Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul used the botched drug raid in north Georgia's Habersham County that disfigured a toddler as the central piece of his argument that politicians and aggressive policing are to blame for the unrest in Ferguson, Mo.
Here's what the potential GOP presidential candidate wrote in an op-ed for Time Magazine on Tuesday, which urged protesters to channel their energy toward "positive" changes:
Three out of four people in jail for drugs are people of color. In the African American community, folks rightly ask why are our sons disproportionately incarcerated, killed, and maimed?
A Habersham County grand jury decided not to charge any of the law enforcement officers involved in that raid, which injured a 19-month-old toddler after a stun grenade landed in his playpen.
The Habersham SWAT team told deputies to anticipate a cache of weapons and armed guards at the home. A search inside turned up neither guns nor drugs.
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Our colleagues over at the editorial page have an in-depth look at Georgia's transportation woes that's worth a close read.
Sen. Johnny Isakson wants the federal government to move to a user fee system to pay for transportation improvements to bolster the Highway Trust Fund, which is funded by the federal gas tax.
Writes Isakson:
In 2015, we have a real opportunity to repair this broken trust fund and find a new formula that fits the needs of 21st century America. It is time we change the trust fund model to a "user-pays" system. Everyone who uses the roads and other modes of transportation financed through the trust fund should pay into the system.
Ed Lindsey, a former Republican House leader who sits on a transportation study committee, warns that Atlanta could share the same fate of the trading post of Ephesus if it doesn't tackle infrastructure problems.
He echoes Isakson in warning that a dependency on motor fuel taxes to fund transportation is troubling.
Writes Lindsey:
Atlanta and Georgia are not immune to this reality. We are rightly proud of our past success, but we desperately need to step up and respond to our transportation infrastructure shortcomings to maintain our status as a destination point for economic growth and for people seeking a higher quality of life.
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Have a Happy Thanksgiving, folks. We're thankful for your readership during this hectic campaign season. Stay safe out there.
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