I Support David Shafer For Lieutenant Governor
I support David Shafer, and I’ve voted for him both in the May primary and during early voting during the run-off. I’m proud to support my friend, and I’m proud to cast my ballot for him to become Georgia’s next Lieutenant Governor. I know he will do a great job.
I have known David Shafer for a number of years, and I know he’s a solid conservative and effective legislator. Candidates quickly take on the role as an “Outsider”. It’s, unfortunately, necessary in this day and age of #AntiEstablishment everything. It seems that the ability to be an effective elected official is seen to be more of a negative more so than a positive. It’s unfortunate, but it’s reality. However, an effective legislator who can build relationships and consensus will be an effective leader to help guide policy. That’s what our Republican nominee for lieutenant governor should be, and it’s what our great state deserves and needs. I believe the person who best fits that is Senator David Shafer.
David is a fighter, and he has authored and sponsored a number of policy initiatives during his service in the Georgia Senate. One of the hallmarks as senator is the zero-based budgeting bill (which he introduced five different times over the years) was finally signed into law by Governor Nathan Deal in 2012. David outlined his motivation for zero-based budgeting in a 2013 chat with the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce:
[Senator David Shafer] noted that the state has reduced spending from a high of $21 billion in 2007 to a recession low of $15.9 billion, and said that despite these reductions in real spending, state government is now better and more efficient.
Senator Shafer placed much of the blame for the ever-increasing state budget prior to the recession on what he called continuation budgeting, noting that what legislators receive from the governor is a list of proposed new programs, along with a single line item that represents all appropriations from the previous year. Shafer called for zero-based budgeting at the state level so that out of date programs could be eliminated. He said that Governor Deal’s elimination of several thousand state positions in a previous budget didn’t really remove any workers. Instead it just took away money that was being spent elsewhere because the positions were no longer needed, but were being funded through the continuation budgeting process.
In 2014, David Shafer sponsored Senate Resolution 415 which placed an amendment to cap the state income tax at 6 percent. The amendment was ratified by voters that November, and Georgia became the first state in the Union to cap its state income tax. I believe David has the policy chops for the job, and I believe he can rally around good legislative ideas that Senators drop in the hopper.
A sound understanding of policy is important. Ideas for legislation are great, but navigating those ideas through the legislative waters without relationships with fellow legislators or with the governor’s office diminish the chance of success. A candidate with good, principled policy ideas must have the ability to build consensus to get those ideas moving through the legislative process. I know David can do that. After all, the Senator was elected unanimously as President Pro-Tempore of the Georgia Senate in 2013 and reelected to that post twice. He has earned the respect and trust of his colleagues, so I’m confident that he will be an effective leader of the State Senate. I believe he will work with our next (Republican) governor and Speaker David Ralston to craft and pass conservative policy that will help Georgia continue to prosper.
I hope you will join me in supporting and voting for David Shafer for Lieutenant Governor on July 24th.
Note: This is strictly a personal endorsement and doesn’t reflect the views of the other contributors of GeorgiaPol.
About Author
nsmith
Father. IT Geek. Former 14th District GOP Chairman (2015-2017). Former Walker GOP Chairman (2009-2013). Resident of Chamblee. American. Georgian. Conservative.
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But…how many guns does he own and how big are they? Does own a pick up truck or a bus big enough to round up illegal annimals? Where does he stand on outlawing all of the many, many sanctuary cities in Georgia? Finally, is the name on his birth certificate “conservative” and does he belong to church of MAGA?
These are vital questions all Republican voters must ask before casting a ballot for him.
Actually Duncan is the one in this race trumpeting his love of all things Trump. His flyer was rife with all of the MAGA mantras you mention and then some more. Therefore Shafer got my vote.
My comments were written in the key of sarcasm. My point was that Nathan made a well reasoned endorsement based on policy and character issues but there is “Noway” that today’s version of the republican party cares abouth character or policy.
Good to hear from you Seen-yor “Cult!”
I appreciate you making an endorsement in a hostile environment.
Zero based budgeting has been of no significant influence (though I grant I’m not very knowledgeable concerning the state budget proposal process). A grandstand amendment of the Constitution to fix something not broken is hardly an accomplishment.
What we do know about Shafer is that he is a career politician that is opaque with respect to his earning of a good living and that he’s accomplished at concealing what he does in the General Assembly on behalf of special interests.
Does the Gov or Leg still produce a zero-based budget every year?
Because other states’ experiences with it, if memory serves, that it’s a useful exercise once in a while (like every 5-10 years), but quite inefficient otherwise. There is efficiency in incremental budgeting. And results of most programs don’t change in one year, so you can only properly evaluate every so often. Again if memory serves, Jimmy Carter started some zero-based budgeting back when.
A major reason to vote for Shafer is the fact that an out-of-state “independent” group largely funded by bazillionaire George Soros has spent $1.5 million in dirty attack ads trashing Shafer. Hungarian-British-New Yorker Soros is a rabid socialist whose life goal is to take down America with his big fat pocketbook. He also has already given over $1 mil to the GA Dem Party, plus dropped a reported $400,000 on Abrams and God only knows how much dark money.
With Soros supporting Shafer’s opponent, every moderate/centrist/conservative Georgian better vote for Shafer tomorrow.
That Citizens United ruling is a b*tch.