Many Apologies Kids,
I got so fired up prepping for the impending Special Election here in State Senate District 42 that I completely overlooked the current Special Election in State Senate District 22 over in Augusta. What can I say, I live in Decatur and all politics are local but I have lived in Richmond County as my father did a couple of tours at the US Army Signal School at Ft. Gordon way back in the way back. Another story for another time.
First question, where in hell is District 22? We knew you'd want to know:
So the Libertarian Party has a candidate running for office in District 22, a regular Joe named Taylor Bryant (L) who makes a living turning wrenches on mostly import cars. The guys is active in the CSRA (Central Savannah River Area) LP affiliate and is currently serving as the CSRA LP's Public Affairs Director. Good on you, Sir.
Georgia Senate District 22 is having a Special Election because the sitting Senator, Ed Tarver(D), has been selected to serve as the US Attorney for the Southern District. Congratulations Mr. Tarver. Tarver was elected in a Special Election in 2005 to replace then sitting Senator Charlie Walker (D) who ran afoul of the law and is currently serving a 10 year sentance at Club Fed for 127 counts of tax evasion, mail fraud and conspiracy. District 22 was Charlie's stomping ground from 1990 until his unfortunate incarceration in 2005.
Seeing how Senator Tarver's replacement will be decided by another Special Election, I thought I'd take a look at the 2005 election that put Mr. Tarver in his seat. In 2005 there were three candidates for the slot, Mr. Tarver, a guy named Ben Allen and a guy named George Brown. The Sec State's election website doesn't list their political affiliations, probably because Special Elections are non-partisan. Any way the vote totals are listed below:
September 20, 2005 Special Election - Senate District 22
Ben Allen 3815 29.91%
George Brown 838 6.57%
Ed Tarver 8075 63.31%
Write-In 27 0.21%
Nice to see Write-In getting some ballot love.
So a sitting senator got his start with 8075 votes. Neat Huh? As a comparison, the vote totals for Charlie Walkers last race in 2004 are shown below:
STATE SENATOR - DISTRICT 22 2NOV04
100 % of precincts reporting
DON CHEEKS (R) 21,629 43.2 %
CHARLES WALKER (D) 28,460 56.8 %
While we're at it, lets look at the results from 2008, this race saw Senator Tarver re-elected in a landslide and he was challenged by a republican, a cat named John Butler.
State Senator, District 22
100% of precincts reporting
Candidates Party Votes % of Votes
Ed Tarver Democratic 43,579 79.5%
John Butler Republican 11,235 20.5%
Totals 54,814
County Results
Total votes in the 2004 general election: 50,089
Total votes in the 2005 Special Election: 12,755
Total votes in the 2008 general election: 54,814
So it sure looks like Georgia State Senate District 22 is what you would call a "safe" democrat seat seeing how they've sent democrats, to the state house for the last 19 years. So how can a Libertarian compete? Pretty effectively as it turns out. In the 2008 general election, John Monds, the Libertarian Party candidate for the PSC Southern district picked up 26,688 votes in Richmond County while running against the incumbent republican. I think you could claim that district 22 has a resident base of Libertarian leaning voters who will go to the polls and 26,000 votes should do the trick if you look at the special election results from 2005. I mean just 12,000 total votes were cast in that race and that profile fits nicely with common wisdom on Special Elections.
So what to do? First step is get the buzz going in Libertarian Circles. Second step send Taylor Bryant some money and contact his campaign to see if you can do something to help him out. Third step, blog your asses off and make sure that anything that shows up at the Augusta Chronicle, WAGT, WFXG, WBEK, WJBF, WRDW, WGAC and any other media outlet in District 22 has at least one good thing to say about Libertarian Candidate Taylor Bryant. This race will be decided on 5 JAN 2010 and it would be a great beginning for next year if our guy was sitting in the Senate.
More to follow from your friendly neighborhood libertarian community organizer!
Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes, and More Freedom! Vote for Taylor Bryant for State Senate District 22! Vote Libertarian!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Lobbyist Cash + Politicians = Corruption
Simple math, Huh?
It's almost impossible to do any reading on politics here in the great state of Georgia these days without having to wade through the rapidly filling republican sex/money swamps caused by Speaker Richardson's resignation. The guy quit before he got charged with anything that might land him in the jug and it sure looked like he had the fix in for his buddy Burkhalter. That's up in smoke and now every republican member of the Animal House at the gold dome wants to sit behind the speakers desk come January 2010. Fellas, there's only one chair so it looks like you'll have to take turns. Just be sure to take some cell phone snaps to remember the event.
Since the republican's are sucking all the air out of the room with their endless meetings and pronouncements, you'd never know that their democrat brothers and sisters are stirring the pot as fast as they can. The democrat chick in charge, one each Jane Kidd climbed up on the ceremonial holier than thou soapbox to whine about how the republican house caucus should allow democrat members of the house to cast votes for the republican speaker. What!? Ms. Kidd, it's the republican caucus, not the democrat caucus. I'm trying to remember how the democrats did things when they ruled this state for the 60 or so years before the republicans took over and I can't remember Tom Murphy saying "Aw shucks, them there republican members of the house are a nice bunch. Why don't we let them cast votes in our caucus to see if I'm going to keep my speakership?" If you really, really, really think that would be the way to select the next speaker of the Georgia house I want to let you know that you're sounding more like a Libertarian than a democrat. That, by the way, is a compliment.
Anyway, the title of this particular post is "Lobbyist Cash + Politicians = Corruption" and the spark that started this particular thought train came from Blake Aued over at OnlineAthens.com and post he put up yesterday about lobbyists and good ol" King Roy. Nice read.
Some of the salient facts he cited were related to the kinds of investments made by various and sundry outfits here in Georgia that apparently successfully curried favor with King Roy and brought about windfall profits. One that caught my eye was:
quote: "- Barnes took in $16k from his former law partner who advised Copeland Glenn, a Minnesota based company that does Medicaid work, and he gave them $100 million in state contracts (more than they asked for). This led to a study that demanded changes to the way Georgia accounts for Medicaid spending." end quote
Think about that Kids. King Roy's former law partner representing Copeland Glen ponies up $16,000 dollars and Copeland Glenn gets a contract for $100 Million for Medicaid work. That's way better than a 6000 to 1 return on their investment. It seems that Georgia politicians aren't just for sale, they're for sale at salvage pricing. I kinda understand the mentality, after all they're not trading their money for favors, they're trading OUR money for favors.
So how does the citizenry of the great state of Georgia solve this seemingly intractable problem of deep seated corruption from both republicans and democrats? How do we weed out these self serving politicians and find some representatives that might be inclined to look after working for their constituents and not themselves? Simple really. Vote Libertarian.
That's right, instead of voting for which ever brand of corrupt career politician is currently representing your district, you could vote for the Libertarian candidate. A guy or gal whose political indoctrination consisted of watching "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" a couple of times and who sincerely feels that something must be done. Oh, wait a minute, I forgot that here in the great state of Georgia you can't just vote for a Libertarian candidate for Georgia House or Georgia Senate because they can't qualify to get on the ballot thanks to Georgia's 1943 Jim Crow Ballot Access laws brought to you by the democrat party. And maintained by the republican party ever since they grabbed the reins of government as well as the purse strings. It's been a rigged game for the last 66 years and I've yet to hear a peep out of Ms. Kidd, or any other politician on that topic.
That leaves the citizens of Georgia one way to bust down the gates and bring change to Georgia. Vote for Libertarian John Monds for Governor in 2010. By law, if John Monds can get 20% of the votes in the 2010 race next November, the petitioning requirements are null and void and the floodgates will be open for a seething, roiling, mass of Libertarian candidates looking to challenge the 140 or so republican and democrat incumbents who never have an opponent for their statehouse jobs in 2012. Tongues will wag, fingers will be pointed and change will come to Georgia.
Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote John Monds for Governor! Vote Chuck Donovan for US Senate! Vote Libertarian!
It's almost impossible to do any reading on politics here in the great state of Georgia these days without having to wade through the rapidly filling republican sex/money swamps caused by Speaker Richardson's resignation. The guy quit before he got charged with anything that might land him in the jug and it sure looked like he had the fix in for his buddy Burkhalter. That's up in smoke and now every republican member of the Animal House at the gold dome wants to sit behind the speakers desk come January 2010. Fellas, there's only one chair so it looks like you'll have to take turns. Just be sure to take some cell phone snaps to remember the event.
Since the republican's are sucking all the air out of the room with their endless meetings and pronouncements, you'd never know that their democrat brothers and sisters are stirring the pot as fast as they can. The democrat chick in charge, one each Jane Kidd climbed up on the ceremonial holier than thou soapbox to whine about how the republican house caucus should allow democrat members of the house to cast votes for the republican speaker. What!? Ms. Kidd, it's the republican caucus, not the democrat caucus. I'm trying to remember how the democrats did things when they ruled this state for the 60 or so years before the republicans took over and I can't remember Tom Murphy saying "Aw shucks, them there republican members of the house are a nice bunch. Why don't we let them cast votes in our caucus to see if I'm going to keep my speakership?" If you really, really, really think that would be the way to select the next speaker of the Georgia house I want to let you know that you're sounding more like a Libertarian than a democrat. That, by the way, is a compliment.
Anyway, the title of this particular post is "Lobbyist Cash + Politicians = Corruption" and the spark that started this particular thought train came from Blake Aued over at OnlineAthens.com and post he put up yesterday about lobbyists and good ol" King Roy. Nice read.
Some of the salient facts he cited were related to the kinds of investments made by various and sundry outfits here in Georgia that apparently successfully curried favor with King Roy and brought about windfall profits. One that caught my eye was:
quote: "- Barnes took in $16k from his former law partner who advised Copeland Glenn, a Minnesota based company that does Medicaid work, and he gave them $100 million in state contracts (more than they asked for). This led to a study that demanded changes to the way Georgia accounts for Medicaid spending." end quote
Think about that Kids. King Roy's former law partner representing Copeland Glen ponies up $16,000 dollars and Copeland Glenn gets a contract for $100 Million for Medicaid work. That's way better than a 6000 to 1 return on their investment. It seems that Georgia politicians aren't just for sale, they're for sale at salvage pricing. I kinda understand the mentality, after all they're not trading their money for favors, they're trading OUR money for favors.
So how does the citizenry of the great state of Georgia solve this seemingly intractable problem of deep seated corruption from both republicans and democrats? How do we weed out these self serving politicians and find some representatives that might be inclined to look after working for their constituents and not themselves? Simple really. Vote Libertarian.
That's right, instead of voting for which ever brand of corrupt career politician is currently representing your district, you could vote for the Libertarian candidate. A guy or gal whose political indoctrination consisted of watching "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" a couple of times and who sincerely feels that something must be done. Oh, wait a minute, I forgot that here in the great state of Georgia you can't just vote for a Libertarian candidate for Georgia House or Georgia Senate because they can't qualify to get on the ballot thanks to Georgia's 1943 Jim Crow Ballot Access laws brought to you by the democrat party. And maintained by the republican party ever since they grabbed the reins of government as well as the purse strings. It's been a rigged game for the last 66 years and I've yet to hear a peep out of Ms. Kidd, or any other politician on that topic.
That leaves the citizens of Georgia one way to bust down the gates and bring change to Georgia. Vote for Libertarian John Monds for Governor in 2010. By law, if John Monds can get 20% of the votes in the 2010 race next November, the petitioning requirements are null and void and the floodgates will be open for a seething, roiling, mass of Libertarian candidates looking to challenge the 140 or so republican and democrat incumbents who never have an opponent for their statehouse jobs in 2012. Tongues will wag, fingers will be pointed and change will come to Georgia.
Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote John Monds for Governor! Vote Chuck Donovan for US Senate! Vote Libertarian!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Chuck Donovan Fires another Libertarian Broadside!
This guy gets it,
Chuck Donovan, the only declared Libertarian candidate for Johnny Isakson's US Senate seat has put a new piece up at http://www.donovanforsenate.com/ discussing why he decided to throw his hat in the ring with the Libertarians. I can't wait to vote for him at next years convention!
Here's the article titled:
Why I Am Running As A Libertarian Party Candidate
By Chuck Donovan
"There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters."
Noah Webster (1758-1843)
The question I am most often asked is why I am running for office as a Libertarian instead of focusing my energy on reforming one of the "established" parties. Here is an excerpt from an email I received :
"... Please reconsider your decision to run on the Libertarian ticket. The Republicrats have essentially locked out a third party candidate. If a Democrat runs many independents will vote for him just to be rid of Isakson and your third party vote could pull enough votes to assure his election. Please consider the GOP as a means to the end for a greater good. Our original Constitution was written on a great compromise but gave us a strong government for nearly 75 years. You can compromise also, for the good of our country and the state of Georgia..."
While offering sincere concern and ultimate support, I think there are several incorrect assumptions this writer shares with other voters. The first is that because it has been that way for so long, it will not change now. We have a special opportunity in 2010 to make a real impression on Washington, D.C. For years, unhappy Democrats have voted for Republicans in order to send a message to the Democrats. Unhappy Republicans voted for Democrats to send a message to the Republicans. The only message the mainstream parties have received is that they own all of the power in Washington, D.C. We can send a far different message this election year.
Voters also assume that one party or another is the lesser of two evils. There is only one comment to make on that idea, the lesser of two evils is still evil.
Between the lines is the idea that people vote out of fear. He is right. I have done so myself. I have looked at terrible candidates and given them a vote nonetheless because the other candidate was clearly more dangerous to our country. I will never do that again. I ask voters to also more seriously consider the use of their one very small vote. Voting out of fear has never accomplished anything good.
I am asked to compromise. I am sure it will not be the last time. Americans have been given the incorrect idea that giving up a little freedom now will get you more later. That is a bad idea too. Don't give up one bit. Fight for everything you think is right without compromise. Then vote for what you know is right. With that kind of attitude, the Libertarian Party will completely knock every incumbent Republican and Democrat out of office for good.
The biggest disagreement I have is that either of the mainstream parties can be changed in any significant way. I believe they have shown us exactly what they intend to do. Whether times have been good or bad, the Republicans and Democrats have consistently grown government, expanded regulations to benefit special interests, increased the national debt, and passed the difficult decisions off on someone else. Whenever a choice had to be made, they have consistently told voters, working Americans, and working American businesses must tighten our belts while government continues to ride on our backs.
Here was my reply to him and to all of you who ask why I have accepted a request from the Libertarians to run for office:
"...I am well aware of the established structures the mainstream parties have. I know as a third party candidate I am essentially blazing my own trail... That said, when talking about political parties I am focused only on their results. Democrats and Republicans have been promising us for decades a smaller government, less regulations, and fiscal responsibility. These are the things I want from government, but what I have seen delivered decade after decade is much bigger government, more regulations, and fiscal insanity. I cannot put my name in line with the list of abject failures the Democrats and Republicans have sent into office. How many times do these people have to demonstrate to us who they are before we will believe them?
Our country, particularly our dollar, is in crisis. The poor leadership and misdirection delivered by the mainstream parties is the cause. A true change is what we need. I think the Libertarian Party is the only party in the world actually offering a valid way out. We are the only ones actually focused on individual liberty with a confidence in our fellow citizens. I share their belief and choice of direction. I furthermore am confident that the weight of history, economics, and morality is on our side.
I assure you that we have a strategy that will not only unseat Johnny Isakson, but defeat the Democratic candidate as well. I ask that Georgians not vote out of fear. The only true concern we have is that the Status Quo remains in Washington, D.C. The Status Quo will destroy our fragile economy, our dear Constitution and our precious liberty..."
My mission is freedom, and my vision is now.
Like I said, this guy gets it. Go to his website and drop a dollar on his donate button, volunteer for his campaign and remember, vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote Libertarian!
Chuck Donovan, the only declared Libertarian candidate for Johnny Isakson's US Senate seat has put a new piece up at http://www.donovanforsenate.com/ discussing why he decided to throw his hat in the ring with the Libertarians. I can't wait to vote for him at next years convention!
Here's the article titled:
Why I Am Running As A Libertarian Party Candidate
By Chuck Donovan
"There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters."
Noah Webster (1758-1843)
The question I am most often asked is why I am running for office as a Libertarian instead of focusing my energy on reforming one of the "established" parties. Here is an excerpt from an email I received :
"... Please reconsider your decision to run on the Libertarian ticket. The Republicrats have essentially locked out a third party candidate. If a Democrat runs many independents will vote for him just to be rid of Isakson and your third party vote could pull enough votes to assure his election. Please consider the GOP as a means to the end for a greater good. Our original Constitution was written on a great compromise but gave us a strong government for nearly 75 years. You can compromise also, for the good of our country and the state of Georgia..."
While offering sincere concern and ultimate support, I think there are several incorrect assumptions this writer shares with other voters. The first is that because it has been that way for so long, it will not change now. We have a special opportunity in 2010 to make a real impression on Washington, D.C. For years, unhappy Democrats have voted for Republicans in order to send a message to the Democrats. Unhappy Republicans voted for Democrats to send a message to the Republicans. The only message the mainstream parties have received is that they own all of the power in Washington, D.C. We can send a far different message this election year.
Voters also assume that one party or another is the lesser of two evils. There is only one comment to make on that idea, the lesser of two evils is still evil.
Between the lines is the idea that people vote out of fear. He is right. I have done so myself. I have looked at terrible candidates and given them a vote nonetheless because the other candidate was clearly more dangerous to our country. I will never do that again. I ask voters to also more seriously consider the use of their one very small vote. Voting out of fear has never accomplished anything good.
I am asked to compromise. I am sure it will not be the last time. Americans have been given the incorrect idea that giving up a little freedom now will get you more later. That is a bad idea too. Don't give up one bit. Fight for everything you think is right without compromise. Then vote for what you know is right. With that kind of attitude, the Libertarian Party will completely knock every incumbent Republican and Democrat out of office for good.
The biggest disagreement I have is that either of the mainstream parties can be changed in any significant way. I believe they have shown us exactly what they intend to do. Whether times have been good or bad, the Republicans and Democrats have consistently grown government, expanded regulations to benefit special interests, increased the national debt, and passed the difficult decisions off on someone else. Whenever a choice had to be made, they have consistently told voters, working Americans, and working American businesses must tighten our belts while government continues to ride on our backs.
Here was my reply to him and to all of you who ask why I have accepted a request from the Libertarians to run for office:
"...I am well aware of the established structures the mainstream parties have. I know as a third party candidate I am essentially blazing my own trail... That said, when talking about political parties I am focused only on their results. Democrats and Republicans have been promising us for decades a smaller government, less regulations, and fiscal responsibility. These are the things I want from government, but what I have seen delivered decade after decade is much bigger government, more regulations, and fiscal insanity. I cannot put my name in line with the list of abject failures the Democrats and Republicans have sent into office. How many times do these people have to demonstrate to us who they are before we will believe them?
Our country, particularly our dollar, is in crisis. The poor leadership and misdirection delivered by the mainstream parties is the cause. A true change is what we need. I think the Libertarian Party is the only party in the world actually offering a valid way out. We are the only ones actually focused on individual liberty with a confidence in our fellow citizens. I share their belief and choice of direction. I furthermore am confident that the weight of history, economics, and morality is on our side.
I assure you that we have a strategy that will not only unseat Johnny Isakson, but defeat the Democratic candidate as well. I ask that Georgians not vote out of fear. The only true concern we have is that the Status Quo remains in Washington, D.C. The Status Quo will destroy our fragile economy, our dear Constitution and our precious liberty..."
My mission is freedom, and my vision is now.
Like I said, this guy gets it. Go to his website and drop a dollar on his donate button, volunteer for his campaign and remember, vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote Libertarian!
Why all the Carping about Jason Carter?
Hi Kids,
I was over at the AJC last night and unsuccessfully tried to post a comment on Big Jim Galloway's Political Insider blog congratulating Jason Carter for jumping into the Senate District 42 race. I sweated bullets over my little missive for a least 3 minutes and hit the submit button and it disappeared. Oh well, that is the way it is sometimes in cyber land.
I checked the comment trail this morning and the negatives are running 7 or 8 to one against the positives. What's up with that? It's not like little Jimmy Hitler announced. It's just freakin' Jason Carter, democrat. No big deal. So, in the interest of stirring the pot, here's a hazy recollection of my original killer post.
TANSTAAFL,
Greetings All,
We're flabbergasted over here at the secret underground Libertarian Command Center (LCC) at the news that the State Senate District 42 Special Election might not happen until March 2010! Thats ridiculous!! If we have a US House and a US Senate that can wreck the nation in a few short weeks, whats the hold up on confirming Bundlin' Dave Adelman? The Singaporeans are in desperate need of a new Ambassador and should not have to wait until March for him to show up to work.
The Special Election in District 42 is gonna be super non partisan special and should turn out to be the most interesting election the district's seen in recent memory. There's Jason Carter as a declared democrat candidate, Little Tommy Stubbs and some cat named John Ridley from Decatur are also talking about running as democrats. Last years republican candidate in the 42nd, Altaf Galeyev, is lining up to give it a go, The Libertarian Party of DeKalb County has an excellent candidate waiting in the wings and even the Green Party is rumored to be looking for a candidate.
If this thing drags out until March 2010, even the Constitution Party will have time to run somebody in the Uber Liberal 42nd. Since it's a special election the only requirements for declaring are that the candidate be over 25 years of age, lives in the district and can pony up the $400 qualifying fee. No party affiliation or petitioning required. Kinda like the way elections for state level public office should be.
So if you need some minor political experience for resume enhancement in these trying times, perhaps you should keep your eyes open for Sec State Handel's announcement about the qualifying period and sign up when the crew in DC finally confirms Mr. Adelman. From a Libertarian perspective, we'd like to see 80 or 90 candidates vying for the District 42 Senate Seat. Imagine the Debates!
Well, it's time to get back to work on the mobile modular 30 foot tall Statue of Liberty for the Decatur Campaign, finish wiring up the sound trucks and start printing yard signs and Posters for a breakneck three week campaign!
Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote Libertarian!
More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!
I was over at the AJC last night and unsuccessfully tried to post a comment on Big Jim Galloway's Political Insider blog congratulating Jason Carter for jumping into the Senate District 42 race. I sweated bullets over my little missive for a least 3 minutes and hit the submit button and it disappeared. Oh well, that is the way it is sometimes in cyber land.
I checked the comment trail this morning and the negatives are running 7 or 8 to one against the positives. What's up with that? It's not like little Jimmy Hitler announced. It's just freakin' Jason Carter, democrat. No big deal. So, in the interest of stirring the pot, here's a hazy recollection of my original killer post.
TANSTAAFL,
Greetings All,
We're flabbergasted over here at the secret underground Libertarian Command Center (LCC) at the news that the State Senate District 42 Special Election might not happen until March 2010! Thats ridiculous!! If we have a US House and a US Senate that can wreck the nation in a few short weeks, whats the hold up on confirming Bundlin' Dave Adelman? The Singaporeans are in desperate need of a new Ambassador and should not have to wait until March for him to show up to work.
The Special Election in District 42 is gonna be super non partisan special and should turn out to be the most interesting election the district's seen in recent memory. There's Jason Carter as a declared democrat candidate, Little Tommy Stubbs and some cat named John Ridley from Decatur are also talking about running as democrats. Last years republican candidate in the 42nd, Altaf Galeyev, is lining up to give it a go, The Libertarian Party of DeKalb County has an excellent candidate waiting in the wings and even the Green Party is rumored to be looking for a candidate.
If this thing drags out until March 2010, even the Constitution Party will have time to run somebody in the Uber Liberal 42nd. Since it's a special election the only requirements for declaring are that the candidate be over 25 years of age, lives in the district and can pony up the $400 qualifying fee. No party affiliation or petitioning required. Kinda like the way elections for state level public office should be.
So if you need some minor political experience for resume enhancement in these trying times, perhaps you should keep your eyes open for Sec State Handel's announcement about the qualifying period and sign up when the crew in DC finally confirms Mr. Adelman. From a Libertarian perspective, we'd like to see 80 or 90 candidates vying for the District 42 Senate Seat. Imagine the Debates!
Well, it's time to get back to work on the mobile modular 30 foot tall Statue of Liberty for the Decatur Campaign, finish wiring up the sound trucks and start printing yard signs and Posters for a breakneck three week campaign!
Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote Libertarian!
More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Karen Handel said what!?
Hi Kids,
I was reading the Political Insider over the weekend and really, really, really enjoying Big Jim Galloway's post on the republican flim flam game going on over Speaker Richardson's resignation when a quote by none other than Sec State Karen Handel caught my eye,
Quote:
“From the moment you become aware of an impropriety or wrongdoing, and you do nothing about it, you become part of the problem,”
She actually said that.
Based on her heartfelt and earnest statement, I have to assume that she still hasn't read Title 10 or Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia. These code sections are the basis for our belief that electronic petitioning is legal and acceptable here in Georgia without any new legislation required from the Animal House currently serving down at the Gold Dome. We've contacted the Sec State twice this year on this matter and got brushed off both times.
Quote:
“From the moment you become aware of an impropriety or wrongdoing, and you do nothing about it, you become part of the problem,”
Really?! What part of our fair state's 1943 Jim Crow Petition law do you like best? Is it the insanely high percentage of registered voters that have to sign such petitions? Is it the archaic paper form of a certain size and shape that each have to be notorized? Do you smile quietly to yourself at the thought of all those Libertarian volunteers having to go door to door in the hot June sun? Or is it the Notary Public Loophole that allows those hard won signatures to be disqualified wholesale? Which one of them is it Sec State Handel?
Quote:
“From the moment you become aware of an impropriety or wrongdoing, and you do nothing about it, you become part of the problem,”
Since you're absolutely brimming with suggestions as to how the legislature can overcome their problems with improper gifts, girlfriends and sweetheart deals with their pals, what are you planning to do about the 66 years of of ballot access tyranny that has cursed our fair state? Are you going to continue your current policy of good old boy go-along to get-along oppression or are you ready to see the light? Will you take action to end the injustice?
Quote:
“From the moment you become aware of an impropriety or wrongdoing, and you do nothing about it, you become part of the problem,”
Fine words Sec State Handel, bold words, your words. Do you mean them?
I was reading the Political Insider over the weekend and really, really, really enjoying Big Jim Galloway's post on the republican flim flam game going on over Speaker Richardson's resignation when a quote by none other than Sec State Karen Handel caught my eye,
Quote:
“From the moment you become aware of an impropriety or wrongdoing, and you do nothing about it, you become part of the problem,”
She actually said that.
Based on her heartfelt and earnest statement, I have to assume that she still hasn't read Title 10 or Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia. These code sections are the basis for our belief that electronic petitioning is legal and acceptable here in Georgia without any new legislation required from the Animal House currently serving down at the Gold Dome. We've contacted the Sec State twice this year on this matter and got brushed off both times.
Quote:
“From the moment you become aware of an impropriety or wrongdoing, and you do nothing about it, you become part of the problem,”
Really?! What part of our fair state's 1943 Jim Crow Petition law do you like best? Is it the insanely high percentage of registered voters that have to sign such petitions? Is it the archaic paper form of a certain size and shape that each have to be notorized? Do you smile quietly to yourself at the thought of all those Libertarian volunteers having to go door to door in the hot June sun? Or is it the Notary Public Loophole that allows those hard won signatures to be disqualified wholesale? Which one of them is it Sec State Handel?
Quote:
“From the moment you become aware of an impropriety or wrongdoing, and you do nothing about it, you become part of the problem,”
Since you're absolutely brimming with suggestions as to how the legislature can overcome their problems with improper gifts, girlfriends and sweetheart deals with their pals, what are you planning to do about the 66 years of of ballot access tyranny that has cursed our fair state? Are you going to continue your current policy of good old boy go-along to get-along oppression or are you ready to see the light? Will you take action to end the injustice?
Quote:
“From the moment you become aware of an impropriety or wrongdoing, and you do nothing about it, you become part of the problem,”
Fine words Sec State Handel, bold words, your words. Do you mean them?
Friday, December 4, 2009
Holy Crap! There's gonna be another Special Election in Georgia House District 19!
Wow,
You get all worked up because there's gonna be a special election in Georgia Senate District 42 due to Dave Adelman getting appointed Ambassador to Singapore and then it hits you that what with the republican Speaker of the house having to resign over ethical problems, well, there's gonna be a special election State House District 19 to get a replacement for him too!
So where the hell is State House District 19? The hard working crew over here at Bludgeon & Skewer has an answer and a freakin' map!
So State House District 19 is in play as of 1 JAN 2010, since the esteemed Speaker managed to dictate terms on his resignation to be effective as of that date. What a guy! We're looking into a suitable Libertarian Candidate for that race right now and keeping an eye open for any other republicans that might screw up, get caught and have to follow Speaker Richardson's example in the near future.
Lot's to do as we continue prepping for the special election in Senate District 42 and start planning for next years run at House District 19.
More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!
You get all worked up because there's gonna be a special election in Georgia Senate District 42 due to Dave Adelman getting appointed Ambassador to Singapore and then it hits you that what with the republican Speaker of the house having to resign over ethical problems, well, there's gonna be a special election State House District 19 to get a replacement for him too!
So where the hell is State House District 19? The hard working crew over here at Bludgeon & Skewer has an answer and a freakin' map!
So State House District 19 is in play as of 1 JAN 2010, since the esteemed Speaker managed to dictate terms on his resignation to be effective as of that date. What a guy! We're looking into a suitable Libertarian Candidate for that race right now and keeping an eye open for any other republicans that might screw up, get caught and have to follow Speaker Richardson's example in the near future.
Lot's to do as we continue prepping for the special election in Senate District 42 and start planning for next years run at House District 19.
More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
It's Official! Jason Carter is in the race for Senate District 42!
Hi Kids,
Well the suspense is over, none other than Thomas Wheatley over at Fresh Loaf broke the news that Jason Carter will run for Dave Adelman's seat once he's winging his way to Singapore. And another name got dropped in the hopper for that same seat. Some dude named Tom Stubbs has mentioned he might get in the race as a democrat.
Here's the Score card so far:
Jason Carter Democrat Declared
Tom Stubbs Democrat Rumored
John Ridley Democrat Rumored
Altaf Galeyev Republican Rumored
? Libertarian Soon to be announced
? Green Party They'll decide after the combined car wash/bake sale to see if they can raise the $400 to qualify.
? Any and everybody else
So head over to Fresh Loaf and join the fun! We've already left tracks as you can see below.
TANSTAAFL Says:
December 3rd, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Greetings All,
We’re running out of post it notes over here at the secret underground Libertarian Command Center (LCC) as we try to keep up with the various and sundry announced, thinking about it and unannounced candidates for the impending special election in State Senate District 42.
Now we can move Jason Carter from the unannounced dry erase board over to the declared blackboard and put up a note for this Judge Stubbs dude. He’s got some company because there’s a guy named John Ridley from Decatur also considering running as a democrat. You also have to add in Altaf Galeyev, the republican candidate in 2008 who knew he was gonna get shellacked by David Adelman but still had the stones to run. We’re thinking he’ll be back.
The Libertarians will have a candidate on the ballot for the 42nd special election. Since it’s a special election, Georgia’s 1943 Jim Crow petition process that has been so successful in keeping third parties from running candidates for the Georgia House and Georgia Senate does not apply. We’ve also heard that that those zany guys and gals over at the Green Party are thinking about fielding a candidate.
So if you’ve got $400 bucks laying around and you want some political experience for resume enhancement, you should keep up with the news and when Sec State Karen Handle announces the qualifying period is open, head down and join the fun!
Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote Libertarian!
Well the suspense is over, none other than Thomas Wheatley over at Fresh Loaf broke the news that Jason Carter will run for Dave Adelman's seat once he's winging his way to Singapore. And another name got dropped in the hopper for that same seat. Some dude named Tom Stubbs has mentioned he might get in the race as a democrat.
Here's the Score card so far:
Jason Carter Democrat Declared
Tom Stubbs Democrat Rumored
John Ridley Democrat Rumored
Altaf Galeyev Republican Rumored
? Libertarian Soon to be announced
? Green Party They'll decide after the combined car wash/bake sale to see if they can raise the $400 to qualify.
? Any and everybody else
So head over to Fresh Loaf and join the fun! We've already left tracks as you can see below.
TANSTAAFL Says:
December 3rd, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Greetings All,
We’re running out of post it notes over here at the secret underground Libertarian Command Center (LCC) as we try to keep up with the various and sundry announced, thinking about it and unannounced candidates for the impending special election in State Senate District 42.
Now we can move Jason Carter from the unannounced dry erase board over to the declared blackboard and put up a note for this Judge Stubbs dude. He’s got some company because there’s a guy named John Ridley from Decatur also considering running as a democrat. You also have to add in Altaf Galeyev, the republican candidate in 2008 who knew he was gonna get shellacked by David Adelman but still had the stones to run. We’re thinking he’ll be back.
The Libertarians will have a candidate on the ballot for the 42nd special election. Since it’s a special election, Georgia’s 1943 Jim Crow petition process that has been so successful in keeping third parties from running candidates for the Georgia House and Georgia Senate does not apply. We’ve also heard that that those zany guys and gals over at the Green Party are thinking about fielding a candidate.
So if you’ve got $400 bucks laying around and you want some political experience for resume enhancement, you should keep up with the news and when Sec State Karen Handle announces the qualifying period is open, head down and join the fun!
Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote Libertarian!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Neat-O State Senate District 42 Map!
Hi Kids,
So go ahead and call me Cyber Ninja! It scrolls, it zooms, it takes the mystery out of Georgia State Senate District 42! Too bad the government of the state of Georgia just couldn't bring themselves to put a map like this one on their cheesy General Assembly website. While you're eye balling District 42, check out District 39 right next door! 20 miles long and 1 mile wide!
Come to think of it, why would the entrenched two party system ever make it easy to see their handy-work and the manly art of the Gerrymander? If the voters woke up and actually saw how stacked the deck is, they might want change or something.
So enjoy the map and just for kicks, where would you place 1000 yardsigns for maximum effect in the 42nd District?
So go ahead and call me Cyber Ninja! It scrolls, it zooms, it takes the mystery out of Georgia State Senate District 42! Too bad the government of the state of Georgia just couldn't bring themselves to put a map like this one on their cheesy General Assembly website. While you're eye balling District 42, check out District 39 right next door! 20 miles long and 1 mile wide!
Come to think of it, why would the entrenched two party system ever make it easy to see their handy-work and the manly art of the Gerrymander? If the voters woke up and actually saw how stacked the deck is, they might want change or something.
So enjoy the map and just for kicks, where would you place 1000 yardsigns for maximum effect in the 42nd District?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Can Two Democrats run for the same seat in a Special Election? You Betcha!
Big News Kids,
The Senate district 42 special election just got more complicated as John Ridley, Ex Decatur City Councilman has sent out an massive email blast telling everybody he's thinking about running. That would make two democrats in the race if Jason Carter gives it a go. In a similar vein, a little bird tells us that the redoubtable republican, Altaf Galeyev, is looking at the race very closely and is likely to enter the contest as well. And a different little bird has signaled some interest from those zany Green Party guys and gals. What a contest this is shaping up to be!
Speaking of shape, here's a map of State Senate District 42. A modern marvel of the art of the Gerrymander, it winds its way from Decatur through Avondale Estates to the mighty metropolis of Scottdale to the east and laps over I-85 around Clairmont Road to the north. The nooks and cranny's of it's path ensure that District 42 will forever be a liberal democratic stronghold anchored on the Emory Complex. Check out the map and see if you're one of the lucky citizens who will have an opportunity to vote in the upcoming election!
http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/senate/images/metromap.gif
One day my Cyber-Ninja Kung Fu will be good enough to get an actual picture to post on this blog, but not today. If you want to see the pitiful state supplied map then copy and paste the link above.
If you want to see a great map that actually shows you the road net and place names while being helpfully color coded, check out this site:
http://www.govtrack.us/local/maps.xpd
More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!
The Senate district 42 special election just got more complicated as John Ridley, Ex Decatur City Councilman has sent out an massive email blast telling everybody he's thinking about running. That would make two democrats in the race if Jason Carter gives it a go. In a similar vein, a little bird tells us that the redoubtable republican, Altaf Galeyev, is looking at the race very closely and is likely to enter the contest as well. And a different little bird has signaled some interest from those zany Green Party guys and gals. What a contest this is shaping up to be!
Speaking of shape, here's a map of State Senate District 42. A modern marvel of the art of the Gerrymander, it winds its way from Decatur through Avondale Estates to the mighty metropolis of Scottdale to the east and laps over I-85 around Clairmont Road to the north. The nooks and cranny's of it's path ensure that District 42 will forever be a liberal democratic stronghold anchored on the Emory Complex. Check out the map and see if you're one of the lucky citizens who will have an opportunity to vote in the upcoming election!
http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/senate/images/metromap.gif
One day my Cyber-Ninja Kung Fu will be good enough to get an actual picture to post on this blog, but not today. If you want to see the pitiful state supplied map then copy and paste the link above.
If you want to see a great map that actually shows you the road net and place names while being helpfully color coded, check out this site:
http://www.govtrack.us/local/maps.xpd
More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Current Market Price for the US Ambassador to Singapore: $100,000 to $200,000!!!
Hi Kids,
It's been a busy couple of days over here at the Secret Underground Libertarian Command Center (LCC) as we scramble to get ready for the impending special election for replacing Senator David Adelman after the congress approves him for the Ambassador to Singapore gig. While we were doing background on State Senate District 42, the peculiar nature of special elections in Georgia and the possibility that this special election might feature a democrat, a republican, a Libertarian and even a Green Party candidate, we stumbled across this reference as to how Dave got picked for that sweet gig in Singapore.
From the fine folks over at The BLT: The blog of Legal Times:
"He bundled between $100,000 and $200,000 for Obama, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. "
If you want to read the whole post, click on the title of this post and you'll be magically transported to the article.
Pretty simple really, scrounge up 100-200K for your favorite Presidential candidate and voila! You get to live in the big house in Singapore, ride around in the Ambassador's Limo and meet all kinds of groovy Singaporeans. Just be sure not to spit on the sidewalks or it's 40 lashes. So that's the story on how David Adelman got to be the Ambassador.
But that's not the focus at the moment. The focus right now is how long is it gonna take the crew in congress to give him his chops and put him on a plane to his new job? And how long after that will it take Sec State Karen Handle to announce the qualifying period for the resultant special election to replace him? And how crowded will the field be? The scorecard right now has Jason Carter nosing around for the job, Mr. Altaf Galeyev might take another shot at this as he did run against Adelman in the last election, The Libertarian Party is firmly committed to fielding a candidate due to not having to petition and now it seems that the Greens might want to play as well. What next? The Constitution Party!
All we can say is the more the merrier! Really, anyone with $400 in their pocket can play and any of you out there with that kind of loose cash ought to. Imagine a special election with 80 or 90 candidates on the ballot. What a freakin' circus!
Well, it's time to get back to work on the mobile modular 21 foot tall Statue of Liberty for the Decatur Campaign, finish wiring up the sound trucks and start printing yard signs and Posters for a breakneck three week campaign!
Also, it would be nice if we had a couple of hundred bucks to finance this effort so be sure to click on the political ads on the sidebar. We make money from adsense, adsense takes money from the ad sponsor! What a Two-fer!
More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!
It's been a busy couple of days over here at the Secret Underground Libertarian Command Center (LCC) as we scramble to get ready for the impending special election for replacing Senator David Adelman after the congress approves him for the Ambassador to Singapore gig. While we were doing background on State Senate District 42, the peculiar nature of special elections in Georgia and the possibility that this special election might feature a democrat, a republican, a Libertarian and even a Green Party candidate, we stumbled across this reference as to how Dave got picked for that sweet gig in Singapore.
From the fine folks over at The BLT: The blog of Legal Times:
"He bundled between $100,000 and $200,000 for Obama, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. "
If you want to read the whole post, click on the title of this post and you'll be magically transported to the article.
Pretty simple really, scrounge up 100-200K for your favorite Presidential candidate and voila! You get to live in the big house in Singapore, ride around in the Ambassador's Limo and meet all kinds of groovy Singaporeans. Just be sure not to spit on the sidewalks or it's 40 lashes. So that's the story on how David Adelman got to be the Ambassador.
But that's not the focus at the moment. The focus right now is how long is it gonna take the crew in congress to give him his chops and put him on a plane to his new job? And how long after that will it take Sec State Karen Handle to announce the qualifying period for the resultant special election to replace him? And how crowded will the field be? The scorecard right now has Jason Carter nosing around for the job, Mr. Altaf Galeyev might take another shot at this as he did run against Adelman in the last election, The Libertarian Party is firmly committed to fielding a candidate due to not having to petition and now it seems that the Greens might want to play as well. What next? The Constitution Party!
All we can say is the more the merrier! Really, anyone with $400 in their pocket can play and any of you out there with that kind of loose cash ought to. Imagine a special election with 80 or 90 candidates on the ballot. What a freakin' circus!
Well, it's time to get back to work on the mobile modular 21 foot tall Statue of Liberty for the Decatur Campaign, finish wiring up the sound trucks and start printing yard signs and Posters for a breakneck three week campaign!
Also, it would be nice if we had a couple of hundred bucks to finance this effort so be sure to click on the political ads on the sidebar. We make money from adsense, adsense takes money from the ad sponsor! What a Two-fer!
More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!
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