This is Viewpoints for Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014
Strike three
This is the third time Austin Scott is asking for our vote. And because he is, again, running unopposed, I looked into all the accomplishments that allow this legislator such a luxury. I looked at his record in newspapers and websites. I contacted his office about a few issues salient to the district.
Maybe it’s a good thing he can run a stealth campaign in 2014. On important issues his results are zero. The president acts in a kingly manner that ignores our laws, Constitution and conventions. Austin Scott, while condemning these illegal actions, has had no effect in stopping the royal in the White House from his harmful behavior. He opposes much of Obama’s actions but fails to stop them. Issue after issue. Austin Scott is a loser.
Ask yourself a few questions:
What has Scott done to bring the truth about the Benghazi murders to light? How secure have the borders been under Scott’s watch? How wonderful have the promises of Obamacare been so far? What has Scott done to make these failed promises better? Is Robins Air Force Base closer to avoiding layoffs because of anything Scott has done? Do you believe Scott has the will to handle the necessary actions concerning an Ebola outbreak? How effective has Scott been in bringing to justice the IRS officials who corrupted an election? Is Scott in over his head regarding ISIS?
How you answer these questions will determine your vote. I’m writing in someone who I know can get results. This is governance in the 21st century. Are you happy?
-- Bob Norcott
Byron
Alive and well
The Houston County Democratic Committee has been a functioning and viable local party for years. We have fielded and supported candidates for office, preserved and picked up municipal seats, and have successfully increased voter turnout in each of the last elections.
Through membership and annual fund raisers, we self-fund election-year headquarters to assist Democrats locally and throughout the state. We are brave enough to purchase a booth each year at the Georgia National Fair, and we are one of very few county parties in the state which pose ballot questions.
Our organization is small, but our active members and volunteers are committed to the principles and platform of the Democratic Party and are adamant that our presence here in Houston County is maintained. Contrary to a recently printed article, we are not a defunct organization. Those Democrats who were “unaware” of our presence, and those who chose to remain inactive prior to the 2014 mid-term elections have truly missed out on the opportunity to assist Democrats here and across the state as we have worked to preserve the structural frameworks which are now in place to help strengthen the potential outcomes for the candidacies of Michelle Nunn, Jason Carter, and the 2014 Democratic ticket.
I assure you -- as difficult as it has been to be a Democrat in Houston County since the great party switch, whether mid-term outcomes are favorable for Democrats or not, and long after my tenure as chair has expired -- whether there are three or 3,000, the Houston County Democratic Committee will endure.
-- Fenika Miller
Chair Houston County Democratic Committee
Warner Robins
‘War on Women’
There’s a lot of talk about the “War on Women” but that may be a mischaracterization. “War” suggests that two factions are fighting against each other. I see no evidence that women are fighting back. Women have surrendered. Women have quit fighting. Therefore there is no war.
Remember the saying, “You’ve come a long way baby?” Women were united in the ‘60s and ‘70s against social injustice. Much was accomplished for female equality. The bawdy saying was, “Women went from the bedroom to the board room.” After all the years of being seen and not heard, women found their voice. Now in 2014, women have no voice and we are still fighting the same battles.
The gender wage gap still exists with women making 81 percent of what their male counterparts make for performing the same job. Come on. The Equal Pay Act was enacted 50 years ago. Raising the minimum wage would benefit women the most. However, the idea of raising the minimum wage is spurned by lawmakers. What gender represents the majority of the elected body on the national level? Men!
In Georgia, women are going backward for sure. White men are telling women what they can do with their bodies. Yes, I said white men. Further, they are mostly old white Republicans. If they have their way in Georgia (and they may), women will not have access to insurance covered contraception. This battle should have ended when the Supreme Court upheld Roe v. Wade some 42 years ago. Yet, here it is 2014, and women face most of the same obstacles as then.
Now before you accuse me of unfairness in singling out white men, show me one female constitutional officer in Georgia. You can’t. In the state Senate only 20 percent are women. In the state House, only 22 percent are women. We have two white male U.S. senators and not a single congresswoman from Georgia. Of Gov. Deal’s 51 appointments to the top three most powerful state boards, 43 of them are white men. Further, I think it’s important to note that those 43 white men have contributed more than $1.3 million to Deal’s campaign. He claims, “but they are all qualified.” That’s just great. Not only do you have to be a white man to get appointed to these high decision-making positions, you also have to be rich.
In fairness to women, they didn’t intentionally lay down the fight. I shake my head in disbelief at how my daughter-in-law juggles her demanding full-time job, her long commute to work, the car-pooling of three school-age children to various sports and activities and running the household. She never seems to have a discretionary moment. So it is completely understandable that women are exhausted, distracted and somewhat oblivious to what is going on in our state.
Ladies, find your voice again. You have the power on Election Day, Nov. 4. Women registered voters represent from 51 percent to 57 percent in all counties in Georgia. You are going to be very popular. Your phone will ring off the hook. White male Republicans will be courting your vote to maintain the status quo. Just remember, when they are courting you, they will tell you anything they think you want to hear to get what they want. Don’t be an easy mark. Study the candidates and decide which one will do the right thing for you and your family. If all things are equal, then vote for a woman.
-- Marilyn Langford
High Falls
‘Term of endearment’
When we dated in law school, my wife and I called each other by our last names, that being the conventional form of address during class. When we got married four years later, she kept her maiden name, both for professional reasons and because it had become a term of endearment, and I didn’t really want her to change it. However, I discovered in Wednesday’s letters that her failure to use my last name is a “shameful deed” in Georgia. But then, we were married in Ohio where shame apparently requires more substance.
-- Neal Snyder
Warner Robins
Heavy wallets
Here in Georgia, lots of voters are still considering whom to cast their votes for, but what’s not being discussed is that all of us are left to choose between candidates beholden to a few wealthy mega-donors. For example, of all the contributions that went to candidates in Georgia’s congressional primary races, 72 percent came from large donors giving $1,000 or more. As U.S. Supreme Court decisions have lifted limits on political spending by extremely wealthy donors and special interests, there’s little incentive for candidates to pay attention to the wants and needs of ordinary Americans no matter how well-informed they may be.
It is pass time to take meaningful action to stem the tide of big money in our elections at the local, state and federal levels. In a democracy, the size of your wallet should not determine the volume of your voice.
-- Steven Dunigan
Decatur
A woman’s brain
A dear friend who has lived her whole life in Bonaire recently asked me to provide her and her husband two Michelle Nunn for Senate signs that she then placed in her yard. Full disclosure: I do volunteer work for the Nunn campaign.
Yesterday, Sandy told me that after church service this past Sunday, she was approached by someone in the church hierarchy who gave her a big hug, stepped back with his hands still on her shoulders, looked her in the eyes and told her, “Sandy, you need to get those Michelle Nunn signs out of your yard.”
She took his hands off her shoulders, held them in her hands and looking deeply into his eyes told him that a woman’s brain was the same size as that of a man’s and in her opinion worked much better than a man’s, particularly after hearing what he just told her. “Tell you what though,” she said. “I’ll take my Michelle Nunn signs down just as soon as you take your David Perdue signs down.”
-- Bob Farquhar
Bonaire
R.I.P. U.S.A.
The external decline in the economy, morals and ethics in the last few years has been devastating. The international respect and/or fear of the “not so” United States as well as America’s credit standings have hit new lows in the last few years. Any vote for a Democratic candidate is a sign of apathy for the well-being of the country and every individual citizen. A Democratic vote in the current government status is another nail in America’s. Coffin.
-- Bobby W. Chastain
Macon
President’s obstacles
Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan once observed that everyone is entitled to their own opinions but not their own facts. Ron O’Neill (Bonaire) should accept this wisdom.
Fact. The Republican House has consistently passed budgets only to be rebuffed by Harry Reid’s Senate.
Fact. Unemployment. Statistics do not disclose those no longer seeking jobs. Corrected figure is 17 percent, not taking into consideration “part time” workers no longer seeking jobs. In addition there are those with part time jobs caused by Obamacare. I would suppose that this would propel the number well beyond 20 percent.
Fact. Terrorism. Contrary to what O’Neill says, we have had five terrorist attacks since OBama arrived (Fort Hood, Oklahoma City, New Jersey and two in New York). Of course he conveniently ignores three beheadings of Americans which must be the ultimate terrorist act. He even has the gall to not call these “terrorist attacks”
Fact. Deficit. No question that the market is at a record high with Obama. The solution? Spend our way to recovery. He is right on one thing. Look at Wall Street. Guess what? The market’s exuberance is due to the Federal Reserve’s moves to bail out a failing economy by setting record low interest rates.
O’Neill’s “real world” is an administration marked by unprecedented scandals and daily incompetence. Truly I would rather have Hillary.
-- Jonathan Howe
Gray
Republican agenda?
People keep on talking about insurance. You don’t see any of the Republicans giving up their insurance or helping the ones who do not have insurance. People who do not have insurance are going to see about themselves. Are they going to pay for their doctor or hospital bill? I don’t think so. Nobody wants to see you unless you have some insurance. Republicans do not care about the middle class. I know because they are trying to destroy what decent jobs we have left. The Republicans want to get rid of jobs that have been around for a long time just to privatized them so they can make more money and still keep the middle class down.
-- Joyce Dean
Macon
How many?
How many Perdue’s are enough for Georgia? Nunn.
-- Leonard Smith
St. Simmons Island
Protected Georgia
Since Day 1 in office, Nathan Deal has focused on making Georgia, not only the best place in the country to do business, but also the best place to raise a family. He has been a champion for Robins Air Force Base and for our veterans and their spouses. Facing one of the worst economic downturns in history, Gov. Deal proactively and unselfishly provided the leadership necessary to attract new businesses and jobs to Georgia, protected future generations’ chances at a quality education, while balancing four consecutive budgets without raising taxes. It’s easy to make promises; it’s altogether another thing to deliver. Gov. Nathan Deal has delivered for Georgia on every important issue and absolutely deserves to be re-elected as our governor.
Rep. Larry O’Neal
Majority Leader
Georgia House of Representatives
Bonaire
Get to the polls
This mid-term election is the most important in my 66 years on earth. With Saxby Chambliss retiring, his Senate seat is up for grabs. We must maintain a Republican seat for Georgia if we have any hope of obtaining a Republican majority in the Senate.
President Obama said himself that he is not up for election, but his policies are. Michelle Nunn has already said she agrees with him. I am not only urging all Republicans to come to the polls in historic numbers, I pray none will stay home. The stakes are too high. We MUST remove Harry (kill the bill) Reid as majority leader
-- Chris Crawford
Blairsville
Needed: Strong leadership
I read the article Sunday on the front page of The Telegraph stating if the GOP wins the senate, clashes with Obama will mean very little will be done. The Democrats want to distant themselves from Obama, yet he told them to do anything they could to get votes. What about the voting pamphlet that the Georgia Democrats put out not wanting to have a Ferguson, Missouri incident in Georgia. Is this not intimidating? What the United States needs is a strong leader with principles set forth by the Founding Fathers
-- Audrey Jennings
Perry
Real leaders
True leadership is rare in today’s world it seems, especially when it comes to politics. One extraordinary leader in Georgia is Gov. Nathan Deal. Deal grew up in Gainesville where both his parents were school teachers. He attended Mercer University in Macon where he earned his bachelor and law degrees with honors. After earning his Juris Doctor degree in 1966, he joined the United States Army where he earned the rank of captain.
After many years in private law practice, he became a criminal prosecutor, a judicial circuit judge, and a juvenile court judge. While he has been in politics for many years, he was elected governor of Georgia in 2010. Deal has governed so well on so many fronts that Georgia emerged from the Great Recession much better than most states.
In 2013 and 2014, Georgia has been recognized by many national publications as the No. 1 place in America to do business. These national rankings are remarkable considering the devastating effects of the recession on Georgia and its economy. We needed true leadership and Deal provided it. So, how did he do it?
Deal is known for his willingness to listen and learn and to be proactive when it comes to solutions. First, he cut spending. Some of the cuts were severe and of course, some were unpopular. Second, he cut taxes and erased the “marriage penalty” from our tax code. Third, he eliminated the sales tax on energy used in manufacturing. This was a huge incentive for business. Fourth, each and every year of Deal’s first term, the state appropriations for K-12 programs increased. Fifth, he has traveled internationally to recruit new companies to our state. Then he made workforce training a top priority. Georgia is offering some of its new corporate citizens, a workforce that is company specific.
The bottom line is 294,000 new jobs have been added to Georgia’s economy. Additionally, he has been a leader in transportation as it relates to the deepening of the Savannah harbor. When the federal government would not keep its word on approved funding, Deal had Georgia in the ready position by having enough funds to begin the project. Regarding health care, Deal continues to seek block grant funding for Medicaid from the federal government so that we can receive our fair share of federal funding without additional state spending that we cannot afford. Regarding criminal justice reform, Deal has signed into law criminal and juvenile justice reforms that are already having a positive impact. These reforms are changing historical patterns, saving tax dollars and increasing public safety.
Deal has been an extraordinary leader as governor. I urge you to elect him again as our governor on Nov. 4. Real leaders are hard to find.
-- Mallory Jones, III
Macon-Bibb Commissioner
District Four
‘What a guy’
In the debate last Sunday, when asked about pay discrimination under his leadership, David Perdue said, “it was less than 2,000 people.”
Two thousand women sounds like a lot to me. Yes, only 2,000 women sued David Perdue’s company. Yet the court found that 20,000 were eligible to be part of the almost $19 million settlement. What a guy.
-- John Ricks
Cochran
Might be the last chance
I agree with President Obama who recently said that this election is a referendum on his policies. But something is wrong. The president’s approval rating is in the 30s, two-thirds of the voting public believe the country is in decline and a whopping 58 percent even believe we are “going to hell in a hand basket,” yet the races for state governors and U.S. senators remain tight between Democratic and Republican candidates. What is going on?
Several things. First of all, the president has been furiously fund-raising for months. These funds are allowing the Democratic candidates to flood the media with countless attack ads against their opponents to deflect attention from what they are allowing the president to do in Washington.
Secondly, bribery. The president had two main strategies to cleverly “buy off” both the more affluent voters and those voters who are struggling financially. For those who have investment funds of any kind, he has instructed the fed to continuously buy up equities with borrowed money and lower interest on bonds to near-zero. Thus investors have had to invest heavily in stocks to get any kind of return and they have been nicely rewarded with a rising stock market -- but one that is dangerously dependent on the phony “investment” by the fed.
To keep the struggling class dependent on the federal taxpayer and add to its numbers, the president’s economy has doubled those dependent on Food Stamps, tripled the people who qualify for federal disability and added greatly to the Medicaid rolls via Obamacare. Buried in the stimulus bill was a hidden bombshell. It made the work requirement for welfare “optional.” A cynical sop to the middle class, whose wages have been stagnant for the last six years, has been the offering of millions of federal dollars (borrowed) to school systems if they give “free” breakfasts and lunches to all public school kids, regardless of home income. In a couple of years, these federal dollars will be withdrawn and the states will be expected to pick up the tab. If candidates dare to suggest that this is America and all but the poorest parents can feed their own kids, they will be accused of starving school children. See how it works?
I believe this Nov. 4 is a watershed election like no other. The infamous 47 percent of Americans who pay no federal taxes have now been joined by groups who are newly dependent upon taxpayer subsidies and will presumably vote for the hand that feeds them. Hence the closeness of the races slated for a vote. Yet, the economic disaster that will result if President Obama is allowed two and a half more years to add to the Medicaid rolls and tax and regulate business into the ground will pale in comparison to the fallout on the world scene if the president is allowed to continue his disastrous foreign policy unchecked.
If the Democrats continue to control the Senate, the president will believe he has a mandate to continue to be “played’ by Iran, the largest terrorist state in the world, until Iran gets so close to getting a nuke that Israel will be forced to take military action -- possibly as soon as next year. ISIS and Putin will become more and more aggressive and menacing as they celebrate 30 more months of a weak commander-in-chief. Frankly, only a Republican-controlled Senate has a shot of challenging the president’s march toward a socialist, secular and see-no-evil America. November elections are big, America. We may not have many more chances to walk our country back from the edge of irreversible decline.
-- Rinda Wilson
Macon
Nothing has changed
I remember the first time I saw the bumper sticker “Nunn wants your gun.” It was in the early 1980s. And here we are, 35 years later and only the first name has changed. Like father like daughter.
-- M. Barry Melton
Macon
Make us proud
David Perdue will make Georgia Proud as our senator. He was raised in Houston County where his dad was a professional educator and school superintendent. His mom and his sister were both professional educators. David is smart and has successfully guided several companies back from the abyss of failure in a very competitive global market. I cannot think of anyone that our country needs at this time more than Perdue and his expertise. I was given the privilege of hearing him speak in a professional environment recently and I could not have been more impressed with his knowledge and professionalism.
Our nation has made a dramatic turn in a wrong direction under President Obama and Sen. Harry Reid. We simply cannot afford to allow our senator to be ally with Reid and Obama. Please vote and please vote for future David Perdue. He really will make us proud we did.
-- J.E. Moreland Jr.
Fort Valley
Don’t vote
If you plan to vote next Tuesday, vote for the candidates who will reinforce your freedom to be the best we can be. Don’t worry about the other guy. This is about you, your children and your grandchildren. If you have studied up, please vote. If you have not, please don’t.
-- Amy Elton
Macon
What concern?
Our governor acts concerned about the health of the citizens of Georgia by taking a tough stand on Ebola. At the same time he is fine with denying hundreds of thousands of Georgians federally-funded health insurance which will cost many of these people their health or lives. His attitude toward health workers coming back from Ebola ravaged countries as having put themselves in a position to contract the disease is like telling our military veterans they made the choice to join the armed forces when they suffer from the affects of war. We do not need a governor like this.
-- Clarence Berry
Warner Robins
Three questions
Have the new 40,000-plus Georgia voter registrations that have mysteriously been misplaced or trashed been located? If not, will those who met the requirements as newly registered voters be allowed to vote?
If not, why not? In my humble opinion, something stinks in Georgia.
-- Carl Pirkle
Byron
It’s not hard folks
Michelle Nunn was born to a rich man who spent many years in the U.S. Senate. Nunn went to the best private schools money can. David Perdue was raised by two teachers who respected education as they made sure their children got a good education. David attended Perry High School and his dad became superintendent of the Houston County Board of Education.
Perdue worked hard all his life as a businessman and became quite successful. His opponent has had things handed to her, like her education in an expensive private school in Virginia and expensive private colleges. She also had many other things handed to her, including her last job.
Nunn would not respond to the question whether she voted for President Barack Obama. She would not answer the question whether she would have voted in favor of Obamacare. Nunn did not respond to the union survey as to whether she supports the right to work principle like 80 percent of Americans. Nunn was hand picked by President Obama to run for the Senate and has received millions of dollars in campaign support from Organizing for America, Obama’s major political fund-raising machine.
Nunn tries to tell us she’s for bipartisanship and that’s what she would support if elected to the Senate. If you believe that, you’d believe anything. Nunn is a bought and paid for Democratic candidate that would go to Washington, D.C. and vote exactly like Sen. Harry Reid tells her. She would not go to Washington to fix the problem, she’d go to be part of the problem.
-- Ben Damron
Warner Robins
Good sense
This election cycle is as vicious as ever. Politicians, regardless of party affiliation, say pretty much anything to keep their power.
I’m voting for Jason Carter for one simple reason: Integrity. The expectations of a “public” official are clear and are codified by law. Time and again, this governor’s actions have been frustrating and unethical, if not illegal. With the perpetual scandals, why would anyone want to bless a corrupt politician with a second term? We Republicans are attempting to “Obamafy” every candidate and issue. That’s unfortunate.While I don’t agree with several of Carter’s views on social issues, he voted as a fiscal conservative. He hasn’t advocated any issue that is immoral and no one has alleged any actions of impropriety. He has pledged to work for all Georgians. That makes good sense to me.
-- Maurice Atkinson
Macon
A few questions
For six years the primary goal of Republican leaders has been to block President Obama. I understand the adversarial nature of our system, but to shut down the government is extreme in an effort to end Obamacare. Created by a conservative think-tank and still loved by over 90 percent in the state where it was installed by Gov. Romney, the program is now supposed to be hated by conservatives. Why not support your own creation or invent an even better plan?
Neither the president or Congress is popular at this point. Most Americans seem to agree that simply blocking the other party is not working for us. Why, then, would we even consider electing a senator who vows to continue down the same unproductive path? Working to generate compromise is clearly not David Perdue’s intention. Perdue is experienced in business, much of which turned out to be harmful to American workers. The worst that is claimed about Michelle Nunn is that she kept her name (what sexist tripe) and that she will be a puppet of the president. She clearly is quite bright, has leadership experience, makes up her own mind and is able to work across the aisle.
Where Gov. Deal is concerned, there is considerable baggage. People I have heard from who have known him since high school refer to him as “sleazy.” And he has not changed. He continues to escape from one ethical scrape after another. He seems to consider education of our children to be a low priority unless seeking re-election. Our schools have lost thousands of teachers and during this same period, he has somehow gained far more income than his state salary.
Many question the salvage yard deal. What else did that big payment pay for? What remains costly for all Georgians is Gov. Deal’s refusal to sign for Medicaid expansion. Even if one hates Obamacare, it is absolutely absurd to leave over 600,000 Georgians without health insurance. With the stroke of his pen, the working and non-working poor would have had coverage, paid 100 percent by the federal government. Further, when the poor go to the emergency room for care instead of a doctor’s office, we pay for that care. We pay dearly for Deal’s poor judgment. With our state dead last in economic recovery and highest in unemployment, the fresh ideas and integrity of Jason Carter are long overdue.
-- Roby M. Kerr
Macon
Good work?
I see in Viewpoints the usual baloney from the right-wing group on all things involving Democratic leadership. President Obama is to blame for everything. At least Nancy Pelosi pronounces her name correctly which is more than the weepy suntan kid does. President Obama can speak English which Junior Bush could not do. Of course the Republican administrations of the past were all great and not responsible for any bad things except two depressions, thousands killed around the world in wars that were based on lies that put the nation in hock up to its eyeballs. The middle class is hurting while the rich keep getting richer. The republicans shut down the government making America the laughing stock of the free world. Good work right-wing Fox News followers, no wonder our academic listing is so low nationally.
-- Alfred Graham
Macon
Deception
As election day nears, the depth and breath of ads aired are really the height of deception. The low information voter will see these and other ads and go vote for the Democrats, who by the way, have congressional members who are open and unabashed members of the Communist Party of the United States. Now that’s true representation. Please Google it if you doubt me. Yes, there are also some terrible Republicans. But, I’ll take my chance with Republicans and believe they will stop the Marxist in the White House.
-- Michael Snipes
Kathleen
Carter the one
According to Georgia Senate and governor C-Span TV debates on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28, Jason Carter was the only candidate not in favor of lowering the taxes of large corporations. What Georgia and the U.S. need now is aggregate demand for significant job growth, requiring more stimulation of the economy. Carter pointed out Georgia now has the highest unemployment rate of any state in the nation, 8.1 percent, and ranks near the bottom in educational attainment. Increasing the taxes of large corporations and the elite rich will provide revenue to fund good infrastructure jobs repairing and producing roads, bridges, and education. Giving large corporations and the elite rich tax decreases will not help the economy since they won’t spend it. They are already buying all the consumer goods they need and they won’t spend it on investment goods because of insufficient aggregate demand.
Jason Carter is the best choice for Georgia governor Nov. 4 because of his tax and education policies.
-- Richard John
Statesboro
This story was originally published November 1, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014 ."