Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4A
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008
Editor: Angela Gary
Phone: 706-367-2490
E-mail: AngieEditor@aol.com
Website: www.banksnewsTODAY.com
Opinion
“Where the press is free and every tnan
able to read, all is safe.”
— Thomas Jefferson
Republican chairman
outlines Chambliss'
record
Dear Editor:
I am writing on what I believe is a matter
of urgency for all Georgians. Senator Saxby
Chambliss is in a tough fight to be re-elected to
the United Sates Senate. It is my opinion that
Georgians need to carefully consider how their
votes will be cast and vote to return Senator
Chambliss to the Senate. I am well aware that
many of us have had issues with some of Senator
Chambliss’ positions in the Senate. These include
his initial stand on the immigration issue and his
vote for the recent “bailout plan.”
However, on the immigration issue Senator
Chambliss heard our voices and reversed his posi
tion because he recognized the will of his con
stituents. On the bailout plan, Senator Chambliss
voted for what he believed was in the best inter
ests of the country. I have always found Senator
Chambliss to be a man of principle who considers
the issues thoroughly and cares deeply for the
people he represents.
Please consider what Senator Chambliss has
accomplished for Georgia while serving in the
Senate.
Senator Saxby Chambliss has worked tirelessly
in the Senate on defense issues which are impor
tant to our country and the State of Georgia.
Senator Chambliss modernized the retire
ment benefit for Guard and Reserve personnel
by authoring a provision in the FY08 National
Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 110-181)
which allowed Guard and Reserve personnel to
receive retired pay early based on the amount of
time they are deployed. He also introduced the
Yellow Ribbon Re-Integration Act in the Senate
which established a program to help Guard and
Reserve personnel and their families success
fully re-deploy and re-integrate into their civil
ian careers and settings after deployments. The
provision provided for re-employment training,
marriage and family integration counseling, and
addressed a variety of health and welfare issues
that re-deploying personnel face. This provision
was also included in FY08 National Defense
Authorization Act (Public Law 110-181).
Senator Chambliss co-sponsored a provision
expanding the benefits received by members of
the military who separate as “sole survivors.” The
provision expanded these individuals’ access to
separation pay, commissary and exchange privi
leges, and transitional health care. This provision
was signed into law on August 29, 2008, and
became Public Law 110-317.
Saxby authored a provision in the Senate ver
sion of the FY09 National Defense Authorization
Act urging DoD and the Department of Veterans
Affairs to establish greater partnerships between
themselves and with public and private univer
sities to provide the best care for recovering
wounded warriors. The provision notes the
ongoing partnership in Augusta, Ga., between
continued on page 5A
The Banks County News
Founded 1968
The official legal organ of Banks County, Ga.
Mike Buffington
Co-Publisher
Scott Buffington
Co-Publisher
Angela Gary
Editor
Sharon Hogan
Reporter
Anelia Chambers
Receptionist
Suzanne Reed
Church News
Phones fall 706 area code):
Angela Gary Phone
367-2490
Angela Gary Fax
367-9355
Homer Office Phone
677-3491
Homer Office Fax
677-3263
(SCED 547160)
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"Looks like I'll need that extra hour this weekend
to figure out how to reset my digital clocks!"
Who wins, who loses on election day?
I don’t need to remind you what
next Tuesday is and you’ve probably
heard all you ever want to hear about
the national race for president. But
what about Georgia?
The most suspenseful race for
Georgians on Nov. 4 is still that
Senate battle where Saxby Chambliss
is trying to hold off Democrat Jim
Martin.
This was once an election
that looked like an easy win for
Chambliss, but over the past month
the polling gap between the two
candidates has slowly closed. Even with all
the TV spots he has been running, Chambliss
can’t seem to shake off Martin.
The gap has also been closing between
Barack Obama and John McCain among
Georgia’s voters in the presidential race,
although that one is not as close as the Senate
race.
More African-Americans are going to vote
in Georgia than ever before - but will it be
enough to pull off a upset in either race? I
will predict, without a lot of confidence, that
McCain and Chambliss will hold on and carry
the state. But I won’t be terribly surprised if
I’m wrong.
In the congressional races, it’s almost guar
anteed that Georgia’s entire House delegation
will be reelected, just as it was two years ago.
The only two districts that were even con
sidered competitive this year are the ones
represented by Democrats Jim Marshall and
John Barrow, who won their races by razor-
thin margins in 2006.
Barrow looks a lot safer now. The black
vote in his Savannah-to-Augusta district now
exceeds 42 percent and he has swamped his
Republican opponent, John Stone, in the fund
raising arena.
Marshall must face a more impressive GOP
opponent in Rick Goddard, but he still had
more than a two-to-one money advantage
going into the campaign’s final weeks. The
only hope for Goddard is that enough voters
in this middle Georgia district are angry at
Marshall for voting in favor of the Wall Street
bailout bill.
At the legislative level, there will be no
change in the General Assembly’s balance
of power. Republicans will retain major
ity control of the Senate and the House of
Representatives, primarily because of a big
assist from the Democratic Party.
There is at least one Senate district and six
or more House districts that could have been
trouble for Republicans because of this year’s
strong Democratic trend. In each of these dis
tricts, however, the GOP is assured
of winning the seat because the
Democratic Party failed to persuade
any candidates to qualify.
If you took those uncontested
but competitive House districts and
added to them the four or five
Republican-held seats that the GOP
leadership concedes they will prob
ably lose on Nov. 4, that would
have put Democrats very close to
regaining majority control of the
lower chamber.
Because of their poor candidate
recruiting, Democrats missed a golden oppor
tunity to win legislative seats in a favor
able election cycle they probably won’t see
again for 20 or 30 years. House Speaker
Glenn Richardson and his Republican col
leagues should send a big bouquet of roses to
Democratic Party Chair Jane Kidd as thanks
for the big favor she did for them.
There are a few House races worth watching
as the returns come in election night.
In Rome, Republican Rep. Katie Dempsey
goes against Democrat Bob Puckett in a
rematch of race that she won by less than 200
votes in 2006.
Rep. Mike Jacobs, who was elected twice as
a Democrat by DeKalb County voters before
switching parties, is trying to fend off inde
pendent candidate Michelle Conlon. Rep. Jill
Chambers, whose DeKalb district voted for
John Kerry in the 2004 presidential race, has
her hands full running against Democrat Chris
Huttman.
Further south. Rep. Allen Freeman of
Macon is in the fight of his life against James
“Bubber” Epps, a Democrat who was once
the Twiggs County commission chairman.
Rep. Austin Scott of Tifton is going up against
Democrat John Tibbetts for the second elec
tion in a row.
There are some endangered Democratic
incumbents also, such as Rep. Jeanette
Jamieson of Toccoa. She won a close race
two years ago and the Republicans are try
ing to knock her out this year with challenger
Michael Harden.
All of these legislative elections, along with
the U.S. Senate race, could swing either way.
That’s all the more reason for everyone to get
out and vote next week.
Tom Crawford is the editor of Capitol
Impact's Georgia Report, an Internet news
service at www.gareport.com that covers
government and politics in Georgia. He
can be reached at tcrawford@ capitolimpact.
net.
tom
cmwford
Letters to the editor policy given
The Banks County News has established a
policy on printing Letters to the editor.
We must have an original copy of all letters
that are submitted to us for publication.
Members of our staff will not type out or
hand-write letters for people who stop by the
office and ask them to do so.
Letters to the editor must also be signed with
the address and phone number of the person
who wrote them.
The address and phone number will be for
our verification purposes only and will not
be printed unless the writer requests it. Mail
to, The Banks County News, RO. Box 920,
Homer, Ga. 30547.
E-mailed letters will be accepted, but we
must have a contact phone number and address.
Letters that are libelous will not be printed.
News department contact numbers
Anyone with general story ideas, complaints or
comments about the news department is asked to
call editor Angela Gary at 706-367-2490.
She can also be reached by e-mail at
AngieEditor@ aol.com.
Anyone with comments, questions or sugges
tions relating to the county board of commission
ers, county government, county board of education
and crime and courts is asked to contact staff report
er Sharon Hogan at 706-367-2350 or by e-mail at
sharon @ mainstreetnews.com.
Reporter Justin Poole covers local
high school, middle school and
recreation sports.
Anyone with comments, questions or sug
gestions relating to Alto, Lula, Baldwin
and Gillsville, should contact Sharon
Hogan at 706-367-5233 or by e-mail at
sharon @ mainstreetnews.com.
Calls concerning the City of Maysville should
go to staff reporter Justin Poole at 706-367-2348
or e-mail him atjustin@mainstreetnews.com.
Calls for information about the church page
should go to Suzanne Reed at 706-677-3491.
Church news may also be e-mailed to
churchnews @ mainstreetnews.com.
The Banks County News web
site is updated throughout the week
and may be accessed on the Internet at
www.banksnewsTODAY.com.
Obama tries
the impossible
in Georgia
a.
Believe it or not, the presidential
race in Georgia is now a toss-up.
I didn’t think it could ever possibly
get to this point but a poll released
Friday by Inside Advantage actually
has Barack Obama leading John
McCain 48-47 percent in the Peach
State.
When it
comes to
Georgia poli
tics, Insider
Advantage
is the poll to
go by. Other
polls still had
McCain ahead
by a few per
centage points,
but the num
bers are so
close the race for Georgia’s electoral
votes can now be considered a dead
heat.
A note, Insider Advantage is not
a liberal outlet as some of you are
probably going to suggest. Matt
Towery, who helps run it, is a for
mer Republican candidate for Lt.
Governor in Georgia.
How did we get to this point?
Well, for one I think McCain, as well
as other big whigs in the Republican
state and national party, took Georgia
for granted. That is proving to be a
mistake.
Obama’s national wave of momen
tum (as of this writing he appears set
to win the election going away) is
spreading weekly, even daily, and it
has reached states which have been
conservative in recent elections. The
Obama campaign actually sent paid
campaign staffers to Georgia a few
weeks ago but initially didn’t make
a great deal of progress. Many of the
paid staff were sent to other states
such as North Carolina. One has
to wonder what Obama’s numbers
would be if those paid staffers had
stayed in Georgia.
Regardless, it appears McCain's
once solid victory in Georgia is in
serious doubt now.
• ••
Still think all political candidates
and political parties are treated fair
ly?
Consider Libertarian Party presi
dential candidate Bob Ban-. Last week
Barr learned a judge in Connecticut
ordered him off the state’s ballot.
This ruling came despite the fact
Barr had met all requirements to
have his name appear. State employ
ees had not only improperly struck
signatures that Barr volunteers had
collected, but also miscounted them.
The judge, however, decided it
was too big of a burden to add Barr
to the ballot at this point even though
the state was at fault.
So in summary, Barr meets the
requirements to be on the ballot but
because the state makes a mistake
he is not listed. Isn’t this country
supposed to have free and open
elections? Doesn't sound like that is
the case for Bob Barr in the state of
Connecticut.
• ••
Regardless of what happens next
Tuesday, it has been great to see so
many people take an interest in poli
tics this year, both at the state and
national level.
Hopefully, our presidential elec
tion will not be clouded by circum
stances like we had in Florida in
2000 and Ohio in 2004. Those inci
dents made it difficult, if not impos
sible, to know who really won.
Let’s hope this time everything
runs smoothly with no glitches. The
future direction of our country hangs
in the balance. This election is too
important to have any cloud of sus
picion hanging over it. Let's have it
done properly and fairly. Of course,
some candidates have already been
treated unfairly.
Chris Bridges is an editor with
MainStreet Newspapers. E-mail com
ments about this column to chris@
mainstreetnews. com.
chris
bridges