We are in the midst of a prolonged period of stagnated governmental thinking and outright denial at all levels.
Our federal government is heading toward the infamous “fiscal cliff” in January when a series of tax and revenue measures will expire simultaneously. We are also on track to have another trillion dollar deficit for the year.
Here is what we can expect from Congress: nothing.
The U.S. Postal Service requires immediate action to stem the billions of dollars of losses being registered each quarter. They missed a $5.5 billion payment for future retiree health benefits and another $5.6 billion payment will most likely be missed next month.
The Postal Service’s credit line with the U.S. Treasury is almost exhausted. Congress will not even pass the Senate’s watered-down overhaul bill. There are some very clear solutions and the Postmaster General is begging Congress to do something.
Big city mayors across the country condemned Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy for expressing his views at the same time they are reeling from their outrageous failing pension plans and poor decisions.
At the state level, we are going to see Senate Bill 448 by Sen. Don Balfour and our Sen. Ronnie Chance which will protect the large, well-heeled Atlanta-area real estate development tycoons who want to reduce what they guaranteed they would pay on certain loans (those loans that have been transferred from the developer’s original lender to another party).
But as you would expect, the rest of us (also known as “the little people”) will still have to pay full value on our home, student, car and consumer loans.
This is the same legislature that decided not to impose limits on gifts from lobbyists because they believed unlimited giving from special interests was appropriate. The voters screamed “do something” to the legislature with the July 31 ballot question.
The little people fought back on the regional T-SPLOST even though our legislature tried to intimidate us with mandatory financial penalties if we voted “no.” However, the question is why are having to fight the people we elected to represent us?
Locally, our Board of Education has made some outrageously bad decisions. God help the new people coming onto the board.
The BOE has some raw decisions to make and it will be painful and somewhat disruptive, but we do not need to be like Congress and let our system bleed to death. The BOE needs to take the big steps now and they do not need to appoint the usual “yes-men” to the committee addressing the problem.
Our Board of Commissioners majority missed the boat several years back on creating some substantive change to pull us out of our downward spiral.
One thing the Jack Smith and Herb Frady administrations have proven is that it is incredibly easy to waste other people’s money. I have watched people beg the commissioners for a change of course and they are either ignored or rebuffed.
Commissioner Allen McCarty and I have offered remedies only to be voted down 3 to 2 every time. On one occasion, the three-member majority passed a motion to prevent me from even giving my presentation on how to save the budget and the chairman threatened to have me thrown out of the meeting for objecting.
The opposition has called me every name in the book with their personal attacks. Paid lobbyists have been hired to attack me in the local newspapers.
We have to stand and protect our quality of life out of love for this county and the people who live within its boundaries. I ask nothing of you except to go vote for the people who will look out for your best interests.
If you do not want more boondoggles like the West Fayetteville Bypass, deficit spending, disappearing reserve funds, secret votes and no-bid outsourced government contracts, then please go vote on Aug. 21.
We literally have the best county in metropolitan Atlanta and I am begging you to protect it by casting a vote.
Steve Brown
Fayette Commissioner, Post 4
Peachtree City, Ga.
