce, and to prosper by trading with others voluntarily to mutual benefit.

Rand also noted that only an ethic of rational selfishness can justify the pursuit of profit that is the basis of capitalism--and that so long as self-interest is tainted by moral suspicion, the profit motive will continue to take the rap for every imaginable (or imagined) social ill and economic disaster. Just look how our present crisis has been attributed to the free market instead of government intervention--and how proposed solutions inevitably involve yet more government intervention to rein in the pursuit of self-interest.
Rand offered us a way out--to fight for a morality of rational self-interest, and for capitalism, the system which is its expression. And that is the source of her relevance today.
March 14, 2009

Dr. Brook is president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute.

Newport Beach is considering banning smoking in a variety of new places, potentially including parks and outdoor dining areas. This is just the latest step in a widespread war on smoking by federal, state, and local governments--a campaign that includes massive taxes on cigarettes, advertising bans, and endless lawsuits against tobacco companies. This war is infecting America with a political disease far worse than any health risk caused by smoking; it is destroying our freedom to make our own judgments and choices.

According to the anti-smoking movement, restricting people’s freedom to smoke is justified by the necessity of combating the “epidemic” of smoking-related disease and death. 

Cigarettes, we are told, kill hundreds of thousands each year, and expose countless millions to secondhand smoke. Smoking, the anti-smoking movement says, in effect, is a plague, whose ravages can only be combated through drastic government action.

But smoking is not some infectious disease that must be quarantined and destroyed by the government. It’s a voluntary activity that every individual is free to abstain from (including by avoiding restaurants and other private establishments that permit smoking). And, contrary to those who regard any smoking as irrational on its face, cigarettes are a potential value that each individual must assess for himself. Of course, smoking can be harmful--in certain quantities, over a certain period of time, it can be habit forming and lead to disease or death. But many understandably regard the risks as minimal if one smokes relatively infrequently, and they see smoking as offering definite value, such as physical pleasure.

Are they right? Can it be a value to smoke cigarettes--and if so, in what quantity? This is the sort of judgment that properly belongs to every individual, based on his assessment of the evidence concerning smoking’s benefits and risks, and taking into account his particular circumstances (age, family history, etc.). If others believe the smoker is making a mistake, they are free to try to persuade him of their viewpoint. But they should not be free to dictate his decision, any more than they should be able to dictate his decision on whether and to what extent to drink alcohol or play poker. The fact that some individuals will smoke themselves into an early grave is no more justification for banning smoking than that the existence of alcoholics is grounds for prohibiting you from enjoying a drink at dinner.
Implicit in the war on smoking, however, is the view that the government must dictate the individual’s decisions with regard to smoking, because he is incapable of making them rationally. To the extent the anti-smoking movement succeeds in wielding the power of government coercion to impose on Americans its blanket opposition to smoking, it is entrenching paternalism: the view that individuals are incompetent to run their own lives, and thus require a nanny-state to control every aspect of those lives.

This state is well on its way: from trans-fat bans to bicycle helmet laws to prohibitions on gambling, the government is increasingly abridging our freedom on the grounds that we are not competent to make rational decisions in these areas--just as it has long done by paternalistically dictating how we plan for retirement (Social Security) or what medicines we may take (the FDA).

Indeed, one of the main arguments used to bolster the anti-smoking agenda is the claim that smokers impose “social costs” on non-smokers, such as smoking-related medical expenses--an argument that perversely uses an injustice created by paternalism to support its expansion. The only reason non-smokers today are forced to foot the medical bills of smokers is that our government has virtually taken over the field of medicine, in order to relieve us inept Americans of the freedom to manage our own health care, and bear the costs of our own choices.

But contrary to paternalism, we are not congenitally irrational misfits. We are thinking beings for whom it is both possible and necessary to rationally judge which courses of action will serve our interests. The consequences of ignoring this fact range from denying us legitimate pleasures to literally killing us: from the healthy 26-year-old unable to enjoy a trans-fatty food to the 75-year-old man unable to take an unapproved, experimental drug without which he will certainly die.

By employing government coercion to deprive us of the freedom to judge for ourselves what we inhale or consume, the anti-smoking movement has become an enemy, not an ally, in the quest for health and happiness.

Don Watkins is a writer and research specialist at the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights. The Ayn Rand Center is a division of the Ayn Rand Institute and promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead.”

March 6, 2009
Copyright © 2009 Ayn Rand® Institute. All rights reserved.

In his address to the joint session of Congress, President Obama said that “We cannot shun the negotiating table” in conducting our foreign policy. He’s previously elaborated that “if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us.” And Iran’s president Ahmedinijad tentatively welcomes “talks based on mutual respect and in a fair atmosphere.”

The shared idea, evidently, is that our conflict with Iran stems largely from a past failure to use so-called diplomacy to settle disputes. Alluding to George W. Bush’s supposedly tough policy, Obama has said he wants to restore “the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years” ago. 

Really? Thirty years ago this November, followers of Ayatollah Khomeini, who spearheaded Iran’s Islamic revolution, stormed the U.S. embassy in Teheran and took the personnel hostage. President Carter gently admonished Iran, but ruled out military retaliation. Instead his advisors spent months dreaming up schemes to bribe Iran into releasing the hostages--while bending over backward to enable the regime to save face. In the end Khomeini’s Islamist theocracy collected a handsome payoff for its aggression, and concluded, rightly, that if attacked, America would crumple to its knees. 

Was Obama thinking of the 1980s? In April 1983 Iran’s jihadist proxies in Lebanon rammed a truck bomb into the U.S. Embassy in Beirut; the Reagan administration responded by doing nothing. Months later, encouraged by Washington’s inaction, Teheran issued a kill order--via its ambassador in Syria--to its allied groups in Beirut. Early one morning, an Islamist suicide bomber set off a massive explosion at the barracks where U.S. marines were sleeping and killed 241 of them. 

Reagan spouted hot air about not backing down--and soon after ordered the U.S. troops to bug out. The jihadists wanted America out, they slaughtered our troops, and we caved in and gave them what they wanted. 

Osama bin Laden, like jihadists in Iran and elsewhere, viewed our response to the Beirut bombings as further proof that their ideologically driven war was a viable cause. And so, inspired by Iranian aggression, the anti-American jihad kept ramping up. 

Maybe Obama meant the fabled halcyon days of the 1990s, when President Clinton tried to mend fences with Iran? 

In 1996 a team of jihadists--financed and trained by Teheran--blew up the Khobar Towers building in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 American servicemen. Clinton’s administration learned that Iran was behind the attacks. But Washington brushed aside any notion of retaliating against Iran, in order to facilitate a “reconciliation” with that murderous regime. In an eerie parallel with today, Iran expressed its openness to U.S. groveling--an opportunity Clinton seized.

So, Clinton attended a speech by Iran’s leader at the U.N.; the administration also permitted the sale of much-needed aircraft parts to Iran, among other sweeteners. Granted the cover of respectability, Iran was emboldened to continue fomenting Islamist aggression and avidly pursue its then-embryonic nuclear program. 

Obama’s appeasing diplomacy re-enacts the disastrous policy of the past. Our policymakers evaded Iran’s character as an enemy, and by rewarding its aggression with bribes and conciliation, they encouraged a spiral of further attacks. 

No. Bush was no exception to this trend. After 9/11 his administration invited Iran--the leading sponsor of Islamist terrorism--to join an anti-terrorism coalition(!). Talk of an axis of evil was quickly abandoned, and Washington backed the European scheme to bribe Iran to halt its nuclear program. By late last year, there was talk of opening a U.S. Special Interests Section (a step down from an embassy) in Iran. Meanwhile Bush’s welfare mission in Iraq negated U.S. security and left Iran untouched to grow more powerful and resolute. 

A genuinely new, rational policy toward Iran would turn away from the last 30 years and begin by facing up to Teheran’s ongoing proxy war against us.
Elan Journo is a fellow at the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, focusing on foreign policy. The Ayn Rand Center is a division of the Ayn Rand Institute and promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead.”

March 3, 2009
Copyright © 2009 Ayn Rand® Institute. All rights reserved.

   In response to recent articles on the Public Service Commission’s regulation of household goods movers, I would like to point out some inaccuracies and relay some facts the writers have omitted. 

   First, some have incorrectly stated that the Public Service Commission does not verify insurance for licensed movers. The fact is that all licensed Georgia movers must present and maintain insurance coverage. The PSC strictly monitors and enforces this regulation. 

   Reports also state that movers must complete a safety training class prior to issuance of a license. Motor carrier safety falls under the purview of the Georgia Department of Public Safety not the PSC. 

   Let me also provide some insight into the PSC's regulatory challenges. In 2001 the PSC had a transportation division staffed with approximately sixty employees. Under the leadership of then Governor Roy Barnes, the state legislature approved legislation that transferred the entire Transportation Division to the new Department of Motor Vehicle Safety. There were approximately 20 employees then who handled household goods movers as well as limousines. When the Governor Sonny Perdue and the legislature returned regulation of household goods movers to the Commission in 2005, we gained exactly one person to handle the job. Today we have a staff one tenth the previous size yet we are expected to provide the public with the same level of service. Is it really any wonder that rogue movers keep rolling?

   This one employee and a staff attorney recently spent an entire day conducting a field audit of one illegal mover, pouring over paperwork and documents at the mover’s office. This mover purported to hold a certificate from the Commission. This one investigation consumed the entire day of our one employee as well as a staff attorney who handles not only Transportation issues but also issues for our Utility Facilities Protection and Pipeline Safety Units.

   Once the Commission finds out that a mover is operating illegally, the Commission will issue an order telling the mover to cease and desist and provide documentation to become Commission certified. If they ignore this order, the Commission will institute proceedings to bring in the mover and fine them. However, many illegal movers will simply stop operating under one name and set up shop under another name elsewhere, operating only with a cell phone and a mail box. Chasing down these illegal scofflaws again requires considerable Commission time and resources. 

   While these reports correctly point out that until 2007 the Commission had no authority over movers who operated solely within the boundaries of a municipality, what they fail to mention is that the Commission initiated legislation (House Bill 316) to correct this deficiency and pushed for its successful passage during the 2007 session of the General Assembly. 

   We have also attempted to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Public Safety to assist us in tracking down unlicensed movers but to date those negotiations have been unsuccessful. We will continue those efforts in order to find and put rogue movers out of business. 

   Most of the household goods movers in the state are reputable firms but there are some disreputable movers. The public needs to know that if they are planning a move they need to call the PSC at 404-656-4501 or check our web site, www.psc.state.ga.us , to find out if the mover is licensed by the Commission.

   I assure you that the Public Service Commission will continue to do all it can within its current budget and resource limitation to pursue illegal movers.

Doug Everett
Vice-chairman
Georgia Public Service Commission
September 11, 2008

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