August 2, 2019 5:57 AM
Morning Reads – Friday, August 2, 2019
- Eight time NWA Champion Harley Race passed away yesterday at the age of 76.
- Read the newest “At Issue” newsletter from the Georgia Senate
- An increasing call for the shut down of Sterigenics in Smyrna until independent testing can happen
- Fulton Tax Commissioner makes almost $500,000 a year.
- An upcoming FEC ruling on Former Rep. and Sec. of Health and Human Services Tom Price’s request may change how left over campaign money is used.
- Who is actually buried in John Dillinger’s grave?
- Suicide rate in Bibb County surpasses 2018 total
- White supremacist group targets Jewish temple in Columbus, GA by posting flyers for a national white supremacist group
- Bulloch County Sheriff’s Department racks up over $1 million in overtime costs; Sheriff says at least 50 new employees needed
- Some debate brewing about the debate strategy of attacking Biden’s record during Obama’s administration
- Georgia man arrested for putting “I love Trump” bumper stickers on Democrat’s car.
- Proposed homeless apartment complex in Brunswick drawing concerns from surrounding neighbors
About Author
lawtonsack
Lawton is a graduate of Georgia Southern University (the GSU) with a degree in Information Technology. He has held numerous positions within the Georgia Republican Party throughout the years.
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Credit to Stefan Passantino for trying to innovate a new way for campaign money to be funneled directly back to– in this case– Tom Price, but I don’t think it should even be a close call. I’m a bit surprised any FEC Commissioner would agree, but my surprise probly just reflects my naivete. Putting old campaign funds into a c4 would not only explicitly violate the requirement of distributions to a charitable purpose upon campaign dissolution, but it would also be a new nonprofit, not an existing one. Which means any ex-candidate could just start a new nonprofit and conveniently pay themselves with the leftover funds. Which is exactly the personal use that is supposed to be disallowed. Not to mention there would be no oversight on any promises not to spend on lobbying or electioneering. I predict that the 1.8 million, minus legal fees of course, will remain in Mr. Price’s years for years.
There’s the condo in Nashville an property on St. Simon’s, and travel by private jet is expensive.
Anyone going to the Pence-a-rama this morning? How about tomorrow, when David Perdue speaks after breakfast and Karen Handel after lunch?
It’s an event and company that’ll play well for Handel in a GA-6 general if she gets there.
There has never been a rock and roll palace quite like Richards
I can’t imagine that counties and the state are missing out on 82 million dollars in sales tax revenue but if this author is correct it is malpractice at its worst.
https://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/where-are-all-the-walmart-property-and-sales-tax-dollars-part-i/Content?oid=13038418
The $82M figure is a whopper. That’s $1.37B in untaxed sales.
But hey, Georgia Revenue Commissioner Bart Graham was dispatched after objecting to a Shady Deal pre-Governorship shady deal.
Yes, but add in the under-valuation on the properties where Walmart is located and we’re talking real money and across the board malfeasance. We’re due for an economic downturn and simply can’t leave this much money on the table. I’m looking for the actual study but our elected officials need to pay attention.
Speaking of tax revenue. It didn’t take long for Kemp to bring poor judgement from his SoS time to the Governor’s office. Last year’s tax revenue was shaping up to be less than he had projected, so state agencies and school districts were allowed to skip a payment into the State Health Benefit Plan. Because underfunding plans in good times is what Trumpers. do.
We’re only two months into Georgia’s FY2020, and Kemp has already said its time to “star reeling things back”, a sign he’s blown it again. But hey, a state income tax cut to 5.5% is under consideration.
Something under the radar that will get attention on the next dip, and those lights are starting to flash, is Georgia Unemployment Insurance. The payment amounts have not been changed since 2008 ($330 max vs US avg $427), and there was a near halving of maximum duration from 26 to 14 weeks. Florida is the only state with fewer weeks (12). The maximum is 26 weeks in 43 states. We’re No.1 in business for a reason.
Interesting take on the jobs market.
https://www.axios.com/jobs-only-seem-hot-and-thats-why-wages-are-sluggish-449f66d8-ae14-4be1-9198-abf70feb8ad8.html
The numbers are phony anyway. Trump said so himself: when the numbers were only 1-2% higher than they are now:
“Unemployment is a totally phony number.”
“The numbers are phony. These are all phony numbers. Numbers given to politicians to look good. These are phony numbers.”
“Nobody has jobs. … It is not a real economy. It is a phony set of numbers. They cooked the books.”
“You hear a 5 percent unemployment rate. It’s such a phony number. That number was put in for presidents and for politicians so that they look good to the people.”
“The phony 5 percent numbers that we hear about with the unemployment.”
“The 5 percent figure is one of the biggest hoaxes in modern politics.”
“The unemployment number, as you know, is totally fiction.”
“Then you hear there’s a 5.4 percent unemployment. It’s really — if you add it up, it’s probably 40 percent if you think about it.”
“They show those phony statistics where we are 5.4 percent unemployment. The real number, I saw a number that could be 42 percent, believe it or not.”
“I hear 5.3 percent unemployment, that is the biggest joke there is in this country. That number is so false.”
“The number is not reflective. I have seen numbers of 24 percent. I saw a number of 42 percent unemployment. … That number is so false.”
“They say 5.3 percent employment. The number is probably 32 percent.”
“Look again, you hear these phony jobs numbers? People that gave up looking for jobs? They are considered employed.”
“Unemployment rate only dropped because more people are out of labor force & have stopped looking for work. Not a real recovery, phony numbers”
“The unemployment number is a complete fraud as evidenced by the jobless claims number released yesterday. Real unemployment is at least 15%”
“Our real unemployment is anywhere from 18 to 20 percent. Don’t believe the 5.6. Don’t believe it.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/03/10/19-times-trump-called-the-jobs-numbers-fake-before-they-made-him-look-good/?utm_term=.aad17d2e7111
It’s what Republicans call a one-off.
Notwithstanding explanations to the contrary, the thing to do with an infestation is to exterminate it.