Home > Thinking Right > Archives > 2007 > May > 01 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USPrinciple, policy unite conservatives
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On a sunny April day, when the azaleas, hydrangeas and crape myrtles are springing to new life from the Easter freeze, only the grimmest of grouches could persist in wallowing in the misery of the General Assembly session, then in its final days.
There is new life — and new hope.
Deep into the afternoon on an April day, a group of mostly young Republican legislators — young in age and/or service — who are united primarily by their conservatism and a determination to know what they’re voting on, gathers in Room 216 at the state Capitol. On this day, a dozen or so legislators analyze and discuss bills expected to surface for floor debate in coming days. The entire group consists of about 30, though committee meetings and other obligations keep some away.
“Our purpose,” said state Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ranger), chairman of what is called the 216 Policy Group, “is to be an open forum for discussion of every bill, and to analyze it through our conservative lenses.” The questions asked of every bill: Does it lower taxes? Promote personal responsibility? Lead to less government? Does it promote liberty and justice for all?
Their discussions, led by a member of the group who has taken responsibility for analyzing a bill’s content, results in a numeric score using those principles. These are not young rebels bucking authority, so they don’t circulate the scores to other legislators. They generally try to support the group’s positions in floor debate, but often wind up voting differently.
For instance, state Rep. Steve Davis (R-McDonough) voted against the supplemental budget, but others in the group did not. Still, he was incensed by the governor’s veto and his delay in transmitting it to the House, prompting an apparent need for a special session.
“This is not about the House vs. the Senate vs. the governor,” he wrote on his blog. “This is about fiscal conservatism and keeping our commitment to” taxpayers.
“The true commitment of a conservative would be to veto the budget because the refund was not large enough,” he argued.
Rep. Martin Scott (R-Rossville) provides a more measured response. “We all center around a group of core principles — that’s the gravity in the middle holding us together.”
The 216 Policy Group has existed since 2005, with the majority having been elected in 2004. They represent a kind of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” idealism, believing that they ought to stand on principle and know the content of legislation. It’s a tough challenge. Late in the session innocuous bills that were introduced as “vehicles,” open up code sections then are amended in the final days or hours to include language that may never have been discussed on the floor.
It’s easy, especially for those who aren’t a part of leadership, to find themselves back home explaining why they voted for a bill whose contents were a mystery. That’s a fear uniting group members.
In addition to the Jimmy Stewart idealism of the 216 Policy Group, their late afternoon discussions confirm another reason for conservatives to be hopeful: There are some awfully smart, young conservatives representing communities surrounding Atlanta: legislators such as Reps. Barry Loudermilk (R-Cassville), Charlice Byrd (R-Woodstock), Jeff May (R-Monroe), Calvin Hill (R-Canton) and others. The group includes, as well, some older conservatives, such as Reps. John D. Meadows III (R-Calhoun) and Jimmy Pruett (R-Eastman), who last November won the seat vacated by former House Speaker Terry Coleman (D-Eastman).
This group is doing precisely what a new governing majority should do — and that is to convene regularly to determine which principles they share and what it is they’re trying to do with government. They look, as Graves explained, “at what works in other states and what doesn’t, to better equip ourselves to know how to handle issues and how to find the best solutions.”
The Republican majority came suddenly — and probably not because Republicans had positively convinced the state’s voters to buy in to their ideas, but because a state Democratic Party drifting into alignment with the national party had lost them. The task now is to give voters a positive reason for keeping them in power.
Those positive reasons are centered on principle and a better, fuller explanation, a vision that communicates what they intend to do with government. The essential first requirement is to decide. That’s why conversations such as those in this 216 Policy Group are vital — and encouraging.
Permalink | Comments (47) | Post your comment | Categories: Column
Services »
Comments
By Jim's a Cherry Picker
May 1, 2007 9:19 AM | Link to this
Hi Jim,
Nice article. So full of hope and expectation.
Too bad the lobbyists will turn them into their own little legislative robots.
Some will hold out longer than others, but they’ll turn to the dark side of narrow interest and forget the otherwise distracted citizens of Georgia before you can say “liberals are Godless”.
By ron
May 1, 2007 9:36 AM | Link to this
Jim, So you have 30 young Republicans that can’t agree among themselves.What’s new and uplifting about that?As a group they may demand a larger bribe from lobbyists.You know,more freebies than one acting alone could possibly demand.There has to be some purpose for this group to be together.
By harold
May 1, 2007 9:37 AM | Link to this
harold heard talk about these kids forming unions to get better perks and benefits from the lobbyists than they could get on their own
By melo
May 1, 2007 9:44 AM | Link to this
Watch Brian Ross on 20/20 this Friday and you will sure hear about how some of your Hossanah Bible Qoir(GOP) people have been exposed in the sex scandal in DC.This includes a current President of a Conservative think tank. PRINCIPLE, POLICY & BOUGHT SEX UNITE CONSERVATIVES!!
NICE PRINCIPLES!!!
By Dennis
May 1, 2007 9:48 AM | Link to this
I agree with Jim’s a Cherry Picker.
Government is for sale to ambitious politicians and the lobby industry knows it. Jim Wooten knows it too.
In fact the revelations of corruption within the Bush administration and the Republian party attest to that without doubt. Not that the democrats are any better.
“There’s not a dime’s worth of difference in the two political partys. They’re just two divisions of the ‘business party’” for whom the lobby industry works.
However, if Jim’s hopes for conservative ideas and conservative politicians have any merit, maybe they could begin this way; if Georgia has to have a special legislative session, perhaps these “hopefulls” who are concerned about saving the tax payer money, might introduce a resolution to the Oval Office to stop the war in Iraq which is now nearing the half trillion “bench mark”.
You don’t have to be a blind conservative not to see it, just an ignorant one to deny it.
By getalife
May 1, 2007 9:59 AM | Link to this
Buckley: GOP may not be able to ‘survive’ because of Iraq “There are grounds for wondering whether the Republican party will survive this dilemma.”
Wow, a con at the NRO with a brain thinking for himself.
And I thought they did not exist.
But, but, but, the liberals.
Geez.
By Redneck Convert
May 1, 2007 10:01 AM | Link to this
Well, I reckon it’s good these young fellers is getting together to try to figure out what a bill says and does. Lord knows the older people at the state house don’t have no idea when they vote.
If they was smart they would vote down any bill that would fund Peachcare or welfare or Medicaid or any other handout that gave our tax money to Those People and the old codgers that ought to be out working instead of setting on their butts waiting for a guvmint check to arrive. They could leastwise get work as flag wavers at road work places, even if they was in a wheel chair. We need to round them up from the nursing home and the dice game and the night club and put them right to work. It’s the good, conservative GA way. And it’s the Christian thing to do. Long as none of them drink or buy booze on Sunday. I don’t want to start making beer runs on Sunday. That day is for NASCAR.
Anyway, it’s good to know that Wooten don’t have nothing else to do in the morning but go down to the capital and watch these young Republicans meet. He never went down there when the librul Democrats was in charge. I guess he’s about to get his pink slip from the libruls in charge at the AJC and I just wanted to remind him the warehouse job is still open. I know he’s just itching to be part of Private Innerprize instead of setting at a desk and pecking at a PC like the redheaded step-child in a crowd of dark-haired people.
But more power to these young Republicans. They are the future. We can get rid of Social Security and Medicare and other handouts and keep the war going and get the Stars and Bars back and put the Ten Commandments everywhere if they keep going and take over some day. Anyway, it’s good to know they are working early in the morning while the older folk down there are sleeping off hangovers.
By jm
May 1, 2007 10:06 AM | Link to this
Well, I would be more impressed if these young conservatives would be more willing to talk about the services they are cutting/eliminating in order to make sure those tax cuts they are talking about are paid for today rather than “borrowing” against the future. Also, while it is the tax payers money, it is always nice to have a rainy day fund.
By jbmlaw
May 1, 2007 10:07 AM | Link to this
Good morning all. I am delighted to hear about the existence of a “216 Policy Group” among our state legislators. Such a discussion group should keep the conservative focus – if our National Republicans had only kept the conservative vision, they would still control Congress. Instead they started pretending to be faux Democrats; who can blame the American public, given a choice of true big spenders and phony pretend big spenders, for selecting the real thing. The Gingrich “Contract with America” was the national equivalent of the 216 Policy Group – had the Republicans possessed sufficient brains to keep that focus we would see a different world today.
By The Truth Hurts
May 1, 2007 10:08 AM | Link to this
What a wasted opportunity for today’s column. Woot should have written a piece on the anniversery of Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speach below that big banner. By the way, we’ve lost over 3,200 since that speach. But, hey, we’re turning the corner!
By JK
May 1, 2007 10:24 AM | Link to this
The Gingrich “Contract with America” was the national equivalent of the 216 Policy Group – had the Republicans possessed sufficient brains to keep that focus we would see a different world today.
HAHAHA! The Gingrich “contract” was a sleazy sales pitch used by an entire party as a means to an end… not unlike the “I love you, I’m your man, I’ll take care of you, trust me…” lines delivered by young men convincing young women to give in, though they have no intention of taking responsibility for fertilization that takes place as a result. And like naive young women, the American people bought it and believed it, because we wanted and needed to believe it, and were left holding the bag of $9 trillion in debt, a spiraling deficit, a war with no end, and a directive for us to be responsible for our own little b@stards with no help from Daddy.
The “contract” lawyer man, (just like this “war”) accomplished EXACTLY what it was intended to: power and money for a few whose brains far exceed their integrity. To take literally the words therein was, and continues to be, sheer foolishness.
By Curious Observer
May 1, 2007 10:32 AM | Link to this
Today is the first I can start using my Medicare Parts A, B, and D cards. Thank God these young Republicans and their elders haven’t been able to alter the core of these programs, although they’ve made a thorough botch of Part D by enacting the Guaranteed Profitability for Insurance Companies version of the program.
Oh, they will continue to moan and groan about the tremendous “liability” of Social Security and Medicare and how much better it would be if only everybody had a private account—better for Republican-supporting investment houses, that is. But somehow I can’t feel too guilty about my government dependence—not after my employers and I have contributed more than $200,000 in FICA taxes and almost $50,000 in Medicare taxes.
These neocons about which Wooten raves are the jungle-inhabiting scourges of the human race. They have no compassion for those in poverty or the sick or the elderly or children in need of services. We should all be grateful that the American public is at last catching on to the nature of American Republicanism.
In the end, these neocons, young and old, will be historical footnotes, much like the Copperheads and the Know-Nothings. Let Georgia wallow in the filth of yesterday as it seeks to turn back the clock. The rest of this country will continue to advance in placing emphasis on the welfare of its people and decent values. You can have your young Republicans, and I hope you can find the orifice through which you can stick them.
By Van
May 1, 2007 10:42 AM | Link to this
I think the “216 Policy Group” may start a trend. A trend that both parties might want to invest in.
While I find it difficult to imagine democrats sitting around a conference talk and talking about policy instead of having to listen to Teddy boy tell them what policy is.
I find it quite refreshing to hear about a group that discusses every bill that might come up. I think the concept is excellent.
I wonder if the many different caucus’ in the democrat party could come together like this small, but good example.
By Jim's a Cherry Picker
May 1, 2007 10:56 AM | Link to this
I think you’re right about 216 Van.
Sounds a little like the “K Street Project”, when Delay and all his buddies had prayer breakfasts before plotting how to secure all the lobby money for themselves so that they could freeze out democrats once and for all and create a one party government that would allow them to rule the country for their shadowy masters.
Very refreshing.
By getalife
May 1, 2007 11:00 AM | Link to this
Its a caucus meeting.
This is nothing new, it is doing their jobs.
Geez.
By jbmlaw
May 1, 2007 11:00 AM | Link to this
Happy Birthday, Curious. If you had invested your $250,000 at half the long-term market rate (4%, half of 8%) you would have a pile of $500,000 today. Congratulations.
By Jim's a Cherry Picker
May 1, 2007 11:02 AM | Link to this
Oh, and lest we think that such group-driven cigar-filled-room dynamic is limited to government, here’s a little nugget from Forbes about our future business leaders at Duke.
This too, is refreshing.
By jbmlaw
May 1, 2007 11:21 AM | Link to this
Dr. Sowell publishes his own proverbs and witticisms today. Example: “I am so old that I can remember a Democrat, at his inauguration as President, say of our enemies: ‘We dare not tempt them with weakness.’” http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2007/05/01/random_thoughts
By Captain Freedom
May 1, 2007 11:27 AM | Link to this
Good morning Cherry Picker,
The Captain thanks you for the salutary news from Duke University about the so-called cheating “scandal”. To wit:
“Business students are more likely to cut corners than those in any other academic discipline, several studies show. A Rutgers University survey last year found that cheating at business schools is common.
[…]
“What is taught in a business program sometimes reinforces” students’ tendencies to be entrepreneurial and results-oriented…”
And a hearty Freedom Salute to the good professors at Duke and elsewhere for doing their jobs well. Do we want successful, go-getter Captains of Industry, or do we want a bunch of hand-wringing namby-pamby pu$$y boys who would sacrifice a God-ordained profit for some abstractly defined so-called “social good”?
This Captain of Freedom wants his Industrial counterparts to have a clear vision of Right Thinking Success, and is proud that the MBA students of Our Great Nation (and especially Duke, where the Capt. nearly matriculated) are not being hamstrung by PC notions of fair play, environmental responsibility, or social justice…inventions all of the Al Bore wing of the Demoncrat Party.
Of course, some bedwetter at Duke has to pis$ in the punch bowl just as the party is really getting going again. Here’s some poof lib in charge of some ethical foundation or other…
“Those sometimes aren’t the people who understand that moral means have to be used to achieve moral ends.”
What a bunch of Communatheist horse hockey. Let’s sort this out clearly, eh?
Profit is good. The Bible says so, and as the Bible is the unerring word of God himself, that settles that.
The ends justify the means. If one of our Right Thinking business leaders finds it necessary to spin the truth — or deprive entire communities of its health and livelihood — in order to protect profitability, then it is his Holy Duty to take that action. What the Communatheists do not realize is that this is the path that requires true courage. For in our world, this action, if revealed, is subject to shame and even prosecution (if the liberals have the power) despite the fact that it is de facto God’s will that Captain MBA act in this way.
Doing the liberally-defined “right thing” — standing up for fair play, defying stockholders, resisting the impulse to accumulate personal wealth — this is the coward’s way.
So bravo, Dukesters, for your courage in training to make Our Glorious Nation (or at least the select 10%) more prosperous and secure.
This news makes the Captain proud as punch to have wanted so badly to attend Duke. I haven’t been this peacock proud as a stalwart near-alumnus since we found out that the lacrosse players only looked at that dusky stripper, and did not foul their loins with actual congress.
Yes, the good people of Durham have much to be happy about today.
By Captain Freedom
May 1, 2007 11:39 AM | Link to this
Alas, though the Captain is loathe to put a damper on the thrill we all feel thinking about the manly Rule Benders of Freedom at Duke, not all is sweetness and light in the world of True Belief. For indeed, we remain at war with the evildoers who refuse to stop pretending to have the will to fight a full four years after Our Leader declared MISSION ACCOMPLISHED and the end of combat actions in Iraq.(4 years to the day!! Happy Anniversary to Our Glorious Leader of the Cockpit and Codpiece)
Alas, even though the Islamoliberanist terrorists continue to threaten Our Way of Life, Defeatocrat Surrender Monkeys who are running for President continue to spout cowpies like this:
“We Americans must be willing to listen to the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies. Our great power does not mean we can do whatever we want whenever we want, nor should we assume we have all the wisdom, knowledge and resources necessary to succeed.”
Great Jesus on a Pogo Stick, it sounds like this pu$$y went to the John Kerry school of how to look like a limp wristed weakling. I bet Osama bin Hussein just can’t wait to kick sand in this guy’s eyes.
By CJ
May 1, 2007 12:07 PM | Link to this
“Our purpose,” said state Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ranger), chairman of what is called the 216 Policy Group, “is to be an open forum for discussion of every bill, and to analyze it through our conservative lenses.” The questions asked of every bill: Does it lower taxes? Promote personal responsibility? Lead to less government? Does it promote liberty and justice for all?”
This 216 Policy Group is f##king scary.
Applying the ideology of “lower taxes” and “personal responsibility” and “less government”, taken to extremes, is anarchy. Yes, throwing seniors off of Medicaid, cutting children from PeachCare, allowing business to produce unsafe products or services in unsafe working conditions for their underpaid workers while polluting our air and water will lead to less taxes, less government and more personal responsibility (i.e. you’re on your own). This so-called conservative ideology is already leading to environmental destruction, worker exploitation, injury and premature deaths, increased abortions, increased infant mortality rates, increased violent crime rates, a crumbling infrastructure, a shrinking middle class and a growing under class. There’s more to come.
The questions that legislators should be asking themselves includes, does a proposed bill solve or mitigate the problem being addressed? If yes, what are the expected long-term costs and benefits of this legislation? If no, what other options should we consider?
Sometimes a problem can best, or only, be addressed by more government (e.g. regulating food and drugs for safety) – other times less government is required (e.g. eliminating barriers to start a small business). Ideology is dangerous because if and when it doesn’t provide the expected results, rather than adjusting, the ideologues sink into the depths of denial, and we all find ourselves in a heap of trouble.
With regard to “promoting liberty and justice” – two words – Genarlow Wilson. These guys are full of $hit.
By Fun Facts
May 1, 2007 12:22 PM | Link to this
Inspectors for a federal oversight agency, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, have found that in a sampling of eight projects that the United States had declared successes, seven were no longer operating as designed because of plumbing and electrical failures, lack of proper maintenance, and expensive equipment that lay idle. Inspectors had intended to sample different regions and various types of projects, but they were constrained from taking a true random sample in part because many projects were in areas too unsafe to visit.
By jm
May 1, 2007 12:23 PM | Link to this
jbmlaw@11:00 - and if Curious had invested (or had his 401K) in Enron or MCI or HealthSouth or Tyco or …
How much would he have?
By Amber
May 1, 2007 12:34 PM | Link to this
CJ,
You are one angry liberal, and I love it.
The question isn’t, why are liberals so angry? The question is, why aren’t we all angrier?
Good to see you back, CJ. You’re one of my “Thinking Right” faves (along with Captain Freedom — also not around enough these days). Try not to stay away so long.
By Jack
May 1, 2007 12:42 PM | Link to this
Massive TLC on the blog today. Hey JM, how much would Bill Gates have had he not owned Microsoft? How much hair would be on someone’s head if they didn’t shave it? HAHAHAHA!!!
By Captain Freedom
May 1, 2007 1:08 PM | Link to this
Amber,
Thank you for your kind words. But alas, your compliment comes as the Captain is forced again to debase himself in apology.
At 11:39 a.m., the Captain posted the following Islamosurrenderist comments from a prominent Presidential candidate:
“We Americans must be willing to listen to the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies. Our great power does not mean we can do whatever we want whenever we want, nor should we assume we have all the wisdom, knowledge and resources necessary to succeed.”
The Captain then went on to deride the speaker as a limp-wristed Kerryite Defeatocrat. Imagine my chagrin when I discovered that the man who spoke these lines is none other than St. John McCain, whom Our Leader has kissed in public. I wish to retract that accusation. The Good St John’s joints are as rigid as his intellect, and his wrists are not capable of dangling effeminately from his cuffs, a la Kerry or Edwards.
But this world is truly getting more and more confusing to the Captain. The comments coming from those who wish to succeed Our Leader sound like they come straight from the demonic minds of the Dark Lords Soros, Atrios, and Kos, and are disturbing to Right Thinking True Believers.
Our only hope is for Fred Thompson to run. Not only is he a dreamboat (and I mean that from a purely heterosexual vantage point), but the man is an accomplished New York prosecutor (snap! take that Rudy), and served in the military with distinction as a submarine commander (jump back, John McGoo!). Why, he’s even had multiple wives, thereby nullifying Romney’s sole distinguishing accomplishment of LDS-sanctioned bigamy.
Perhaps the good boys of Room 216 could encourage him to run? Or do they need a lobbyist’s enticement to encourage them to encourage him?
By jbmlaw
May 1, 2007 1:30 PM | Link to this
Dear jm @ 12:23, I have to concede that leftists probably would invest in things like Enron and Tyco, but any intelligent people would put their retirement funds into a market index fund and just take the 8% annual return. That was why I granted only a 4% possibility to our birthday celebrant.
By Mid-South Philosopher
May 1, 2007 1:53 PM | Link to this
Good afternoon, Jim and others.
My attention was required in other venues this morning, thus, I am tardy in brightening everyone’s day.
The 216 Policy Group is a vibrant association of young conservatives poised for much good.
Tom Graves, the chairman, bears a striking resemblance to the late Frank G. Clement, who was the youngest governor in the history of Tennessee in the 1950s. Even though Clement was a Democrat, their politics are not all that different with the change of society over the past 50 years or so.
I agree wholeheartedly with the 216 Group’s criteria for assessing a bill:
Any bill should:
Lower taxes Reduce government Promote personal responsibility Promote liberty and justice for all.
My only problem with the group is that, when it comes to their social conservative agenda, they are a little shaky on the last point. They are all for promoting liberty and justice for all…so long as it is their idea of liberty and justice.
I would enjoy facilitating a class for the 216 Policy Group on the U.S. Constitution. We all might learn something.
By jm
May 1, 2007 1:55 PM | Link to this
jbmlaw@1:30 - that is assuming that option is available to you. Many of the people who lost their savings with Enron and WorldCom had a large percentage of their 401k in company stock (that was how the program was set up). Also, I assume you must consider W a leftist, since Kennyboy at Enron was one of his best buds.
By Curious Observer
May 1, 2007 2:44 PM | Link to this
First, let’s correct a mistaken assumption. Eligibility to use Medicare benefits occurs on the first day of the month in which the 65th birthday occurs, not on the birthday itself.
Jbmlaw presents a pretty little scenario at a 4% rate of return. However, he assumes starting with a lump sum, not with a revenue stream, as occurs with salary withdrawals.
Even so, he does not recognize the risk-reward relationship that is so well known in investment circles. While my investment of FICA and Medicare funds in the stock market might have yielded a much higher return, it might also have resulted in huge losses. Just ask some of those once-wealthy people who became relatively impoverished during the stock market bust a few years ago.
The only truly safe investment is one made in government funds. By definition, a functioning government cannot go broke. That’s why all the investment houses and theorists use treasury bills as the baseline of safety.
Finally, I do not recognize Social Security and Medicare as mere investment vehicles. They are part of a generational social contract. Contrary to what the neocons assert, a civilized society does have an obligation to the poorer and weaker of its citizens. True, I will receive a lower rate of return on my contributions than will somebody who earned considerably less during his career. The level of Social Security benefits is skewed toward lower-income people, and even Medicare provides for some waivers of Part B premiums for people unable to pay them. I accept all that as part of my own societal obligation to care about poorer and less fortunate people. Unfortunately, the jbmlaws of this society never will. They think only of lining their own pockets, all the while sneering at those in poverty and other unfortunate circumstances.
By DebbieDoRight
May 1, 2007 3:02 PM | Link to this
Deep into the afternoon on an April day, a group of mostly young Republican legislators — young in age and/or service — who are united primarily by their conservatism and a determination to know what they’re voting on
Why didn’t they all go down to their local recruiter’s office and sign up to help fight the war in Iraq that they all support? THIRTY YOUNG REPUBLICANS who could’ve made a difference with this upcoming surge —What a waste of good bullet bait.
By getalife
May 1, 2007 3:09 PM | Link to this
They broke it, stole the unmetered oil, paid the defense contractor scams and are trying to get the oil law passed for big oil.
Mission Accomplished.
Will they get away with this illegal fraud and theft occupation where thousands have been murdered?
Yes.
We are no longer a nation of laws.
We have them but do not enforce them.
By catlady
May 1, 2007 3:18 PM | Link to this
Deb, great comment! I was wondering why they are in Georgia, instead of being stationed in IRAQ. I guess that problem is too insignificant for their time! But, as wonder boys, they should put their energy, candor, and insight to work for the whole country!
My rule: NO ONE can say ANYTHING about Iraq if they have not served in the armed forces and been a part of REAL action on the front (no, I don’t mean occasionally flying in Alabama, nor having other things to do rather than serve, nor heavy necking with some sweetie in a bar in Da Nang). That would shut up 5/6 of all commentary, including mine, but it would be worth it.
By JK
May 1, 2007 3:19 PM | Link to this
DebbieDoRight, why that is an EXCELLENT question you pose at 3:02 P.M.!!
You know, I’d like to know why ALL the young republicans aren’t enlisting! Perhaps MR. WOOTEN will ASK them in person when he speaks next week at the Buckhead Young Republicans monthly meeting:
Thursday, May 10th Location: Copelands - Buckhead Social: 7:00 pm
Forum: 7:30 pm
Speaker: Jim Wooten
Assoc. Editor, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hey, let’s all show up to hear Mr. Wooten ask this important question!
By JK
May 1, 2007 3:25 PM | Link to this
By the way, the Buckhead Young Republicans do have a snazzy little website. Check it out for meeting and contact info. I’m sure they’re all more than happy to tell us exactly why they aren’t enlisting to fight in this war they support with their.. um… little made-in-china car magnets and words of bravado.
By jbmlaw
May 1, 2007 3:38 PM | Link to this
Apologies to jm @ 1:55 and Curious @ 2:44. I was guessing at numbers off the top of my head, and you both desire precision. As to the 8% - average long term annual yield paid by common stocks – you’ll just have to trust me, I have no reference. Long ago in the WSJ, but I have nothing now. I believe you’ll find that everyone anywhere close to industry will tell you that when bonds pay above 8%, lock those in, and when they pay less, invest in the stocks.
As to what Einstein called a true miracle, however, I grossly over-estimated the return necessary for an investor (or, from the conservative view, grossly under-estimated the amount of money you would make.) I took the $250,000 Curious affirmed paid by him or on his behalf, divided that into 45 equal chunks, then invested at a calculated 2%, compounded annually, and came up with pennies under $400,000 at retirement age. If you put it into an index fund (not high risk stuff jm, just a market basket) that pays an average of 8%, you have $2,150,000 at retirement. Are you sure you guys don’t want to allow your kids to invest their own SocSec?
By K-Squared
May 1, 2007 3:39 PM | Link to this
“The level of Social Security benefits is skewed toward lower-income people, and even Medicare provides for some waivers of Part B premiums for people unable to pay them.”
Curious Observer,
Not to take away from your point, but payroll taxes are capped at 97,500 per worker. In other words, those of us who earn, via work less than $97,500 per year pay payroll taxes on 100 percent of our earnings — no exemptions — no deductions — no loopholes. Those who earn more than 97,500 pay zero percent for all earnings above this amount.
So, the net effect is that a person earning $50,000 per year pays 7.65 percent of his or her annual earnings in payroll taxes. Another person earning $150,000 per year pays 4.97 percent. And of course, the more he or she earns, the lower the percentage of income that he or she pays.
In addition, many persons at the top of the income ladder get much, if not most of their income from capital gains, inheritances, dividends, stock options and other. They pay zero payroll taxes on such income, but they’re still eligible for and benefit from Medicare.
The result is that while Social Security benefits might be skewed toward lower income persons (not necessarily true for Medicare beneficiaries), contributions are definitely skewed toward lower income workers.
We need to take the following steps —
Lower the payroll tax rates slightly (an actuary can tell us how much).
Eliminate the cap on payroll taxes.
Exempt the first $10,000 of salaries from payroll taxes resulting in an annual $765 raise for ALL workers (nearly all of that money will go right back into the economy for consumption — resulting in economic growth that will lead to higher wages and higher SS/Medicare collections). Note that each employer would get a $765 savings for each worker as well.
Consider collecting payroll taxes, at least Medicare taxes, on capital gains, dividends and other categories of non-work income.
I want to make this point…many of us have been misled by the right wing misinformation squad into believing that investment is more important to our economy than work, and therefore, investment gains should be taxed at lower rates. Nothing could be further from the truth. I won’t make the argument that investment is less important than work, but it certainly isn’t more important. They’re two legs to the same body, and the right leg (investment) needs the left leg (work) and vice versa. With both income and payroll taxes, workers could get a break in rates if investors paid their fair share – unfortunately — they don’t — and following the example of CJ and Amber, we need to get mad about this.
By Jack
May 1, 2007 3:48 PM | Link to this
You have to have gonads to enlist and they are politicians.
By Republican Geniuses
May 1, 2007 5:28 PM | Link to this
Yesterday’s State Department report on global terrorism included sobering and dejecting data. Terrorist attacks worldwide shot up 25% of the year before, while terrorist fatalities went up 40%. The results were particularly awful in Iraq — the State Department found that terrorism in the war-torn country claimed 65% of the worldwide total of terrorist-related deaths in 2006. Nearly half of the attacks counted in the world occurred in Iraq, which saw a stunning 91% increase in the number of terrorist incidents.
A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.
The classified National Intelligence Estimate attributes a more direct role to the Iraq war in fueling radicalism than that presented either in recent White House documents or in a report released Wednesday by the House Intelligence Committee, according to several officials in Washington involved in preparing the assessment or who have read the final document.
The intelligence estimate, completed in April, is the first formal appraisal of global terrorism by United States intelligence agencies since the Iraq war began, and represents a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government. Titled “Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States,’’ it asserts that Islamic radicalism, rather than being in retreat, has metastasized and spread across the globe.
An opening section of the report, “Indicators of the Spread of the Global Jihadist Movement,” cites the Iraq war as a reason for the diffusion of jihad ideology.
The report “says that the Iraq war has made the overall terrorism problem worse,” said one American intelligence official.
By Truthsayer
May 1, 2007 5:39 PM | Link to this
Republican Geniuses - I realize that like most partisans, you like to pick and choose and tell half-truths to make your point. This is a great case. You left out that most of these terrorist attacks occurred in one region of the world and in most of them in Iraq and Afghanistan, where we are actively engaged in a war on TERROR. But you don’t care about the facts.
In fact, let’s look at something that is a fact - Democrats as a group have lower IQs and have lower salaries and a lower level of education. You are one of them.
By dbsmith
May 1, 2007 5:43 PM | Link to this
Since Jim’s leaving the AJC, is he going to start charging the state GOP for these columns so he can pay the mortgage?
By Neener Neener
May 1, 2007 5:50 PM | Link to this
Democrats as a group have lower IQs and have lower salaries and a lower level of education.
Well, your BREATH stinks, and your wife messes around on you with a union guy! Nyah nyah!
By SB
May 1, 2007 5:51 PM | Link to this
As a rule, Law Day, a ceremonial holiday since 1958, goes by largely unnoticed. It was established as a Cold War counterpart to May 1, the biggest day on the socialist calendar. Ever since, presidents have issued proclamations that go by largely unnoticed and unread.
But this year seems a little different. Bush issued a proclamation about today’s “holiday,” explaining, “Our Nation is built upon the rule of law and guided by our founding promise of freedom, equality, and justice for all. Law Day is an opportunity to celebrate the Constitution and the laws that protect our rights and liberties and to recognize our responsibility as citizens to uphold the values of a free and just society. Generations of Americans have served the cause of justice and shaped our legal institutions to ensure that the blessings of liberty extend to every citizen.”
Reading the president proclaim that the nation is “built upon the rule of law” is a bit like hearing Ann Coulter proclaim the importance of civility, respect, and tolerance in our public discourse.
By James
May 1, 2007 6:11 PM | Link to this
Truthsayer wrote, “[Republican Geniuses] left out that most of these terrorist attacks occurred in one region of the world and in most of them in Iraq and Afghanistan.*”
Truthsayer should re-read the first paragraph of RG’s post. He should then consider coming up with a new moniker. “Truthsayer” doesn’t seem like a very good fit for this clown.
By Captain Freedom
May 2, 2007 8:19 AM | Link to this
And a belated kudo to jbmlaw for pointing us to Dr. Sowell’s specific genius. I especially liked this one:
“When I see the worsening degeneracy in our politicians, our media, our educators, and our intelligentsia, I can’t help wondering if the day may yet come when the only thing that can save this country is a military coup.”
Ah, the Captain’s thighs go all a-tingle at this kind of thinking. Our Leader himself has said that he would prefer his position to be Dictator. At last, perhaps, we see the beginnings of a popular groundswell to do away with those pesky trappings of “democracy” so we can begin to enjoy True Freedom!!!
By candide
May 2, 2007 9:05 AM | Link to this
What unites conservatives is what has always united them: greed, fear, and hatred.
By BYRs
May 10, 2007 4:44 PM | Link to this
Actually, the Buckhead YRs have several Iraq war veterans including reservist Major Brad Carver as the General Counsel of the Club. Some Young Republicans are not that young anymore (remember, we go up to age 40). I wonder how many Young Dems are vets, of any war.