The Citizen Newsletter

The Conservative Voice of Henry County

Issue # 334 March 24, 2012

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Constitutional Amendment - VOTE YES in November!

Senate OKs Charter School Bill After weeks of pitched battles, Georgia s controversial House Resolution 1162 cleared its final legislative hurdle Monday when the Senate approved the charter school amendment 40 to 16. That was two votes more than the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional amendment, assuring that the resolution will be placed before the state s voters in the Nov. 6 general election.

In This Issue:
Page Feature 2 3 3 4 6 8 8 9 10 11 12 Tax Plan Passes Legislature Obama Calls Out Romney Tommy Smith Meet & Greet County Budget: Citizens Views County s New Gun Club Thanks, But no Thanks Georgia Right To Grow Act An Artist s Observation Henry County Budget Woes Early Budget Discussion- Public Safety Georgia: Most Corrupt State

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Tax plan passes General Assembly

By KRISTINA TORRES and AARON GOULD SHEININ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The numbers on the board read: 54 in favor, 0 against. Add it to the 155-9 vote the bill received in the House on Tuesday, and the plan will reach Gov. Nathan Deal's desk on a bipartisan breeze. "This package is good news," Deal said at a news conference. "It means our state is more competitive and is a state where we can grow jobs." The bill has changed considerably since it was first introduced a year ago as a truly comprehensive reset of the way the state taxes individuals, families and businesses. The 2011 tax bill, which was shelved in the final days of that year's session, would have cut the personal income tax rate, done away with many deductions and added sales taxes on services and many goods. Tax Overhaul 2.0, however, lacks the sweep of the first version, while targeting cuts to manufacturers, airlines and married couples, and eliminating the much-hated car tax paid on motorists' birthday. Tax plan gains passage The Georgia Senate voted unanimously Thursday for a sweeping tax plan that its supporters said would help the state compete for jobs and help families. The bill now awaits the signature of Gov. Nathan Deal, who helped put the plan together. Here are the key elements of House Bill 386: Add tax exemptions for energy used by manufacturers, farm machinery and supplies, and airline fuel. Restore sales tax holidays for school supplies and energy-efficient appliances. Do away with property taxes on cars titled after March 1, 2013. Instead of the annual ad valorem taxes, the legislation calls for a one-time title fee, rising from 6.5 percent in 2013 to 7 percent in 2015. Increase the personal state income tax exemption for married people filing jointly from $5,400 to $7,400. Cap non-work income that seniors can exclude from income taxes at $65,000, or $130,000 per couple. Collect sales taxes from more Internet sales. Provide manufacturers and agribusinesses with more than $200 million in tax breaks over the next three years.

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AND SO IT BEGINS, OBAMA CALLS OUT ROMNEY ON ROMNEYCARE!

REDSTATE Just as conservatives have always warned, if the GOP nominates Mitt Romney for president, the current president will try to use him as a scapegoat for Obamacare. PROOF: We designed a program that actually previously had support of Republicans, including the person who may end up being the Republican standard bearer and is now pretending like he came up with something different, the president said. The Massachusetts plan served as a model for the Affordable Care Act, signed two years ago Friday. Romney, the state s former governor, has since said the legislation was the correct course for his state but not meant as a model for a national overhaul. But the plan has proved a focal point of criticism aimed at the GOP frontrunner. In Thursday s interview, Obama said Republican opposition to the plan, including the Supreme Court challenge, is politically motivated. Maybe scapegoat isn t exactly the best word. In this interview, Obama was extolling the virtues of Obamacare and tying Romney to it, so maybe he was actually trying to share credit for the health care overhaul. Either way, the only defense Romney has offered for Romneycare still is that he signed it into law at the state level. Ann Coulter has ARGUED that that is an adequate defense. But if for no other reason than that Romneycare included an individual mandate, it s problematic. Sure, a mandate at the state level is constitutional, but, in case you ve forgotten, a federal mandate to buy insurance is not CONSTITUTIONAL. Moreover, once upon a time, Romney explicitly expressed support for a national mandate. It s been two years since the president signed Obamacare into law and, for two years, conservatives have known Romney would be in trouble for the way Romneycare connects him to the least-liked entitlement program in the nation s history. Two years and I still don t see how Romney gets around this issue. Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrohm says the campaign will clear its Etch a Sketch for the general election, but no magic and no messaging will erase Romneycare. It has been and will be his Achilles heel unless and until he completely disavows it.

Tommy Smith's Campaign "Meet & Greet" was held March 22nd
PEGGY MALCOLM Attended Tommy Smith's Campaign "Meet & Greet" tonight at the American Legion in McDonough; he had wonderful response. Approximately 150+ folks turned out to hear his plans as Chairman for the BOC starting in 2013. Great food and great fellowship. Best of luck, Tommy. You had a great showing tonight!!!!!!

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ELEANOR SMITH Peggy, there had to be 200 or more people. I was helping put out more plates because the 200 they had originally put out were used. Great event with great concerned citizens!

JOANIE SCOTT It was great to see so much support for Tommy and his promise for new and honest leadership for Henry County. I met so many wonderful people but the common theme tonight was definitely concern for our county employees and concern for keeping our county safe.

Annual Budget: Commissioners, Manager declare themselves incapable, irrelevant some citizens have added their own voices
In Response to Joanie Scott s

1. The Shareholders should replace the Board of Directors.

Joanie is right on target with the analysis that the current board, our governing authority, is in a position of dire financial straits. The first thoughts include an increase in property taxes. The secondary thoughts include cutting staff, as in permanent reduction of workforce. Personnel is the largest slice of every division/departmental budget. It is reasonable to scale back on the number people on the payroll, right? Irresponsible spending is only part of the current debacle. It is not correct to place blame on any director, department head or other staff member. All fault remains with the governing authority and the decisions that have made, and will make. In the corporate world wherein a business owner or board of directors is found in this situation, the first fiduciary responsibility is to gain or maintain viability of the corporate entity. You will find staff reductions AND elimination of assets toward balancing the books. What you seldom find is any member of the directing board who is displaced. In the real world of government we select people whom we believe or believed- we could trust as faithful stewards of our business. Purchases of property (Nash, Cotton Fields, Airport) that are called quality of life, or investments have amounted to irresponsible actions that many citizens lambasted at the time and now see as evidence the board members, corporally and individually, have no clue about representing the citizenry. What they do understand: this is an election year and citizens are enlisted to review budgetary fixes and make recommendations. Two primary reasons come to mind. The first is to provide transparency about the mess we are in. Secondly, to setup political cover for some very painful decisions. The cover they seek, however, will not come before cutting and slashing social programs and myriad other non-essential items from the budget. Raising property taxes, directly with a millage increase or indirectly by rescinding the floating homestead exemption, is not acceptable. Period. The board created, and is responsible for the problem. Raising taxes with no indication of removing vote-buying, feel good expenses would be a sham we all see through.

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2. It appears that not all on the board are on the same page. Mr. Stanley seems to be right on with HIS assessment of the purpose of and the understanding of the citizens review of the budget process; however from Mr. Arley Lowe s statement it appears that not all on the board are on the same page. Mr. Lowe has stated that a millage increase would NOT be a tax increase just a values adjustment. It is his belief or stated position that paying the SAME amount of tax on a piece of property that is worth less than it was last year is not really a tax increase . I do not agree that selling the property Battlefield, golf course, Abernathy Farm, airport and other non- essential property would not be an immediate boost to the budget. It would immediately place them back on the tax roll. I agree with the idea of allowing the airport to be foreclosed on. Many families have found it necessary to be foreclosed on and have their dreams auctioned off on the courthouse step. If the airport is a viable and wise investment the private sector will jump on in. The golf course if a viable business will return to the county in tax revenues if it isn t viable the at least stand accountable and stop with the, well we made a good investment for the future EXPANSION of government. It was not a good investment. It has and continues to be a drain on the budget of Henry County. Yes there will be layoffs, which in the private sector, we call DOWNSIZING, it s what you do as a private business owner when it cost more to produce you product than you are able to absorb given your return on that product. This budget battle will be made to appear US, the taxpayers, against THEM, county employees, public safety employees and education employees At NO TIME will you hear the Chair or BoC accept responsibility for the condition our budget is in. They will blame the mess on everything but where the blame belongs .The Chair and the BoC. Any COB, CEO, COO any officer of any company MUST be able to anticipate and adjust for unforeseen turns in the economy and have a plan to deal with those turns. The Henry County CEO (Chair) and board of directors (BoC) did not anticipate nor plan for the economic downturn thus we find ourselves in the position of insolvency and something has to give or go. The unfortunate ones will be the county employees who I am sure felt very fortunate to obtain a position with the county and planned to retire after a fulfilling career in public service. But as many in the private sector who experienced the same feeling only to find the economy and the leadership/management of their company DID NOT make any plans for adjustments should it be necessary to do so and now find themselves looking for a new career in an ever shrinking pool of opportunity. My observation: The first effort will be to turn the county employees i.e. police, fire, EMT, librarian staffs, parks and rec., school employees, social programs staff, AND seniors centers programs against

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the homeowner/taxpayers . you know the usual the ones who will suffer most are the senior and children and public safety will be curtailed drastically. Then with the closing of the recreation facilities we will experience a tremendous increase in gang activity and crime. You will NOT hear of the irresponsible acceptance of MATCHING grants where you do get millions of dollars to do programs you couldn t afford otherwise The problem with this is the county doesn t have, without going into more deficit spending, the MATCHING funds and when they do, after the program is established it must be funded entirely by the county the following year You will not hear We really should not have purchased this or that and really didn t do the research that we should have on that .. To hear the Chair or a board member say that would be an admission by them that THEY WERE WRONG and we know that during an election year THAT AIN T GONNA HAPPEN. No it is time for a change not one that we can believe in but one that we can actually trust and see because the direction the county is presently taking will only lead us into more distressed budgets. 3. A Policeman s View
Today I spent a couple of hours contacting Police Departments in Atlanta, Gwinnett, Cobb, Fulton, and Clayton. Since the Judges etc. in Henry are paid their supplement based on the average of these metro counties. The average of the starting salaries for Police Officers is: $38,244, and top out of: $56,754. I figured an average raise of around $1,500 per year for 12 years. The starting salary for Henry County P.D. is $36,523, after 7 years, I make $36,585. If I took the average of $1,500 per year for 7 years, I would be making $47,085 at another Metro County. I use my salary, but I assume all the Officers who work for Henry County that have not been promoted are in the same boat. I just returned from our FOP, Fraternal Order of Police, meeting tonight and the truth is, we are not happy with any of the incumbents. We are working with the Henry PBA, Police Benevolent Association, to have a joint forum for Public Safety after the Commissioner Candidates qualify. Probably second week in June. We are inviting Firemen and Deputies. I hope someone else qualifies for Chairman, because we are not happy with any of the candidates thus far. I heard you were named to "The Committee", but everything points to gloom, despair and agony on us all. Hope you can make a difference, especially for Public Safety. If you need the pay scale plan we have, I can get a copy from the Captain who compiled all the data and put it together.

The New County Sanctioned Gun Club

By TheDoctor

Well it looks like the citizens of Henry County have been handed another dead mackerel. We were promised days to go to the police firing range for free. Now that s the key word here free. At the Henry County website it says that the range will be open on a monthly basis beginning on May 19th. We can understand the rules of

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being a 1. Henry County Resident; 2. Be at least 21 years old; 3. Have no felony convictions; 4. Bring your own firearm, ammunition, targets, and eye & ear protection; 5. Adhere to all Rules of the Range, *which will be taught and provided during the class. Now it seems the people who use the range will be required to take a 6 hour class prior to using the range. The class will be taught by certified law enforcement instructors from both agencies to be held at the Sheriff s Office. The class will show the mechanics of shooting, firearms safety and rule of the range. The cost of this class and having a criminal background check and photo ID made will be $50.00. At the end of the year and each year following participants are required to pay an administrative fee of $25.00 to renew their access to the range which will cover another background check and ID pass. The class will be held each quarter. Now there is nothing free about using this firearms range which the citizens have already paid $4 million for and more money for the cost of setting up the firing range and general upkeep. Strange how memories are so short. I had a friend who asked me a question that is a good question. You can go to the Probate Court and apply for a gun license to carry a firearm. You must pay $75.00 for the permit and it generally takes from 4-6 weeks to get it because of the background check that is done. But you can go to any gun store in Henry County and buy a gun without a license where they have a background check performed before you can have the gun. This can take from 30 minutes to 3 days. They asked why you can have the gun before the permit? It is a good question since these background checks are done to see if the person has ever been convicted of a felony or under charge in court. One would think the gun permit would be quicker to get than the gun. But always remember, when a politician says we are going to get something for free; look very closely because it rarely happens.

JAN MORGAN If a HORSE has to have a photo ID to be in a horse show, then PEOPLE should have a photo ID to vote for President of the United States. Feeding the horses at Texas D Ranch and still raging about OBAMA'S justice Department blocking efforts of states to require photo ID to vote. "okay... let me get this straight... Obama is now blocking states from requiring photo ID's to vote because he says it "intimidates" minority voters... Yet, his administration exonerates the BLACK PANTHERS who were standing at the polls with their night sticks intimidating white voters... So apparently voter intimidation is acceptable as long as the voters being intimidated are white antiObama people... and voter fraud is acceptable as long as the fraud is going to put Obama in office.. hmmm... sounds like a perfect plan for a socialist dictator " - JAN MORGAN

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Don Henderson Has anyone else noticed that from Henry County all the way to Washington D.C, that when B.J, Lynn, Johnny, Shameless and on to the White House ... whenever they are called on one of their "shaft to the people" actions they never respond? I guess like Warren said the other day during the BoC meeting that "Well, for the most part, we try to do what is best for the citizens." And then BJ was almost hyperventilating when she added, "No most all the time. I mean all the time. 100% of the time we do what is best for the citizens." I guess it was one of those "OOPS I told the truth" moments. And I do want to add the thanks but no thanks on the budget. It didn't belong to me when you all started spending like a drunk sailor and I don't want it now that you have spent like a drunk sailor. You broke it you fix it. And stay out of my wallet to do it. You figured out how to spend it, you figure out how to recover it. And foreclosure on the Airport would be a good start. Let Clayton County have it back... WHAT ... what do you mean they don't want it because it's a loser? Maybe we can buy it on the courthouse steps at a real bargain. And I have a buyer for Nash Farms Battlefield... Walt Disney Inc. wants to buy it and turn it into a theme park. Kinda like a working plantation where it could provide jobs and cotton.

House Bill 853 Georgia Right to Grow Act

The Georgia Senate is reviewing a new bill titled House Bill 853 Georgia Right to Grow Act. This Bill passed the Georgia House and was sent to the Senate this month. No county, municipality, consolidated government, or local government authority shall prohibit or require any permit for the growing or raising of food crops, rabbits, honeybees, or chickens, with the exception of roosters, in home gardens, fully covered pens, hives, or fully covered coops on private residential property so long as such food crops, animals, or honeybees or the products thereof are used for human consumption by the occupant of such property and members of his or her household and not for commercial purposes.

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Here s the Bill: HTTP://WWW.LEGIS.GA.GOV/LEGISLATION/EN-US/DISPLAY/20112012/HB/853 Here is a spreadsheet of all the Reps in Georgia (see the tabs at the bottom of the sheet) HTTPS://DOCS.GOOGLE.COM/SPREADSHEET/CCC?KEY=0AP9PZL3UYCFRDEW0AJNOSFCWUXNRYUXZVXV MQUDZMMC#GID=0 PLEASE USE THE CONTACT INFO FOR GA SENATORS! Help push this Bill through!

More Information GEORGIA FOOD RIGHTS Facebook page HTTP://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/297908356912259/

An Artist s Observation
Alfred Britt An artist is trained to look at things different than most people. They are trained to see shapes, line formations, shading cool and warm colors. I have been studying art seriously for about two years now. So I have grown in what I see thru out the day as I go about my business. We all know that times are very hard right now, everyone is filling the pinch on the economy as it tanks right in front of our faces. The stress people are feeling is starting to spill over into everyday life and if you observe closely you can see it all around you every day. The other day I had to go to Wal-Mart to get a few items. I ran into a guy that works in the food side of the store that I see from time to time. We always speak to each other and this time I stopped to see how he was doing. We got talking about the pollen and how it was so bad. He said the other day he washed a truck he wanted to sell so he could take a photo of it. He said the next day you could not tell he had even washed it because of the pollen. He said he wondered how much money he wasted in water soap to wash it and it looks just as bad as it did before. As I was loading my bags into the back of my truck a lady parked next to me. I could tell she was not a happy camper she slammed the door shut and started cussing. She looked up as she came around to the back side of her car and seen me, she said sorry about that. She said the dam birds keep crapping on my car after I got it washed. People are getting tired of having to pinch pennies to survive. When I got over to the gas station I went in to pay for the gas I was going to get. The man in front of me was taking his time digging in his pockets. This raised my awareness a little I put my hand on one of my knives I carry at all times. Come to find out he was digging rolls of pennies out of his pocket to pay for his gas. The stress is starting to get to people, they are getting short tempered with each other, and I have even seen it in families when I am out and about. People hurting others because of what we all must have in order to live and that is money. When money gets short people change and sometimes it s not for the best. We all need to learn to think about each other before we act or speak we may find ourselves in the same boat one day and them where would you be.

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One last thing all this is happening all over the Country not just here in Henry County. With what we have in the White House we need to ask ourselves was all this planned to help topple the United States of America? If so the way we act towards each other could have an affect on the Nation we love so much just think about that and let me know what you think. These are my thoughts.

Henry County s Budget Woes

The County expects a huge reduction in revenues for the coming 2012-2013 budget year. By law a balanced budget must be submitted and, at this point, every division has been asked to submit proposals for reducing expenses. We taxpayers cannot simply expound that the sitting board of commissioners caused the problem, and now they must fix it. In fact Henry County Commissioners opted to form a committee comprised of citizens with a wide variety of backgrounds, to offer their input and feedback to the County Manager regarding the upcoming FY 2012-2013 budget. See the list of appointees at HTTP://WWW.CO .HENRY.GA.US/NEWSARTICLE.ASPX?AID=1095. The County receives the bulk of revenues from property taxes. A hard fact is that, in three years, the number of single family homes valued at $100,000 or less increased from 3,500 to over 19,000. Assuming $1,000 in property tax from a $100,000 home the first $700 goes directly to the Henry Board of Education. The BoE has reached the legal maximum of 20 mils property tax, and also receives over 3 additional millage points for bonded debt. The remaining $300 goes to County government. That is the crux of the problem. Declining real estate markets, along with the general malaise of universal economic downturn, places Henry County among those jurisdictions with far greater expenses than income. Revenues for the 2012 budget stand at $112,452,443. From $132,647,801 in 2009 the county budget has decreased over $20,000,000. By all conventional wisdom, the layoffs and cost trimming done to-date has plucked only the low-hanging fruits from easily identified sources. Primarily, and since personnel is the largest cost item, we have seen layoffs and attrition as the major source of budget cuts. The hard reality is projected 2013 revenues of $100,688,129. That is a whopping $12 million below current spending levels. An alternate projection, called Hopeful by the commissioners, places 2013 revenues at $106 million. The more hopeful scenario relies on economic recovery and more aggressive defense of appraised property values with the new hiring of a Chief Appraiser by the County Board of Appraisers. Projected decreases in revenues are (1) $12 million, based on our tax Commissioner s anticipated 20% decline in property values; or (2) $6 million based on the Board of Assessors anticipated 10% decline in property values. Under the Hopeful scenario taxpayers can expect to file more appeals, and to encounter aggressive opposition in court. From the budgetary aspect, Hopeful is a lose-lose for taxpayers and the county.

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As many fiscal conservatives are voicing the best way to proceed is planning for the worst, and praying for the best. Conservatives cannot and will not accept planning for the hopeful or questionable Maybe Factor. Some factors involved with setting the property tax rate are the floating homestead exemption, adjusting the millage rate and appraised values. One view says, The truth is, if I pay the same amount in taxes as last year, it is not a "tax increase". But the fiscally conservative viewpoint says, If the real value of my property has decreased, then I expect a decrease in the appraised value. And therefore a decrease in the amount of tax I must pay. On the surface there appear to be no options:

A. I pay less county tax next year (because of lower assessment), and the county takes significant cuts in personnel & services. B. I pay the same tax to the county next year (because millage rates were adjusted) and the county takes significant cuts in personnel & services.
To view the county budget as a thing that must be maintained at or near current levels of spending is a wrong approach. Sometimes we must cut out things that evoke emotional responses simply because the money supply has decreased. Sitting as an elected official in Henry County has carried the appearance that no cost is too high for investment. And services that one Commissioner acknowledges as Fun in his Fear & Fun Analysis are the stuff re-election is made of. To the extent that financial fortunes have diminished and values of real property have decreased, no tax increase is acceptable. Our county budget contains fixed costs that must be funded like constitutional offices. There are expenses like public safety that have to be funded but could have some room for small reductions without jeopardizing the community safety, and there is discretionary spending that can be lowered and maybe curtailed all together. Many citizens cannot see the board of commissioners at this point willing to curtail altogether non-essential spending. The county s governing authority must act responsibly and that means prioritizing and reduced spending. Too many areas of expense exist because of emotion or personality tied to campaign promises or agendas of elected officials and/or their special interest supporters. As a county we must categorize and prioritize the roles of government, and fix spending on essential services.

Early Budget Discussions

Public Safety

Henry County Manager asked division heads to propose spending cuts based on a 10% reduction across the board. Not every division acknowledged that fixed, across the board cuts would allow continued operation.

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For example, potential elimination of 68 patrol officers, 10 administrative positions and one analyst; and, 45 fire fighters/paramedics from Public Safety pour salt in an open wound. This option also calls for closing three fire stations and two rescue units. The first weakness plaguing the Henry Police Department (HCPD) is pay compression and the corresponding lack of a defined pay scale for officers and supervisors. Based on the January report from the HCPD it appears the pyramid is upside-down. There may not be too many Sergeants (32), and Lieutenants (14) for the force of 229 sworn officers, but the pay scales show a wide gap ($46,000 to $59,000) from the $36,000 paid to certified officers. Since 2008 the HCPD has lost 61 officers to other agencies. The largest reason cited for leaving was unhappiness in job/pay. This is a severe blow to the agency where currently 50.4% of the department has less than four years police experience. From a march 2012 Manpower Study the HCPD compared sworn officers, population and crime statistics from several Georgia jurisdictions. The state standard for determining ideal number of officers is based on call volume. The 2011 call volume for Columbus, for example, was 407,098 with 488 officers. This equates to an officer/call ratio of 834. Columbus Police Department has 2.6 officers per 1000 citizens. Henry s call volume was 193,338. Our officer/call ratio was 844 with 229 officers. Henry County PD/Sheriff (89) serves a population of 203,922 with 318 sworn officers/deputies. The combined call volume of 249,730 givers an officer/call ratio of 785, or 2.3 officers/deputies per 1000 citizens. Based on this formula Henry County is in need of an additional 21 officers. Even combining the HCPD numbers with the Sheriff s Office deputies, Henry County has fewer officers than Augusta-Richmond County (433), Cherokee County (332), or Hall County (408). Henry County has higher call volume than two of these agencies and a much higher officer/call ratio than all of them. From the Legislative & Executive, Public Works, Health & Welfare and Housing & Development divisions an additional 51 positions could be eliminated. Henry County s Public Safety Division does an exemplary job, as shown by crime statistics and public service events and projects. While examining categories and priorities for budgetary reduction, further reducing the staff and capabilities of this division through a fixed, across the board reduction is not acceptable.

America s Most Corrupt States

1. Georgia > Overall grade: F (49%) > Public access to information: F > Legislative accountability: F > Political financing: F > Ethics enforcement agencies: F Georgia has the worst levels of corruption risk and lack of accountability of any state in the country. The state scored a D or worse in 12 of the 14 categories. The state s biggest problem is the absence of a strong ethics enforcement agency. Republican governor Sonny Perdue managed to get

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an ethics bill through the legislature, but by the time it passed, his proposals to ban gifts to state workers and clearly define appropriate campaign spending had been stripped out. According to State Integrity reporter Jim Walls, while Georgia has provisions to prevent certain kinds of corruption in campaign finance and lobbying, the state is full of unaddressed loopholes and lax enforcement. About 2,000 Georgia officials, including one in five sitting legislators, have failed to pay penalties for filing their disclosures late, or not at all. Earlier this week, the Center for Public Integrity released a report detailing the risk of corruption and lack of accountability in all 50 states. The findings of the report should worry anyone who believes state governments are transparent and free of corruption. Of course, no state is without flaws. Unfortunately, nearly every state received a grade that would give residents cause for concern. The Center for Public Integrity s report examined issues concerning accountability and ethics in each state government. States were graded on 330 separate metrics, which were grouped into 14 major categories. Overall grades are based on the average grades in the major categories, which included lobbying disclosure, political financing, internal auditing, ethics enforcement agencies and redistricting.

Read more: HTTP://WWW.FOXBUSINESS.COM/INVESTING/2012/03/22/AMERICAS-MOST-CORRUPTSTATES/?CMPID=CMTY_%7BLINKBACK %7D_AMERICA%E2%80%99S_M OST_CORRUPT_STATES#IXZZ1 Q2XKVHM B

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