http://www.ajc.com The latest headlines from AJC en-us Copyright 2009, Cox Newspapers Inc., AJC Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:15:39 EST Newspapers COXnet RSS Generator v1.0 http://img.coxnewsweb.com/C/08/17/52/image_1352178.jpg http://www.ajc.com 5 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/04/05/equaled0405.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/04/05/equaled0405.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Sun, 5 Apr 2009 00:51:04 EDT Saturday marked the tragic anniversary of the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., but also the anniversary of his "Beyond Vietnam" speech one year earlier. In that 1967 speech at the historic Riverside Church in New York City, one of the most inspiring anti-war speeches ever delivered, King decried the "triple evils" plaguing our country —- "racism, extreme materialism and militarism." Were he alive, we believe King would urge President Obama to use his political and rhetorical skills to call on our people to cure these ills still so prevalent in our society. A first step would be ending the U.S. occupation of Iraq and, instead of sending an additional 21,000 troops, begin bringing home the troops in Afghanistan. And we humbly suspect that King would have been with us Saturday in Manhattan when we and other peace advocates marched to Wall Street to call for an end to war and corporate bailouts and for investing in our communities and human needs, environmental restoration and a green economy for all. Or as King so concisely phrased it, to "rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society." http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/03/29/equaled0329.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/03/29/equaled0329.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Thu, 2 Apr 2009 07:10:46 EDT To suggest that the General Assembly has passed legislation at the expense of its citizens is just flat wrong. The Georgia Legislature's No. 1 focus this session has been stimulating the economy, creating jobs, providing tax relief, balancing the state budget and doing everything we can to reduce burdensome costs to citizens. I sponsored Senate Bill 31, the Georgia Nuclear Energy Financing Act, for the purposes of saving consumers a tremendous amount of money and avoiding price gouging in the future. Much of what's being portrayed in the media about this bill is based on the opinions of misinformation provided by "consumer" groups, such as Georgia Watch and baseless opinions on blogs. The reality is that these generators will be built with or without this legislation. So why not save customers and taxpayers as much money upfront as we can? This is purely good business practice. This bill actually prevents the capitalization of financing costs at the end of the project, lowering the costs of construction to consumers by over $300 million. It allows for recovery of financing costs during the construction period —- and therefore avoids the "interest on interest" expenses charged to customers. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/03/31/equaled0331.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/03/31/equaled0331.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:45:47 EDT In a free society, government shouldn't have a stake in each piece of property many of us work hard to own. Motor vehicles should belong to each of us free and clear. But that is the story here in Georgia, as state and local officials have felt entitled to annually collect taxes on cars, trucks and SUVs, by something that is known as "the birthday tax" —- a levy due on the birthday of the owner of each vehicle. If the Legislature is successful in eliminating this onerous tax, we will set historic precedent in this state and nationwide when it comes to personal property. We will prove that citizens can own some property without government feeling at liberty to put a perpetual lien on it. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/03/22/equaled0322.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/03/22/equaled0322.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:15:29 EDT President Barack Obama could be the Energizer Bunny. In fewer than 100 days in office, he has rolled out one significant policy after another, including how to tackle public education. Spurring true education reform, however, is a task for the states and local school systems. As we have seen with No Child Left Behind and other well-meaning efforts, it is not the role of the federal government to insist on specific changes to what happens in a classroom in Cartersville, Ga., or Evansville, Ind. President Obama, however, does have some good concepts that are worth applauding. He supports more charter schools and, even more astounding, he supports the concept of competition —- in the form of a performance-based compensation system for public school teachers. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/03/20/equaled0320.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/03/20/equaled0320.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:40:26 EDT Many supporters of government spending say that only government action can provide jobs, give folks money and make everything alright. But history has shown true economic recovery comes through the creation of new jobs by an expanding private sector. In 1981, President Reagan signed into law the immensely successful Economic Recovery Act. As a result, the U.S. economy turned around in 1983 and boomed for many years. In that spirit, House Republicans introduced the "JOBS Act," a series of tax credits, cuts, and incentives to create, expand and attract new jobs to our state. With our unemployment rate hitting a record 9.3 percent this week and areas such as Dalton and metro Atlanta seeing long lines at unemployment offices, we knew the greatest stimulus would be policies that encourage companies and small businesses to get back on their feet and hire. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/03/12/equaled0312.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/03/12/equaled0312.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:50:51 EDT Just when you thought the poll tax was a historical remnant, it may yet reappear. No, not in its original version, but a new one under the guise of a whopping increase in Georgia's tobacco tax. The reason? It appears that all of the tax proposals that would have included the majority of Georgians are dead for this session. They apparently polled badly when trial balloons were floated to the public recently. But wait! We have the smokers, the same folks who just funded the federal children's health program to the tune of 62 cents per pack, for a program whose benefits will actually be received by a majority of nonsmokers. Proponents roll out polls that show that 80 percent of the people favor a tax where only 20 percent (not them) will pay the freight. Is anyone surprised? http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/03/10/equaled0310.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/03/10/equaled0310.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:56:14 EDT We at Georgia Right to Life have always supported adult stem cell research, which to date has 70 known cures to its credit. But we are opposed to destructive human embryonic stem cell research and applaud the Senate Health and Human Services Committee for passing Senate Bill 169, The Ethical Treatment of Human Embryos Act. The human embryo is one of us, fully human with great potential. Every living human being goes through the embryonic state and through the continuum of stages from fertilization until old age, unless interrupted by death. This is true medical science. SB 169 will ensure that Georgia taxpayers only fund ethical and fiscally responsible research into the future. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/02/04/equaled0204.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/02/04/equaled0204.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Wed, 4 Feb 2009 00:10:30 EST Clearly, our society does not want government picking our doctor, where we live or worship or where our children attend college. But for more than 150 years this nation has tolerated allowing government to tell families where they must send their children to school for a k-12 public education. In a truly free society, do we believe parents or government is best capable of making the decision where children should go to school? If the answer is parents, then they should have the right to send their children to the public or private school of their choice. After all, it is their children and their tax dollars that purchase educational services. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/01/28/equaled0128.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/01/28/equaled0128.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:15:29 EST As the new president receives his intelligence briefings, certain facts must now be apparent: Al-Qaida is actively working to attack our country again. And the policies and institutions that George W. Bush put in place to stop this are succeeding. During the campaign, Obama pledged to dismantle many of these policies. He follows through on those pledges at America's peril —- and his own. If Obama weakens any of the defenses Bush put in place and terrorists strike our country again, Americans will hold Obama responsible —- and the Democratic Party could find itself unelectable for a generation. Consider, for example, the CIA program that Bush created to detain and question senior leaders captured in the war on terror. Many of these terrorists, including Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed, refused to talk —- until Bush authorized the CIA to use enhanced interrogation techniques. Information gained using those techniques is responsible for stopping a number of planned attacks —- including plots to blow up the American consulate in Karachi, Pakistan; to fly airplanes into the towers of Canary Wharf in London; and to fly a hijacked airplane into the Library Tower in Los Angeles. During the campaign, Obama described the techniques used to prevent these attacks as "torture." He promised that if elected, he would "have the Army Field Manual govern interrogation techniques for all United States Government personnel and contractors." If he follows through, he will effectively kill a program that stopped al-Qaida from launching another Sept. 11-style attack. It was easy for Obama the candidate to criticize the CIA program. But as president, what will he do when the next senior al-Qaida leader —- with actionable intelligence on plots to strike our homeland —- is captured and refuses to talk? Will the president allow the CIA to question this terrorist using enhanced interrogation techniques? If Obama refuses and our country is attacked, he will bear responsibility. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/01/11/richardsoned_0111.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/01/11/richardsoned_0111.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Fri, 9 Jan 2009 20:59:36 EST If we are to continue Georgia's growth and prosperity, we must solve our transportation issues for the entire state. Adding a lane along a busy interstate, extending a rail line by a couple of miles or simply allowing metro Atlanta to tax itself won't solve our problems. For the past two years, a group of dedicated stakeholders has been working together to solve these problems. Many of these stakeholders recognize, as do I, that it is time to think bigger and develop a comprehensive statewide transportation improvement plan. That's why I'm confident in the leadership of House Transportation Chairman Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain) and his committee to work toward a plan that includes projects of statewide significance while providing funds for local transportation needs. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/01/06/equaled.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/01/06/equaled.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Tue, 6 Jan 2009 01:50:26 EST Each elected member of the Atlanta City Council has a fiduciary responsibility to oversee the finances of this city and govern with honesty and integrity as entrusted by the citizens upon taking the oath of office. I take serious that oath and endear the trust of the people that placed me in office. It is reckless to incriminate those who serve without valid cause or to cast suspicion without merit. In an attempt to recognize and seek innovative opportunities to serve the vast needs of the District 3 constituency, trust funds were established to accept private contributions in support of initiatives for senior citizen recreation and holiday assistance to low-income families in need of help. These were not taxpayer dollars, but private funds from gracious donors who willingly understand the intent and chose to lend financial support. The trust funds were established to offer transparency and an audit trail for the receipt of funds and disbursement of expenses associated with those initiatives. The legislative resolutions were introduced in the presence of the departments of law and finance with no indication that they were illegal or unethical, and subsequently approved by the council and the mayor. All expenditures submitted were accompanied by the required supporting documents and approvals following long-established guidelines by the city. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/01/06/equaled_0106.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/01/06/equaled_0106.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Mon, 5 Jan 2009 19:01:54 EST Each elected member of the Atlanta City Council has a fiduciary responsibility to oversee the finances of this city and govern with honesty and integrity as entrusted by the citizens upon taking the oath of office. I take serious that oath and endear the trust of the people that placed me in office. It is reckless to incriminate those who serve without valid cause or to cast suspicion without merit. In an attempt to recognize and seek innovative opportunities to serve the vast needs of the District 3 constituency, trust funds were established to accept private contributions in support of initiatives for senior citizen recreation and holiday assistance to low-income families in need of help. These were not taxpayer dollars, but private funds from gracious donors who willingly understand the intent and chose to lend financial support. The trust funds were established to offer transparency and an audit trail for the receipt of funds and disbursement of expenses associated with those initiatives. The legislative resolutions were introduced in the presence of the departments of law and finance with no indication that they were illegal or unethical, and subsequently approved by the council and the mayor. All expenditures submitted were accompanied by the required supporting documents and approvals following long-established guidelines by the city. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2008/12/23/equaled_1223.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2008/12/23/equaled_1223.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:31:23 EST Hailed by some as a pioneer in education reform, Arne Duncan was recently selected by President-elect Obama to be our next secretary of education. However, his track record as the CEO of Chicago Public Schools for the past seven years shows that Duncan is the wrong choice for America's schools. Behind the rhetoric of "reform" is the reality of Duncan's accomplishments, particularly the problems behind his signature initiative, Renaissance 2010. Launched in 2004, Renaissance 2010 aims to open 100 new smaller schools (and close about 60 "failing" schools) by the year 2010. To date, 75 new schools have opened. However, many of them are charter schools that serve fewer low-income, limited-English proficient and disabled students than regular public schools. More than a third of them are in communities that are not high-needs areas. During Duncan's tenure, district-wide high school test scores have not risen, and most of the lowest-performing high schools saw scores drop. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2008/12/21/equaled_1221.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2008/12/21/equaled_1221.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:59:19 EST In the wake of the corruption scandal surrounding Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, some are proposing to ban so-called "pay-to-play" donations from government contractors. Advocates of a pay-to-play ban fear elected officials will exchange campaign contributions for contracts instead of awarding them to the best qualified or lowest bidder. Such a ban would impose a solution in search of a problem and represent a clear danger to the First Amendment freedoms of speech, assembly and petition. The restrictions would prevent individuals at companies with government contracts from donating to candidates for public office. Limits vary among other state and local governments that have adopted these bans, but most cover no-bid as well as competitive contracts, some set a minimum contract value triggering the limits and some restrict not only the contracting group but also shareholders, related labor unions and relatives of contractors. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2008/12/16/equaled_1216.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2008/12/16/equaled_1216.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17 Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:47:25 EST Throughout the preparation for trial and the prosecution of the Brian Nichols case, there have been many misconceptions and outright falsehoods regarding the decision to go to trial, the decision to seek the death penalty and now next steps (if any). I have refrained from commenting publicly in order to allow the courts and not the media to decide the case. Now that the case is essentially over, I would like to address these issues. Let me clearly state for the record that I unequivocally accept the decision of the jurors. No one anywhere has more respect for jurors and the sacrifice they make when called upon to administer justice than I. While I might not agree with the decision, I wholeheartedly accept it and would never move to invalidate their work and effort. My acceptance of the verdict, however, does not preclude sharing my observations, my experiences and expertise as to how to improve the administration of justice when the death penalty is being considered.