Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 10A
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2010
State Senate District 49
Butch Miller
How do you propose to balance
the state budget?
I fully support zero-based budget
ing. It is imperative that we look at
all expenditures, line by line, elimi
nating the funds that are allocated
to outdated, ineffective programs.
There are programs in our current
budget simply because they were
there previously, not because they
warrant funding. We must take a
business approach to balancing the
budget - identify and prioritize the needs
before allocating any funds.
Do you support any kind of tax increase
to generate more revenue for the state?
No
Where in state government should spend
ing cuts be made?
Spending cuts must be made across the
board. No one department or agency should
take the brunt of the cuts, a more equitable
approach would be smaller cuts spanning
all departments and agencies. The State of
Georgia could have cut 2% across the board
and had the same net effect as cutting 5-7% in
select areas. In my business, I am the first to
take a pay cut and the last to get a raise, gov
ernment should be held to the same standard.
Do you support cutting the high salaries
found in education in the state?
Though the question is somewhat vague and
ambiguous, I do not believe our teachers are
over-paid. I believe that in life, as in busi
ness, “we get what we pay for.” One constitu
tional obligation of the State of Georgia is to
educate our students. We should restore the
agreed upon compensation for our teachers
who achieve national accreditation and focus
on teacher qualification and commensurate
compensation.
Do you support Georgia adopting an anti
illegal immigration law similar to the one
adopted in Arizona?
It is imperative that the federal government
secure our borders and enforce our current
immigration laws. We need immigration
enforcement, followed by immigration reform.
Job #1 is to secure the borders. Almost every
facet of our American existence is negatively
affected by illegal immigration. I am not anti
immigration, I am anti-illegal immigration.
We cannot afford to continue along this path
of uncontrolled immigration and therefore
may be forced into adopting a similar law.
Should the children of illegal immigrants
be allowed to attend Georgia colleges if they
pay out-of-state tuition rates?
The status of the parent is irrelevant in deter
mining the admittance and tuition rate of the
student; the status of the student is
at question. If the student is illegal
he or she should not be attending
a Georgia college with in-state or
out-of-state tuition. Though I do
not agree with birth-right citizen
ship, our law currently states a child
born in the U.S. is a U.S. citizen -
therefore the same guidelines should
apply to this student as with any
student.
Do you support the state giving
up some of its control over local educa
tion and turning that over to local school
boards? If so, what areas should be turned
over to local control?
I do believe the local school board is in a
better position to determine the needs of their
students. Because all schools and communities
are not alike, state and federal governments
need to reverse the trend of piling on restric
tive requirements that are questionable and
underfunded. We must set high and authentic
standards then provide maximum flexibility
for local school boards to obtain the results in
their communities. Local parents and educa
tors know best how to educate local students.
The state school board should be a safety net
for non-performing schools.
Do you support the state giving taxpayer
incentives to companies looking to open
business in Georgia, or should such incen
tives be banned in the state?
I absolutely support taxpayer incentives
to bring business to Georgia. Jobs and the
economy must be our number one priority as
a state. We must protect existing jobs and we
must create new jobs, which will in turn stim
ulate the economy. Permanent jobs will not
be created with temporary, quick fix spending
increases. It is imperative that we cut taxes
on employers and provide incentives to create
jobs. I support issuing unemployment insur
ance credits for companies hiring out-of-work
Georgians and granting income tax credits for
businesses adding workers. Also, I support
eliminating or drastically cutting state corpo
rate taxes, freeing up cash for employees.
Do you support a multi-county sales tax
to be used for transportation in the state?
There is no question that we must make
changes in our transportation funding system.
Transportation has a tremendous impact on
our economy and our ability to bring new
business to Georgia. Though not ideal, this
is a move in the right direction. The multi
county sales tax will be determined by the
taxpayer. The taxpayer will make the deci
sion whether to move forward with projects
in their area.
MILLER
Skelton continued from page 9A
Would you support a property tax increase
to fund the school system’s budget or would
you make additional expenditure cuts to the
budget?
I would not support a property tax increase.
I would also demand that any proposal to
increase the property tax be put before the vot
ers of Jackson County.
I would support the careful review of all
expenditure in next year’s budget.
What do you foresee as the biggest chal
lenges for the board of education - espe
cially given the state of the economy and
declining revenue?
One of the biggest challenges for the board
of education is how to maintain a high aca
demic standard for our school system if the
revenues decline further next year.
Bryant continued from page 9A
With longtime board chairperson Kathy
Wilbanks not seeking another term, that means
another chairperson will be named after she
leaves office (the board selects its chairperson
among its five elected members). What qualities
will you be looking for in a potential chairper
son?
I believe the following qualifications will allow
me to fill the role of chairman:
1. Current president of the Jackson County FFA
Alumni Association
2. Able to conduct an active and productive meet
ing using Roberts Rules of Order
3. Former Jackson County Board of Education
member
4. Able to make quick, but rational decisions
5. Well thought of by current BOE members and
superintendent
6. Able to remain focused under difficult situa
tions
7.1 share the same vision as the school system for
the pursuit of educational excellence
School systems across the state are facing
tighter budgets — which are leading to some
tough decisions by elected officials to keep
their districts fiscally afloat. What area(s) or
program(s) would you potentially trim from
the school system’s budget and what area(s) or
programs(s) would you avoid cutting, if at all
possible?
The past two years the current BOE has made
several painful decisions to trim the budget.
There has been reduction in force (RIF), pro
grams reduced and eliminated, and facilities
closed due to these economic situations.
At this point, I believe that we need to stop the
cutting and start the healing. In order to pursue
the educational excellence, we need to pick up
the pieces and put the puzzle back together. I
think we currently have the abilities to begin this
process.
Would you support a property tax increase
to fund the school system’s budget or would
you make additional expenditure cuts to the
budget?
I am not in favor of a tax increase. All of us are
over-taxed and underpaid with the economic down
turn. As previously mentioned, I believe we need to
focus the spending for the county, with all vendors,
to make sure we are getting the best price for all
supplies. Also, the introduction of “Shop Jackson!”,
to increase the SPLOST account revenues for any
capital improvement projects.
What do you foresee as the biggest challenges
for the board of education — especially given the
state of the economy and declining revenue?
1. Increasing the morale of the employees due to
recent changes within the system
2. Balancing the budget
3. Continue to maintain excellence with the
resources that we currently have
4. Keeping the community and parents involved
to support the system
DOT approves repaving for two highways
THE GEORGIA Department of Transportation has approved funding for two repaving proj
ects in Jackson County.
Ga. Hwy. 98 — from the Norfolk Southern Railroad to the Madison County line — will be
repaved.
For the 3.6-mile project, the state agency awarded a low bid of $888,000 to Pittman
Construction Company. Construction is expected to be completed on Dec. 31, 2010.
Also, Ga. Hwy. 11 — starting at the Barrow County line and ending north of the Hwy. 11
connector (Hwy. 11 Business) — will be repaved, as well.
Pittman Construction was also awarded the low bid of $1.06 million for the 5.8-mile project,
which is slated to be completed on May 31, 2011.
Burn ban continues through Sept. 30
THE STATE'S outdoor bum ban in 54 Georgia
counties is under way through Thursday, Sept. 30.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s
(EPD) open burning ban prohibits citizens and
businesses from burning yard and land-clearing
debris. The rule is in addition to the year-round state
ban on the burning of household garbage.
The bum ban includes several counties in
Northeast Georgia, including Jackson, Banks,
Barrow and Madison counties.
Citizens may access more information on the
open burning ban by calling the EPD district office
in their area. For the Northeast Georgia district
office in Athens, call 706-369-6376.
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Introduced the legislation creating the HOPE Scholarship, the HOPE Grant,
and the Pre-Kindergarten Program in Georgia.
Will restore Homeowner’s Property Tax Relief.
Will rebuild State Patrol, GBI, and Crime Labs.
Will clean Georgia’s rivers so we can all eat the fish we catch.
Former Chairman; GA House Education & Higher Education Committees.
Sponsored 2010 Salary Protection Act to stop teacher furloughs and protect teacher
salaries. Sponsored HB1136 in 2010 to restore National Board Certification.
Sponsored joint enrollment in High School, so High School students can
gain skills through technical colleges and increase graduation rates.
Will restore small class sizes with the goal of having all third-graders
reading at third-grade level by the end of the third grade.
Will bring passenger rail to Georgia, helping ease Metro Atlanta’s traffic.
Will become a leader in alternative fuels, encouraging wood-fired power
plants, putting thousands of Georgians to work in the forest industry.
Publishes Porter’s Guide to Hunting & Fishing in Middle Georgia.
Small business owner with 40 employees. Married to Carol Porter. Four boys,
one graduated & others attending UGA. He & his sons canoed the river from
their hometown of Dublin to Darien. He & the boys are Eagle Scouts.
Members of First United Methodist Church.
Elect DuBose Porter.
Democratic Primary July20.
DuBose Porter
GOVERNOR
DuBose Porter for Governor
P.O. Box 98 • Dublin, Ga. 31040 • (478) 304-1111
www.porterforgeorgia.com
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