Last week’s Courier Herald column: The Georgia General Assembly is in its final official hours for 2023, with legislators prepared to gavel out “Sine Die” on March 29th. While this will end their 40 official business days in Atlanta for the year, it’s important to understand the real schedule of the legislature. State Senators and
This week’s Courier Herald column Senator Jon Ossoff made news a few weeks ago, backing federal efforts via the Land and Water Conservation Fund to protect two sections of forest land in Northwest Georgia. As reported by Dave Williams of the Capitol Beat News Service, Senator Ossoff’s letter to the Forest Service noted the land’s
Parents aren't calling for book bans, and school boards aren't banning books. People who think that's what's happening don't understand the history and purpose of public schools.
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
Rep. Jon Burns was officially elected by acclimation as the 75th Speaker of the Georgia House today. Speaker Burns had no opposition. A press release from the Georgia House states: “I am honored to have the trust and confidence of my colleagues in the House to serve as their Speaker,” said Speaker Burns. “My vision
I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of anything else that would draw everyone, from teenagers to geriatrics, to watch hours of CSPAN three days in a row. Americans are engaged. And a few Republicans are giving them what they want and need. Congress has had an approval rating in the teens for
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 elections are now mercifully over. We should now move on to the part where we govern and are governed, after a brief break for a political ad free holiday season. Before we do, let’s take a look at some lessons from this election cycle, with an emphasis on Georgia’s
In 2016, the Georgia General Assembly passed a religious freedom bill that was pushed by a vociferous minority of the Republican base and would have had minimal impact on religious freedom in Georgia but would have risked considerable harm to Georgia’s economy owing to the almost unanimous opposition by the business sector. Add to that,
This week’s Courier Herald column: David Ralston became Speaker of Georgia’s House in 2010. While most outsiders were secure in knowing that Georgia had spent the past 8 years flipping to a solidly Republican state, there were serious problems below the surface. The GOP front runner to succeed Governor Sonny Perdue was mired in scandal,
