Carl Camon Speaks up in North Georgia

Carol Dodd Porter speaks in place of DuBose Porter at the NFIB/Ga Small Business Day

Question: Why isn't Mrs. Porter running for office, like the State Senate? She clearly has a good grasp of the issues facing the state. She damn sure did stole the show at that gathering of small business professionals.

Tifton Gazette: Counties look to trim Indigent Defense Cost

LAWRENCEVILLE (AP) — Gwinnett and Cobb counties have long considered themselves the gold standard of the state’s indigent defense system.

Their programs for defending the poor were fully funded, and they had stockpiles of qualified private attorneys willing to do the work.

But even those counties are not immune to the pressures of the recession. The budget crunch already has caused furloughs for prosecutors and judges in most counties and led to belt-tightening for state-funded public defenders.

Effective this year, Gwinnett is slashing rates for appointed defense attorneys from $75 to $65 an hour for serious felony cases, including murder, rape and armed robbery. For most other cases, rates are being cut from $60 to $55 an hour for time spent in court. Out-of-court rates are remaining at $45 an hour for cases involving less serious offenses.

Camden County Continues to Feel the Pain.

With 80 percent of the anticipated tax revenues collected to date, Camden's finance director says he expects county's "adapt-as-we-go" style of budgeting to continue as two-thirds of property tax appeals are still waiting to be addressed by the board of equalization.

The board of equalization is running over budget already due to the high number of reassessment appeals filed last year.

The remaining 4,400 property tax appeals, which are worth $340,000 to the county's anticipated tax digest, are a top priority, said Camden County Finance Director Mike Fender. In addition, the board of equalization is already operating $10,000 in the red. The county is obligated to fund the shortfall and future operating expenses because the board of equalization is still working to resolve two-thirds of the county's outstanding appeals.

Tax collection rates have been slow, he said. The county is still waiting to collect the remaining 20 percent of anticipated property tax revenue that is worth $3 million to county tax coffers. During the Camden County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Fender said county manager Steve Howard and the equalization board chairman have planned to work on a plan to find more funding so that the county can complete the appeals process.

John Barrow Visits Jefferson County

About 45 people attended a meeting back on Jan. 6, at the county extension office in Louisville.

The meeting was one U.S. Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., holds periodically to allow his constituents a chance to talk with him.

Barrow addressed the group and then gave time for questions.

The congressman thanked everyone who helped organize the meeting and said he wanted to account for his votes.

“First, I voted against the TARP bill,” he said, referring to the Troubled Asset Relief Program begun in 2008 to assist financial institutions.

“All three times,” he said. “I did it because I don’t write blank checks for $700 billion.”

He said he voted against the budget calls for deficit spending and that although he voted against the energy bill, he was not against the entire bill.

“We have to come up with new forms of energy,” he said, adding those new forms of energy should not rely on people who do not support America’s best interests.

He also addressed the health care bill, saying insurance companies need to get back in the business of insuring people rather than denying service.

He talked about Peach Care, a program for low income families to provide insurance for their children.

It gives families the help they need if they can’t qualify for Medicaid but can’t afford insurance, he said, adding he voted to double Peach Care.

He said there were things in the health care bill that needed doing but he could not support the entire bill.

“I’m for doing things that’ll fix things that are broke,” he said.

He opened the floor for questions, which included the cost of living adjustment for Social Security recipients.

“Under that formula, no COLA is due,” Barrow said, adding the formula should be updated. He also said citizens should know the formula allows only for increases. If the cost of living decreases, the COLA stays the same.

Other issues discussed included clean energy, natural gas and jobs.

Barrow said there is a lot of potential for jobs in alternative forms of energy.

He said current forms of energy or dirty energy have global consequences.

“There are real issues here,” he said.

A citizen mentioned the North American Free Trade Agreement, an agreement involving the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“It is time for congress to reconsider NAFTA,” he said.

Barrow responded by saying government’s job is to create a climate where private enterprise can create jobs, adding that NAFTA and similar treaties look good on paper but do not work when the other party can’t be held to the agreement.

“We’ve incorporated the cost of doing it right here in this country,” Barrow said, adding that increases the cost of doing business in the United States and allows other countries that do not follow the same labor standards to have less overhead.

“We cannot possibly compete when we’ve got an un-level playing field,” he said.

The congressman then mentioned CAFTA, which is similar to NAFTA but is between the United States and Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica.

Barrow called this treaty, “NAFTA on steroids.”

A citizen mentioned a recent attempted bombing on a US plane and said security is going to become more invasive.

“It was a very, very big deal,” Barrow said about the event, adding other countries do not always inspect airline passengers to the level performed in the United States.

“Either they do it right, up to our standards or we go there and do it up to our standards or you just don’t fly into our country,” Barrow said.

A citizen asked the congressman why insurance companies are exempt from anti-trust laws.

Barrow said a law enacted in the 1940s said insurance companies would be subject to state anti-trust laws rather than the federal law.

“Have you heard of any state anti-trust laws?” he said. “The few states that have tried to do this have gotten burned bad.”

Barrow said when the state of Kentucky tried to do this, most of the insurance companies stopped doing business there.

“I think we’re going to realize we’re going to have to regulate insurance companies like we regulate Georgia Power,” he said.

Morris elected chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission

Armond Morris, peanut farmer from Ocilla, was elected chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission during the monthly board meeting in January. This is Morris’ ninth term as chairman of the commission. He has also served as chairman of the board previously in 1996 and 1997, 2003 and since 2005.

Barrow Announces Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Reform

John Barrow (D-Savannah) joined fellow members of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition in releasing a comprehensive plan aimed at cutting spending and balancing the budget. The "Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Reform" provides a concrete pathway to reduced deficits, and includes a number of proposals that historically have earned bipartisan support.

"There's no doubt that the system is broken," said Barrow. "We've got to work together to fix it. That means making some tough choices to reduce spending and balance the budget. Folks in the 12th District of Georgia have had to tighten their belts, and now it's time that the federal government does the same thing."

Budget experts from across the political spectrum agree that Congress must put a plan in place now in order to balance the budget and lay the groundwork for sound fiscal policies in the future. The attached Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Reform puts forth concrete proposals that can be taken to achieve these goals.

Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Reform:

A plan to balance the budget, cut spending and secure America’s future“.


1. Restore Pay-As-You-Go budget rules.

The first step we can take to ensure that government does
not spend beyond its means is to restore the proven, bipartisan pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules that effectively brought about surpluses in the 1990s.



2. Put the lid on federal spending.

In addition to balancing the federal checkbook, Congress should
set limits on discretionary spending. Just like American families who make tough decisions every day Congress must learn to live within its means.

3. Cut programs that don’t work.

Congress must work with the Administration to identify and cut
programs that don’t work. A commonsense budget enforcement tool, “expedited rescission” was passdd by the house with bi-partisan support in the 1990s.


4. Reduce the deficit.

This tool forces Congress to live within its means by keeping our federal budget
on setting a path towards balance. Congress would be required to cut spending to meet these targets, effectively reducing the deficit over time.

5. Balance the budget

A critical component of the plan, a constitutional amendment would require
that Congress balance the budget by 2020

6. Be honest about our long term fiscal obligations

Congress should be required to produce an
honest and open assessment of the government’s long-term financial obligations as part of the budget resoultuion every year.


7. Establish a bipartisan fiscal commission

A fiscal reform commission should be established to force
Congress’ hand in making the tough decisions necessary to put the country back on a fiscally sustainable path.\


8. Improve transparency and accountability

Congress has a responsibility to hold government
agencies accountable for wasteful spending. This measure would reduce the estimated $98 billion that is wasted annually when a federal agancy pays too much or pays twice for a product or service.


9. Establish performance-based budgeting.

Performance-based budgeting is a results oriented
budget tool that sets goals and performance targets for agencies, and measures their results, much like a small business. It is a commom sense policy that has successfully implemented on the state level for many years.


10. Eliminate waste, fraud and abuse.

Research shows that for every $1.00 we put into “program
integrity accounts” that identify and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in government spending, we get $1.50 back. The authorization levels for these programs should be increased.


11. Account for every dollar

Evaluating every dollar spent on our national defense is not only good
fiscal practice; it is a matter of national security. Like all other major federal agencies, the department of defense should be subject to annual audits


12. Close tax loopholes

It is critical that the federal government continue to identify and report
loopholes and inefficiencies within the current tax system. We can expand on these reports to reflect the total revenue lost and to identify inefficient tax subsidies


13. Take the politics out of the equation

In order to promote efficiency and eliminate undue political
pressures, this provision would transition the Joint Committee on Taxation to an independent, non-partisan legislative brance agency


14. Eliminate duplication and inefficiency

Government programs that are duplicative or inefficient can
be a substantial drain on the federal budget. Establishing an independent, bipartisan commission to recommend reorganizational changes to the federal government would help to streamline these programs & save taxpayers dollars.


15. Review and terminate unnecessary federal programs

A “Sunset Commission” should be established to conduct regular reviews of federal programs and agencies, and make recommendations as to those which should be terminated