Senator Renee Unterman on ObamaCare

Denis O’Hayer interviewed state senator Renee Unterman (R-Buford), who chairs the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, about how the state is dealing with Obamacare. As is becoming his custom, O’Hayer posts not only the “as aired” version, but an extended version for political junkies. It’s worth listening to.

“We don’t believe that the Affordable Care Act is going to be successful and we have protected that and defended that [position] in court…. What good does it do to put the insurance out there and say ‘here it is, it’s available’ but you can’t afford it. We’re going along, we’re following the law like we have to, but if the law’s broken, the law needs to be fixed.”

 

Fulton Elections Behind the Eight Ball

The Fulton County Elections Office chief discovered last month than nearly 14,000 voter registration applications were sitting unprocessed; the backlog has been reduced to approximately 3500. The interim chief has been fired, though no one will say why.

“It’s hard to piece together what happened,” Barron said. “Once you stop processing, and you’re getting 300 to 500 per day, you can see how they could build up over time.”

The unprocessed applications were all made after last year’s election, and no elections have been held yet this year.

Still, the department keeping thousands of people off the rolls so close to the launch of early voting in mid-October is alarming, League of Women Voters of Georgia President Elizabeth Poythress said.

“When people go to vote, they need to be able to vote without any disenfranchisement,” she said. “They don’t need any barriers put up. That’s what happened last year.”

Jared Thomas, a spokesman for Kemp, said no other county has gotten this far behind that he’s aware of. No other county reported similar problems with Driver Services applications, either, he said.

Why Johns Creek City Council is investigating the Mayor

In June, the Johns Creek City Council vote to hire outside lawyers to investigate undisclosed allegations of shenanigans by Mayor Mike Bodker. At that time, one member of council wrote:

“This action follows several reprimands of Mayor Bodker about certain questionable actions he’s taken over the last several years.  Unfortunately, that approach didn’t work and now the Council is left with no other choice but to turn to the investigative process as allowed under the City’s charter.  The City charter specifically states that the mayor represents the will of the Council.  However, there have been allegations that he’s repeatedly involved himself in actions and situations that were outside the will of Council.”

Bodker fired back, claiming the actions were part of a power grab.

“They have developed a hubris among them that they know best. They are bent on reducing the power and authority of the mayor because of me. It is just part of a bigger pattern actually,” he said.

In July, Mayor Bodker vetoed the resolution and the City Council overrode the veto. The stated issue was that the resolution authorizing the hiring of outside lawyers allowed those lawyers to speak to lawyers who worked for the city previously and may have had the effect of waiving the attorney-client privilege. At this point, Mayor Bodker proposed to the council hiring a third set of lawyers to advise on this point, and said in a press release,

“I am in no way attempting to slow the pace of this investigation. It is my desire, and I believe I share this with our citizens, to move all this along as quickly as possible.”

At this point, some citizens argued that the Council was harming the city’s reputation by pursuing undisclosed allegations. Two members of Council discussed the matter a little more after the meeting in which they overrode the veto.

Among the charges under investigation are that the mayor had direct involvement in police affairs and that he bullied staff, even going so far as to threaten their livelihood. Other allegations under investigation are that the mayor may have “crossed the line” in asking favors of people with business in the city.

Bodker denies interfering with the police department.

When in Rome…

Yesterday, a video surfaced of a spirited discussion between supporters of Phil Gingrey for Senate and some Georgia Campaign for Liberty supporters who were placing flyers on windshields in the parking lot of the Rome/Floyd County Republican gathering.

The video depicts Georgia State Patrol officers having an impromptu prayer meeting in the parking lot with some folks on both sides of the issue. I’d like to note two things here: first, I’ve been informed that John Law was not called to the event because of the parking lot shenanigans, but had been arranged to provide security assistance for the event. With a third of Georgia’s Congressional delegation in attendance, plus most of her executive officers, that’s a good call. Second, I see nothing to discredit the Gingrey campaign, though I think that was the intent of the C4L folks who are consistently choosing to deploy confrontational tactics against Republican elected officials.

In that respect, the Georgia Campaign for Liberty is like Better Georgia without the sense of humor.

Nonetheless, we can learn some important political lessons from the video. I warn you that some of the following video clips contain salty language, and I wouldn’t watch them around kids or in an uptight workplace.

1. Everything is recorded. It is ironic that a movement including many who oppose the creation of a “surveillance nation” also records everything on video. But you don’t have to take it from me. Ask Kelly Marlow, Robert Trim and Barbara Knowles whose account to police was allegedly contradicted by surveillance video leading to their being charged. Or ask Brian Laurens, whose traffic stop was video-recorded. Or ask Georgia Republican Party Chairman John Padgett, who was hectored after an Athens-Clarke County GOP meeting.

 

2. Editing determines what is shown to the public. That’s why Hollywood directors will negotiate over who gets the final edit. If you confront someone, and make little children cry, as has been alleged happened in Rome, but you have the only video, you can make the other side look bad when they respond reasonably to your provocation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rOhdt8QxI8

3. The other side is confrontational — don’t let them get to you. Ultimately, this is what I find objectionable about the tactics being used against respected elected Republicans — they are using confrontational tactics to provoke a response and then showing only the response that they provoked. When you say that “Gingrey is an Obama fan,” and call him a “Constitution Shredder,” you’re trying to provoke a reaction so you can get it on video. Kudos to the Gingrey campaign, whose spokesperson kept his calm in explaining the situation to the GSP troopers.

Macon Mayoral Profile: Robert Reichert

Mayor Robert Reichert has served since his election in 2007 and would come up against a term limit if he were running for re-election as Mayor of Macon. But Mayor of the new consolidated Macon-Bibb County is a different office and he’s eligible to serve an initial three-year term followed by a second four year term if elected next month. The Macon Telegraph discusses some of his accomplishments in office, and some of the criticisms against him.

Dueling endorsements in 11th Congressional District

Yesterday, state senator Barry Loudermilk sent a press release touting his endorsement for Congress by his colleague, Josh McKoon.

“We need people of principle that will stand strong for Georgia Values representing us in Washington,” McKoon said. “That is why I am proud to endorse Barry Loudermilk for Congress. I have served with Barry in the State Senate for the last several years and have watched firsthand how hard he works to advance the conservative agenda under the Gold Dome. We need to put Barry to work for us in Washington. Please join me in supporting this conservative champion for Congress.”

Shortly thereafter, Bob Barr sent out a press release noting his endorsement by Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who wrote,

“I’ve always stood tall against those who would take away our lives, our property and our freedom. And it’s important to support others who will do the same thing.”

“That’s why I have endorsed my friend, former Congressman Bob Barr, in his bid to return to the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia’s 11th District. Bob was a tough United States Attorney, appointed by one of my heroes, Ronald Reagan. Bob was a tough Congressman from 1995 to 2003, when he stood strong for our Second Amendment rights, for tax reform, for individual liberty, for a balanced budget, and, perhaps most important, against Bill Clinton.”

“We need that toughness in Washington now more than ever, whether it’s fighting ObamaCare, immigration amnesty, runaway government spending, or dangerous cuts in our military programs. I know Bob personally and have worked with him – he will deliver; he has before and he will again.”

Larry Mrozinski continues Congressional campaign rollout

Colonel Larry Mrozinski has become the first announced candidate for 11th Congressional District who lives in Cherokee County. From a nearly-1500 word Press Release:

“Difficult times call for tough leadership from those who possess strength of character, personal integrity, and a command of the issues, combined with a keen understanding and appreciation of the inherent trust bestowed upon those who are elected to represent the People of Georgia in the halls of the Congress of the United States. This is a responsibility that should only be undertaken by someone with a deep reverence for God, Family, Country and the U.S. Constitution, and who is ever vigilant in keeping his word to the people of this great state and America.” he said.

Mrozinski is running a grassroots campaign, stating that his campaign headquarters is where it should be — with the People. “My campaign headquarters is wherever you are. As a candidate in the race, I want to know what I can do to help you. You are my strategists and I will be your Statesman.”

Coming to Georgia: fast cat videos

Cat lovers across the Peach State rejoiced with the news that they’ll be able to watch videos of their beloved felines without that stuttering and “buffering” so many have suffered through.

AT&T announced that it spent $675 million in deploying wireless and wireline internet across Georgia in the first half of 2013.

“AT&T’s network investment supports Georgia’s economic health and our residents’ ability to succeed at work and at home,” said Lt. Governor Casey Cagle. “The expansion of mobile Internet service helps to ensure that people across the state have access to the latest online services and applications.”

Another announcement touted availability of high-speed internet via satellite in areas of Georgia that lack the infrastructure to bring fast cats to rural areas.

With speeds up the 15Mbps, customers living in remote areas in Georgia now have access to high speed Internet service without using the telecom infrastructure provided by the telcos. This news is a relief to many living rural America due to the limited nature of DSL. For those living more than 15,000 feet from the nearest central office, DSL is not available and often they do not have any other option than wireless or dial up. 3G/4G wireless Internet service is an option, but has its limits as well. Now with the option of 15Mb of bandwidth, many customers can now join the rest of the population and join their friends and family online allowing them to connect to many people and opportunities provided by high speed broadband.

So what does this have to do with politics? Plenty, it turns out. Disparity in internet access for African-Americans was among the topics at a meeting of black state legislators in Savannah. Columbia County signed a deal to lease government-owned fiber optic cable in exchange for a faster interconnect to Atlanta’s Marietta Street carrier facility. County Broadband Utility manager Lewis Foster told the Columbia County News-Times, ““It is a real asset for the county for economic development….What we are trying to do is to lay down the infrastructure for other future businesses.”

Lack of local broadband access is also an issue for education, according to State School Superintendent John Barge, who discussed the issue in relation to Georgia’s decision not to participate in the Common Core-linked PARCC testing.

The decision to withdraw from PARCC was “almost all driven by cost,” he said. The entire budget for annual assessment testing in Georgia is $25 million, Barge said. The cost to administer the PARCC math assessment test alone would be $27 million, he said.

Moreover, PARCC also required online testing, which is not an option for every school system in Georgia.

Board of education central offices in Georgia currently use 3 megabits of Internet service, Barge said. By July 2014, central offices will have 100 megabits and will be responsible for getting the faster Internet service to schools to do online assessments, he said.

He discussed a competitive grant school systems can apply for to offset the cost of getting Internet service from central offices to schools. By the 2014-2015 school year, Barge said, “I think we’ll be ready to do online assessments.”