Newspaper Page Text
April 15,2009
iReporter
County to buy new sheriff’s uniforms
PAGE 11A
Monroe County commissioners added
$58,000 to their 2009 spending plan at their
regular meeting last Tuesday after realizing
some oversights in their budget.
Last month, commissioners had cut
$21,500 out of the sheriffs office budget for
clothing allowances because it wasn't in the
budget last year. But finance officer Kim
Romine explained that the sheriff spends
that money for new uniforms every other
year.
Commissioner Jim Ham suggested sher
iffs officers didn't need a clothing allowance.
"Would they work naked if we didn't pay?"
asked Ham. "People in the courthouse don't
get a clothing allowance." Ham voted
against the budget amendment.
Also, commissioners restored $37,000 to
the county’s $21 million budget for clerk of
court Lynn Ham, who reportedly needs the
funds for contract computer services.
McBerry
continued from page 10A
out of Georgia."
In 2006, McBerry chal
lenged the incumbent
from his own party, Gov.
Sonny Perdue, and came
away with 12 percent of
the vote (50,000). That
despite the fact he only
announced his candidacy
about 90 days before the
primary.
This time, said
McBerry, he'll be able to
stand out in a crowded
field in the race for the
open governor's seat.
"Of the six candidates I
am the most conserva
tive," said McBerry.
The owner of a TV and
radio production compa
ny, McBerry lives off
Johnstonville Road in
northern Monroe County.
He's also a single dad
who home schools his 7-
year-old son.
McBerry, 41, said his
message is the same as it
was in 2006: that it's
time to get the federal
government out of peo
ple's daily lives. Saying
too many people have
tried to adopt the word
conservative, he prefers
to call himself a
Constitutional conserva
tive who wants to return
government to its proper
role as limited by the
Constitution. Given the
moves by Congress and
the Obama administra
tion to expand the federal
role even more, McBerry
said more people are
heeding his message.
McBerry said he'll do
three things if elected.
First, he'll abolish
Georgia's income and
property taxes and
replace them with a sales
tax. McBerry said as long
as citizens have to pay
taxes every year on prop
erty, they don't really
own it. He called the
taxes Marxist.
Secondly, the fervently
pro-life McBerry said he
will close half a dozen
abortion clinics in
Georgia simply by requir
ing the clinics to adhere
to the same standards as
other medical clinics. He
said the state currently
gives abortion providers
a waiver so that they
don't have to comply with
so-called ambulatory
guidelines. Enforcing
those guidelines would
close at least six clinics,
said McBerry.
Despite having a
Republican governor and
majority in the legisla
ture, McBerry said
Georgia has done very
little to protect life in the
womb. McBerry, who has
a masters in divinity
from Trinity Baptist
Seminary, said he'll work
with the General
Assembly to pass laws
that protect unborn chil
dren.
Thirdly, McBerry said
he'll rescind a Georgia
law that allows the state
to confiscate people's
weapons during an emer
gency like Hurricane
Katrina. McBerry said
that's the worst time to
confiscate people's guns
because that's when they
need them.
McBerry said the U.S.
government has gotten
out of control because
states have failed to
stand up to it. He said
state leaders forget that
it's the states which cre
ated the national govern
ment and are supposed to
be its master, not the
other way around. And
McBerry said he's the
only one who'll do some
thing about it.
Other possible GOP
contenders are Lt. Gov.
Casey Cagle, insurance
commissioner John
Oxendine, secretary of
state Karen Handel,
state Rep. Austin Scott
and Cobb County com
mission chairman Sam
Olens. McBerry said all
are middle-of-the-road
Republicans like the cur
rent governor who won't
stand up for individual
rights.
So why doesn't he run
for lower offices before
seeking the top job in the
state? McBerry said he's
been speaking out on
state’s rights for 10 years
and just feels it's where
he can make the most
difference.
An active member of
the Sons of Confederate
Veterans, McBerry said
he's well aware that his
opponents will try to tar
him as a fringe candidate
or a racist.
But he said nothing
could be further from the
truth. A member of
Ringgold Baptist Church
in Spalding County,
McBerry said he drove a
Sunday school bus
through black neighbor
hoods for years helping
bring children to church.
"It's easy to attack a
straw man," said
McBerry.
And his campaign direc
tor, Jenny Hodges, has
worked with the civil
rights group the
Southern Christian
Leadership Conference to
reduce abortions among
blacks. McBerry said the
real racists are groups
like Planned Parenthood
who put abortion clinics
in black neighborhoods.
"The racists are practic
ing genocide," he said.
He noted that in 2004-
05, there were more abor
tions than live births in
DeKalb and Fulton coun
ties, and said he'll stand
up for black children to
stop it.
McBerry said he
already has volunteer
coordinators in 76 coun
ties and 800 volunteers
in the state. The Monroe
County resident said he's
confident his message
will break through this
time.
"If you want someone
who'll stand up to
Washington, vote Ray
McBerry," he said.
For more information
go to
www.GeorgiaFirst.org.
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