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May 15, 2008 – Insider Advantage Georgia Thursday
Governor takes bike swipe at Speaker in line-item budget vetoes
Dick Pettys reports don’t think the fight between Gov. Sonny Perdue and House Speaker Glenn Richardson is over yet. Not for a minute. In his line-item budget vetoes Wednesday, one of Perdue’s biggest and most unmistakable was aimed at Richardson, and resulted in the elimination of a $4 million state grant to the Paulding County airport in his home district. Like all lawmakers, Richardson is up for re-election this year but he is unopposed.
May 15, 2008 – Cartersville Daily Tribune
Gov. signs locally sponsored bills into law, vetoes one
Rebecca Long reports that Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a long list of bills into law Wednesday, including some that were authored by local legislators. It was the final day for Perdue to sign or veto bills at the state Capitol. Hundreds of bills were passed during this year's legislative session. But not all of them became law.
May 15, 2008 – Insider Advantage Georgia
17 measures get Perdue veto, fewer than last year
Staff reports that the veto pen wasn't quite as heavy this year as last year, when he nixed some 41 blls - the highest number in more than a dozen years. But Gov. Sonny Perdue still found reason to veto 17 bills while signing 430 others. Among those vetoed were a pay raise for the courts and a measure allowing law enforcement officers to impound the vehicles of those found driving without a valid license. Here's the list and his veto messages.
May 15, 2008 – Gainesville Times
Mills ‘disappointed’ by Perdue veto
Harris Blackwood reports that Gov. Sonny Perdue has vetoed a bill by Rep. James Mills, R-Chestnut Mountain, which was intended to require authorities to seize vehicles of people who are in the country illegally and are involved in a traffic accident. A watered-down version of the bill was offered in the Senate and subsequently passed by the House. It allowed law enforcement officers to impound a vehicle of a person who does not have a valid driver’s license.
May 15, 2008 – Savannah Morning News
New gun law frustrates police
Michael Atkins reports that Gov. Sonny Perdue on Wednesday signed legislation allowing guns in restaurants, on public transportation and in state parks, and the act drew immediate criticism from law enforcement officials. A number of groups had urged Perdue to veto the measure, saying it could lead to increased violence. Among them were the Georgia Restaurant Association, MARTA and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The measure was backed by the National Rifle Association.
May 15, 2008 – Douglas County Sentinel
Bearden pleased with passage of gun law
Winston Jones reports that Rep. Tim Bearden (R-Villa Rica) expressed his pleasure Wednesday afternoon after Gov. Sonny Perdue signed legislation which allows carrying of guns in restaurants, on public transportation and in state parks. “It’s a very good day for law abiding citizens in Georgia,” Bearden told the Sentinel. “People are now allowed to defend themselves in more public places.” Purdue signed House Bill 89, which Bearden authored and sponsored, about 3 p.m. Wednesday, the final day for signing or vetoing legislation. The law becomes effective July 1.
May 15, 2008 – Atlanta Journal Constitution
Guns legal in more places
James Salzer reports that Georgians with carry licenses can tote their concealed guns on public transportation, in restaurants that serve alcohol and in state parks under legislation signed by Gov. Sonny Perdue Wednesday. Perdue inked the controversial gun bill on the final day for him to sign or veto legislation. He also signed a $21 billion state budget that will give 200,000 teachers and state employees 2.5 percent pay raises, and approved a bill allowing auto insurers to raise rates on some coverage without state approval.
May 15, 2008 – Atlanta Journal Constitution
New state rules ease Atlanta's watering restrictions
Stacy Shelton reports that it's OK to water the gardenias again. But you'll need a clock and a calendar. Starting at midnight Wednesday, residents and businesses in the city, south Fulton and Sandy Springs may water lawns and landscapes according to the state rules used throughout the metro area. Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a law Wednesday that requires local water utilities to follow state rules unless they get permission to impose stricter or more lenient rules.
May 15, 2008 – Chattanooga Times Free Press
Perdue backs border battle over water
Lori Yount reports that Tennesseans, guard your water. In an effort to re-examine the Georgia-Tennessee border, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a resolution Wednesday that urges him to negotiate with Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen. The measure authorizes Georgia’s attorney general to file a border dispute with the U.S. Supreme Court if negotiations fail. “He supports the intent and looks forward to having the conversation,” said Marshall Guest, spokesman for Gov. Perdue.
May 15, 2008 – Athens Banner-Herald
Sales tax holidays scheduled for 2008
Staff reports that the state will waive sales taxes July 31-Aug. 3 for school supplies and Oct. 2-5 for energy-efficient and water-conserving appliances. Legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Sonny Perdue set the dates for the annual sales tax holidays.
May 15, 2008 – Marietta Daily Journal
Backlash builds over Obama T-shirts
Talia Mollett reports that despite a storm of criticism, Mulligan's Food and Spirits owner Mike Norman has ordered 100 more "Obama in '08" T-shirts featuring Curious George after being inundated with phone calls of people "begging" him to get more, he said. But not all the phone calls have been positive, he said, which is one reason he chose to take the phone at the neighborhood bar and grill off the hook on Wednesday.
May 15, 2008 – Savannah Morning News
Survey shows McCain 14 percentage points ahead of Obama in Georgia
Larry Peterson reports that Republican presidential candidate John McCain is far ahead of Democrat Barack Obama in Georgia, according to a new statewide poll. Meanwhile, GOP incumbent U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss has an even bigger lead over five Democratic challengers. The Strategic Vision sounding showed McCain, an Arizona senator, with 54 percent and Obama, a senator from Illinois, with 40 percent. The poll of 800 likely voters, taken May 9-11, did not include Democrat Hillary Clinton.
May 15, 2008 – Atlanta Journal Constitution
Politically correct? Not this bar owner
Bo Emerson reports that Mike Norman looks like a Harley-riding curmudgeon and juggles telephones like a seasoned political consultant. But even Norman couldn't keep up with the interview requests this week. Norman, 63, handed out the soundbites, but in his estimation tornadoes deserve news reports, not T-shirts: "This is a lot of hullabaloo about nothing." Norman grabbed the spotlight Tuesday after selling T-shirts at his establishment, Mulligan's Bar and Grill, depicting the cartoon monkey Curious George and the slogan "Obama in '08." Critics called the shirt racist and an embarassment.
May 15, 2008 – Atlanta Journal Constitution
Barr's run creates uncertainty
Aaron Gould Sheinin reports that Bob Barr rejects the label of spoiler in the 2008 presidential race, but the former Georgia congressman is likely to find that's the label that has the best chance of sticking to his nascent Libertarian bid for the White House. The former Republican gave a spirited launch to his campaign this week in Washington and hopes to land the Libertarian Party mantle at the party's national convention in Denver next weekend.
May 15, 2008 – Atlanta Journal Constitution - COLUMN/BLOG
Political Insider: Boortz vs. Barr and Perdue signs drinking on the fly
The Political Insider writes that Atlanta talk radio provocateur Neal Boortz and Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr had a fascinating exchange on Iraq this morning. The WSB radio host was particularly troubled by Barr’s description of U.S. troops there as an “occupying force.” The Insider also writes that Gov. Sonny Perdue has approved legislation to permit the Sunday sale of alcohol in Gwinnett County stadiums and over the Internet. And we’ve just gotten word that Perdue has also signed the Merlot-to-go bill, so that half-emptied bottles of wine can be taken home by restaurant patrons, even on Sundays. Call them doggy bottles.
May 15, 2008 – Athens Banner-Herald - EDITORIAL
New charter schools law a double-edged sword
The editorial board writes, With the deadline for signing or vetoing the handiwork of this year's state legislative assembly looming, Gov. Sonny Perdue signed into law Tuesday a potentially problematic bill allowing charter school applicants rejected by their local school systems to submit the application to a new state charter school commission. There certainly is some evidence that Georgia's students, parents and taxpayers are being shortchanged, at least in the aggregate, by their public schools.
May 15, 2008 – Rome News-Tribune - EDITORIAL
Got a closed mind?
The editorial board writes, nobody in the media likes to say it — insulting your audience is usually not good for building circulation — but one of the major underlying problems of today’s politics is that growing numbers of the electorate have closed minds. Minds that are shut down tight, and with ears open only to hearing those who sound just like them. That’s the actual message in a new study from the University of Georgia, and it means that democracy is heading for some real trouble — probably already there, for that matter.
May 15, 2008 – Savannah Morning News - EDITORIAL
Plow it under
The editorial board writes, While many facets of the nation's economy are ailing, the Farm Belt is on a healthy roll. Crop prices are soaring. Farm incomes are way up. For those farmers who stuck it out during the lean years and didn't give up, their decision to stay on the farm is paying off big time. And good for them. Those who are smart, work hard and make sacrifices deserve to reap dividends from the efforts they've sown. But that doesn't mean multimillionaires and large agribusiness conglomerates automatically deserve continued tax breaks and subsidies from American taxpayers.
May 15, 2008 – Cherokee Tribune- EDITORIAL
Barr a good pick, but odds of victory remote
The editorial board writes, former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr of Smyrna made it official on Monday: He's now a candidate for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination. The platform he offered sounded a lot like what congressman and nominal Republican Ron Paul has been touting on the stump during his non-too-successful bid for the GOP presidential nomination this year. Paul hasn't gotten much traction and we doubt Barr will get much more, though not for lack of trying.
May 15, 2008 – Atlanta Journal Constitution - OP-ED/COLUMN
Obama's success suggests we can transcend race
Jay Bookman writes, Race has been in the room since the beginning. It was there in Philadelphia, where the Founding Fathers debated slavery in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. It is there now, two centuries later, still playing a central if sometimes hidden role in politics. But in the election of 2008, the first in which a black person stands a reasonable chance of becoming president, the role of race will be far from hidden. In ways large and small, the weeks and months ahead will test just how far we've come as a nation.
