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Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Whitehead: It’s all about Athens versus Augusta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jim Whitehead, the Republican front-runner in the run-off for the 10th District congressional race, says the contest is a regional tug-of-war between Augusta and Athens, the Augusta Chronicle reports today.
Whitehead, a former state senator from Columbia County just north of Augusta, said he knows which side he’s on. And by a strange coincidence, his opponent in the July 17 election is Paul Broun of Athens, also a Republican.
“I don’t think you realize that the people in the middle of this state that are trying to win this seat will tell you up front - that we don’t need somebody representing this area. We need somebody in the Athens-Clarke County area, so they can get things moved there,” Whitehead said.
The newspaper said Whitehead has heard this said so many times that he’s “frankly sick of hearing it.”
Said Whitehead of his poor treatment by Athens and its editorial voices: “If I was somebody who went just by newspapers, I would swear Jim Whitehead was Satan reincarnated in Athens-Clarke County,” he said. “And I wouldn’t vote for me, either. It’s unbelievable the things they will go to and the things they will say just to try to get somebody in this position for Athens-Clarke County.”
Regionally, Augusta usually serves up slightly more voters in an election than Athens. But Athens’ voter roll has more Democrats, who may not show up.
Gator tags for Georgia drivers: A Senate leader says cars on blocks don’t need ‘em
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Word is getting around fast that the Atlanta Gator Club, the official organization for University of Florida graduates, has submitted its application to the state Department of Revenue for a special Georgia license plate.
The club is now looking for the required 1,000 auto owners willing to slap the tag on the rear-end of their cars.
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| Atlanta Gator Club |
| What the Gator tag might look like. |
Senate President pro tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) is not one of them. He copied us on a letter to state Revenue Commissioner Bart Graham, with an ever-so-subtle suggestion that — if Graham’s agency could hide a month’s worth of state income for Gov. Sonny Perdue — perhaps it could also make a few requests for Gator tags disappear.
All tongue in cheek, of course. Here’s the evidence:
Dear Commissioner Graham:
This is absolutely unacceptable for our state!
A Gator tag will cause accidents. Gator fans cannot drive or read traffic signs. A car up on blocks cannot move. And it will lower our quality of life. In fact, my children used to have nightmares because we lived dangerously close to the state of Florida.
If state law allows this to occur then we need to change the law. Please delay any approval until the next session when we can amend the law to ban any tag for a university with more national championships than the average IQ of their alumni. A delay in processing their application should not require much of an effort since they cannot write either.
If it takes a 1,000 signatures to create a tag, can we have a regulation that 1,000 e-mails AGAINST a proposed tag kills it? If you agree, please count this as e-mail # 1…..
Please keep me informed as to the progress of this outrage. I am counting on the GEORGIA Department of Revenue to handle it appropriately. (wink-wink)
Sen. Eric Johnson
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