Libertarian Kira Willis Fires a Broadside at Kathy Cox

News from the State School Superintendent Front,

here's the latest missive from the Kira Willis for State Superintendent campaign:

from willisforstatesuper@yahoo.com

I read Kathy Cox’s letter to the editor the other day about her disappointment in not receiving the Race to the Top (RTTT) grant monies. I find it ridiculous that the DOE would even waste its time on applying when here in Georgia , we have bigger fish to fry. The money is 400 million dollars. That’s a lot; however, the mandates that come with the 400 million dollars will exceed the grant funding that we would receive! Georgia is dead last in graduation rates according to edreform.com, roughly the same as it was when the Reagan Administration published “A Nation at Risk” in the 1980s. Since that time, and especially since Kathy Cox has been our State School Superintendent, more and more money has been funneled into our schools, yet we see no improvement. We have students who can’t pass basic skills tests, schools that cheat to earn more funds, college freshmen who can’t keep the HOPE scholarship (60% lose the HOPE their first year at college). We have teachers with huge classes, teachers who are unable to teach because of all of the mandates that are imposed and tests that are scheduled.

I predict that with the 400 million dollars will come more and more onerous positions to ensure that the money is “adequately spent”, and none of it will actually get to the students in the classrooms. This is another “bone” tossed out to appease the public. All this money will do is create positions that do not have any direct contact with students.

Kathy Cox, how about doing your job instead of pandering to politicians in DC? Washington can keep the money and the mandates that come with it. For that matter, why not allow schools to address the needs of their individual communities? That is when you will see improvement.

If you agree, spread the word!
www.willisforstatesuper.com

inDecatur Blog Covers the LP Debate at Famous Pub!

Great Big Ol' Hat Tip To inDecatur Blog,

Fabulous Photo.

The first DeKalb county Libertarian sponsored debate has come and gone. Turn out was pleasantly heavily Libertarian and while it wasn't SRO, there was a good crowd in the room. We're happy to report that no chairs were thrown, no glass was broken and every one in the room was respectful of the candidates, at least until the last of the official questions were posed.

Libertarian candidate David Montané and Democrat Candidate Tom Stubbs expressed their positions on the main topics of the evening, The Death Penalty, Medical Marijuana/Decriminalization and and equal rights for all Georgians. Fire works occurred on the last official question about the constitutionality of the recently passed Obamacare legislation. The rebuttal phase lasted forever with a lot of spontaneous input from the crowd, it was getting a bit edgy but smoothed out nicely towards the end.

The two other candidates in the race, democrat Jason Carter and independent Steve Patrick were unable to attend due to schedule conflicts. They missed an excellent opportunity.

We're still in the process of compiling the video and as soon as we figure out how to get it over to the Bludgeon & Skewer YouTube Channel, it'll be ready for your viewing pleasure.

Once again, thanks to Dave Kell at inDecatur blog for stopping by and putting together that snazzy photo.

Libertarian David Montané on the War on Drugs

Re Run Time Folks,

We posted this the first time back on 11 Mar 10, but with the debate tonight, we thought we'd put it up again. It's time to stop the War on Citizens.. er, Drugs.

Libertarian Taylor Bryant to Speak at Augusta Tax Day Tea Party Rally on the 15th!

Just in from FaceBook,

Libertarian Taylor Bryant will speak at the Tax Day Tea Party in Augusta on April 15th. Taylor carried the banner of Liberty in the recent special election for Augusta's State Senate District 22 at the first of the year and polled over 9% of the votes cast. An outstanding performance that advanced the cause of Liberty and led to a run off to decide the election.

The Tax Day Tea Party is an Augusta event sponsored by Revolution Radio 1230AM host Tony Powers and a slew of other Liberty minded activists to make sure that the voice of the people gets heard. Taylor will be addressing the crowd between 5:00PM and 8:00PM along with other scheduled speakers, so be sure to get there early and join in the fun.

The Debate Questions!

Here they are!

These are the questions that will be posed tonight at the DeKalb LP sponsored debate for the special election in State Senate District 42. The debate will be held at the Famous Pub in the Toco Hills shopping center and will start as close to 7:00PM as possible. The venue for the event seats about 60 people so it would be wise to show up a little early. If you have the opportunity to attend, be there!

The candidate slate will feature Tom Stubbs (D) and David Montané (L). Jason Carter (D) has a previously scheduled event as does Steve Patrick (I) and neither candidate will be in attendance. Perhaps another debate will be scheduled before the 11th of May that all the candidates can attend. Perhaps not.

The format will allow each candidate to make some short introductory remarks and we will then proceed to the questions listed below. The question will be posed, each candidate will respond and a short period for rebuttal will follow the responses. Then on to the next question. When we're done with the the published questions and if there is time, we intend to take several questions from members of the audience. Once that's done, the candidates will make their closing remarks and then it's off to the bar for a beer and more politicking.

Here are tonights questions:



1. Whats your position on the Death Penalty?

2. Many District 42 voters are concerned about sustainability. How would you address these concerns?

3. So Far, 14 out of 50 states have legalized the medical use of marijuana. What is your position on this issue?

4. There is a trend in District 42 for the creation of community gardens and backyard chicken coops. Is it the role of the state to interfere with this?

5. Another hot topic for the voters of District 42 is equal protection and equal rights for all Georgia citizens under Georgia law. What would you do as a State Senator to address these concerns?

6. Does the federal government under our constitution have the authority to force a citizen into a contract with a private company?

In addition to these questions there will be several speed rounds where the candidates will be asked to pick between two choices, for example Color or black and white, Big Mac or Whopper and so on.

We hope the event will be informative and allow the voters of District 42 an opportunity to begin to make their decisions on who to cast their ballots for on the 11th of May.

Only 12 Days Left Before the State Libertarian Party Convention!

Mark your calenders!

There are only 12 days left until the Georgia Libertarian Party Convention starts at the Westin Hotel at 4736 Best Road by the Airport so it's time to get registered! Head over to the Georgia LP's registration page and plunk down the money to make sure you have your say on 24 APR 10 on the direction our party will take for the next year.

Remember that we'll be electing various and sundry administrative positions within the party like Chair, Vice Chair, district reps and others as well as voting on our slate of state wide candidates for the fall. It's your chance to hear first hand from US Senate Candidate Chuck Donovan, Gubernatorial Candidate John Monds, SecState Candidate David Chastain, Labor Commissioner Candidate Will Costa, Superintendent of Schools Candidate Kira Willis as well as State Senate Candidates David Montané and Brandon Givens.

It'll be a fine day for Liberty and it is critical that every Libertarian in Georgia makes an effort to attend. See you there!

State of the Race on FaceBook Update #2

Update Time Kids,

The third installment of the FaceBook Fan Page Counter is hot off the presses and some pretty substantial gains were noted. Some pretty substantial howls of disappointment are expected as well as we start shearing off some of less competative candidates in democrat and republican land because they just aren't gonna be there after the primary.

State Senate 42 Special Election
(D) Jason Carter 1,598 fans 4APR10 1612 Fans +14 11APR10 1,632 Fans +20
(L) David Montané 5 fans 4APR10 8 Fans +3 11APR10 14 Fans +6
(D) Tom Stubbs No FaceBook Fan Page 4APR10 still no page

(I) Steve Patrick No FaceBook Fan Page 11APR10 No FaceBook Fan Page

State Senate 49 Special Election

(L) Brandon Givens 11APR10 89 Fans +89

(R) "Butch" Miller 11APR10 No FaceBook Fan Page

(R) Jimmy Norman No FaceBook Fan Page

US Senate Race
(L) Chuck Donovan 117 friends 4APR10 221 Fans +104 Fans 11APR10 233 Fans +14

(R) Johnny Isakson 5,838 fans 4APR10 5919 Fans +81 Fans 11APR10 5,996 Fans +77
(D) RJ Hadley 347 fans 4APR10 419 Fans +72 Fans 11APR10 472 Fans +53

Georgia Governor's Race
(L) John Monds 346 fans 4APR10 349 Fans +3 Fans 11APR10 348 Fans -1
(D) Roy Barnes 2,132 fans 4APR19 2178 Fans +46 Fans 11APR10 2219 Fans +41
(R) John Oxendine 3,361 fans 4APR10 3474 Fans +13 Fans 11APR10 3494 Fans +20
(R) Karen Handel 3,450 fans 4APR10 3491 Fans +41 Fans 11APR10 3542 Fans +51
(R) Nathan Deal 3,697 fans 4APR10 3730 Fans +33 Fans 11APR10 3754 Fans +24

Georgia Secretary of State
(L) David Chastain 127 fans 4APR10 129 Fans +2 Fans 11APR10 131 Fans +2
(R) Brian Kemp 1.664 fans 4APR10 1705 Fans +41 Fans 11APR10 1728 Fans +23
(R) Doug McGinnitie 1,772 fans 4APR10 1852 Fans +80 Fans 11APR10 1879 Fans +27
(D) Darryl Hicks 234 fans 4APR10 234 Fans No Change 11APR10 235 Fans +1
(D) Micheal Mills 583 fans 4APR10 608 Fans +25 Fans 11APR10 610 Fans +2

Labor Commissioner
(L) Will Costa 174 fans 4APR10 233 Fans +59 Fans 11APR10 277 Fans +44
(R) Melvin Everson 251 fans 4APR10 253 Fans +2 Fans 11APR10 260 Fans +7

Superintendent of Schools
(L) Kira Willis 334 fans 4APR10 379 Fans +45 Fans 11APR10 406 Fans +27
(D) Beth Farokhi 426 members 4APR10 427 Members +1 member 11APR10 431 Members +4
(D) Brian Westlake 372 fans 4APR10 415 Fans +43 Fans 11APR10 443 Fans +18
(D) John Barge 303 fans 4APR10 308 Fans +5 Fans 11APR10 335 Fans +27
(D) Kathy Cox 469 fans 4APR10 577 Fans +108 Fans 11APR10 588 Fans +11

That's the new numbers for this week, the leading Libertarian is Will Costa with a net gain of 44 Fans over last week and he now has more fans that Melvin does! The largest overall surge was by Libertarian Brandon Givens with 89 Fans but his page has only been up a little over a week. Drop back by next week for the latest update of the FaceBook Fan Page Counter!

Libertarian Brandon Givens Unleashes a Video Tidal Wave!

You Gotta Love It!

Here's another video from the Brandon Givens campaign. If you want to see them all at one time then head over to the Brandon Givens Channel at YouTube HQ. While you're there be sure to rate them, toss in a comment or two and then volunteer to to help the man out!

Jason Carter Bails on the Debate This Tuesday Night at The Famous Pub

Weekend Surprize!

You get back from a few days off up in North Georgia riding dirt bikes, fishing and prowling local pawn shops for really good deals on long guns and Viola! There's a teapot tempest brewing over democrat candidate Jason Carter's refusal to join the Libertarian Debate scheduled for this Tuesday night at the Famous Pub in Toco Hills. It seems that not only did he not know about the debate, but he has a previously scheduled meet and greet over in Johnson Hills. And he has to wash his hair too.

We've talked about this debate here at Bludgeon & Skewer several times over the last few months, like here and here, but just because we talked about it doesn't really mean anything as the readership is quite small and most definitely Libertarian.

So the bottom line is that two of the four candidates for the State Senate seat in District 42 will be in attendance at Tuesday night's event. Democrat Tom Stubbs and Libertarian David Montané will be there and we invite all the denizens and citizens of the 42nd to attend the very first debate of this special election cycle.

Ray Boyd, The Man in Black

Shocking News Kids,

Morgan county business man Ray Boyd just dropped a 20KT backpack nuke into the middle of the republican primary for Governor today. OK, no nuke, but 2 Million bucks is 2 Million bucks. And it's his money, not the filthy lucre of a bunch of lobbyists intent on getting all their money back with a hefty 2000% markup.

2010 is indeed the year of change. According to Big Jim Galloway over at the Political Insider, Ray has just had it with the normal ebb and flow of republican politics in Georgia and decided to do something about it. 2 Million bucks worth of something.

Will Ray's sudden entrance in the race cause any of the lower tier candidates to fold their tents and move on? Will the "leading" candidates be forced to recalibrate and get ready for a squeaky clean novice who's already called them all on the carpet? Are the opposition researchers already digging through courthouse records to find something, anything that could put Ray in a bad light? Hell Yes.

The only thing that would have made the events of the day better is if Mr. Boyd had declared for the Lt Gov as a Libertarian, we're still looking for a suitable candidate for that slot and he would have been a fine addition to the team for the run this fall. So if things don't work out over there in republican land, give us a call Ray, there's plenty of work to do for Liberty.