On April 25, 2012, with the Governor's signature, Georgia joined in the interstate compact on education opportunity for military children. Thank you, ...
• Governor Deal has been successful in stymieing the passage of SB 219 - Interstate Compact on Education Opportunity for Military Children. What this bill does is allow military children who transfer into a Georgia schools due to their parents being reassigned to a military installation in the state to progress to the next grade and/or graduate whether or not they have completed Georgia specific courses. Thirty nine (39) states have passed the law – why won’t Gov Deal? We all need to write to the Governor expressing our displeasure with his position and encourage him to support the bill.
...but, while the signing of the tax bill helps corporations, for retirees, not so much. (see http://timesfreepress.com/news/2012/apr/23/money-flowed-tax-vote/ )
• HB 1055 - Georgia Taxpayer Relief Act of 2010. Among other things, it established the exemption of retired pay from state income tax. The exemption is incrementally enacted. HB 387 - Revenue and Taxation; Revenue Structure; Comprehensive Revision seeks to repeal the law - Georgia Taxpayer Relief Act of 2010 - plus has other fairly significant tax code changes. I would strongly encourage all to contact their State Representative and State Senator and express their opinion concerning these tax changes. The current exemption is $35,000 and goes to $65,000 on January 1, 2012
Monday, November 7, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
The Next Greatest Generation
I am convinced that the next Greatest Generation may well be today's youth.
As substantiating information for this view, I just got back from the ΣΦΕ Exec and Chapter meetings in Athens (UGA). My SigEps took top honors at homecoming as the best frat and Brother Davis Webb was the homecoming king. I am so proud to be the Chapter Counselor for these 125 fantastics young men, ages 17 to 21. Like me, they have a "D" after their name (Δ) which could stand for "Different" like mine. They are indeed a different type of fraternity that disavows pledging and paddling and pranking. To them, alcohol consumption and sexual prowess are not the role nor the goal of their brotherhood. They craft a staged approach to developing a Balanced Man. They go through four stages of growth from knowing thyself, to knowing your brothers, to knowing the community, to knowing their life role and mentoring others.
Their 3.41 grade point average points to their heads, and their top dollars raised in Philantrophy points to their hearts. But in their prayer to close the meeting tonight in which they asked only for others points to their good soul.
For District 25 contestants, at my request, they prayed that the best man win the election on Tuesday November 8th.
As substantiating information for this view, I just got back from the ΣΦΕ Exec and Chapter meetings in Athens (UGA). My SigEps took top honors at homecoming as the best frat and Brother Davis Webb was the homecoming king. I am so proud to be the Chapter Counselor for these 125 fantastics young men, ages 17 to 21. Like me, they have a "D" after their name (Δ) which could stand for "Different" like mine. They are indeed a different type of fraternity that disavows pledging and paddling and pranking. To them, alcohol consumption and sexual prowess are not the role nor the goal of their brotherhood. They craft a staged approach to developing a Balanced Man. They go through four stages of growth from knowing thyself, to knowing your brothers, to knowing the community, to knowing their life role and mentoring others.
Their 3.41 grade point average points to their heads, and their top dollars raised in Philantrophy points to their hearts. But in their prayer to close the meeting tonight in which they asked only for others points to their good soul.
For District 25 contestants, at my request, they prayed that the best man win the election on Tuesday November 8th.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Why I WAS A Democrat
I was asked, after a public Q&A tonight of six Republican candidates for the Georgia House, and me, the only Democrat, "Why are you a Democrat? Your answers were just as Conservative as the [six] Republicans?"
Here is my answer.
Before I entered the military, I was a Democrat of the Carl Sanders era. I was even a 1964 charter member of his Youth Council. During my 23 years of military service, I was apolitical. I didn’t particularly lean to one party or the other. After all, I was a commissioned officer. When I retired from the military I began a new career in education. When I settled in Georgia, Zell Miller was Governor and I had to love what he did, or tried to do, for education, especially the HOPE scholarship. Now, I did vote for Sonny Perdue twice because he was a fellow graduate from high school in Warner Robins, Georgia. In fact, our last two High School reunions were held at the Governor's Mansion. But, in 2010, having become disenchanted with the intrigue reported by our local newspapers within our County Government, I decided it was time I offered my services. That meant, practically, due to the stringent requirements to get on a ballot as an Independent, I had to run as either a Democrat or Republican - decision time. Well, I could read the tea leaves as well as anyone else in 2010. So, I first explored the Republican Party in Hall County. I discovered that I had to swear an oath to the party and found that to be inconsistent with my oath as a commissioned officer (although retired, I retain my commission). In addition, when I contacted the party leadership, they were cold to my running as three people were already competing for the Republican nomination. (Quite frankly, I was also a good bit irritated by the fact that they used, and at last check still use, an obviously purposefully mutilated plastic American flag as the background of their Web site). Well, being a math teacher, I decided I needed to make a mathematical decision. So, I took the party platforms from both the Democratic and Republican Parties at the time, listed each sentence one at a time, discarded all the "fluff" sentences that did not state a position, then, one by one, checked off the remaining sentences with which I agreed. When I finished, I found that I had checked off 54% of the Republican sentences and 58% of the Democratic sentences. You see, they are both relative close in the belief in America and the strength of the American people. So, I was clearly, and mathematically, a Democrat by 4%. I was told by a Professor of Political Science at the University of Georgia that this just meant I was like most people in the United States. I can't think of a better honor than that, can you? So, that, and the fact that the Hall County Democratic Party freely accepted me, knowing my conservative fiscal beliefs, clinched the deal. Thus, I ran as a Democrat.
Here is my answer.
Before I entered the military, I was a Democrat of the Carl Sanders era. I was even a 1964 charter member of his Youth Council. During my 23 years of military service, I was apolitical. I didn’t particularly lean to one party or the other. After all, I was a commissioned officer. When I retired from the military I began a new career in education. When I settled in Georgia, Zell Miller was Governor and I had to love what he did, or tried to do, for education, especially the HOPE scholarship. Now, I did vote for Sonny Perdue twice because he was a fellow graduate from high school in Warner Robins, Georgia. In fact, our last two High School reunions were held at the Governor's Mansion. But, in 2010, having become disenchanted with the intrigue reported by our local newspapers within our County Government, I decided it was time I offered my services. That meant, practically, due to the stringent requirements to get on a ballot as an Independent, I had to run as either a Democrat or Republican - decision time. Well, I could read the tea leaves as well as anyone else in 2010. So, I first explored the Republican Party in Hall County. I discovered that I had to swear an oath to the party and found that to be inconsistent with my oath as a commissioned officer (although retired, I retain my commission). In addition, when I contacted the party leadership, they were cold to my running as three people were already competing for the Republican nomination. (Quite frankly, I was also a good bit irritated by the fact that they used, and at last check still use, an obviously purposefully mutilated plastic American flag as the background of their Web site). Well, being a math teacher, I decided I needed to make a mathematical decision. So, I took the party platforms from both the Democratic and Republican Parties at the time, listed each sentence one at a time, discarded all the "fluff" sentences that did not state a position, then, one by one, checked off the remaining sentences with which I agreed. When I finished, I found that I had checked off 54% of the Republican sentences and 58% of the Democratic sentences. You see, they are both relative close in the belief in America and the strength of the American people. So, I was clearly, and mathematically, a Democrat by 4%. I was told by a Professor of Political Science at the University of Georgia that this just meant I was like most people in the United States. I can't think of a better honor than that, can you? So, that, and the fact that the Hall County Democratic Party freely accepted me, knowing my conservative fiscal beliefs, clinched the deal. Thus, I ran as a Democrat.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Amazing Grace
One of my, and millions of others', favorite hymn is "Amazing Grace." I am always moved when I hear it. But I have never been more moved than when I heard it on the Youtube clip of Wintley Phipps. I think you will love it and be moved as well. Spirituals.
Monday, October 24, 2011
It is Your Time to Shine
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Does Georgia Need a Veteran's Court
A friend of mine, knowing my concern about veterans and their treatment, suggested I take a look at a concept called Veterans Court. For openers, here is an article on Veterans Court. I found it to be interesting and worth looking in to. I'm an very concerned about our Veterans, who risked so much for us, being forgotten as we draw down two wars. I say, never forget the debt!
Why Job Training for the Unemployed
The very idea of allowing the unemployed to get tuition free technical job training seems to upset some folks. To me it just makes sense both economically and morally.
Economically, the investment in job training for those on unemployment will lead to jobs and remove the unemployed burden to taxpayers. It will also help provide a technically qualified work force that will be an attractor for new businesses.
Morally, it is neighbor helping neighbor in the best way. We've all heard the adage, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime." That is what we would be doing.
Now, detractors will say we can't afford to foot the bill for the school costs of the unemployed. They say, "Look at the Hope scholarship. We have had to reduce the amount of the money Hope provides due to the lagging economy." But of course, they don't say we have reduced paying out that money to those who are wealthy enough not to need it for their schooling.
Take the gentleman I spoke to last night. He was a college graduate, but in a field little in demand. He wanted to train in a new technical trade to support his family, but the rules of the system forced him to scrape together all the money to pay for it himself while he was barely scraping by. Yet the student from a family making over $250,000 a year has his tuition to college paid for so he can drive a BMW. I think there is a better way.
In fact, while the University System accepts the scholars and the well healed, the Technical College System is the path to a good job for those wanting to work in the technology fields. I believe the Technical College System could afford to waive the tuition of the unemployed in order to allow them training. During the time I spent in that system, I saw it was able to grow its bureaucracy, much like the K through 12 public school system, has done. If cost were the only factor, it could trim some of that bureaucracy to make up the difference.
As I said, getting the unemployed trained in new skills and employed helps us all, both economically, making the costs of training them an investment, and morally, doing the right thing.
Economically, the investment in job training for those on unemployment will lead to jobs and remove the unemployed burden to taxpayers. It will also help provide a technically qualified work force that will be an attractor for new businesses.
Morally, it is neighbor helping neighbor in the best way. We've all heard the adage, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime." That is what we would be doing.
Now, detractors will say we can't afford to foot the bill for the school costs of the unemployed. They say, "Look at the Hope scholarship. We have had to reduce the amount of the money Hope provides due to the lagging economy." But of course, they don't say we have reduced paying out that money to those who are wealthy enough not to need it for their schooling.
Take the gentleman I spoke to last night. He was a college graduate, but in a field little in demand. He wanted to train in a new technical trade to support his family, but the rules of the system forced him to scrape together all the money to pay for it himself while he was barely scraping by. Yet the student from a family making over $250,000 a year has his tuition to college paid for so he can drive a BMW. I think there is a better way.
In fact, while the University System accepts the scholars and the well healed, the Technical College System is the path to a good job for those wanting to work in the technology fields. I believe the Technical College System could afford to waive the tuition of the unemployed in order to allow them training. During the time I spent in that system, I saw it was able to grow its bureaucracy, much like the K through 12 public school system, has done. If cost were the only factor, it could trim some of that bureaucracy to make up the difference.
As I said, getting the unemployed trained in new skills and employed helps us all, both economically, making the costs of training them an investment, and morally, doing the right thing.
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