Gov. Deal touts as success an economic policy that is clearly a failure

Goveror Nathan Deal (R-GA) campaigns on his economic stewardship of the state during his term as governor.   What he mostly touts is the fact that "Georgia has the lowest tax burden on its citizens of any state in that nation."    He also touts the dubious rating that Georgia is at the top when it comes to offering attractive inducements to businesses to locate in Georgia -- a rating that is based almost entirely on huge tax breaks.  

What he's saying, of course, is that he is a tax cutting Republican -- and he's done his job well.  "Well," that is, as defined by Republicans.   But something had to offset those reduced revenues.   So he made huge. austere, inhumane budgets cuts for all the things Republicans hate to have to pay for anyway.

Jay Bookman (AJC, Oct. 1) explained some of the details.  The Tax Foundation reports that Georgia collects almost $1,000 less per capita than Alabama and $2,000 less per capita than Mississippi.   By paying so little of what the state needs to operate for its citizens, something has to give.   Two things stand out.

(1)   We have the 8th highest rate of dependency on the federal government in the country.   That's right.  As much as Republicans hate the strings that come with federal money, 38.9% of Georgia's budget funding comes from the federal government.

(2)  Draconian cuts in state services.   Booker writes:

"When a winter storm hits, we lack the equipment or manpower to clear the highways.  When a recession hits, we fire teachers and shorten the academic year.  We slash funding for higher education, cut health care for state employees and lay off hundreds of social workers assigned to protect vulnerable kids, rushing to rehire them when the body toll grows too high to ignore."

Georgia voters turned state government over to the Republicans, and this is what we got.  Welfare for big business;   slash services and assistance for needy citizens -- and even ordinary, middle class citizens who depend on government to provide for common needs like education and protection.   Bookman continues:

"In a global economy that rewards a high quality of life, a modern transportation infrastructure (including transit), and effective health care and educational opportunities for all, we [Georgia] take pride in funding none of those things. . . .

"When you're 50th in the nation in state revenue per capita, how much farther down that deadend road can you travel before you realize that maybe, just maybe, you missed a turn a decade or so back."

That would be about the time we voters turned over state government to Republicans.  It's time to reverse that and begin trying to rebuild what we had going before we took that wrong turn.

Vote for Jason Carter for governor, Connie Stokes for Lt. Governor, Michelle Nunn for U. S. senator, Valerie Wilson for State School Superintendent, Greg Hecht for Attorney General, and Doreen Carter for Secretary of State.

These Democrats can all win -- if we get out the voters on election day.

Ralph