Newspaper Page Text
THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. MARCH 5, 2009 — PAGE 5A
Powell .cont’dfrom 1A
A week of depressing developments
arships for parents to pull their children out of public schools
and send them to private schools.
HB 149, which would allow students in their junior or senior
year of public high school to study at a post-secondary college,
university or technical college and receive high school credit,
which would count toward graduation.
HB 229, which would require local school systems to con
duct an annual fitness assessment and comply with state physi
cal education instruction requirements.
HB 343, which would establish the position of weight
inspector for the Department of Public Safety. The inspectors
would enforce weight, registration, size and load regulations
for commercial trucks.
Please contact me with your views on the issues facing the
state legislature.
Rep. Alan Powell (D-Hartwell) represents the 29"' District
(Franklin. Hart and Madison counties) in the Georgia House
of Representatives. Contact him at 507 Coverdell Office
Building. Atlanta, GA 30334; by phone at 404-656-0202 or by
e-mail at alanpowell23@hotmail.com. For more information,
visitwww.alanpowell.net.
Save the U.S.A. — overthrow
the federal government
Dear Editor:
The Declaration of Independence states that if “our
government with a long train of abuses and usurpa
tions, pursuing invariably the same object evinces or
designed to reduce them (us) under absolute despo
tism...”
In other words, if the federal government tries to
hold office by force or without right and to rule with
unlimited powers, the people have the right and the
duty to throw off such a government and to provide
new guards for our security. The federal government
includes all those three branches: executive, legislative
and judicial. This federal government is trying to rede
fine our Constitution (with their view to changes) so its
interpretation will be more aligned to world decision by
foreign governments.
Such would be the case of our Constitution and
America’s taking a back seat to the Order of the World
court, as America now takes a back seat by order of
the United Nations. The U.N. dictates and demands the
amount of money they want from the U.S.A. and openly
shows their dislike of the U.S.A. Most countries in the
U.N. openly hate the U.S.A. it is time the U.N. moves
out of the U.S.A. and U.S.A. gets out of the U.N.!
It is time to place term limits on all federal branches.
The executive to one six-year term including all of their
executive branch appointees. The Congress (legislative
branch) will be limited to one six-year term and forbid
den to hold any federal office after their term expires
(this is for Senate, for House of Representatives. They
serve two two-year terms after which they can not hold
any federal office. The judiciary will hold various terms
and limits. The Supreme Court will hold a lifetime
appointment until their 65 th birthday then are automati
cally retired. All other federal judges will serve one
five-to-10-year term after which they cannot hold any
federal office. All appointees to the federal government
who rule by their own decree who think they answer
to no one but themselves because they aren’t up for
election shall serve a four-year term, not eligible for
a re-appointment and can be removed from office by
congress at its discretion.
The time is now for the sake of America, our USA, to
implement the dictates of the Declaration and replace
100 percent of the federal government using our
Constitution as our weapon. This is my opinion on how
to save America.
To be continued.
Sincerely,
Pappy Skinner
Comer
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There are times when
it just doesn’t pay to get
out of bed in the morning.
Last week was such a time
for Georgia’s citizens and
the people they elect to
make their political deci
sions.
The most depressing
development of the week
was the announcement
from the state Department
of Labor that Georgia’s
unemployment rate hit
a whopping 8.6 percent.
That’s the highest jobless
rate since 1976, when the
federal Bureau of Labor
Statistics standardized
unemployment rates among
all the states.
There now are more
than 412,000 unemployed
Georgians looking for
work, an increase of 62.9
percent over the same
month a year ago. Of that
number, 183,829 of them
are receiving unemployment
insurance benefits.
“We are officially
sailing in uncharted
economic waters,” Labor
Commissioner Michael
Thurmond observed.
Thurmond, not
unreasonably, was looking
to the federal government for
help in cushioning the blows
to Georgia’s unemployed
workers. The economic
stimulus package signed by
President Barack Obama
would mean the infusion of
$220 million into Georgia’s
unemployment trust fund,
which would help keep it
from running out of money
The
Capitol
Report
tcrawford@
capitol
impact.net.
By Tom Crawford
and would pay jobless
benefits for a lot of laid off
workers.
Gov. Sonny Perdue,
however, was balking at
that. Like several of his
Republican cohorts among
the nation’s governors.
Perdue said he might refuse
the unemployment money
because it could, at some
point two or three years
from now, force him to
raise taxes on business. If
laid off workers can’t get
unemployment benefits in
the meantime, well, that’s
just too bad.
On the same day that the
news broke of Georgia’s
record unemployment level,
the General Assembly added
its own financial burden to
the state’s citizens. House
members voted for final
passage of SB 31, legislation
that will allow the Georgia
Power Co. to start charging
ratepayers early for the
construction of nuclear
power units at Plant Vogtle
over in the eastern part of
the state (Perdue is expected
to sign the bill quickly).
Georgia Power will be
able to start collecting $1.6
billion in project financing
charges in 2011, at least
six years before the nuclear
plants are scheduled to be
completed. The money will
be assessed by Georgia
Power in the form of a
surcharge on your monthly
power bill.
Let’s call this what it
really is: the Legislature
has granted Georgia Power
the authority to collect what
amounts to a $ 1.6 billion tax
increase, one of the largest
tax increases in the state’s
history. No other business
or corporate entity has been
given this huge grant of
authority to reach into your
pockets and extract your
money - but Georgia Power
will be able to do it.
It is questionable whether
this would be advisable
when the economy was
prosperous, but it really
seems like a bad idea at a
time when we’re facing the
worst recession in 70 years
and state unemployment has
just hit an all-time high.
One point we’ve heard
over and over from
conservatives is that taxes
should be as low as possible
so that citizens can make
the best personal decisions
about how they will spend
their own money.
The conservative
Republicans running the
Legislature, however, voted
overwhelmingly to allow
Georgia Power to take
your money and use a large
portion of it to guarantee
profits for their shareholders.
Whose interests are being
served here?
As the week came to a
close, one other name
was added to Georgia’s
list of unemployed: DOT
Commissioner Gena Evans
was dumped by the members
of the State Transportation
Board, who voted to fire her
from the job she has held for
17 months.
Evans was the personal
choice of Perdue to run the
sprawling DOT agency,
which has had its share of
financial problems. She
was constantly in the news
for embarrassing disclosures
about her personal life, a
series of controversies that
eventually caught up with
her.
Perdue is now supporting
the passage of legislation
that will deemphasize
the role of the State
Transportation Board and
replace it with a new State
Transportation Authority
largely run by the governor.
If the General Assembly
can pass that bill quickly
enough, Evans may be able
to return as the head of the
new transportation agency.
If so, she’ll be one of the
few who came out of that
bad week as a winner.
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 tcraw-
ford @ capitolimpact. net.
MadisonJournalTODAY.com
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City of Danielsville
PUBLIC NOTICE
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limb pickup for residents within the city limits,
Monday through Wednesday, March 9, 10 and 11.
City maintenance workers will carry away limbs
that are left by the roadside. For more information,
call Scott at 706-255-4017, Daniel at 706-206-0752,
Keith at 706-202-8010, or city hall at 706-795-2011.
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Serving Clarke, Oconee, Madison,
Jackson and Oglethorpe Comities
City of Danielsville
QUALIFYING NOTICE
For the March 2009
Special Election
Notice is hereby given that, in accordance with
O.C.G.A. 21-2-540, a Special Election shall be
held in the City of Danielsville due to a vacancy
on the City Council. The election will be held on
March 17, 2009, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. The
following office is scheduled for election:
Two people have qualified to fill a seat vacated
on the Danielsville City Council by long-time
councilman Roger Watson. Philip Croya,
Northridge Court; and Kathy Marie Stamps,
Northridge Drive.
Early voting began on February 24, 2009 and
will end on March 13, 2009, in the Danielsville
City Hall during normal business hours of 8:00
a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
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EDIT UNION
COLBERT CITY NEIGHBORS:
You have seen the face of our “Historic District” changing...
This is my work, and I am inspired by those who made a life, and
a living in this town for the past 100 years.
I live in these old buildings and I’m working to restore the heart of
our charming city.
I want to work harder...
“I believe to really honor Colbert’s past we need to plan and
protect its future.”
VOTE MARCH 17 IN
COLBERT’S SPECIAL CITY ELECTION!
ELLYN TRINRUD
Colbert City Council
Thank you in advance for your very important vote.
This notice was paid for by the candidate.