Dale Peterson ad for Nathan Deal, candidate for Georgia Governor

I laughed at the end... the true sign of a good ad in my opinion! - jmd

Georgia Republicans Got It Right, But Macon Telegraph Won’t Hear of It

The Macon Telegraph ran a column on Sunday encouraging the Georgia Republican Party to take action to change the ballot in light of misleading information spread in the press. After agreeing to give the GAGOP space to refute their claims, the Telegraph rejected the response.

While it is the paper’s prerogative to refuse op-eds, the Georgia Republican Party believes the column printed by the Macon Telegraph was misleading and warrants response. Below is the op-ed submitted by the GAGOP.

Georgia Republicans Got It Right

Kenny Burgamy made many claims in his recent opinion piece (There’s Time to Get It Right, Macon Telegraph, 9/19/2010) that were untrue and infeasible. Perhaps the most errant assumption was that Georgia Republicans got it wrong when they nominated Nathan Deal as the Republican candidate for Governor. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Nathan won the nomination in a close primary and runoff. In a state considered to be a Democratic stronghold for generations, Georgia Republicans showed up in record numbers in two successive elections showing their preference for the party of personal freedom and smaller government. While Nathan won the runoff by less than 1 percent, the top two finishers in the primary both bested Roy Barnes with 10 percent more votes.

Mr. Deal’s personal finances have been well documented over the last week, but let’s not ignore the facts. Nathan is a successful small businessman who has created jobs and turned a profit – even in these difficult financial times. Businesses have their ups and downs. The only thing unique here is that Deal’s ups and downs are front-page news.

I can see how that point would get lost in the Democrats’ spin cycle. Most people understand that they simply cannot spend more than they take in. Democrats, however, have overlooked that rule as they have escalated our country into further debt with their binge spending legislation, plunging our nation into $13 trillion in debt.

In Georgia, Roy Barnes has shown he’s not all that different than Washington Democrats. As governor, he turned a $700 million budget surplus into a $620 million shortfall. Now, he’s proposed $2.4 billion in new spending with no way to pay for it, just like a Washington Democrat.

Roy has spent most of his career suing small businesses rather than creating them and destroying jobs for his personal gain. He doesn’t embrace the creative spirit of Georgians who take calculated risks — he demonizes them.

The Georgia Republican Party is the party of small businesses and strong families across Georgia. We believe that Americans can better themselves through hard work, personal responsibility and seizing opportunities. While the road to success is lined with periodic setbacks, we see them as learning opportunities that can move us forward.

Georgia’s successful economic recovery will depend on people willing to take a calculated risk to start a business and employ Georgians. It will also depend on policy-makers’ willingness to create an environment that fosters our American and exceptional entrepreneurism. That’s why we need Nathan Deal.

Nathan’s Real Prosperity plan increases Georgia’s competitiveness by lowering income taxes on Georgia’s families and reducing corporate income taxes by a third. The Tax Foundation estimates that his plan will improve Georgia’s business climate from the bottom half of states to the top one-third.

Nathan’s plan for education, “Real Results,” provides maximum flexibility for local school districts, protects the HOPE scholarship and will bolster math and science education.

He has led the fight against Obamacare. He stands up to Washington liberals whose brand of “change” comes with hefty price tags that Georgians can’t afford.

Georgians are concerned with issues, not petty and personal attacks. Nathan Deal has the philosophy, plan and experience to put Georgia back on track. I ask you to vote for Nathan Deal and not rewind Georgia to the bad old days of Roy Barnes.

Sue Everhart is the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party and lives in Marietta.

Ray McBerry to Speak at South Metro Young Republican Meeting

The South Metro Young Republicans will host its monthly meeting this Wednesday, October 21 at 7:00 pm. Please note the new location, Downtown Grill in Tyrone (1158 Senoia Road). Ray McBerry, a candidate for governor, will be the guest speaker: http://www.georgiafirst.org/.

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Statement From NEA-Alaska President Barbara Angaiak on Resignation of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin

/PRNewswire/ -- Sarah Palin's announcement that she's resigning provides educators with an opportunity to open a fresh dialog about the pressing issues in Alaska's classrooms. NEA-Alaska stands ready to meet with Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell as he takes over as Governor.

We will meet with him at any time and location of his convenience. Despite numerous overtures during the past year, Governor Palin has not made the time to meet with NEA-Alaska.

Education for Alaska's children cannot be put on hold any longer.

Attracting and retaining the best educators for Alaska is critical to ensure Alaska's students are prepared for tomorrow's challenges.

We're confident when Lieutenant Governor Parnell is sworn in as Governor he'll make it a priority to meet with educators and address our concerns.

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Gwinnett GOP to Host Rep. Austin Scott and County Commissioners at Saturday Breakfast

The Republican Party of Gwinnett County’s upcoming breakfast meeting will feature guest speaker State Representative Austin Scott (R-Tifton), Chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee and candidate for Governor.

Also invited are all 5 county commissioners to talk about the proposed millage rate increase was tabled at Tuesday’s public hearing.

“The Gwinnett Republican Party offers the county’s conservative voters the opportunity to meet the candidates running for governor and to be better educated on this issues that matter in the community,” said party Chairman Chuck Efstration.

The meeting, scheduled for this Saturday, June 6th, will start at 8:30 a.m. Breakfast service begins at 8:00 a.m. and the meeting is held at the Sweet Tomatoes restaurant located at 3505 Mall Boulevard in Duluth, across from Gwinnett Place Mall.

For more information on this Saturday’s meeting or other upcoming Gwinnett Republican Party events, please visit our web site at www.gwinnettgop.org or send an email to gwinnettrepublicanparty@gmail.com.
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Representative Jimmy Pruett Named House Floor Leader

Governor Sonny Perdue today appointed Representative Jimmy Pruett of Eastman (District 144) to serve as Assistant Administration Floor Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives.

Pruett joins Representative Rich Golick (District 34) who serves as Administration Floor Leader and Representative Jim Cole (District 125) who serves as Assistant Administration Floor Leader. Pruett is filling the vacancy created by Representative Vance Smith. Smith, who also serves as House Transportation Chairman, stepped down as Floor Leader to focus his efforts on the growing time requirements his chairmanship demands.

“Jimmy is an excellent addition to our team of floor leaders,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “As a freshman legislator, he has already impressed his colleagues with his integrity and his work ethic. I look forward to working with him as he advances this administration’s initiatives.”

Pruett represents District 144 which includes Dodge, Bleckley and Wilcox counties and portions of Ben Hill and Pulaski counties. Rep. Pruett owns a successful commercial and residential air conditioning services business, and he is actively involved in industry recruitment resulting in bringing companies to his hometown communities. Pruett serves as the Secretary of the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee, and as a member of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee, Natural Resources and Environment Committee and the Industrial Relations Committee.

“I am excited about the opportunity to serve Georgia as one of Governor Perdue’s floor leaders,” said Representative Jimmy Pruett. “I look forward to advocating for our state with Governor Perdue’s common sense agenda along with Representative Golick and Representative Cole.”

Governor Announces Healthcare Reform to Insure More Georgians

1/30/08 Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue announced in a press conference today his support of health insurance reform legislation that will be filed by Senator Judson Hill and Representative Mickey Channell . The legislation will insure more Georgia citizens by expanding the availability and affordability of High Deductible Health Plans and Health Care Savings Accounts in Georgia.

“Insuring more Georgia citizens is our goal with this reform legislation,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “More insured citizens means lower costs for all taxpayers, and preventative care means a healthier population. This legislation will incentivize small business owners to provide low cost health insurance to employees and their families.”

“This is a market-based solution focused on empowering individuals and rewarding them for making healthy choices. This plan will make affordable health insurance more accessible for the uninsured and working families,” said Senator Hill. “I have been working on this issue for years with various health care leaders, so I greatly appreciate the Governor's leadership that will make policy ideas a policy reality for our families.”

“This legislation makes a real difference for Georgia’s families and would make quality, affordable healthcare coverage affordable for nearly half a million Georgians,” said Representative Mickey Channell. “By harnessing the power of the free market, we’ll see more Georgians able to purchase and maintain their own healthcare coverage.”

A High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) is a health insurance plan that offers consumers lower premiums and higher deductibles than a traditional health plan. A Health Savings Account (HSA) allows consumers to set aside funds for future qualified medical health expenses on a tax-free basis.

The health insurance reform legislation announced today has several provisions to make HDHPs paired with HSAs more affordable and available in the Georgia insurance market. The legislation will incentivize small businesses to provide HDHPs with HSAs. According to the Center for Health Transformation, approximately 500,000 Georgians could become insured if the reform legislation is passed through the 2008 Georgia General Assembly.

Provisions of the health insurance reform legislation include:

Insurance Regulation Changes:

Rebates for Behavior Modifications: Allows for rebates for consumers who have HDHPs with HSAs when they make behavior modifications, such as smoking cessation, weight loss or controlling diabetes and blood pressure. The rebate could be deposited into the consumer’s HSA or be demonstrated through a lower deductible.

Reduced Restrictions on Reimbursements to Non-Preferred Providers: Gives flexibility to insurance companies to reimburse at lower rates when a patient chooses an out-of-network provider. This flexibility allows the insurance company to offer lower premiums to the consumer.

Remove Restrictions on Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA): HRAs are arrangements that allow an employer to reimburse an employee for certain medical expenses. This legislation would allow companies that provide HRAs to reimburse employees using pre-tax dollars.

Premium Tax Exemption:

Currently HDHPs are subject to state and local premium taxes. This legislation would remove state and local premium taxes in Georgia, saving consumers $11.4 million in 2009 in state tax savings alone.

Income Tax Deduction:

Allows consumers to deduct HDHP premiums from state income taxes, if they are not already deducting premiums from federal income taxes. This would apply to consumers who purchase an HDHP insurance plan as an individual, or through an employer.

Small Business Tax Credit:

Allows employers with 50 employees or less to take a tax credit of $250 per employee that enrolls in a HDHP through a Section 125 plan.

In August 2007 Governor Perdue unveiled the Health Insurance Partnership (HIP), a program that incentivizes small businesses to provide health insurance to employees under 300 percent of the poverty level by sharing the costs between the employee, employer and the state and federal government. The regulatory and tax proposals announced today compliment the HIP program by stretching state and federal dollars further, resulting in more insured Georgia citizens.

Governor Perdue also recognized the efforts of Senator Hill and Representative Channell to bring together the Georgia Hospital Association, Medical Association of Georgia, Georgia Health Underwriters Association and the Center for Health Transformation to put together the ideas that he endorsed today.

Governor Perdue, Lt. Governor Cagle and Speaker Richardson

Governor Sonny Perdue, Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle and House Majority Leader Jerry Keen today began a tour of Georgia to discuss their shared priorities for the 2008 legislative session. Representative Keen traveled on behalf of Speaker Glenn Richardson, who was unable to attend on Wednesday, due to obligations trying a case in court.

The three state leaders announced today that they share a vision for continuing Georgia’s success in improving education, ensuring the sustainability of our water resources, strengthening the state’s transportation infrastructure and protecting the health of Georgia’s citizens. The three started in Albany this morning and will travel to nine cities over the next day and a half.

“We are traveling the state today to show that we are unified on the issues of education, water, transportation and healthcare,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “This year, we plan to give Georgians what they expect: sensible and effective legislation that will continue our progress in improving education, establish plans to protect our water resources, improve Georgia’s transportation system and provide innovative solutions to health care challenges.”

"We have come together to highlight critical issues that unify us as we look to bring essential and positive changes to Georgia’s transportation infrastructure, educational system, water needs and healthcare,” said Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle. “As elected officials, our main priority should be to provide the kind of leadership that brings positive results to our state and that is our goal this session."

"Now more than ever our state is faced with many challenges and issues that we must address,” said Speaker Glenn Richardson. “Whether it be protecting our water resources, educating Georgia’s children, or providing affordable health care, we must band together and work towards a common goal with common ideas. During this legislative session the Governor, the Lt. Governor and I are committed to improving the way of life for all Georgians, and because we share this common thread, I know we will succeed.”

Among the priorities discussed today was continuing Georgia’s success in improving education. Georgia’s high school graduation rate is currently higher than it’s ever been before. Today the Governor, Lt. Governor and House leadership committed to work to increase the graduation rate to at least 80 percent by 2010. They agreed on the importance of tougher curriculum standards as well as more parental involvement and control over a child’s education. They indicated that innovative approaches to education such as charter schools and special needs scholarships are all components in moving Georgia’s educational system forward.

State leadership also committed today to address funding for a statewide trauma care network during the 2008 legislative session. They agreed that innovative and creative approaches should be examined to ensure that effective and affordable healthcare coverage is available to Georgians.

The sustainability of Georgia’s water resources has been a critical topic leading up to the 2008 legislative session. The three leaders agreed today that the passage of the Statewide Water Plan is imperative to ensure that our water resources are managed effectively. They also agreed that in 2008, local governments must examine adding storage capacity through reservoir construction and enhancements, with the state’s support.

Transportation is another area that state leadership agrees must be addressed as Georgia’s economy and population continue to grow. Today each of the three leaders supported internal changes at the Georgia Department of Transportation to ensure projects are completed on time and on budget, allowing Georgia to foster economic growth and development for generations to come.

Following the first stop in Albany this morning, Governor Perdue, Lt. Governor Cagle and House Majority Leader Keen plan to visit Brunswick, Savannah, Augusta and Atlanta on Wednesday. Speaker Richardson hopes to join the group as his court obligations allow. Thursday they visit Macon, Columbus, Cartersville and Gainesville.

For more information on these and other initiatives, you can visit Governor Perdue’s website at http://gov.georgia.gov, Lt. Governor Cagle’s website at http://ltgov.georgia.gov or Speaker Richardson’s website at http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2007_08/house/speaker/index.htm.