Last week’s Courier Herald column: I grew up in rural Fayette County Georgia. Or, perhaps I should say I grew up with rural Fayette County. When the 1970 census was taken shortly after I was born, the county due south of Atlanta’s airport, nestled between interstates 75 and 85, had under 12,000 residents – and
This week’s Courier Herald column: This week we’re going to dive deeper into Georgia’s challenge of providing workforce housing. While it’s not a new problem, the recent public remarks by Governor Brian Kemp and the state’s economist Dr. Jeffrey Dorfman have directly tied the lack of available and affordable housing as a hindrance not only
This week’s Courier Herald column: Georgia has been building a fortress economy since coming out of the great recession. “The number one state to do business” is as much of a mission statement as it is a ranking. The formula is quite public and relatively simple on the surface. The state begins by ensuring a
This week’s Courier Herald column: For the second year in a row, the state of Georgia’s fiscal coffers are overflowing. Literally. The state’s rainy day fund is at its legal limit. Funds from tax revenues are still coming in above projection. There is still some federal Covid relief money yet to be spent. It’s an
This week’s Courier Herald column: Why the heck was Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in Davos Switzerland this week? Some that asked that question genuinely wanted to know the answer. To many in the populist wing of the Republican party, it was more of a statement, heavy with implied derision. In those circles, “Davos” is a
From a press release: ATLANTA – Today, the House Committee on Assignments, chaired by Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington), announced committee leadership appointments for the 2023-2024 legislative session. “Our House has a strong bench of leaders ready to roll up their sleeves and go to work for the people of Georgia, and our committee leadership roster
This Week’s Courier Herald column: I made the move to writing columns for print newspapers and online publications 12 years ago this month. The goal, then and now, was to try to bring a view of state government’s operations and workings to Georgia’s voters, citizens, and taxpayers. Inherent in that goal but spoken less frequently
This week’s Courier Herald column: It’s the first week of the New Year, and I’m already breaking one of my resolutions. Instead of sharpening the focus here on state and local political issues based on policy, the spectacle of trying to select a Speaker of the House in Washington has stolen all of our political
This week’s Courier Herald column: This is a time of year when we speak of resolutions. For too many of us, it’s all talk. Resolutions are often just a momentary wish that we’ll commit to intentional and specific actions to improve ourselves and our situations. Talking isn’t the same as getting something done. There’s no
This week’s Courier Herald column: The Christmas story, as told in the Gospel of Luke, contains the following phrase as part of one verse: “And on earth peace, good will toward men.” Ten months ago tanks rolled across the Russian border with Ukraine and quickly captured much of Ukraine’s eastern territories. Suddenly, the almost unthinkable
