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NO WAY TO RUN A GOVERNMENT
Once in a while, you'll see an inspiring idea
emerge from under the Golden Dome of our
state Capitol.
For every good idea, of course, you will
see hundreds of proposals that are misguided,
ill-conceived, or just plain awful. One of
those ideas surfaced the other day in a House
subcommittee that was discussing a piece of
legislation designated as HB 887. This bill
would authorize employees of the Department
of Natural Resources, from Commissioner Mark
Williams down to the newest game ranger or
clerk, to solicit private donations that could
be "used in the furtherance of the purposes,
objectives, powers, duties, or responsi
bilities of the department."
It's unsettling to think that
state employees would be out
on the streets pleading with
CEOs and other business people
to donate money to run their
government agency. As Rep. ■
Judy Manning (R-Marietta) put
it, "I don't want to start a state
employees' kettle brigade."
There is a much more disturbing
aspect of this bill. One of the minor
ity party members on the subcommittee
noted that employees of DNR, which includes
the environmental protection division that
issues air and water quality permits, could be
placed in * position where they ask for money
from one of the companies that their agency
regulates.
"We don't want a quid pro quo where some
one says, TU give you this now and I'll be
asking for a permit later,'" said Rep. Debbie
Buckner (D-lunction City).
Rep. Chuck Williams (R-Watkinsville)
pointed out that some of these requests for
money could be made by DNR rangers who are
armed law enforcement officials, thus raising
the specter of shakedowns by state employees.
"I'm a little uneasy about DNR employees/
some of whom carry firearms and have a ticket
book, asking for donations," Williams said.
The author of this particular measure,
Rep. Chad Nimmer (R-Blackshear), had an
understandable motivation for introducing
HB 887. The Department of Natural Resources
has been hit probably harder than any other
state agency during the last four years of the
economic downturn. DNR's budget has been
whacked by 33 percent, and its workforce
has been reduced by 26 percent—while the
department is still expected to maintain the
1.1 million acres that make up our state parks,
golf courses and wildlife management areas.
DNR was authorized by the Legislature to set
up a foundation two years ago that can legally
accept corporate donations to help pay for the
department's various activities.
"This simply enables them to ask
for funds as well," Nimmer said.
This is no way to finance or
operate a department of state
government. If our legislators
believe that Georgia should be
Involved in operating state parks
and wildlife areas,-along with
enforcing environmental regula
tions, then they should put the
money in the budget for these func
tions. If our elected officials don't think
that state government should be doing these
things, then let's shut down DNR, put the
parks up for sale, and let the federal EPA take
over the issuance of environmental permits.
It is not a wise idea to have state employ
ees begging for contributions to run a public
government agency—or to have these employ
ees put in a position where they could be
shaking down private citizens or accepting
bribes from corporate polluters.
As she closed out the hearing on HB 887,
Manning commented, "We're not quite ready
to have this put in the book yet. We need to
do a little work on it."
That work should consist of digging a deep
hole and burying this misguided piece of leg
islation so deeply that it never sees the light
of day again.
Tom Crawford tcrawford@gareport.com-
WWW.AMERICANCLASSICTAnOO.NET
1 035a Baxter St.
706-543-7628
by TOM TOMORROW
WHATS Mot NATURAL IS TO INTER
f£R£ WITH GOD'S DIVINE PLAN
THROUGH THE USE Of SECULAR
BMtflt CONTROL METHODS f
TOO Bcrfi AND GIRLS WILL SOON
BEGIN to EXPERIENCE STRANGE
NEW PEELINGS TOO MAY NOT
ENTIRELY UNDERSTAND..AMO
THEN, WHEN YOU ARE OLD ENOUGH,
YOU WILL GET MARRIED AND HAVE
WHICH IS NOT TO SAY SEX CANT
BE PLEASURABLE! WHY, THE
AVERAGE WOMAN of CH&DBEARIHG
AGE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ENJOY
PROCREATIVE SEX ANfWHERE FROM
PWE TO TEN TIMES OVER THE
COURSE of HER LIFETIME! ’
BUT—LISTEN CAREFULLY, 8oY3 AND
GIRLS—'THE tMPC-RTAPfl- THING TO
REMEMBER IS THAT PROCREATIVE
SEX IS A DEEPLY PERSONAL AND
PROFOUNDLY INTIMATE MATTER
BETWEEN A HUSBAND AND WNE—
—AND THE UNITED STATES CON
GRESS AND THE CELIBATE M1ER-
ARCHY Of THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
Tattoo or
Body Piercing
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6 FUGPOLE.COM • FEBRUARY 22,2012
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