Dining out on the taxpayers’ dime

Just a day before President Obama promised another $30 billion of taxpayer money to bail out General Motors, he and the First Lady jetted to New York City for a night out on the town. They enjoyed a lavish dinner and choice seats to a Broadway show - all on the taxpayers' dime.

Raising high school standards to meet needs

Last Wednesday, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, reeling from a 39 percent state budget cut, announced a series of "heart-wrenching" moves designed to deal with the spending cuts and a 24 percent drop in revenue.

Remembering our military on Memorial Day

"The kids today don't know the history. That's because their teachers and parents don't know. But I try to tell them."

Now is the time to buy a home

It's late May, schools out, and it's time to think about buying or selling your home.

Raising high school standards to meet needs

Children are our most important resource. Educating them is the best use of our tax dollars. Over 56 percent of our state budget goes toward education. As a member of the House Higher Education Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee for Education (K-12), I am expected to keep up with what is happening educationally in other states, as well as in Georgia.

New laws could soon take effect

This week marked the governor's deadline for signing and vetoing bills. With his signature, these measures will become law either immediately or upon the new Fiscal Year, beginning July 1.

‘Think small’ can make Georgia as big as California

Nanotechnology could do for Georgia what Silicon Valley did for California. It can be our ticket to jobs of the future. The essence of nanotechnology is to "think small" - not in inches, not in millimeters, not in pin heads, not even in hairs, but in atoms.

Park, recreation continues to grow

The residents of Dawson County have many things for which to be thankful. We all have been blessed to either have been born or to have moved to a wonderful community. I believe that we all can agree that one of our community's greatest assets is our youth.

State parks are an important economic tool

Summer is quickly approaching, and this year the idea of planning a "staycation" at home is becoming a popular alternative to investing in pricey travel arrangements. At a time when money is tight and the luxuries in life seem few and far between, we need to consider what diversions our local communities have to offer. <font face="Arial" ...

Celebration of life

You and the community are invited to attend a Celebration of Life for Traci Lamar Scates. The event will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2009 at Bethel United Methodist Church, 100 Lumpkin Campground Road, South, Dawsonville, GA.

Final wrap up of session: Tax relief

Although we are facing the toughest economic times in recent memory, the 2009 Session of the General Assembly proved to be a successful one for Georgians.

Taxes, tea parties and constitutional principles

Thousands of discontented Georgians lined the streets around our state Capitol this week to protest excessive Washington spending and an increasingly burdensome tax code.

Keep the motorsports tradition alive

The recent discussion about Atlanta Motorsports Park has been littered with misinformation by people that live far away from the proposed site and do not have a dog in this hunt -but oppose anything and everything.

Session update on budget, transportation

The 2009 Legislative Session ended at midnight last Friday with the governor thanking us for a productive session.

Park a positive economic move

Many thanks to all of you who are proponents of the Atlanta Motorsports Park. With your support and the vision of the developer our community will thrive with new opportunities and growth.

Revitalization interesting

It was interesting to read the recent recommendations for downtown Dawsonville revitalization. They were almost identical to the items we identified when the previous revitalization committee was active probably 15 years ago, including the desire to utilize the David house in some way. We also worked under the guidance of a University of Georgia planner, Paul Kreager.

Expert: Students are not blueberries

Dear public school teachers in Georgia:

Mayor mulls run against Gov. Deal

David Pennington, the mayor of Dalton, is making noises about challenging incumbent Gov. Nathan Deal in the 2014 Republican primary. Say what?

Session has ended

The legislative session has ended, and Gov. Nathan Deal has now either signed or vetoed every bill that passed the General Assembly.

What’s next for Georgia?

The debate surrounding second amendment rights received national attention a few weeks ago as the U.S. Senate voted down a bill that would require expanded background checks for firearm purchases.

Senior triumphs, inspires

Thankful for the community support

We just wanted to say thank you to everyone who supported the Lady Tigers basketball team this season.

The continued budget cuts

Senator Gooch recently wrote about the final budget for Georgia for fiscal year 2014.

Concert supports recovery

Relay for Life is a stunning example of what the caring, compassionate and hard-working people who live in Dawson County can accomplish.

Nothing to do but dress as Big Bird

RING! RING!

Ensuring returns on state’s transportation investment

When I was named chair of the Senate Transportation Committee in January, it was becoming clear that there could be some struggles with producing a balanced FY 2014 budget for Georgia.

Brings back memories of Atlanta attack

When the terrorist attacks occurred in Boston during the running of the Boston Marathon, memories came flooding back of our own dark days in Atlanta. It was 17 years ago, July 27, 1996, when those of us who were a part of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games had our worst fears realized. A pipe bomb detonated in the Centennial Olympic Park during the middle weekend of that worldwide celebration, killing two people and ...

You never really get back home

A friend and I met up in the massive Frankfurt airport's central lobby just by coincidence.

Education, Medicaid are areas of concern

One of the most challenging tasks the Georgia General Assembly takes on each year is sorting through the state's finances. Unlike legislation, the budget isn't something that can be carried over to the next biennial year.

Does this column sound familiar?

Has it really been 43 years since the first "Earth Day?" I remember it well; that's when I became an environmentalist.