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DEL.ICIO.USDemocrats call for special session — and say that a veterans’ home should have a higher priority than ‘Go Fish’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Democratic leaders of both the state House and Senate on Thursday called for a special session of the General Assembly to pull the state back from what they called “the brink of fiscal disaster.”
The call for an unscheduled meeting, to oversee budget cuts, comes days after reports that state revenue in August was down 7 percent from last year.
The Democratic leaders in the two chambers, Sen. Robert Brown of Macon and Rep. DuBose Porter of Dublin, said across-the-board budget cuts were forcing those at the top of the state’s bureaucracies to make illogical decisions.
In a joint press release, Brown and Porter said:
“Perhaps most galling, when our country is fighting two wars, Governor Perdue believes it is acceptable to evict 81 veterans from the Georgia War Veterans Home in Milledgeville, for a savings of $2.7 million. Meanwhile, projects such as a $7.3 million horse park expansion at the Agri-Center in Perry and $19 million for the Go-Fish program, both in the Governor’s home county, continue to move forward.
“These people volunteered to serve their country and put their lives on the line for our freedom, but instead we are going to let them go homeless while we make boat ramps and horse shows a priority during a budget crisis. Those are not the values of Georgia’s citizens or Georgia Democrats,” Brown said. “This is no longer just a fiscal issue. This is a moral issue.”
The only off-note can be found in this post below, from a press conference Thursday with state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, vice chairman at the state Democratic party, who apparently didn’t get the memo:
On budget cuts, Thurmond said he has no problem with Gov. Sonny Perdue’s call for 6 percent, across-the-board cuts.
“I believe Governor Perdue’s strategy so far is the proper one,” he said.
Comments
By RJ
September 18, 2008 8:22 PM | Link to this
Fellas, you are wasting your time and energy. Facts and logic do not make for compelling arguments to a majority of Georgia’s voting public. Neither does an appeal to moral conviction.
The majority of Georgia’s voting public has unwavering and complete confidence in the decisions and actions of its Republican leadership. You may not like it but that’s the current reality. Learn to live with it or leave the state.
The recent election poll results showing McCain leading Obama by 16% underscores the point.
By SUBURBAN OVERLORD
September 18, 2008 8:52 PM | Link to this
Both parties are to blame for this mess, so these George Wallace-era Democrats should just shut their pie holes.
However, our retarded, dimwit Governor and the retarded metro Atlanta Republican state delegation in state government should be most ashamed. They have let Skoal-dippin’ south-of-the-gnat-line bozos run the state into the ground. We are a state that is now just “Alabama-Lite.”
By Thurmond???
September 18, 2008 11:09 PM | Link to this
Michael Thurmond is a joke who has never distinguished himself, never really accomplished anything of note. A loser with a capital L.
By John
September 19, 2008 9:27 AM | Link to this
There was never a budget crisis like this until the Republican Party took control of state government in Georgia. Facts are facts are facts.
By The Snark
September 19, 2008 10:58 AM | Link to this
Strategy? What strategy? How much leadership does it take to order every agency to cut its budget by X% and then go get lunch? These agency are axing what little consumer protections we have under state government. A real leader would be sitting down with every agency around the clock to make sure this is done right.
Come to think of it, a real leader wouldn’t have let this happen in the first place.
By Oddball
September 19, 2008 11:07 AM | Link to this
And to think, only a few months ago Cagle and Richardson were clawing each others’ eyes out trying to pass more tax cuts. Imagine what a fiasco we’d be in now if they had succeeded. Purdue was the only grown-up in the room.
Anyone can beat the Tax Cut drum, folks. Including people who don’t know a dang thing about running government.
By can'tsay
September 19, 2008 1:37 PM | Link to this
Thurmond has distinguished himself by literally changing by first implementing welfare to work while at DFACS and than transforming the Georgia Dept. Of Labor by creating Career centers rather than unemployment offices. He’s the only one I can remember of all the Labor Commissioners that is truly interested in putting people back to work. I know this because I am someone who benefited when I was laid off from my job. It’s unfortunate that “by Thurmond” doesn’t have a clue about anything.
By can'tsay
September 19, 2008 1:54 PM | Link to this
Thurmond has distinguished himself by literally changing by first implementing welfare to work while at DFACS and than transforming the Georgia Dept. Of Labor by creating Career centers rather than unemployment offices. He’s the only one I can remember of all the Labor Commissioners that is truly interested in putting people back to work. I know this because I am someone who benefited when I was laid off from my job. It’s unfortunate that “by Thurmond” doesn’t have a clue about anything.
By can'tsay
September 19, 2008 1:56 PM | Link to this
Thurmond has distinguished himself by literally changing by first implementing welfare to work while at DFACS and than transforming the Georgia Dept. Of Labor by creating Career centers rather than unemployment offices. He’s the only one I can remember of all the Labor Commissioners that is truly interested in putting people back to work. I know this because I am someone who benefited when I was laid off from my job. It’s unfortunate that “by Thurmond” doesn’t have a clue about anything.
By can'tsay
September 19, 2008 1:58 PM | Link to this
Thurmond has distinguished himself by literally changing by first implementing welfare to work while at DFACS and than transforming the Georgia Dept. Of Labor by creating Career centers rather than unemployment offices. He’s the only one I can remember of all the Labor Commissioners that is truly interested in putting people back to work. I know this because I am someone who benefited when I was laid off from my job. It’s unfortunate that “by Thurmond” doesn’t have a clue about anything.
By can'tsay
September 19, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this
Thurmond has distinguished himself by literally changing by first implementing welfare to work while at DFACS and than transforming the Georgia Dept. Of Labor by creating Career centers rather than unemployment offices. He’s the only one I can remember of all the Labor Commissioners that is truly interested in putting people back to work. I know this because I am someone who benefited when I was laid off from my job. It’s unfortunate that “by Thurmond” doesn’t have a clue about anything.
By can'tsay
September 19, 2008 2:02 PM | Link to this
Thurmond has distinguished himself by literally changing by first implementing welfare to work while at DFACS and than transforming the Georgia Dept. Of Labor by creating Career centers rather than unemployment offices. He’s the only one I can remember of all the Labor Commissioners that is truly interested in putting people back to work. I know this because I am someone who benefited when I was laid off from my job. It’s unfortunate that “by Thurmond” doesn’t have a clue about anything.
By can'tsay
September 19, 2008 2:03 PM | Link to this
Thurmond has distinguished himself by literally changing by first implementing welfare to work while at DFACS and than transforming the Georgia Dept. Of Labor by creating Career centers rather than unemployment offices. He’s the only one I can remember of all the Labor Commissioners that is truly interested in putting people back to work. I know this because I am someone who benefited when I was laid off from my job. It’s unfortunate that “by Thurmond” doesn’t have a clue about anything.
By can'tsay
September 19, 2008 2:05 PM | Link to this
Thurmond has distinguished himself by literally changing by first implementing welfare to work while at DFACS and than transforming the Georgia Dept. Of Labor by creating Career centers rather than unemployment offices. He’s the only one I can remember of all the Labor Commissioners that is truly interested in putting people back to work. I know this because I am someone who benefited when I was laid off from my job. It’s unfortunate that “by Thurmond” doesn’t have a clue about anything.
By can'tsay
September 19, 2008 2:07 PM | Link to this
Thurmond has distinguished himself by literally changing by first implementing welfare to work while at DFACS and than transforming the Georgia Dept. Of Labor by creating Career centers rather than unemployment offices. He’s the only one I can remember of all the Labor Commissioners that is truly interested in putting people back to work. I know this because I am someone who benefited when I was laid off from my job. It’s unfortunate that “by Thurmond” doesn’t have a clue about anything.
By can'tsay
September 19, 2008 2:07 PM | Link to this
Thurmond has distinguished himself by literally changing by first implementing welfare to work while at DFACS and than transforming the Georgia Dept. Of Labor by creating Career centers rather than unemployment offices. He’s the only one I can remember of all the Labor Commissioners that is truly interested in putting people back to work. I know this because I am someone who benefited when I was laid off from my job. It’s unfortunate that “by Thurmond” doesn’t have a clue about anything.
By Sonny Don't
September 19, 2008 4:56 PM | Link to this
Save Georgia’s State Parks!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-georgias-state-parks-historic-sites
By dunwoody dame
September 19, 2008 5:39 PM | Link to this
does this mean that Dunwoody won’t be able to get money from the state to balance their budget? We were told that the state would not allow the new city to fail….