Georgia Patriot Files

Last week a friend shared a link regarding a “listening session” afforded by the Forsyth County Government to the people of our county.  Had I not seen that post, I would never have known about it.  The purpose of the meeting, as the notice described, was to receive public input regarding certain “residential design standards” to be implemented for new developments and homes constructed in RES2, RES3 and RES4 zoning categories across our county.  Being a builder, the notice stirred my interest and I scheduled to attend. When I arrived, there to greet me and fifteen or so others who somehow learned of the meeting, were two gracious, engaging strangers.   Although they were very nice gentlemen, frankly I thought it a little odd that people who don’t live around here would come out of their way, ostensibly to help us in our county to understand what our homes should look like, as if we are not equipped to make those calls ourselves.  But hey, I came to listen, and to give them the input

A few weeks ago, I read a FCN article entitled, “Commission to Pursue Grant for Mental Health.” When I read that headline, I was a little suspicious.  And now that I have had the chance to look at this program, unfortunately, my suspicions are confirmed. My antenna raised initially because some of the most destructive policies our state and local governments ever enact are forced upon them, and forced upon the citizens of their governing jurisdictions, because they “took the money,” but didn’t regard the fine print. This grant for mental health appears no exception.  But before I go there, let’s talk about a few other very destructive grant programs of the past. During the financial crisis that brought America and the world to its economic knees, state governments were strapped for cash.  Tax revenues failed to fund and operate state governments as they had in the past.  One area of deep concern was education.  Enter the US Department of Education with “free money” in the f

If you follow my column, you know I write a lot about our money, maybe better described as, “currency.”  I do that because factors concerning the control of currency bear an undue influence over many of our most important governmental decisions, even decisions to go to war.  But while the control of currency is fundamental to politics, this underlying consideration, which drives our major governmental policy-making, is likely the least understood of all.  Seems like everyone has an opinion on how much the government should spend on this or that; but very few even understand where the money it spends even comes from.  It’s as if people just think the dollars are out there and our job is to figure out the best thing to do with them.  Everyone talks about government spending.  But few talk about the more important question regarding how the government even comes by the currency it spends. Most Have No Idea Where Money Comes From A couple of years ago, I found myself in an elevator

Last June, I published an article here entitled, “Trump Goes After the Fed—Attacks Trade Deficit.” In that article, I explained how the US Trade deficit has been funded not by any equitable arrangement, such as trading real value created in America for value from other countries, but by the petrodollar system. And since 1976 when the petrodollar began in earnest, the private banks of the Federal Reserve System have been able to print dollars with impunity, loaning them into the American economy, where Americans have borrowed them only to send them overseas to import goods produced cheaper than we can produce them here at home.  Since 1976, there have always been more dollars leaving America to import goods, than returning to buy our exports.  Consequently, American jobs have gone with the dollars to other countries. The measure of the difference between the dollars leaving and the dollars returning is the “US trade deficit.” 1976 was a hinge point world trade history.  That was

This week, no politics.  This week I want to give a public shout out to our area law enforcement personnel, and everyone who made a difference for the grieving family and loved ones of a recently departed veteran, my father-in-law, Jim Campbell.  Allow me to tell you a little about Jim.  He was born in 1928, the son of a World War I Army officer.  The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred one month after Jim turned thirteen.  And for the next four years, Jim yearned for news from the front lines.  He wanted to be there, but was too young. After turning 17, having recently graduated high school, and with his dad’s blessing and signature, Jim enlisted in the Army.  Hitler was defeated.  The bombs had already fallen on Japan. So Jim ended up shipping to Korea, where he would be assigned the job of general’s aid, essentially shuffling papers.  But Jim wanted to be in the action, should there be any, and requested a transfer to the 38th parallel, where he became stationed.  Eventually Jim’s hit