Jobless fund balance drops: Like every other state, Georgia has seen the balance of its unemployment trust fund take a dive this year as more laid-off workers file for jobless benefits. The trust fund, made up of taxes paid by…
As a legislative study committee on transportation funding was wrapping up its hearings two years ago, House Speaker Glenn Richardson said in no uncertain terms it was time to do something about the state’s stifling traffic congestion. “I am willing…
No fringe candidates here: The election to replace Nathan Deal as Georgia’s 9th District congressman (he’s running for governor next year) has attracted four very credible candidates. State Sen. Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville) was the latest person to jump into the…
Vance Smith is the kind of guy who could crack jokes in the middle of a hurricane. On a recent summer morning as I sat down to chat with him in the Department of Trans-portation headquarters in Atlanta, he was…
Road warrior: Rep. Jay Roberts (R-Ocilla) was the House Republican leadership’s choice to replace Vance Smith as head of the powerful House Transportation Committee. Smith, who was elected DOT commissioner, resigned from his House seat. The Transportation Committee chairmanship, already…
We are still about a year away from raising the curtain on primary elections in Georgia, but the main players are already assembled onstage. They are all auditioning for the biggest role in Georgia politics: the person who will succeed…
Finding the cause: Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson was successful in establishing a congressional commission to investigate the causes of the collapse of the financial markets with their resulting impact on the economy. “The only way to get an objective evaluation…
California, the Golden State, is much in the news these days because of a monstrous budget deficit – currently estimated at $24 billion – and a political paralysis among its elected officials that leaves the state unable to deal with…
No dealings with Darfur: Even though the General Assembly was a failure when it came to adopting a transportation tax method, lawmakers were on the ball when it came to foreign policy. They passed, and Gov. Sonny Perdue signed into…
For reporters, one of the most frustrating parts of the job is the difficulty of getting an honest answer from a politician. It is a given that a politico who’s hit with a tough question is going to evade, dissemble,…
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