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Showing posts from October, 2017

Mixed Thoughts on General Kelly’s Remarks

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Did you hear General Kelly’s remarks during last Thursday’s White House briefing?   That afternoon, Trump’s Chief of Staff took to the podium to address political statements made by US Representative Frederica Wilson, a Democrat from Florida, who by all accounts, sat quietly, listening in on Trump’s call to a Gold Star wife whose husband was recently killed in Niger. General Kelly and Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla) According to Rep. Wilson, President Trump’s efforts to console the grieving wife were “insensitive, unsympathetic and disgraceful.” Since then, two other Gold Star wives have published recordings of calls from President Trump after their husbands were killed in action, however each expressed gratitude that their president would take the time to call, and were comforted by the president’s concern. General Kelly spoke from the unique perspective of a Marine General who has ordered sons of other parents into battle to be killed, but also as one whose o

Handicapping the 26th State House Race

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Early voting has begun in the 26th State House District special election.   That would be for the seat formerly held by Geoff Duncan, who recently resigned. There are two Republican candidates on the ballot to succeed Mr. Duncan in the 2018 Georgia General Assembly.   They are Navy veteran, businessman and long-time county resident, Marc Morris, who is faced by former Democrat, former lobbyist turned researcher and blogger, Tina Trent, a recent transplant from Dawson County.   For what it’s worth, here’s how I evaluate the candidates in this race. Marc Morris and Tina Trent First of all, any candidate who represents the people in state government should be a good listener.   A representative who does not carefully consider the viewpoints of his or her constituents cannot adequately represent them in government, which of course is the job description. Regarding whether Mr. Morris would listen and carefully consider the opinions of those he represents, my conversat

Woodall’s Budget Continues the Charade

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Last week, US 7 th District US Representative Rob Woodall issued a press release excitedly announcing a new Republican budget proposal for 2018.   Said Woodall, “Any budget, whether at the federal level or within our households, is a roadmap – a vision – for accomplishing our priorities.”   Mr. Woodall was so excited because, according to him, the “Building a Better America” budget sets “forth discretionary spending levels that bring the budget to balance by 2027.”   In so doing, “the reconciliation instructions call on all House authorizing committees to find a minimum of $203 billion in mandatory savings over the next 10 years.” Mr. Woodall wants you to believe that his “roadmap” will lead to fiscal responsibility in Washington, DC.   Even if we could lend Woodall enough credibility to register a modicum of hope that his “vision” could possibly lead to a balanced annual budget in ten years, the power of compound interest, together with unavoidable fiscal imbalance