Couples Boutique
Celebrating Cove and. Staying Sexy
This store has everything you
expect from Sexy Sax and more...
upscale • women & couples friendly
sophisticated • games Si sexy fun
toys for lovers • adult novelties • sexy shoes
incense, candles & oils • fetish and bondage
adult movies Si DVD's
Athens’ Largest Lingerie Store j
BOTH LOCATIONS OPEN
10am - 1 lpm Mon-Thu • 10am - Midnight Fri & Sat • Noon - 8pm Sun
;Y(> one under 18 admitted * Photo ID required
www. sevysuzon / ine . com
Next Door to Haverty's
4124 Atlanta Hwy., Bogart
zldult Emporium
50 Gaines School Rd.
Today, more and more people arc choosing cremation as a way to honor the memories of those
they love. Numerous differences can exist among cremation providers, making it difficult to choose
the right provider for you and your family.
At Bernstein Funeral Home, we are committed to helping all families with compassionate,
understanding service. Our years of expei ience have made us Athens' respected cremation leader
and have given us a unique perspective on what it means to choose cremation.
Our caring staff understands the delicate subject, as well as the importance for surviving loved
ones to have a permanent place to visit, reflect and heal. To accommodate all families, Bernstein
offers a range of affordable cremation services that are tailored to each individual family’s needs.
We arc available anytime to answer any questions you may have. Call or visit us at
uiuw.BemstetnFuneraIHome.com to receive more information and a free Dignity' Memorial*
Personal Planning Guide.
Dignity
k O MEMORIAL J j
Away From Home Protection* 124-Hour Compassion Helpline*
National Transferability 1 Bereavement Travel I Personal Planning Services
Grief Support I Veterans Benefits I Child & Grandchild Protection
Proud members of the Dignity Memorial* Network.
BERNSTEIN FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATION SERVICES
3195 Atlanta Highway 1 Athens, GA 30606 i 706-543-7373
www. BemstemFunercdHome .com
BANG FOR THE BUCKS
Last summer, Delta Air Lines decided to do
more for Georgia's legislators than just give
them campaign contributions or have lob
byists buy them meals and drinks during the
General Assembly session.. The airline giant
also gave several lawmakers Gold Medallion
and Platinum Medallion upgrades in their fre
quent flyer status, entitling them to additional
perks and benefits when they fly on Delta.
Delta's campaign disclosure records show
that the airline upgraded Senate President Pro
Tern Tommie Williams to Platinum status on
July 30, along with a Gold Medallion upgrade
for House Majority Leader Larry O'Neal on that
same date. A few weeks later, Delta gave a
Gold Medallion upgrade to Sen. Ronnie Chance
(R-Tyrone), along with one for Rep.
Jay Roberts (R-Ocilla), and Sky Club
status with an upgrade to House
Speaker Pro Tern Jan Jones.
Delta assigned a value of
$1,588 to the Gold Medallion
upgrades and $2,381 to the
Platinum upgrades. The Sky Club
status and upgrade given to
Jones, according to Delta's esti
mate, were worth $2,831.
Those who know the travel indus
try contend that the upgrades were
more valuable than that. Consumer advisor
Clark Howard has placed the true value of a
Platinum upgrade in the range of $10,000 to
$15,000.
Those frequent flyer upgrades came on top
of campaign contributions from Delta to legis
lative leaders and Gov. Nathan Deal during the
most recent election cycle. The largest Delta
contributions went to Deal ($3,000), Lt. Gov.
Casey Cagle ($1,000) and House Speaker David
Ralston ($1,000).
Delta ended up getting a good financial
return on all those campaign contributions
and frequent flyer upgrades. During this year's
legislative session, the House and Senate
passed a bill extending for another two years
a sales tax exemption on the purchase of jet
fuel by Delta.
Deal signed that exemption into law, and
it will be worth $20 million to Delta in fiscal
year 2012 and $10 million in the following
fiscal year.
Delta and its lobbyists haven't worked
the system any differently than other lobby
ists who spend thousands of dollars in their
attempts to secure passage of legislation that
will bring their clients millions of dollars in
tax breaks and exemptions.
Lawmakers this year passed another bill
that will extend for two years a tax exemp
tion worth an estimated $7 million to $8
million annually for Gulfstream Aerospace of
Savannah. In the election cycle prior to this
year's legislative session, Gulfstream made at
least $24,000 in campaign contributions
to influential lawmakers.
These contributions, and the
votes subsequently made by
legislators, could leave the aver
age Georgian with the distinct
impression that everything at the
capitol is for sale. It's easy to see
why.they might think that.
The people we elect to the
General Assembly should be asking
themselves two questions when they
make public policy decisions:
What is the level of service that state gov
ernment should provide to its residents? What
is the most efficient and fairest way to tax
businesses and individuals to raise the rev
enues to pay for this level of service?
The taxing and spending policies developed
by our legislators should be based on the best
answers to those questions. They should not
be determined by how much money and how
many favors a particular corporation or inter
est group might have given them. That is ulti
mately a corrupting way to govern.
Tom Crawford tcraw1ord@gareport.com
Tom Crawford is the editor of The Georgia Report, an
Internet news service at gareport.com that covers
government and politics in Georgia.
THIS MIIIIH WtILI
CANDIDATE OBAMA SAID WHISTLE
BLOWERS WERE PATRIOTS WHO
Should BE ENCOURAGED'.
AND RI6HTLY So* WITHOUT
WHISTLEBLOWERS, WE'D HAVE
NEVER LEARNED ABOUT ABU
6HRAIB or WARRANT
LESS ■"*“—*“■**''
BUT THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
HAS ALL BUT DECLARED WAR ON
WHISTLEBLOWERS.*
IN FIVE CASES-
MATER MOTES
NEW YORKER, IS MORE
"THAN HAVE OCCURRED
by TOM TOMORROW
IN THAT SAME ARTICLE, A CONSER
VATIVE POLITICAL SCIENTIST—WHO
SUPPORTS MORE 5TRINGENT PRO
TECTION Of CLASSIFIED material—
DECLARES THAT "OBAMA HAS PRE
SIDED OVER THE MOST DRACONIAN
CRACKDOWN ON LEAKS IN OUR HIS
TORY—EVEN MORESO THAN NIXON!"
IRIB8IT* |
I GUESS THESE THINGS
JUST SNEAK UP ON YOU
SO GRADUALLY SOMETIMES,
YOU DON'T EVEN REALIZE
WHAT'S HAPPENING TIL
rrs TOO LATE.
AND YALE LAW PROFESSOR JACK
BALKIN SAY5 THAT "WE ARE WIT
NESSING THE BIPARTISAN NORMALI
ZATION AND LEGITIMIZATION Of A
NATIONAL SURVEILLANCE STATE! 1
YOU KNOW, IT'S ACTUALLY A MYTH
THAT FROGS WILL REMAIN IN A POT
Of SLOWLY-HEATED WATER UNTIL
THEY BOIL TO DEATH.
COME BACK HERE.*
YOU'RE SPOILING A
PERFECTLY Good
metaphor:
6 FLAGP0LE.C0M MAY 25, 2011
