A Personal Commentary on the Post-Modern World
Published Each Sunday @ Dr. Gary D. Lemmons, July 18, 2010
The Georgia Gubernatorial Election: Shifting Into Second Gear
© Dr. Gary D. Lemmons, July 25, 2010
The first round in the political contests leading to the selection of Georgia’s governor for the next four years is history. The primary elections, held last Tuesday, saw “King” Roy Barnes sweep the Democratic primary and become that party’s nominee for the office that he held from 1999 until 2003. On the Republican side, former Georgia secretary of state, Karen “Bring It On” Handel and, former ninth district congressman, Nathan “Real” Deal, garnered enough votes to require that they face off against each other in a run-off on August 10.
Barnes, who was taken to the woodshed in the 2002 election by Georgia schoolteachers, seems to have experienced something of an epiphany when it comes to his old campaign issue of education. He has promised “no teacher furloughs”, “no reduction of school years”, and “increased financial resources for schools.” Indeed, he carries his “pro-resource provision by government for education” over into his “Make Georgia Work” theme for the entire range of economic maladies suffered by the state. Unfortunately, he is strangely silent about from whence the monies will come to finance these bold and decisive programs of expansion and innovation of government services and support.
Handel and Deal are not that different on the issues. Ironically, their major difference, which really isn’t that much of one, centers on the one issue a state governor can do little about…abortion. Both candidates claim to be of the “right to life” cut of the cloth, however, Handel, it seems, would allow governmental financing for abortions in the event of a pregnancy resulting from rape or incest. Abortion, like it or not, is a settled matter of law, and until a United States constitutional amendment is enacted, which prohibits it, state governments are spitting into the wind to try to limit it.
Both, Deal and Handel talk much about providing tax breaks and extending supportive legislation to business (small or otherwise) to encourage economic growth and entrepreneurial success. However, just as in the case of Barnes on the Democratic side, they lack specifics.
Whoever emerges as the 82nd governor following the general election in November, is going to need to “hit the ground running” come next January. Among the items with which the new state chief executive is going to have to wrestle are:
1. Creating new and sustained job growth,
2. Developing a comprehensive business encouragement plan,
3. Developing a comprehensive water management plan,
4. Developing a continuing transportation improvement plan and expanding transportation resources, especially in the area of light rail,
5. Adequately and fairly funding public schools,
6. Developing a comprehensive plan to improve and extend health services to all Georgia citizens,
7. Revising and improving the tax code.
These are the major items that will be on the plate of the next governor. He or she will need strong critical thinking and creativity skills to deal with these matters. I will be looking, with interest, for a hint of these skills in the weeks ahead.