Georgia Pundit

via Eject Gaylord Perry | National Review Online.

Long before steroids, baseball already showed it was unwilling to deal with cheaters in its midst. In 1987, Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Niekro was ejected for having an emery board and sandpaper on the mound. He got a ten-game suspension. But years before, Major League Baseball MLB had allowed another cheater to run rampant for over a decade.

Gaylord Perry admitted, in his 1974 autobiography, to throwing the spitball in violation of multiple provisions of Rule 8.02a since 1964. He ultimately won 314 games and posted 3,564 strikeouts over a 22-year career, totals that got him elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991, his third year of eligibility.

In Me and the Spitter: An Autobiographical Confession, Perry not only detailed how he doctored the ball but also named his teammate Bob Shaw as a spitball pitcher who became his mentor in cheating.

At the time of Perry’s confession, MLB did nothing. He would be ejected from a game and suspended eventually, in 1982, while with the Seattle Mariners. It never should have taken that long.

It is not surprising, though. Look at the complaints about andro and steroids. Steroids were banned from baseball in 1991, and federal law forbids them unless they’re prescribed by a doctor. But much of the steroid use between 1991 and 2006, before testing became common, was by players who when in high school, college, and the minor leagues in the 1970s and early 1980s saw Gaylord Perry get away with flouting the rules.

via Chambliss, Isakson, Kingston Urge Obama to Fund Savannah Harbor – News Releases – News Center – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson.

WASHINGTON –U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), and U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (GA-1) strongly urged President Obama in a letter today to fulfill his “We Can’t Wait” promise and include legislative language for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) authorization increase in his budget amendment to Congress.

Chambliss, Isakson and Kingston reminded the president that during his presidential campaign last July, he “illustrated understanding of the outstanding benefits this project provides.” The president listed the Port of Savannah as one of five “We Can’t Wait” projects.

“We are disappointed that your support for this vital project has seemingly waned this year,” the lawmakers continue. “With the forthcoming expansion of the Panama Canal, additional U.S. ports capable of receiving Post-Panamax ships are critical for the economic wellbeing and competitiveness of our nation. This is a vital project for Georgia, for the Southeast, and for the nation.”

The text of the letter:

Dear Mr. President,

We are deeply concerned with your fiscal year 2014 budget requests’ lack of support for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP).  As you know, the Army Corps of Engineers’ General Re-evaluation Report calculates the national annual value of this project at $213 million in benefits.  The same report shows that SHEP will create 11,554 jobs, over $551 million in labor income, and a gross regional value of over $794 million.  In addition, SHEP boasts a very significant cost benefit ratio of 5.5:1.  With the forthcoming expansion of the Panama Canal, additional U.S. ports capable of receiving Post-Panamax ships are critical for the economic wellbeing and competitiveness of our nation.

During your Presidential campaign last July, you illustrated understanding of the outstanding benefits this project provides when you listed the Port of Savannah as one of five “We Can’t Wait” projects.  We are disappointed that your support for this vital project has seemingly waned this year.

As you may know, SHEP has been a bipartisan effort at the federal, state, and local level. We, along with full Georgia Congressional Delegation and Mayor Reed, have voiced to you support for SHEP numerous times.  Additionally, the State of Georgia has exceeded their cost-share requirement by identifying $231 million for SHEP and Congress has appropriated construction funds for the last five fiscal years.  However, because of the lack of support in your budget, both state and federal contributions sit idle and progress has slowed.  SHEP is seeing day-for-day delay in construction and the $174 million of annual net benefits to the nation are not being realized.

We urge you to fulfill your “We Can’t Wait” promise and include legislative language for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project authorization increase in your budget amendment to Congress.  This is a vital project for Georgia, for the Southeast, and for the nation.

Sincerely,

U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson

U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston

SPECIAL to www.gapundit.com

From Virginia Galloway: Georgia State Director – Americans For Prosperity

Priorities – that’s what seemed amiss in the GA legislative session this year. Yes, some good things got done, but what was left undone was of more concern. While GA lawmakers fought over whether a $0 cap or $100 cap on lobbyist-paid meals is better, fourteen other states are digging into state tax reform. Let’s hope GA will get serious about comprehensive tax reform and have something great to pass by early next session. Here’s a rundown of bills AFPGA followed in the 2013 session and a few editorial comments.

Bills that passed:

HB 140 Tuition Tax Credit got rolled into a general education bill, HB 382, and passed. The Student Scholarship Organization portion of the bill tightened up some reporting requirements and scholarship distribution rules, as well as increasing the cap on the tax credit from $52.8 million to 58 million. AFPGA supported raising the cap. Anytime you can successfully privatize a vital government service and save money by giving a tax credit to support that, it’s a win-win-win for government, taxpayers, and most importantly, the students and their families. Continue reading →

Two stories by Walter Jones, of Morris News, illustrate why I think he’s one of the top three writers on Georgia politics today. You should follow the links and read them in their entirety.

Last week, the Atlanta Press Club hosted a forum on the future of the Georgia Democratic Party, and Walter had a great write-up.

Democratic Party Chairman Mike Berlon is betting on picking up statewide races next year, but some other prominent Democrats aren’t confident about his strategy.

Berlon is trying to broker an agreement between U.S. Rep. John Barrow of Augusta and Michelle Nunn, the daughter of former Sen. Sam Nunn and the head of a nonprofit organization.

“We no longer can afford to have these party primaries where we take six or seven Democrats and run them against each other and there’s nothing left but smoke and ruin in the end,” he said. “This time around, we’ve worked very hard to make sure that when the decision is made, these two candidates talk to each other and clear the field so we can move forward.”

But Steve Anthony, a political science professor at Georgia State University and a former executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia, predicts Berlon won’t succeed.

“I’m conflicted about that approach,” he said.

Democrats tired of being in the minority aren’t content to wait for circumstances to reverse. They want to speed up political trends they perceive to be in their long-term favor. They just don’t agree on what to do in the meantime.Now, demographers tell us the tide has turned, and the current waves are bringing black, Hispanic and Asians who, along with younger voters, are swinging the scales back in the Democrats’ favor.

Experts predict the balancing point will arrive around the 2018 elections.

Until then, party strategists hope that in next year’s U.S. Senate race, Republicans will help by having a bloody primary fight that nominates a candidate so far to the right as to alienate independents.

However, waiting on demographic shifts and missteps by your opponent is too passive for politicos. They just don’t agree on what to do now.

via On climate change, public opinion varies by party | PennLive.com

The divide of public opinion on climate change is seen starkly along party lines around the country and in Pennsylvania, public opinion polls show.

According to a poll by the Pew Research Center, a vast majority of Democrats (87 percent) thinks there is solid evidence of global warming. Among Republicans, those doubting evidence of global warming (50 percent) outnumber those who see evidence of climate change (44 percent).

While there has been a gap for years in Democratic and Republican perspectives, the divide is widening.

Republicans have been increasingly skeptical about the link between human activity and climate change. A decade ago, 62 percent of Republicans agreed that human activity contributed to global warming, compared to 39 percent of Republicans today, according to Pew surveys.