On this day fifty years ago, British author C.S. Lewis died from renal failure. The author of The Chronicles of Narnia became a self-professed atheist during his teenage years, but later became a committed Christian who wrote extensively on the topic. My favorite writing of his is called “The Weight of Glory,” which originally was written and delivered as a sermon.

“I believe in political equality. But there are two opposite reasons for being a democrat. You may think all men so good that they deserve a share in the government of the commonwealth, and so wise that the commonwealth needs their advice. That is, in my opinion, the false, romantic doctrine of democracy. On the other hand, you may believe fallen men to be so wicked that not one of them can be trusted with any irresponsible power over his fellows.”

“I believe that if we had not fallen…patriarchal monarchy would be the sole lawful government. But since we have learned sin, we have found, as Lord Acton says, that ‘all power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ The only remedy has been to take away the powers and substitute a legal fiction of equality.”

Jim Galloway has a fascinating account from long-time Gold Dome lobbyist Trip Martin who was 12-years old in 1963 and was in Dallas on this day, when President John F. Kennedy was shot.

Back in Georgia on that date, Georgia Governor Carl Sanders grieved the death of his friend, President John F. Kennedy, and late in the evening, a would-be assassin was caught on the grounds of the Georgia Governor’s Mansion. From Walter Jones with Morris News.

The troopers told him they believed that the president, the vice president and the Texas governor had all been killed and that his office had received a call threatening him, too.

“I said, ‘What are they going to kill me for?’ ” Sanders recalled.

That night, he slept peacefully despite his wife’s nervousness, only to be awakened at 2 a.m. by an officer reporting that the man making the threat had been arrested unarmed on the grounds of the Governor’s Mansion. It was a young man recently discharged from the Marines because of mental illness who had been driving through the state when he learned of Kennedy’s assassination and decided to follow suit.

Sanders and Kennedy, both active young Democrats half a century ago, had other connections.

Before his election as governor in 1962, Sanders had bucked the state party leadership and led a faction at the 1960 Los Angeles Democratic convention to campaign for Kennedy’s nomination. Once elected, the president felt a kindred spirit in Sanders, who was just eight years younger and also a World War II veteran.

 

John F. Kennedy announces for State Senate District 18

Macon lawyer John Flanders Kennedy announced yesterday that he will challenge Senator Cecil Staton in the Republican Primary for Senate District 18.

Conservative Republican John F. Kennedy today officially announced his campaign to seek the Republican nomination for State Senate District 18 and promises to deliver honest, hardworking leadership for Middle Georgia.

Senate District 18 includes all of Crawford, Monroe, Peach and Upson Counties and parts of Bibb and Houston Counties.

Said Kennedy, “I am excited to announce my campaign for State Senate, and I am encouraged by the outpouring of support I have received. I am running because our Middle Georgia families need honest, hardworking leadership in the State Senate. We need an authentic, enthusiastic conservative leader who is committed to working hard for our community and being there for us to ensure that our interests and values are being protected and that our voices are heard.”

Kennedy’s website can be found here at VoteJohnFKennedy.com. Kennedy’s website landing page features a large image of an old-fashioned campaign pin, which I would argue was the first type of political social media.

Email me your definition of “social media” as it relates to politics, and you may win a prize. Don’t just copy-and-paste someone else’s definition: give it some thought.

Free rides on GA-400

That’s a great graphic, and the tagline awesome: “We keep our promises. You keep the change.” +1 to whomever came up with that. Governor Deal will be holding an event at the toll station today for the ending of the tolls.

Agriculture & Commerce

That’s the motto on the obverse of the Georgia State Seal. We have great news on both fronts.

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black says that we are in exciting times for Agriculture, which is Georgia’s largest industry. From the Gainesville Times:

Black spoke Thursday in Gainesville at the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce board of directors meeting. The commissioner gave an overview on the agriculture in the state and said this was an exciting time in the industry and for Georgia. He also said Gainesville was an important part of poultry exports to other countries from the Savannah port.

Blueberries are a $250 million industry in the state, and Georgia is close to leading the nation in production, Black said. Georgia needs packing plants so growers don’t have to send the fruit to other states, such as Michigan. That will create and keep jobs in the state, he said.

“I think the real selling point on that part of the story is we wouldn’t have been able to do that without research from the University of Georgia,” Black said. “We had to develop and breed our own plant varieties that would work well in Georgia.”

The investment taxpayers made in the development of that crop about 25 years ago is bearing fruit today and will benefit the next generation. Black said it had “catapulted” over peach production.

“We’ve coined the phrase ‘Peach State,’” he said. “Those types of competitions between commodities and state recognition, I try to stay out of.”

Gainesville still lays claim to the title of “Poultry Capital of the World” and contributes to the amount of chickens sailing out of Savannah. Black said 40 percent of the poultry exported from the U.S. leaves from the South Georgia port, and half of those exports are Georgia chickens.

Meanwhile, Georgia State economist Rajeev Dhawan of the Economic Forecasting Center, says that Georgia’s economy is “poised for a takeoff in growth.”

Georgia’s employment growth rate in August was better than the nation’s, and the center’s forecast calls for the state to create 85,000 jobs this year compared to 63,000 in 2012. Next year, job creation will top 78,000, but an increasing share of them will be higher-paying.

Overall, the state and national economies could launch skyward if some potential hurdles don’t loom. For instance, another federal budget standoff that results in a new government shutdown would dampen consumer and corporate confidence, Dhawan warns. Plus, what he calls “global malaise” has the potential to depress exports which would weaken U.S. manufacturing, business investment and job creation.

Nevertheless, he’s especially optimistic about 2015, calling for gross domestic product to ratchet up to 3.0 percent after next year’s 2.0 percent repeat of this year.

“A new Congress will be a factor in that change, ushering in the possibility of less partisanship and bickering,” he said. “Such a shift will free investment to take off and, in turn, produce good job and income growth in 2015.”

Warner Robins Mayoral Debate

In Warner Robins, Joe Musselwhite and Randy Toms are headed into a December 3d runoff election for Mayor and participated in a debate last night.

“I hope that I’ve been able to get my message out that I am the candidate with the most experience to operate this city,” Musselwhite said after the debate, adding his primary goal is to complete long-stagnant projects.

Toms said he, too, hoped residents received his message, one that says he is a team leader who can end bickering in City Council to clear the way for progress.

“People certainly had the opportunity to hear what I’m saying,” Toms said.

On a question about how to bring more small businesses to Warner Robins to create jobs, Musselwhite said he would push for tax abatements to give as incentives, and Toms said he would aim to encourage businesses to start where others already exist.

We don’t need no stinkin’ input

Tim Lee just doesn’t care what the voters think about his plan to encumber their futures with 30 years worth of financial commitments on their backs. That’s the only conclusion we can draw from his response to questions last night at Commissioner Helen Goreham’s Town Hall meeting. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Elizabeth Reside asked simply: “Have you thought about asking taxpayers if we want to put forth this money?”

Lee initially ignored the question and asked for the next one, before opponents shouted for an answer. Lee boomed into the microphone, “No.”

A different questioner asked why the County Commission’s Nov. 26 vote to approve a contract with the Braves couldn’t be delayed. “What is the downside of postponing the vote and allowing for a more full discussion, and an independent study so we as taxpayers know if any of these numbers are supportable?”

It received a huge round of applause.

Lee said a month’s delay could threaten the deal.

“There’s a lot of work that has to be done in order to play baseball in 2017,” Lee said. He added that the county has done a lot of work to ensure “the Atlanta Braves weren’t using us to get a better deal out of the city of Atlanta, and we wanted to make sure the numbers they were providing us were legitimate.”

Fortunately for many Cobb County residents, other members of the Commission are more interested in representing their constituents. In addition to public meetings being held by Commissioners Bob Ott and Lisa Cupid, which we noted yesterday, Commissioner JoAnne Birrell has scheduled a public meeting to discuss the stadium financing. From Patch.com for East Cobb:

Birrell’s meeting is scheduled from 4:30-6 p.m. Monday at the Mountain View Regional Library, 3320 Sandy Plains Road.

[C]ommissioners Bob Ott and Lisa Cupid announced Monday town hall meetings on the subject. Both will take place at 7 p.m., Ott’s in the 2nd floor Board of Commissioners meeting room, 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta; Cupid’s at the South Cobb Community Center, 620 Lion Club Drive, Mableton.