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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2006 > March > 15
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
“Vigilant citizen” honored by House
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia House paid tribute Wednesday to Decatur resident Tracie Lee Dean whose gut instincts and tenacity are believed to have saved a 3-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy from lives of sexual abuse.
“Her story serves as a reminder to all of the tremendous difference a single vigilant citizen can make,” state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) said. “Ms. Dean did an extraordinary thing in discovering a child who was abused and doing something about it.”
Dean’s story, which has drawn national attention, began on a trip home to Decatur from Diamond Head, Miss., in January.
Dean stopped at a gas station in Evergreen, Ala., where she saw a little girl who looked troubled with an unfriendly older man.
With her intuition telling her something was wrong, Dean dialed 911 to give police a description of the man’s vehicle and its license plate.
She was assured police would look into it, but didn’t stop there.
She proceeded to scour websites dealing with missing children and finally found a young child in Ohio whom she thought was the girl at the gas station.
She tried without success to get help from the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and drove 300 miles back to the gas station to review the store’s security tapes, where a local deputy began helping her.
By the next day, the suspicious man and a woman were both both arrested on charges related to the sexual abuse of the 3-year-old, and also a 17-year-old boy.
State Supreme Court Justice Harris Hines told House members that Dean is “a children’s advocate,an extraordinary lady and a genuine hero.”
“Her good deeds have won the hearts and applause of all who love Georgia’s greatest treasure: it’s children,” Hines said.
He said authorities believe that because of Dean’s efforts two children have been removed from “what is believed to be an environment of unutterable horror.”
Dean said she accepted the recognition on behalf of the many groups who work to help missing and exploited children every day.
Permalink | | Categories: Breaking news
Bill prevents PSC from regulating broadband, wireless, VoIP
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A bill that would prevent the Georgia Public Service Commission from being able to regulate high-speed Internet, wireless service and Voice over Internet Protocol won final legislative approval on Wednesday and was headed to the desk of the governor.
SB 120, which was being pushed by BellSouth and other telecommunications companies, passed the Georgia House by a vote of 157 to 4. It had previously passed the state Senate.
“The purpose of this bill is to protect and foster economic development in the emerging communication technologies of broadband, wireless and voice over internet protocol,” said Public Utilities & Telecommunications Committee Chairman Jeff Lewis (R-White), who squired the bill through the House. “It is to protect it from unnecessary, and quite possibly, detrimental regulation.”
Some critics of the bill argue that shutting out the PSC could be unwise at a time when the technologies are still evolving. Telecom industry experts say that VoIP —- a way of delivering calls using Internet technology —- is likely to become the dominant way most phone calls are delivered, even though the change will be virtually invisible to average consumers.
Lewis said the bill, which was sponsored by Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg), was the result of about a year’s worth of work by a group that included representatives from telephone companies, wireless phone companies, Internet providers, consumer groups and the PSC.
“In my mind, I have no doubt this bill is critical to keep Georgia on the forefront of growth in these communication emerging technology,” he told the House. “The heart of the bill limits the areas over which the PSC can exert its jurisdiction. Specifically, it walls off those areas of broadband, wireless and voice over internet from unnecessary regulation, thereby, allowing the market to continue to foster the explosive growth we’re seeing in these areas right now.”
Lewis said consumers have already seen lower prices and more options as a result of market forces.
State Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield (D-Atlanta) questioned whether lawmakers should be limiting the PSC’s power.
“It seems like we keep limiting what the Public Service Commission can do and their role,” Benfield said. “They may not have anything to do pretty soon if we keep on this track.”
The PSC is a regulatory board with varying degrees of oversight over the land-line telecommunications, transportation, electric and natural gas industries. When consumers have a problem, they can turn to the PSC for help. However, the commission does not have regulatory authority over “emerging” telecommunication technologies such as the ones covered by the bill.
Permalink | | Categories: Breaking news
Bill to honor Jane Fonda creates furor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jane Fonda’s name still raises the blood pressure of many Georgia veterans more than 30 years after her famous pose on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun.
So the idea of honoring “Hanoi Janeâ€? for her recent charitable and public service work didn’t go over too well with some members of the Georgia Senate on Wednesday.
Sen. Steen Miles (D-Decatur) introduced a resolution recognizing the two-time Academy Award winning actress for her efforts to help women and children globally, particularly her work as the founder and chairwoman of the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (G-CAPP).
Senate Resolution 1189 seemed to breeze through the Senate without a raising an eyebrow - as do hundreds of honorary and commemorative resolutions each year.
But Sen. John Douglas (R-Covington), a retired Army major and the chairman of the Senate Veterans and Military Committee, stood up as the Senate was adjourning and briefly voiced his strong opposition to the resolution. His words provoked a strong response from Miles, who argued that Fonda’s work deserved recognition. She then criticized her fellow lawmakers for not considering enough legislation to help the state’s most vulnerable residents.
“We have been very, very hypocritical when it comes to taking care of the least of these and the lost,â€? Miles said from the Senate well. “We can’t even get a hearing on providing health insurance for all the children of Georgia.â€?
Miles’ speech, however, may have backfired. When she wrapped up, Douglas immediately made a motion for the Senate to reconsider its approval of SR 1189. The Senate will decide on whether to rethink the honorary resolution at 9 a.m. Thursday.
“I think Jane Fonda is less worthy than any living American to be honored by our Senate and the people of Georgia,â€? Douglas said later in the day. “It starts off with her actions during the Vietnam War and it continues today. No amount of good work now will make up for her past actions against the military and our country.â€?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Breaking news
Is representation without taxation constitutional?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
During the hub-bub of Crossover Day on Monday, our state Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment that largely exempts old people from the state income tax as of 2009.
The original measure was the handiwork of state Sen. Casey Cagle of Gainesville, the Republican rival to Ralph Reed in the race for lieutenant governor. He proposed a $50,000 exemption for anyone over 62, and a total exemption for anyone over 65.
Democrats reined Cagle in slightly — and he needed their votes for the two-thirds passage. As it now stands, [S.R.1085](http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2005_06/sum/sr1085.htm) would let residents discount the first $75,000 they earn at age 62. And $100,000 after age 65.
The House must approve this, also by a two-thirds margin. After that, it goes on the November ballot.
Now, we all like old people. The older we get, the more we like them. The older we baby-boomers get, the more we understand burdens of the elderly, and the more we want to ease their way. Because "them" is "us."
Others make the argument that Georgia needs the elderly for the sake of economic development. All that pension money has to go somewhere.
But on nearly every radio and TV talk show, you'll hear someone say that anyone who's on welfare, who's not contributing to the system, ought not be allowed to vote. If you don't contribute, you shouldn't have a say-so in the affairs around you. Ditto this, ditto that.
Using that logic, if we exempt seniors from paying taxes, doesn't this thrust them into that same category? Forget whether one group is socially valuable and another isn't, whether we like one and not the other. Does this not create a special category of people — a very large category in coming years — who will have a say-so in the affairs around them, but no stake in the cost?
We argue that taxation without representation is unconstitutional. But is there a case to be made that representation without taxation is just as dangerous?
